With the second week of ProQuest events behind us, we're officially halfway through the season, and the Classic Constructed metagame is heating up! We saw a grand total of 97 events over the weekend, in local game stores across 23 countries. From Canada to Croatia, New Zealand to Taiwan, and Australia to Indonesia, players worldwide have won ProQuest invites to the Pro Tour: Lille! We've still got two weeks of events remaining, so if you'd like to join the competitive scene and battle for your seat at the Pro Tour, you can check out our event locator to find your nearest ProQuest event.
Around the world, we've been seeing heroes take to the stage, and this week, a walking Living Legend is making the most of the time he has left. Making a massive move on last week, Bravo, Star of the Show, won 38 events in 14 countries with players such as Tariq Patel in the United States, Grzegorz Kowalski in Poland, Mário Abrantes in Portugal, and Tsubasa Ueda in Canada.
Our other major contender in the metagame, Chane, Bound by Shadow, won 26 events this week, adding to his growing totals on the leaderboard. At this rate, we may be looking at not one, but two heroes officially reaching Living Legends status by the end of the season. Champions of the Shadow Runeblade include Yorgos Samaras in Greece, Cody Williams in the United States, Kristian Čurla in Croatia, Rueylin Jou in Taiwan, Samuele Costantini in Italy, and our first Pro Tour Champion, Pablo Pintor, in Spain.
Speaking of Runeblades, Briar, Warden of Thorns took out 8 events this week, courtesy of Claudio Paradiso in Italy, Stephane Doutaz in France, Alexandros Argyriou in Greece, Xi Shern Tan in Malaysia, Mike Morelli in Canada, and Christian Heilman, Jacob Shaker and Zach Bunn in the United States. While Viserai, Rune Blood didn't quite break into the winner's circle, he did achieve a number of Top 8 placings with players such as Sunny Yang in Canada, Stäger Stefan in Switzerland, Mariusz Wojciechowski in the Netherlands, and Chiu Ren Feng in Taiwan.
Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light did well for herself, with 15 more events to her name this week. Some of her Illusionists on the field include Reeve Chia in Singapore, Mara Faris in the United States, Jonas Stoberock in Germany and Shawn Hill in Canada.
Next on the list is Lexi, Livewire, who won three tournaments in the United States courtesy of Shane Ginter, Alex Slotnick, and Justin Salmon, all working hard to represent the Ranger class. Our other breakout contender is Rhinar, Reckless Rampage, who dominated the field with Justin Vandehey and Chandler To, also in the United States.
Our final winners this week are the classic Guardian himself, Bravo, Showstopper with Clark Jansen in the United States; Mechanologist supreme Jonas Benzarti, who won an event in Denmark with Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire; Nils Klaper showed Germany the light with Dorinthea Ironsong; in Indonesia, Christian Andersen took out the tournament with Katsu, the Wanderer; and finally, Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity broke the ice with Pawel Urbaniak in Germany.
There are four heroes remaining, all of whom have yet to claim their spot in the winner's circle this ProQuest season. However, Azalea, Ace in the Hole did achieve a Top 8 finish this week for the first time this season, taking aim in the Netherlands with Ricardo Nguyen. Despite his performance at the Pro Tour, Kano, Dracai of Aether has yet to win an event, but he did make the finals of an event in the United States with Jonathen Byrd, and saw a total of 13 players in the Top 8. Levia, Shadowborn Abomination saw a similar turnout with 11 players, while Ser Boltyn, Breaker of Dawn saw 7 players in the Top 8, making the quarterfinals with Natan Tomeo in Italy, and Matt Noelker in the United States.
Finally, an honorable mention to our statistical outliers, the three players who entered into ProQuest events with young heroes; one with a young Boltyn, and two with a young Chane. One of the two Chane players, against all odds, made it into the Top 8. Paul Mirande made the quarterfinals of an 18-player event in France, despite being at a disadvantage with half the health of almost any hero he would face in a Classic Constructed tournament. [06/21/22 - NB: We have since received more information about this event, and the store has now confirmed that Paul played Chane, Bound by Shadow, not a young hero.]
Zulu's Board Game Cafe - United States
"Once again, folks travelled from across Washington state, this time hoping to qualify for the invitation to play in France. During the swiss rounds of Zulu's ProQuest we had equal numbers of Starvo, Lexi and Briar players, two Chane players, and the rest of the field was singletons: Dorinthea, Levia, Viserai, Kano, Dash, and Boltyn.
After 5 rounds the top 8 featured two Chane, two Starvo, two Lexi and two Briar! The Starvo players both made it to the finals. They were playing slightly different decklists, with Ryan favoring extra Evergreen at yellow and Turn Timber at red (for a higher red count and a slightly more defensive deck). Pankaj had a higher blue count, favoring a full set of Shock Striker, an Eye, and an extra Winter's Bite. When they faced off Pankaj chose Tectonic Plating for the extra blocks and Ryan picked Tunic for the extra Crown activations. Both players were on the same testing team (Seattle Salt) and each had a clear idea of how they were going to win the mirror.
