As we settle into the last couple of months of the year, the world is now well into the swing of the Flesh and Blood National Championship series, with ten Championships taking place over the weekend. From Norway to Malaysia, France to Bulgaria, players across the globe blazed a trail to the top, claiming their places as the first National Champions in their country.
We take a look at each of these historic events hosted by local game stores the world over, crowning a player in your local community. Thank you to all of the stores who partnered with FAB to host their National Championship, and put so much work into making the event a memorable one for their communities.
A huge congratulations is in order for all of our new National Champions, who spent many hours playing games, deckbuilding, and honing their skills ahead of the weekend. We look forward to seeing what lies ahead for each of these prestigious players!
France
Ludiworld proudly hosted the French National Championship at the Hôtel Restaurant Campanile, in Bussy-Saint-Georges, Paris. L'Œil d'Ophidia oversaw coverage for the event, covering both days of the Championship both on Twitch and on Twitter.
While there were a number of runeblades present, the brute squad made a surprise appearance, representing a good portion of the battlefield.
Hero Breakdown
| Hero | Player Count |
|---|---|
| Briar, Warden of Thorns | 11 |
| Rhinar, Reckless Rampage | 4 |
| Levia, Shadowborn Abomination | 3 |
| Chane, Bound by Shadow | 3 |
| Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire | 3 |
| Bravo, Showstopper | 2 |
| Dorinthea Ironsong | 2 |
| Katsu, the Wanderer | 2 |
| Lexi, Livewire | 2 |
| Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity | 2 |
| Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light | 2 |
| Viserai, Rune Blood | 2 |
| Kano, Dracai of Aether | 1 |
Five rounds of Classic Constructed rolled into three rounds of Tales of Aria draft, and by the end of day one, only eight players remained. Three runeblades, two brutes, a mechanologist, a ninja and a guardian were left standing, ready to participate in the final rounds the following day.
Top 8:
1st: Christian Franco - Briar, Warden of Thorns
2nd: Etienne Duruy - Rhinar, Reckless Rampage
3rd-4th: Simon Duruy - Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire
3rd-4th: Sebastien Bondue - Katsu, the Wanderer
5th-8th: Nicolas Campiglia - Rhinar, Reckless Rampage
5th-8th: Jonathan Guldemont - Bravo, Showstopper
5th-8th: Thomas Chevrinais - Briar, Warden of Thorns
5th-8th: Pierre Dagen - Chane, Bound by Shadow
Christian Franco faced off against Etienne Duruy in the final match of the Championship, with one of our newest heroes against one of our oldest; Tales of Aria's runeblade, Briar, versus Welcome to Rathe's brute, Rhinar. In the end, the brute could not withstand the elemental onslaught, and Christian Franco claimed his place as Champion.
Christian Franco began playing Flesh and Blood in January, making it into the top 8 of two Road to Nationals events. Over the weekend, he became the first player in France to reach 1,000 XP, with the National Championship providing the last XP needed to push him into the quadruple digits.
The whole event was covered by Oeil Ophidia, showcasing some very tight play throughout the tournament along with fun and entertaining commentary throughout. The French scene is growing quickly, and judging by the skills on display during the course of the tournament, the French contingent will be a force to be reckoned with in the coming months.
Germany
80 players gathered for the German National Championship hosted by White Rabbit at Veranstaltungszentrum Kaue in Gelsenkirchen. The weekend kicked off with a Battle Hardened event, attended by 39 players, wanting to warm up their skills before the big event. White Rabbit livestreamed both days of the Championship; you can the footage on their YouTube site here.
Saturday kicked off with a bang, the Classic Constructed rounds seeing a wide range of different heroes.
Hero Breakdown
| Hero | Player Count |
|---|---|
| Briar, Warden of Thorns | 22 |
| Bravo, Showstopper | 11 |
| Lexi, Livewire | 9 |
| Katsu, the Wanderer | 7 |
| Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity | 7 |
| Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light | 6 |
| Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire | 5 |
| Ser Boltyn, Breaker of Dawn | 5 |
| Other Heroes | 8 |
Alongside Saturday's main event, White Rabbit hosted a team sealed event and a commoner blitz event, with booster boxes of first edition Monarch and Tales of Aria on the line for Top 8 finalists, as well as booster packs for those in the Top 32.
Saturday featured a total of nine rounds of Swiss, with the top 24 players advancing to day two. Three rounds of Classic Constructed, three rounds of draft, and three more rounds of CC challenged players' deckbuilding abilities as well as their skills, with Sunday seeing another three rounds of draft in the morning.
Sunday also featured a ProQuest event for all those who didn't make the Top 24 cut, and a few more besides, with 70 players registering to take part in the event.
