If you're planning to round up the gang and hit up the Battle Hardened in Portland or Florence this weekend, you may be wondering how a Team Blitz event is actually going to work.
Flesh and Blood is primarily designed to be played in one on one tournaments, but playing games alongside your team with their support and guidance is an unforgettable experience, and one that will bring your group closer together than ever!
Without further ado, let's dive into some of the tips and tricks for navigating Team Blitz and helping your party make it to the finish line (relatively) unscathed.
What to Expect
The first thing to keep in mind is that although you will technically be playing standard games of Blitz, there are some extra rules to consider. You don't have to focus on winning every game, unlike a regular tournament. In Team Blitz, your group will have three players, and you only need to win two out of three games for your group to win that round.
Each of you must play a different hero, which means you can expect a really broad range of potential matchups. You can't pick and choose these matchups either - once you are assigned a table position in the team (A, B, or C) you must always play against the player in the same position on the opposing team. You're allowed to talk to your teammates during games, and give each other advice. This is potentially one of the biggest differences to playing a game solo, as usually you don't get the opportunity to consider your options with others, or be notified of potentially better plays that you might have missed by yourself.
The vibe of a Team Blitz event will be competitive but typically much more relaxed than a solo tournament. Because you're working together, you'll feel like you have extra confidence in your plays, and although some rounds will come down to a single game to decide the win, you shouldn't feel too much pressure, as your teammates are right there with you every step of the way.
What Hero Do I Play?
As mentioned, each of you needs to be playing a different hero. My recommendation is to try and pick the most diverse three playstyles you can think of, especially if each of you has an affinity for that playstyle. The reason for this is that unlike a regular Blitz tournament where you can pick a hero you think is the strongest, or the most likely to combat the meta, there will be others on your team who can't play that hero, and you want them to win as well.
If you try to just bring three heroes with extremely similar strategies into a field where you will most likely see diverse strategies, you run the risk of some of your team's matchups being very unfavourable. Of course, this could happen regardless, but it's better to take the chance of having favourable matchups, rather than guaranteeing you'll probably have at least one unfavourable matchup every round.
The easiest three strategies to look at are control, aggro, and combo. Control strategies focus on preventing as much damage as possible and running the opposing hero out of cards through constant pressure to weaken their hands. Heroes like Bravo and Ira fit this slot perfectly, and are also great at pivoting to a more aggressive gameplan if need be.
Aggro decks are extremely powerful in Blitz, and will often guarantee you a victory if paired into a favourable matchup. They are typically easier to pilot, so are great for newer members of your team. Heroes like Chane and Dash tick all the boxes, able to throw out explosive turns to end the game very quickly, and can also be built with a more long term gameplan against control decks.
Lastly, combo decks aim to skip past the opponent's defenses and deliver a huge amount of unpreventable damage to win the game out of nowhere. They are very good at countering some of the strongest decks in the format, provided things go according to plan. Kano and Rhinar are two of the strongest combo decks in the current Blitz metagame, as they both circumvent the ability to defend, which can be absolutely lethal when you're playing with lower life totals.
Working as a Team
One of the best things about Team Blitz is being able to give and receive advice about critical turns from people who are just as invested in the game as you are. Even if you disagree on some things, the odd number of teammates means there will always be a majority. One thing to agree on before the event is how you will handle talking to each other about potential plays while revealing as little information as possible to the opponent.
For example, don't lean across the table and say to your friend "you should play that defense reaction in your arsenal" then act surprised when your friend loses because their opponent played around a defense reaction in arsenal. Instead, try to keep your terminology vague so that your teammate knows what you're trying to get across without unnecessarily revealing information to your opponent. Something like "keep in mind they could have an attack reaction this turn" is enough for your friend to catch your drift without implying anything to the opponent.
If you or your teammate accidentally gains private information from the opposing table, or leaves the match area, then you can't communicate with your team for the remainder of the match. Fair play is fair play.
Try to focus on encouraging your teammates. Make sure to let them know when they make a good play, and congratulate them when they win a game. Positive reinforcement is key to a good team dynamic and mindset, and will actually improve your gameplay. Don't reprimand your teammates if they misplay, instead provide constructive feedback after the game ends, such as "another play you could have made in that situation is X."
Remember everyone is here to have fun, and the whole point of a team-based event is to build bonds with your friends. Winning a Battle Hardened is rewarding, but nothing feels quite as good as winning one with your team, and having that contagious spirit of achievement flow between you. In a normal tournament everyone is an opponent, but in Team Blitz you're never alone!
