Recap: Road to Nationals 2023, Week 3

What a ride this Road to Nationals season has been - each week is crazier than the last!

With such an incredibly diverse field, we've been seeing dark horses topping events left, right, and centre! We've got more tasty meta analysis for you on the way, so stay tuned.

One more week remains, as Nationals spots quickly fill up - will you earn your chance to fight among the best in your country?

Let's check out some of the highlights from week 3!

Knights of Thorn - United States

"We had a wonderful day! We had a showing from all over Upstate NY including Watertown, Syracuse, and Rochester to name a few! The event was 5 rounds and we had a wonderful judge help us run things. We're also excited to be the first store to have Riptide, Lurker of the Deep to win LL points! We can't wait until the next Road to Nationals."

1st: David Mink - Riptide, Lurker of the Deep

2nd: Matthew Conger - Lexi, Livewire

Magic Man Games - United States

"We started the day with a good spread, 12 different heroes among 17 players, with Dromai being the most played. It was amazing to see the spread of deck styles as well, as even among some of the duplicates like Dash, they had completely different variations and strategies! Throughout the day there were many close and interesting match-ups, most games coming down to the wire with no clear victor until the very end. Top 8 had a full spread with all different heroes among them. Dromai was the only 5-0 after the 5 rounds of swiss, with Lexi and Bravo close behind both going 4-1. Dromai conquered Fai, and Bravo defeated Lexi to secure their place in the final match-up, where Zachary piloting Bravo overtook Sage piloting Dromai to secure their victory and the top prize!"

1st: Zachary Suchomel - Bravo, Showstopper

2nd: Sage Husanu - Dromai, Ash Artist

The Game Armory - Philippines

"Our Small community hosts some of the most competitive Flesh and Blood players. In the finals, forcing out full blocks, it seemed like Hans' day as JB could not piece together a significant swing back. Careful not to get overwhelmed by Dawnblade, JB stayed cautious. Hans was able to push a few counters onto Dawnblade, and swung for 11 with go again. Down to 6 life, JB just couldn't fully block with a hand full of 2-defense cards. Just fitting that a Warrior takes home Jubeel."

1st: Hans Alviar - Dorinthea Ironsong

2nd: Janbert Dela Cruz - Viserai, Rune Blood

Cerberus Games - New Zealand

"Our Top 8 consisted of a diverse selection of heroes, including Oldhim, Briar, Rhinar, Bravo, Fai, Dorinthea, and two Katsu. After 5 rounds and a top cut, Oliver emerged victorious, taking the event out with Oldhim. Thank you to all the participants who brought their creativity and skill in order to make the event a great one, and a special thank you to our Head Judge Jono for helping run a smooth event. We'll see you all at the next one!"

1st: Oliver Berry - Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity

2nd: Cameron Hay - Bravo, Showstopper

Games Haven - Singapore

"It’s a little hot here today, with 6 Dromais and no Oldhim! We are known to be a nest for dragons of Volcor, with 4-5 Dromais showing up every week for armories. But wait, is that 2 Boltyns? You got that right! Two brave and loyal souls decided to take Boltyn into a sea of Azaleas, Lexis, and Bravos. Wait… they both made it to Top 8? You know what they say - Lumina Ascension comes in pairs! Congrats to Benjamin for taking home the Cold Foil Jubeel. More importantly, he awarded Azalea 2 more LL points! An extraordinary feat of supernatural prowess. This event wouldn’t have been possible without our judges who have diligently conducted deck checks every round as well as made sure everything went smoothly. We look forward to meeting all of you in the Calling Singapore! See you there!"

1st: Benjamin Lim - Azalea, Ace in the Hole

2nd: Abbey Fong - Bravo, Showstopper

No Dice - Australia

"No Dice were proud to host our second Road to Nationals event here in the heart of Australia. A reasonable spread, with 10 different heroes of Rathe represented. Volcor had the strongest presence, with 6 players choosing Fai or Dromai. In the end it was Owen Young's Briar who won the day, defeating Clancey Ruxton's Fai, in what was one of the greatest games of Flesh and Blood we've ever watched. Congratulations to everyone who participated in a Road to Nationals, and thanks to Legend Story Studios for another great season."

1st: Owen Young - Briar, Warden of Thorns

2nd: Clancey Ruxton - Fai, Rising Rebellion

Card Merchant Nelson - New Zealand

"Was an amazing day of community and sportsmanship...Loads of cards and decks lent, advice taken, and GREAT GAMES all round! A diverse meta and field of 10+ heroes in 22 players...Really excited to get the Nelson team to NZ Nationals 2023!"

1st: Danne Blomfield - Viserai, Rune Blood

2nd: Jordon Williamson - Dromai, Ash Artist

Gamer's Resort - Australia

"Overall brilliant day for all players at the event, everyone treated each other with respect. For a reasonably newer store to the Flesh and Blood competitive scene Gamer's Resort was able to accommodate everyone's needs. It was great to see a diverse meta of heroes played through the day with some excellent matchups, be it Briar into Oldhim, or Rhinar into Katsu. A huge congratulations to all that played and to those who placed top 8."

1st: Cody Gebert - Katsu, the Wanderer

2nd: Patrick Watt - Rhinar, Reckless Rampage

Buddy Connection - Malaysia

"As this is Buddy Connection's first Tier 2 event, our local players can finally compete in the same state they live in. We have very passionate players who have joined the game since Everfest and Uprising. Thanks to their hero mastery, local players managed to enter Top 8 with Hope Merchant’s Hood and Sutcliffe's Suede Hides, surprising non-local players who had never seen anyone use that equipment in Tier 2 events. Vincent’s only copy of Glistening Steelblade always came in clutch at the right time to give Dawnblade a handful of +1 counters and Jordan’s Suede Hides made for an excellent attack reaction after playing Revel in Runeblood into Amplify the Arknight into Rosetta Thorn for a massive tempo swing. To see these players excelling, even those that didn’t make Top 8, against fully-kitted out decks is refreshing and it makes the grassroots community proud of their growth."

