Recap: Road to Nationals 2023, Week 1

In the wake of Pro Tour: Baltimore, new life has begun to sprout from the frost.

Road to Nationals has kicked off in Europe, UK,  Hong Kong, and Singapore, with other regions joining the fight this upcoming weekend. We're starting to see lots of fringe heroes break through, with some incredibly diverse top cuts, and very interesting decks landing in first and second. The dedication and creativity out there is phenomenal, and means we'll be treated to a truly spectacular Nationals season.

A special shout out to Tyler Horspool and Connor Davenport for putting on a great show in the finals of the Arcane Games and Events May AGE Open, with Tyler taking it out with Briar against Connor's Rhinar!

Everyone is now well-equipped for their local Road to Nationals and the Calling: Antwerp, thanks to some truly talented guest writers who shared their sage advice. Spicy decklists are going up throughout the week, as well as some saucy meta analysis focusing on rising stars. We'll also be keeping a close eye on Briar, Warden of Thorns and Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity, as they edge closer and closer to Living Legend - but will either of them make it over the line?

For now, check out some highlights from week 1 below!

home-run FABulous card shop - Hong Kong

"We are excited to hold the very first Road to Nationals 2023 event in Hong Kong. 32 players were chasing the Cold Foil Jubeel, Spellbane. Almost half of the field was Ranger (11 Lexi, 4 Azalea). The 1 Kano and 1 Katsu both made top 8. We had a very healthy meta in top 4, 1 Katsu, 1 Dromai, 1 Lexi, and 1 winning Oldhim, piloted by top player Allen Lau."

1st: Allen Lau - Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity

2nd: Kaiser Wong - Lexi, Livewire

Strefa MTG - Poland

1st: Maciej Janik - Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity

2nd: Michał Sierszulski - Katsu, the Wanderer

YODASDATA - Germany

"We had a lot of fun with up to 3 drafts and the tournament was filled with the current German champion Christopher Bizau and Pro Tour Top 8 player Maximilian Klein and other strong players."

1st: Dennis Krstic - Katsu

2nd: Sebastian Golla - Azalea

Sapphire Cards - Germany

"We had a great event with a very diverse Top 8. Only 2 Lexis made Top 8 and both lost their first round in the elimination. Uzuri managed to win against Dromai in the semi-finals which no one expected to happen. The finals was also very close. Two Shake Down hit and Bruno called red but each time no red cards were in Xiaoliang's hand so everyone believed he would win. In the end Bruno finished the game with a clutch Isolate into Spike with Bloodrot and a Flick Knives activation."

1st: Bruno Reible - Uzuri, Switchblade

2nd: Xiaoliang Yang - Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire

Fyendal Hobby - Singapore

"A total of 44 players gathered at Fyendal Hobby's new space over Mother's Day weekend to claim the 4 invites to Nationals. We had a diverse field of 14 different heroes, with Lexi, Livewire leading the pack taking up 20% of the field. As the dust settled after the 6 swiss rounds, we had 2 Lexi, 1 Briar, 1 Dash, 1 Dromai, 1 Katsu, 1 Oldhim and 1 Uzuri in the Top 8, many of the spots filled by the veteran players. After the semi-finals resolved, we had our 2 finalists (both of them are pros who participated in Worlds 2022 - it is an unforgettable event) - Jin Han Toh and Jose Lau. In the end it was Uzuri, the Assassin with remarkable skills who claimed the event with her superior switchblade techniques coupled with her superior blocking capabilities and her reusable equipment.

We had a really amazing event with some of the most awesome players and it goes to show that everyone is really stoked to play Flesh and Blood at a competitive level. We also want to thank all who have participated in this event, including the judges who have worked extremely hard to make this event as smooth as possible. We hope to see everyone again, and a special shoutout to those who are coming to the Calling: Singapore in June. Come and join us for a last minute Armory before participating in the Calling."

1st: Jose Lau - Uzuri, Switchblade

2nd: Jin Han Toh - Katsu, the Wanderer

Board in the City - United Kingdom

"This event had an incredibly tough field (several Pro Tour players including Matt Foulkes and Francesco Giorgio). The more experienced players all helped the newer players throughout the tournament. Everyone was incredibly sporting during the event and there was an amazing atmosphere. There were some surprise results during the day and no-one was a clear favourite. It was good to see a mix of heroes being played and after 5 round of Swiss and a Top 8 cut Tom Evans won a close final against Oli Cornish.

Sean from Push the Point returned to BiTC for his second time streaming there. He did an excellent job streaming the event, which has been viewed over 2,000 times in the first 24 hours. It is definitely worth checking it out (link in store title).

Thanks to judge Marcus Archer the event ran to schedule, meaning players that had travelled for up to 3 hours on the day could get home at a sensible time. The venue provided packs to those who lost during the Swiss rounds, to ensure lower placed players also went home happy with the prize support.

Lunch of chilli and nachos was provided by BiTC, which went down well with the players and allowed a little break after round 3. Players were happy to provide feedback on the event during the day and a few minor changes will be made for the next one to make it bigger and better."

1st: Tom Evans - Fai, Rising Rebellion

2nd: Oli Cornish - Uzuri, Switchblade

Jupiter Madrid Norte - Spain

1st: Mario Donoso - Dromai, Ash Artist

2nd: Mauro Annetta - Lexi, Livewire