Barcelona and Hamburg - A Weekend of Riftbound and Flesh and Blood
Check out how it all went down!
A Packed Lineup - A Weekend Built Around Riftbound
There are weekends where the competitive TCG calendar is relatively quiet, and then there are weekends where it feels like you need three screens to keep up. This was very much the latter.
While Riftbound players were making their way to Barcelona for the game’s latest Regional Qualifier, Flesh and Blood competitors were gathering in Hamburg for another Calling. Both events brought hundreds of players together; both had plenty happening away from the main tournament and, by the time the weekend was over, both events showed off matches and meta-games that would ripple into local communities all across the globe.
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Barcelona - Vendetta Here With A Vengeance
For Riftbound, RQ Barcelona was particularly important. It was the first major Regional Qualifier played in the new Vendetta competitive season, meaning players were discovering the new metagame at the same time as everyone watching from home. There had already been Showdowns and smaller tournaments since the set’s release, of course, but Barcelona was the first real test of what happened when players from different regions, who brought their testing, ideas, and local metagames, clashed.
Walking into the event hall, it was hard not to appreciate just how much Riftbound has grown. Large exhibits and life-size portrayals of some of the game’s most recognisable Legends filled the venue, while thousands of players were busy playing, trading, discussing their decks, and trying to squeeze in a few games before their next round.
Not everyone was there for the main event as well; in fact, plenty of action was going on around it. We saw hundreds of players line up for side events, community activities, vendors, a prize wall and other attractions across the weekend, giving everyone something to do once they had finished their rounds.
Kennen’s Debut
The big question heading into Barcelona was a fairly obvious one: what was Vendetta actually going to do to the Riftbound metagame?
Kennen was one of the decks attracting the most attention before the tournament, and it wasn’t difficult to see why. The deck has a remarkably consistent game plan, with some similarities to Ezreal during the days of Called Shot. Kennen can move through its deck quickly while continuing to put pressure on the opponent, with cards such as Fizz, Trickster and Last Rites helping it recur threats. The new Flow mechanic also gives Kennen, Storm of Shuriken another way to generate value and keep the deck moving.
The results in Barcelona backed up much of the pre-event hype. Three Kennen players made the Top 8, with Koko Lopez reaching the final and Gonkra making it to the semifinals. Master Yi, Azir and Rengar were also represented in the Top 8, so Kennen certainly wasn’t the only strategy capable of making a deep run.
“Name's Ornn. No further pleasantries needed.”
I’ll be honest: Ornn wasn’t a deck I expected to see at the business end of the tournament, and I doubt I was alone in that.
That made TheManLand’s run particularly fun to follow. Mateo Ferreira Vázquez brought Ornn to one of the largest Riftbound tournaments we’ve seen and quietly worked his way through the field. Once he reached the Top 8, things got even more interesting. He defeated Prismaticism, one of the players considered among the strongest competitors in the field, before taking down Gonkra’s Kennen in the semifinals.
On the other side of the bracket, Koko Lopez piloted Kennen past Master Yi before facing one of the most recognisable names in European Riftbound, back-to-back Regional Qualifier winner Pedro “Squirtle” Bañeres. Looking to add another RQ win to his impressive record, Squirtle once again reached the quarterfinals – Lopez’s Kennen put a stop to his incredible tournament-run.
That left us with a final between two very different stories. Kennen was one of the most popular choices in the room, with around 270 players bringing it to Barcelona. Ornn, meanwhile, had just 42 pilots.
In an action-packed final, Ornn managed to take down the Regional Qualifier, winning 2-0 against Kennen. Probably the most notable and interesting thing about the winning deck is that instead of playing the usual Ornn, Forge God as the chosen champion, we saw Ornn, Blacksmith take the lead, providing more card advantage to keep the star of the deck moving around and scoring points. Pit Crew came in to save the day with its great ability to ready itself whenever a Gear was played. That made it a great unit to jump into battlefields, score points, and move back to base safely, or even score multiple battlefields to clutch games.
A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS once again to TheManLand for an incredible performance, for winning the Regional Qualifier Barcelona.
Calling Hamburg - Instant Success All Around
If you wanted to know just what the Calling Hamburg metagame looked like, all you had to visualise was instant success. Oscilio, Constella Intelligence dominated the metagame with 70 players representing 14% of players. In a close second, we had Arakni, Marionette and all of their attack reactions and disruption aiming to sneak in damage through other means. Gravy Bones and Dash I/O both saw a lot of play, as heroes that aim to play around alternate axes of value, either through allies or more instant-speed interaction and action point generation.