1st: Peng Joon - Fai, Rising Rebellion

2nd: Kar Hoe See - Lexi, Livewire

Multiverse Games - United States

"Multiverse Games in San Antonio had a phenomenal and competitive 32 player event! Of course, San Antonio players showed up to represent and they were fired up to show off their skills to their friends from Austin, Dallas, Houston, and even Mission Texas! All of these Texan players demonstrated how hungry they were for a Nationals invite by playing hard with their favorite heroes! They showed off their love and commitment to the game through their competitiveness and knowledge by specializing in their heroes unique abilities. At the end of our 5 swiss rounds, our Top 8 consisted of a diverse range of heroes and play styles - Briar, two Dromai, Katsu, Oldhim, Dorinthea, Riptide, and Uzuri. Everyone played so well in the Top 8, but our champion of the day was James from Austin! He played Katsu so well that you would think that they were old companions! Congratulations to all our amazing players in your victories! Thank you so much for the joy y'all bring to our community! We couldn't do it without y'all! And finally a special shout out: none of this would be possible without our event staff and our "Star of the Show" Judge Jimmy! Thank you all for your hard work and dedication to the game and players!"

1st: James Mangles - Katsu, the Wanderer

2nd: Alex Currie - Dromai, Ash Artist

Toy Shogun - Philippines

"Hosting Road to Nationals this year was great and we had a lot fun! We did not expect the number of players since there was a typhoon scare, but the weather was great. We definitely need a bigger venue for next time, but we made it work! It is our pleasure to be the pioneer of this game here in the metro North area, and we will keep doing our best for the player's experience."

1st: Franco Antonio Regalado - Bravo, Showstopper

2nd: John Ezekiel Recalde - Dorinthea Ironsong

Guf Geelong - Australia

"Geelong's first Tier 2 event ran super smooth, we gave extra prize support and extra armory playmats as door prizes so everyone got some nice goodies. It was a great event and I feel and super privileged and happy to host, organise, and assist as a judge."

1st: Igor Brkic - Uzuri, Switchblade

2nd: Sarah Nicholas - Azalea, Ace in the Hole

Flamberg - Poland

"The tournament ran really smoothly, we had an experienced judge to overlook the tournament, and I could tell everyone had a good time. People were happy with the prizes. We had visitors from other cities and as a FAB community we are planning to pay them back a visit to the Road to Nationals they are running!"

1st: Mateusz Sass - Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity

2nd: Marcin Bugara - Viserai, Rune Blood

Ragnarök Café - Germany

"We had a well-run Road to Nationals here at the Ragnarök Café, the players were in a great mood and even though the matches were tough sometimes, they all were great sports. We also started a Monarch draft in preparation for Nationals."

1st: Ronja Kieffer - Briar, Warden of Thorns

2nd: Anton Förster - Fai, Rising Rebellion

Weatherlight Games - Portugal

"It was our first Road to Nationals event and it was a blast! Players from all around Portugal and even neighbours from Spain came - showing how great the community is! As a fan of the Ranger class myself, it was the cherry on top to have a Lexi vs Azalea finals, and that our event gave points to our Supreme Leader! Thank you so much for this opportunity! #azaleacult"

1st: Gregory Patellis - Azalea, Ace in the Hole

2nd: Bernardo Cardoso - Lexi, Livewire

Swamp Store - Italy

"In the last Sunday of May Swamp Store hosted Road to Nationals 2023! Many people came to play this special event from different places in Italy and even Germany! During the event many boosters were unboxed and many treasures were found - Eye of Ophidia, Fyendal's Spring Tunic, Marvel Codex of Frailty, Art of War, and Enlightened Strike! Briar took the win and a little step further towards the Living Legend! We hope to host this event again and enjoy this game even more!"

1st: Nicolò Valenzano - Briar, Warden of Thorns

2nd: Damiano De Prosperis - Dromai, Ash Artist

Mission: Board Games - United States

"It is a great honor to have our first Road to Nationals at Mission: Board Games. We would like to thank our community in Kansas City for making this happen. A huge shout-out and thanks to our judge, Jacob Wilson-Kloster. We would also like to congratulate Jon Moore for winning our first Road to Nationals Jon has been giving fully constructed decks to new players in Kansas City and always providing cards and trades to the avid players."

1st: Jon Moore - Azalea, Ace in the Hole

2nd: Tee Thebeau - Lexi, Livewire

Orcish Outpost - Germany

"Our Road To Nationals event was the highlight for our growing FAB community so far and was the biggest event for us yet with 26 participants! Draft was the format of choice as it allows an even playing field for players of different skill levels, and we saw the highest level of limited gameplay since the release of Outsiders. The competition was strong with Pro Tour Top 8 competitor Maximilian Klein entering along with other strong players. We were even more proud to see our local players putting up strong results with two of them, David Jentzsch and Carlos Roig, getting into Top 8. In the finals, our local player and Riptide expert Carlos met Maximilian Klein on Uzuri. In an exciting match, both played their hardest but at the end, Carlos was bested by Max. All in all it was a fantastic event and an amazing day for our community. We are proud of how much our community has grown and how much their skill has developed to be able to compete with the best. Congratulations Max on winning the whole thing. We can't wait to host another time!"

1st: Maximilian Klein - Uzuri

2nd: Carlos Roig - Riptide