10 Competitive Flesh & Blood Tips and Tricks
Competitive Flesh and Blood is here in the U.S.! Most of us have played in casual Armory and Skirmish events at our local game stores, but the upcoming Road to Nationals (RTN) and Calling tournaments will be more serious competitions. Below are the 10 tips and tricks to help you stay focused, reduce stress and get the most out of your event.
1. Plan Early
Do not leave travel costs and logistics to the last minute. Once you are set on an event, buy your plane ticket, book your hotel, arrange your carpool and pre register for the event. Procrastinating on these decisions can increase your overall costs and stress.
2. Organize Your Backpack
Get your bag ready the day before the event. This includes sleeves (bring extra), decklist (see below), deckbox, dice, pen, paper, and a playmat. Take out extra deck boxes and trade binders if needed. This can leave room for snacks and water.
3. Meal Prep
Healthy food is imperative for high performance decision making. Nobody wants to play competitive FAB hangry. If you don’t bring your own food, you are subjecting yourself to more expensive, less nutritional and more time consuming options. Packing fruits, protein bars, sandwiches, trail mix and water in your bag allows you to fuel up and stay hydrated between rounds.
4. Bring Copies of Your Deck List
Unlike casual Armory and Skirmish events, hard copies deck lists are required at the Road to Nationals. You can use the editable PDF from Legend Story Studios here, or “export” your deck list on FaBDB.net by going to your deck, then clicking on “Settings,” “Export,” then “Tournament Booster.” You will receive a completed deck list PDF in your email. Print multiple copies the day before the event and put them in your bag.
5. Paper and Pen Life Totals
Save your phone battery. Do not use digital life counters for competitive events. Write down damage and important interactions on paper. If a disagreement comes up about life totals, you will want to be able to prove what happened in the match. Be in constant communication with your opponent about confirming life totals. Games often come down to one life, so every point matters.
6. Know the Start of Game Procedure
The “Start of Game Procedure” is an important part of Flesh & Blood, especially since your sideboard decisions matter immensely. It happens in the following order:
Reveal hero:
Choose who goes first:
Choose equipment, weapon(s), & deck:
Shuffle & present decks:
Reveal equipment & weapon(s)
7. Win Early, Lose Late
The leader board is determined by points, simply, 1 point per win. From here, players with the same points are ranked according to a tie breaking algorithm. This is calculated by determining how many points a player had before entering the round. Example: Player A who goes into round 4 with 3 points and then loses (3-1), will be farther ahead in the standings than Player B who goes into the same round with 2 points and then wins (3-1). Even though both players will be at 3 points at the start of round 5, Player A will be ahead of Player B because they lost later. Losing to a top player matters, but only if that loss occurred later in the tournament.
8. Focus on Learning
Everyone wants to win, but not everyone wants to learn. What will you do if you lose several rounds in a row? Will you tilt and nag your opponents for playing a certain champion or drawing a particular card? Will you analyze the game from both sides and determine when and how you lost tempo? Do not be the person who says, “If only I would have drawn this card, then I would have won.” This gives your opponent no credit for winning, and is a short-sighted way to reflect. Jot down notes right after a game based on what went well, or what caused the game to slip out of your control. You may not want to read them at the end of the day, but the following day these notes can inform you of what you need to work on.
9. Be Pleasant to Your Opponents
Opponents, you can not play the game without them. Appreciate the fact that you could afford a day of travel to play a card game for hours on end. Life can’t be that bad if this is how you get to spend a Saturday or Sunday. Make friends, talk to opponents about their decks and choices if they are open to conversation. If an issue arises, call a judge and respect their decision. Try to have the same demeanor or attitude whether you win or lose a match. Not every opponent likes a handshake, but all like clear communication and respect.
10. Support The Local Game Store
Be kind to the hosts of Road to Nationals events. They’re taxing logistically, and require hours of dedicated table space. Buy packs, snacks or sleeves if you can. Offer to help cleanup, or even take pictures so the store can use them on social media. At the very least, tell them thank you, and let them know that you enjoyed and appreciated the event.
Good luck and have fun!
About the Author
Evan McGrew is an active member of the FABTCGDC group and 1/2 of the creative force behind FAB TCG CARDS’ playmats. He enjoys helping grow the local community one player at a time. When he is not putting counters on his Dawnblade, Evan teaches 5th grade in Fairfax, VA.