As the final game played out, it was very balanced with both players getting good numbers of Starvo activations. Play was clean and brisk and the friends were cordial and relaxed. Ultimately it was Pankaj who eked out the advantage and the win through skillful blocking followed by efficient counterattacks."
Top 8:
1st: Pankaj Bhojwani - Bravo, Star of the Show
2nd: Ryan Baker - Bravo, Star of the Show
3rd-4th: Dylan Mangini - Briar, Warden of Thorns
3rd-4th: Raj Giri - Chane, Bound by Shadow
5th-8th: Philip Parker - Chane, Bound by Shadow
5th-8th: Steven Rodriguez - Lexi, Livewire
5th-8th: Ryan Biggs - Lexi, Livewire
5th-8th: Ayden Dukeshier - Briar, Warden of Thorns
Event Photos
Dice Jar Games - New Zealand
"Dice Jar Games Pro-Quest event went off without a hitch! Was an awesome fun time had by all 28 entrants, all gathered in the Flesh and Blood through the common language of playing great games! We had a very diverse Top 8 hero breakdown with 7 different heroes in the top 8 cut.
Dunedin's own Elijah Hewlett took the win in the end using Chane!
Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate the 2-year anniversary of Dice Jar Games! We wouldn't have got this far without the support of FABTCG and of course the great players that play it!"
Top 8:
1st: Elijah Hewlett - Chane, Bound by Shadow
2nd: Samuel Bates - Bravo, Star of the Show
3rd-4th: Thomas Bailey-Galbraith - Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light
3rd-4th: Dr. Daniel McKay - Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire
5th-8th: Angus Schuler - Briar, Warden of Thorns
5th-8th: Ryan Langrick - Bravo, Star of the Show
5th-8th: Liam Spronken - Kano, Dracai of Aether
5th-8th: Pierce Lloyd - Viserai, Rune Blood
Event Photos
Multiverse Games - United States
"We did it everyone! Multiverse Games ProQuest Player Derick C. pulled a Heart from a participation pack!
We are so happy for him and excited that it came from a participation pack. Multiverse Games believes that everyone should get a little gift no and again. The moments where we can "Crack Packs" with each other as friends, family, and a community are so important. The room was beaming with joy and excitement. It was a wonderful moment for the community as a whole to share with Derick. We really appreciate our community! Giving out a participation pack is one way we do this at Multiverse Games.
Another way we build up excitement and community is through random giveaways! In one instance this tournament, we spun a wheel to give away a Tales of Aria box which contained a Rainbow Foil New Horizon! It was a sweet treat to receive for one of our Top 8 players! The crowd was so excited and continued to hype their friend!
Multiverse Games has the best Flesh and Blood community in all of San Antonio! The community that shows out every Sunday and every big event are the heart of San Antonio TCG scene and we love them for it!"
Top 8:
1st: Gabriel Torres - Bravo, Star of the Show
2nd: Dave Cordeiro- Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light
3rd-4th: Philip Torres - Bravo, Star of the Show
3rd-4th: Joseph Schelling - Briar, Warden of Thorns
5th-8th: James Walker - Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light
5th-8th: Daniel Casiano - Chane, Bound by Shadow
5th-8th: George Tinkham - Chane, Bound by Shadow
5th-8th: Joshua Lindsey - Viserai, Rune Blood
Magic Omens - Croatia
"Kristian came home fresh off 21st place in Pro Tour New Jersey and top8 in the Battle Hardened. The big question before the event was could anyone stop the favorite from defending his Croatian ProQuest winner title? Cold foils dropped from packs like hotcakes and the event unfurled quickly, culminating in a Chane mirror final! In a tense duel of shadows, Kristian broke his Carrion Husk early on and used the tempo gained to relentlessly overwhelm Hrvoje, who grabbed a PQ win in Austria the week before and didn't go down without putting up a fight! Ultimately, Kristian continued his fantastic week of success, what a player!"
Top 8:
1st: Kristian Čurla - Chane, Bound by Shadow
2nd: Hrvoje Hedžet - Chane, Bound by Shadow
3rd-4th: Luka Kramaric - Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire
3rd-4th: Nikola Kramarić - Katsu, the Wanderer
5th-8th: Sven Pavlek - Lexi, Livewire
5th-8th: Ivor Dragoje - Chane, Bound by Shadow
5th-8th: Marija Perkov - Lexi, Livewire
5th-8th: Valentino Odorjan - Katsu, the Wanderer
Silver Goblin - Canada
"Players were excited to participate in our ProQuest event, with several of them having returned from New Jersey just a few days before, including our two finalists: Frank Hung, and Shawn Hill!