One of the heroes we did expect to see a lot more of with the release of her own Armoury Deck, as well as Mastery Pack Warrior, Hala, Bladesaint of the Vow, came out in larger numbers. Many new players were eager to test the warrior’s new toys and see just how she stood up against the more established metagame threats.
Oscilio continues to see a lot of success for multiple reasons. The ability to switch up your playstyle between being an Arcane damage-focused deck, a physical damage-focused deck with the combo of Gone In A Flash and Lightning Greaves, or just playing the value game somewhere in between. Additionally, any deck that can threaten instant-speed Arcane damage makes navigating the endgames naturally more difficult.
I believe the fact that 5 Oscilios made it into the top 8 tells us a lot about the hero’s position in the classic constructed format; however, I also appreciate that there is still quite a bit of room for other decks to perform. And one great example is the hero who took down the whole tournament!
Gotta Go Fast - Dash I/O Boosts To Victory
Thomas Preyer brought Dash I/O to Hamburg, and by the time we reached the finals, he was all that was left standing between a Top 8 full of Oscilios and the trophy.
Preyer’s list brought plenty of damage, with cards such as Maximum Velocity and Boom Grenade helping Dash put serious pressure on the opponent. Pulsewave Harpoon provided some additional disruption, while Throttle, Zero to Sixty and Zipper Hit formed the core of the deck’s boosted attacks. When these attacks line up against a deck that has as many cards that don’t block as Oscilios, it can quickly stack damage and push through even the most defensive hands.
Bogdan-Andrei Oros came prepared for such matchups, with several defensive reactions and 4 blocks in deck. But after a well fought final, a final turn that lined up a Boom Grenade from a Spark of Genius and several 4+ powered attacks brought it home: Thomas Preyer won the match and came out as our Calling Hamburg champion. If you want to see the match yourself, you can watch the recording of the live stream here!
Go Again - One More Tournament: The Sunday Showdown
For plenty of players, Saturday marked the end of their Calling run. Hamburg wasn’t quite finished, though. Sunday brought the Silver Age Showdown, giving players another chance to compete after the main tournament had wrapped up.
Silver Age continues to prove to be a popular format with a sizable field contending for the showdown prize card. What was surprising about the Sunday Showdown was that despite the restrictions in cards, losing Lightning Greaves and Gone in a Flash, and several other power combo enablers, Oscilio continues to be a menace in this format. He wasn’t alone, however, as powerful old heroes made a resurgence, with the lies of Briar, Oldhim, Dromai, and Chane showing just why they hit living legend in Classic Constructed.
After an entire weekend of Oscilio dominating the conversation, there was something almost fitting about the final ending this way. Florian Vanbrakel faced Brodie Spurlock for the Silver Age Showdown title, with both players bringing Oscilio to the final table. The two players showed just how intricate Silver Age can get, despite being restricted to common and rare rarities of cards. In the end, Florian Vanbrakel from Belgium came out on top, winning the Showdown.
The Calling itself had shown that Oscilio could dominate the upper tables without necessarily taking the trophy. Dash I/O had broken through, and Thomas Preyer had gone home as champion. The Showdown, however, swung the other way. Oscilio not only made up the majority of the Top 4, but it also produced both finalists and the eventual winner.
Two Cities, Two Championships, One Community
There is something quite enjoyable about looking back at a weekend like this and realising just how much happened in the space of three days. Barcelona and Hamburg may have been focused on different games, but the weekends showed just how much TCG communities have in common. Thousands of players travelled, competed, caught up with friends and shared their passion for their respective games, with the tournaments providing plenty of memorable moments along the way. From TheManLand’s unexpected Ornn victory to Thomas Preyer breaking through the Oscilio-heavy field and winning on Dash I/O.
More importantly, the two events showed how closely connected the wider TCG community can be. Players from different games crossed paths, familiar faces appeared in streams and coverage, and competitors found time to sit down and try something outside their usual game. The cards on the table might change, but the reason people keep travelling to these events doesn’t. Different games can have their own communities, but weekends like this remind us that we are all part of something bigger. No matter what game is in front of you, there is always a place at the table.
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