The draft breakdown across both days looked similar; Saturday's battlefield featured an almost perfect even split, with Briar represented by 40% of the battlefield, Oldhim by 31%, and Lexi on 29%. Compare that to the Day 2 Top 24 draft, which featured Briar on 37%, Oldhim on 38%, and Lexi on 25%.
1st: Christian Hauck - Briar, Warden of Thorns
2nd: Maximilian Klein - Lexi, Livewire
3rd-4th: Christian Weißling - Bravo, Showstopper
3rd-4th: Matthias Hittel - Briar, Warden of Thorns
5th-8th: Sebastian Golla - Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity
5th-8th: Paul Klintworth - Ser Boltyn, Breaker of Dawn
5th-8th: Szymon Wrzesień-Kwiatkowski - Briar, Warden of Thorns
5th-8th: Philip King - Lexi, Livewire
The final rounds of Sunday saw the heroes of Aria gather for battle, with one lone Boltyn joining the fray. Sebastian Golla's Oldhim went down in the quarterfinals, as did Paul Klintworth's Boltyn. German #3, Christian Weißling, the first player in Germany to reach 1000XP, battled his way into the semi-finals, but went down to Christian Hauck's Briar deck. In the other bracket, Maximilian Klein's Ice Lexi deck took down Matthias Hittel's Briar.
That left the final to a Tales of Aria showdown, Briar vs Lexi. With just 4 life to spare, Christian Hauck took the final match, seizing his place as National Champion.
Christian Hauck only began playing in Flesh and Blood in mid-September, Blitzing through seven events in his first week alone, including a Tales of Aria prerelease. Clearly, he picked up more than a few skills on his path to the National Championship, defeating some of Germany's most experienced players in his charge toward the title of National Champion.
Spain
The Spanish National Championships were hosted by local game store Azkaban Juegos, at the Hotel Amura in Madrid. 47 players arrived from around the region to participate, Classic Constructed decks at the ready. A Battle Hardened event kicked off the weekend, offering players a chance to warm up for the big event with some games of Blitz. Artist Laura Sorrosal, known for her gorgeous card alterations, was present all weekend to offer some beautiful mementos for players to mark the big event.
The Championship got underway at 8:30am sharp on Saturday morning, beginning with five rounds of Classic Constructed. You can rewatch the action on Azkaban Juegos' official livestream.
Hero Breakdown
| Hero | Player Count |
|---|---|
| Briar, Warden of Thorns | 15 |
| Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light | 7 |
| Bravo, Showstopper | 5 |
| Lexi, Livewire | 4 |
| Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire | 4 |
| Katsu, the Wanderer | 3 |
| Dorinthea Ironsong | 3 |
| Ser Boltyn, Breaker of Dawn | 2 |
| Chane, Bound by Shadow | 2 |
| Rhinar, Reckless Rampage | 2 |
Briar dominated the draft rounds, with Oldhim very close behind, at 20 players and 16 players respectively. Lexi trailed behind with 9, bow at the ready as her players tried to shoot down the competition.
When it came to the Top 8 cut, the event returned to Classic Constructed format, and a variety of heroes took their place on the battlefield. Runeblades were knocked out of the running in the semi-finals, joining the lone ninja and mechanologist in their wake. The finals came down to two warriors of Solana, Ser Boltyn versus Dorinthea, Jorge Moreno versus Francesc Bosch. The warrior of the Light, Boltyn, took the victory of the day, with Jorge Moreno taking his trophy as the first National Champion of Spain.
Top 8:
1st: Jorge Moreno - Ser Boltyn, Breaker of Dawn
2nd: Francesc Bosch - Dorinthea Ironsong
3rd-4th: Alfonso Bueno - Briar, Warden of Thorns
3rd-4th: Alvaro Francisco Toledano - Briar, Warden of Thorns
5th-8th: Adrián Ruiz - Briar, Warden of Thorns
5th-8th: Sr. Clenyu - Katsu, the Wanderer
5th-8th: Josep Giné - Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire
5th-8th Max Dieckmann - Chane, Bound by Shadow
Jorge has been playing Flesh and Blood since November 2020, attending events almost weekly since his very first event. Jorge placed second at Azkaban Juegos' Road to Nationals event in September, and is the highest ELO ranked player for Classic Constructed in Spain. Congratulations Jorge Moreno, for becoming Spain's first National Champion!
Malaysia
Hosted by AK Games Centre at the Suntrack Space, 25 players gathered for the Malaysia National Championship, ready to participate in the mixed Classic Constructed and Draft event.
