Hiroyuki Tansei is the Flesh and Blood 2023 Japanese National Champion. He is a competitive player who enjoys traveling to Flesh and Blood tournaments, seeing the world, and playing the game. With the 2024 World Championship taking place in his home country, Hiroyuki is here to talk about what you can expect from the upcoming tournament.
Past experiences
In January 2023, I was invited by a friend to start Flesh and Blood, and won the Japanese National Championship in September of the same year, earning the right to participate in the World Championship. Then, in November 2023, after a 20-hour flight, I participated in World Championship: Barcelona. The World Championship was the most memorable and best tournament of the many events I have participated in.
The World Championship was held over a four-day period. The first day was a ceremonial reception. As a representative of Japan, I waved the Japanese flag and was excited watching the new cards being revealed.
On the second and third days, I participated in the main tournament and immersed myself in the tense matches. With each victory, excitement rose, and with each loss, I was overwhelmed with reflection several times more than usual. Whether I won or lost, my emotions were greatly shaken, and it was an excitement that I would never experience in a normal tournament or in everyday life, and that I would never experience if I had not started Flesh and Blood.
On the fourth and final day, I enjoyed playing Classic Constructed and Sealed Deck at side events. Everyone who played against me in side events was friendly, and we chatted about the Japanese Flesh and Blood scene. After the match, I exchanged tickets for prizes at the event and still have a proud collection of them.
The large venue and abundant merchandise and booths were also great. At Artist Alley, you can ask the artist who created the art on your playmat or card to sign it. Even if you come empty-handed, you can purchase playmats and cards at the venue and ask for their signature. People who participate in the Cosplay Contest recreate cards and heroes in very elaborate costumes, and even just seeing them makes you feel happy. "A place where festivals and competition are in perfect harmony and you can enjoy both" is the Flesh and Blood World Championship.
When you hear "invitation-only World Championship" it sounds like an event that only a very small number of competitive players have anything to do with, but the Flesh and Blood World Championship is actually an event that even non-invited players can enjoy to the fullest. You can enter large tournaments such as the Calling or Battle Hardened to compete in competitive matches, and if you win, you can get honour and numerous rewards. If you play casually, you can enjoy it just by participating in side events and exchanging tickets for luxurious prizes. Side events are very open, with major constructed formats such as Classic Constructed and Blitz, Commoner format where you can build a deck for a few thousand yen, and Sealed Deck where you can participate empty-handed.
The location of the World Championship changes every year. I don't know when the next one will be held in Japan, but this is a special thing. If you can make it to Osaka, why not go and check it out?
What will happen at World Championship: Osaka?
Now that we've finished looking back on last year's World Championship, let's talk about this year. Let's talk about the main tournament of the World Championship: Osaka, which is scheduled to be held from October 31 to November 3.
First of all, attention is focused on the Classic Constructed environment after the release of Rosetta on September 20. At the end of September when this article was written, two heroes from Part the Mistveil, Enigma and Nuu, are both very powerful. Following these two, veteran heroes such as Azalea, Kano, Dash, Kayo, and Victor Goldmane are always in a position to aim for the Top 8. We cannot neglect to take measures against them.
And since it has been about a month since the release of Rosetta, there are plenty of possibilities for cards and heroes that have not been active in tournaments so far to shine. Personally, I feel that both Aurora and Florian, the new Runeblades of Rosetta, have the power to compete against Enigma and Nuu, and I think it is quite possible they will play an active role.
Vynnset, one of the Runeblades who was strengthened in Rosetta, also has the potential to play an active role. In addition, Dash I/O will be significantly strengthened and gain explosive power from Armory Deck: Dash, released on October 18, and is also likely to play an active role in the competitive scene.
It will be interesting to see how much decklists are refined by the time the World Championship begins. Since many heroes have a chance, it will be difficult to counter all heroes, and it will be very difficult to build a perfect list. In an environment where insight and research to read the metagame and a sense of balance in construction will be required, I am looking forward to seeing what kind of decks the world's top players will bring.
In the Booster Draft portion of the main tournament, players will build decks using Rosetta. Florian has the advantage that many of his Earth and Runeblade cards are stable and strong, and he is steady in long-term battles due to the high performance of his weapon, Rotwood Reaper, and is very good at battles slower than mid-speed. Considering the number of playable cards, I expect that Florian will probably be the most used hero. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that Florian is the strongest in a draft environment.
Florian also has a well-designed weakness, and the Lightning Wizard Oscilio can gain an advantage by fighting mainly with arcane damage, reducing Florian’s life in a way that is difficult to defend against. Aurora, who can efficiently reduce Oscilio’s life quickly with continuous attacks using Lightning cards, has the advantage against him. Verdance will be favoured against Florian if you build a deck around arcane damage cards, and will be favoured against Oscilio and Aurora if you build a deck around Earth attack actions, changing the strategy.
Overall, Earth heroes are easier to draft, but Lightning heroes also have the potential to rise to power if they can successfully take control of their card pool. Of the eight people around the draft table, how many will choose Earth and how many will choose Lightning is a point of interest.
Advice for beginners
One thing to note is that Intex Osaka, the venue for this World Championship, is a little far from the city center. There are few lodgings and restaurants in the area, so we recommend buying enough snacks at a convenience store before heading there. Japanese convenience stores always sell rice balls, bread, sandwiches, and drinks that are suitable for snacks.
If you are participating in a competitive event, or Sealed Deck or Booster Draft event, make sure to bring enough spare card sleeves. Even if you forget, you should be able to buy card sleeves at the venue. However, it is a good idea to bring unused spare sleeves of the same type you are using in case you need to replace them at a competitive event.
It’s also good to have dice to decide who will play first and who will play second, and to indicate resources! If you are participating in a competitive tournament such as the Calling or Battle Hardened, be sure to bring a printed copy of your decklist, as well as a notepad and pen to record your life total.
That's all! Thank you for reading.