The event ran smoothly, with a Welcome to Rathe draft side event for players who didn't make it into the Top 8.
While Frank took first place at our event, Shawn found victory soon after, qualifying the next day at another store, so they are sure to see each other again in France! When asked for a comment Frank had this to say:
“I was getting pretty fatigued by the last few rounds of the tournament, but the promise of steamed buns made me press on” - Silver Goblin ProQuest Champion Frank Hung"
Top 8:
1st: Frank Hung - Chane, Bound by Shadow
2nd: Shawn Hill - Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light
3rd-4th: Maxim Villeneuve - Chane, Bound by Shadow
3rd-4th: Nicolas Plouffe - Bravo, Star of the Show
5th-8th: Oscar Ojeda - Gomez Viserai, Rune Blood
5th-8th: David Trinh - Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light
5th-8th: Léo Vézinet - Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light
5th-8th: Karl Del Duchetto - Ser Boltyn, Breaker of Dawn
Owl Central - United States
"We had 3 Pro Tour players competing in the event - Cody Williams, Rylie Groff, and Ciro Gambone. We covered the event by live tweeting it at the Owl Central Games twitter page. We're also publishing a tournament report article this week which can be found here.
The semi-final match between Owl Central local, Ciro Gambone and Anthony Nguyen was an unbelievable grind. Anthony fell back onto the fatigue plan with Starvo and on the final big Chane turn, Ciro missed his opportunity to push lethal damage. Anthony's Starvo stabilized at 2 life to Ciro's 20, but with no viable outs remaining, Anthony clinched the semi-final match. That was easily the biggest nail-biter moment of the day."
Top 8:
1st: Cody Williams - Chane, Bound by Shadow
2nd: Anthony Nguyen - Bravo, Star of the Show
3rd-4th: Ciro Gambone - Chane, Bound by Shadow
3rd-4th: Dung (Yung) Le - Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light
5th-8th: Benjamin Williams - Chane, Bound by Shadow
5th-8th: Rose Smyth - Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity
5th-8th: Steven Myers - Bravo, Star of the Show
5th-8th: Thomas Hendricks - Levia, Shadowborn Abomination
JK Entertainment - Germany
"The ProQuest was our first ProQuest, and the next step after hosting Skirmishes in the past.
It's crazy, players travelled as far as 5 hours from Munich and we sold out online all 32 available seats a week or two in advance. With successful players from The Callings, Nationals and/or the Pro Tour NY Christian Hauck Szymon Wreszien, Matthias Hittel, Kevin Zänker, Jeremy Miller, Cosmo Hahn, just to name a few, it was clear the competition would be hard.
For those who stayed at home enjoying the twitch broadcast, I was really happy to see a diverse metagame. From the community, I heard Starvo was expected to dominate, but it turned out much spicier."
Top 8:
1st: Maximilian Klein - Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light
2nd: Tim Sofsky - Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light
3rd-4th: Sebastian Golla - Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity
3rd-4th: Fabio Albrecht - Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity
5th-8th: Ricardo Manrique - Bravo, Showstopper
5th-8th: Christian Hauck - Bravo, Star of the Show
5th-8th: Hanno Guellicher - Chane, Bound by Shadow
5th-8th: Alexander Deegener - Lexi, Livewire
The Collectors Hut - Malaysia
"Thank you LSS for giving us (The Collectors Hut) the opportunity to host the first ever ProQuest here in East Malaysia (Sarawak). This goes into the history books as the first LGS in East Malaysia to host a major Flesh and Blood TCG competitive event for the first time here in Sarawak.
The Collectors Hut are also the first one to bring the Flesh and Blood TCG to Sarawak approximately a year ago and we have been growing the local community ever since. This is definitely a big milestone and success for us here in the team.
This was a successful event and it opened up a big opportunity for our local players to compete and experience what a major Flesh and Blood TCG tournament and event looks like.
This was a good wholesome fun for all of us in terms of experience and meeting new players who flew to our city all the way from the West side of Malaysia. A lot of great lesson and playing techniques were learn and taught to the local players from the top experienced players who joined us for the ProQuest. Once again, we would like to say thank you to LSS for giving us this opportunity and we are looking forward to hosting more major competitive events in the future."
Top 8:
1st: Xi Shern Tan - Briar, Warden of Thorns
2nd: Saiful Bahari Hassan - Bravo, Star of the Show
3rd-4th: Derk Hua Lee - Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light
3rd-4th: (NWNS) Davin - Chane, Bound by Shadow
5th-8th: Haze Duel - Katsu, the Wanderer
5th-8th: Ling Clement - Lexi, Livewire
5th-8th: Mingy Ho - Chane, Bound by Shadow
5th-8th: Abdul Hazif Bin Abdul Gaffar - Viserai, Rune Blood