The Championship saw an even number of warriors and runeblades take to the battlefield for the Classic Constructed portion of the event, with guardians and brutes trailing behind.
| Hero | Player Count |
|---|---|
| Briar, Warden of Thorns | 6 |
| Dorinthea Ironsong | 6 |
| Bravo, Showstopper | 3 |
| Rhinar, Reckless Rampage | 3 |
| Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light | 2 |
| Azalea, Ace in the Hole | 1 |
| Chane, Bound by Shadow | 1 |
| Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire | 1 |
| Katsu, the Wanderer | 1 |
| Lexi, Live Wire | 1 |
Top 8:
1st: Lee Derk Hua - Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire
2nd: Tan Xi Shern - Dorinthea Ironsong
3rd-4th: Saiful Bahari B Hassan - Chane, Bound by Shadow
3rd-4th: Clement Ling - Lexi, Livewire
5th-8th: Davin Shin - Briar, Warden of Thorns
5th-8th: Abdul Salam - Briar, Warden of Thorns
5th-8th: Barry Sangabo Sirimanne - Briar, Warden of Thorns
5th-8th: Ng Kok Bin - Bravo, Showstopper
Season favourite Briar was blocked from the semi-finals, with Tan Xi Shern's Dorinthea and Lee Derk Hua's Dash going head to head in the final match of the day. The original warrior and the sole mechanologist of Flesh and Blood fought hard to claim victory, but in the end, it was Derk Hua who took the title of Champion with Metrix' infamous young inventor.
Lee Derk Hua has a long history in Flesh and Blood, first attending an Armory event in February, 2020. He qualified for the Malaysia National Championship in 2020 before it was postponed due to COVID restrictions, and after a year of waiting, rose through the rounds to finally claim his well-earned title of the first Malaysian National Champion.
Portugal
Hosted by local game store GG Lounge, the Portugal National Championship featured both a Blitz and Sealed Deck sealed event, providing players who didn't make the top cuts a chance to win prizes including Cold Foils, playmats, and first edition booster boxes.
22 players showed up to the plate for the main event, featuring the Classic Constructed format: six rounds of swiss, followed by a Top 8 cut. Lexi and Prism were well-represented on the battlefield, followed by our warriors, guardians, ninjas, brutes and runeblades.
Hero Breakdown:
| Hero | Count |
|---|---|
| Lexi, Livewire | 4 |
| Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light | 4 |
| Bravo, Showstopper | 2 |
| Briar, Warden of Thorns | 2 |
| Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire | 2 |
| Katsu, the Wanderer | 2 |
| Ser Boltyn, Breaker of Dawn | 2 |
| Levia, Shadowborn Abomination | 1 |
| Rhinar, Reckless Rampage | 1 |
| Viserai, Rune Blood | 1 |
| Azalea, Ace in the Hole | 1 |
From top left to bottom right: Rúben Martins, Mário Abrantes, João Cruz, Nuno Neves, Filipe Camacho, João Monteiro, Micael Cruz, and Bruno Patrão.
Top 8
1st: Filipe Camacho - Briar, Warden of Thorns
2nd: Nuno Neves - Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire
3rd-4th: Rúben Martins - Katsu, the Wanderer
3rd-4th: Mário Abrantes - Ser Boltyn, Breaker of Dawn
5th-8th: João Monteiro - Levia, Shadowborn Abomination
5th-8th: João Cruz - Bravo, Showstopper
5th-8th: Bruno Patrão - Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light
5th-8th: Micael Cruz - Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light
The final match of the day saw a runeblade, equal parts magic and might, versus the mechanologist, equipped with enough gadgets to sink a small ship. Filipe Camacho's Briar saw to the demise of Nuno Neves's Dash, leaving Filipe to claim the title of Portugal's National Champion.
Filipe Camacho's first Flesh and Blood event was a Skirmish in May, grinding XP at in-store play since then on the way to the National Championship. He's currently the 4th on the XP leaderboard for the country.
Bulgaria
The Bulgarian National Championships were hosted by Drugiyat Zamak (Other Castle) at their store in Sofia.
22 players travelled to the capital from all over Bulgaria, and while some couldn't attend because of recent updates in COVID restrictions, those who did arrive were greeted by Stefi (TheStefExperience), who livestreamed the event and brought a delicate touch to the whole feature table. The judge team was joined by Kai the dog, who was one of the most tired participants at the end of the day. (Unfortunately, Kai escaped being captured on photo.)
"The players' overall performance was amazing - everyone showed disciplined timing through all the rounds, almost stellar decklisting, they kept the atmosphere friendly and chill, and showed excellent play.
Despite that, the tournament wasn't without its share of in-game drama and unexpected developments - Plamen, who went through the swiss rounds like an absolute bulldozer, was the first to lose in the top cut - done in by several improbably bad hands. Victor, on the other hand, who made the top cut by the hair, showed a sequence of intimidatingly stable plays and made it to the final match.
Vasil, the champion, had an easygoing and friendly attitude throughout the whole tournament and made the top almost as if it was just a bunch of casual meets."
Top 8
1st: Vasil Popov - Bravo, Showstopper
2nd: Viktor Stoyanov - Briar, Warden of Thorns
3rd-4th: Alexios Plomaritis - Ser Boltyn, Breaker of Dawn
3rd-4th: Filip Dvorski - Lexi, Livewire
5th-8th: Plamen Marekov - Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light
5th-8th: Pavel Ivanov - Briar, Warden of Thorns
5th-8th: Aleksandar Atanasov - Briar, Warden of Thorns
5th-8th: Konstantin Petrov - Briar, Warden of Thorns
A massive congratulations to Vasil Popov, the new National Champion of Bulgaria! Vasil figured out the Guardian equipment set of double nullrune plus Rampart of the Ram's Head as a way to foil Briar, taking down Aleksandar Atanasov in the quarterfinals and Viktor Stoyanov in the final to take the championship.
Switzerland
KABOOOM! Entertainment hosted the Switzerland National Championship at their store in Zürich, welcoming 32 players onto the battlefield. Players saw Prism and Briar standing toe to toe with a wide variety of heroes, all fighting for their chance at the National Champion title.
Hero Breakdown
| Hero | Player Count |
|---|---|
| Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light | 6 |
| Briar, Warden of Thorns | 5 |
| Bravo, Showstopper | 3 |
| Katsu, the Wanderer | 3 |
| Lexi, Livewire | 3 |
| Chane, Bound by Shadow | 2 |
| Dorinthea Ironsong | 2 |
| Ser Boltyn, Breaker of Dawn | 2 |
| Viserai, Rune Blood | 2 |
| Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire | 1 |
| Levia, Shadowborn Abomination | 1 |
| Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity | 1 |
| Rhinar, Reckless Rampage | 1 |
Top 8:
1st: Pascal Weiler - Bravo, Showstopper
2nd: Jean Michael Wagner Santana - Dorinthea Ironsong
3rd-4th: Ralph Schlauri - Levia, Shadowborn Abomination
3rd-4th: Michael Wachouschek - Chane, Bound by Shadow
5th-8th: David Schoch - Briar, Warden of Thorns
5th-8th: Julien Gremion - Lexi, Livewire
5th-8th: Kevin Wülser - Briar, Warden of Thorns
5th-8th: Stefan Stäger - Ser Boltyn, Breaker of Dawn
After six rounds of Classic Constructed, and a cut to the top 8, Pascal Weiler and Jean Michael Wagner Santana faced off with two of Flesh and Blood's most classic heroes; the guardian Bravo and the warrior Dorinthea. Aria's original guardian stole the show, and Pascal stepped up to take his title as Switzerland's first National Champion.
Pascal Weiler has been playing Flesh and Blood since May, and in the three month lead up to the National Championship, played in over forty events. His months of hard work have paid off, as he swung his hammer all the way to the top, claiming his place as National Champion.
Austria
The Austria National Championship was hosted at local game store Spielraum GmbHin Vienna, with 31 players arriving to fight for the title. The battlefield whittled down to a squad of Briars and Bravos duking it out in the Top 8, including player Martin Hechtberger, who was the first player in Austria to reach 1,000XP.
Top 8:
1st: Immanuel Gerschenson - Briar, Warden of Thorns
2nd: Alexander Kaponig - Briar, Warden of Thorns
3rd-4th: David Reitbauer - Briar, Warden of Thorns
3rd-4th: Martin Hechtberger - Briar, Warden of Thorns
5th-8th: Stefan Klein - Bravo, Showstopper
5th-8th: Emanuel Schleinzer - Bravo, Showstopper
5th-8th: Florin-Cristian Loghin - Briar, Warden of Thorns
5th-8th: Long Dao - Briar, Warden of Thorns
Immanuel Gerschenson began playing Flesh and Blood events at the start of September, participating in Armory Events and on-demand drafts to hone his skills before the National Championship.
Norway
This 20 person Classic Constructed event was hosted courtesy of Poke4Dayz, and saw Dorinthea take the crown, with Oscar Kruze claiming his place as National Champion.
Top 8:
1st: Oscar Kruse - Dorinthea Ironsong
2nd: Boris Bulatovic
3rd-4th: Peter Bråss
3rd-4th: Simon Frøyen
5th-8th: Christopher Reyes
5th-8th: Hans Kristian Gjertsen
5th-8th: Mikael Jacobs
5th-8th: Stian Taaje