There's always more news in the world of Rathe, and here at the Rathe Times we are ready to share it all with you!
First and foremeost, let's all get excited! Flesh and Blood is headed to South Korea! Distribution is to start up soon, which is great news for the people of South Korea, and really for fans of Flesh and Blood everywhere. It's awesome to see the game grow and get distribution in more places, such as Japan and South Korea - some friends of mine are in that part of the world, and I know we are all happy to see the game grow into all of the card gaming spaces of the world. All from a seed that was planted in New Zealand!
Pro Quest season 5 (season FIVE!) approaches in April, and stores are already getting their invitations in the mail. Be sure to check out the event finder on the main page to see what Pro Quest events are popping up near you. Word around town is that the next Pro Tour after Los Angeles is going to be in Amsterdam, and over 400 stores have been invited to host Pro Quest events. Be sure to make it out and show up for your local stores; the game is growing every hour of every day thanks to the efforts of players like you! In fact, Flesh and Blood is growing so much that the prize pool is up 50% from last year, reaching from $1,000,000 USD to $1,500,000 USD! Come on out and claim your piece of it.
I hope you all have been enjoying the Road to Nationals season, playing drafts and CC all over the world. I know I have been getting in as much practice as I can in advance of the Pro Tour, and I just can't wait to see you all in LA. Whether you got an invite for the PT or not, there's still loads of fun to be had at The Calling and in side events. And as much as I enjoy playing, meeting new people in new cities and states and countries is just as much fun. Here are some of the upcoming events!
March 8th-10th, Battle Hardened Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, USA)
March 15th-17th, Battle Hardened Kiel (Kiel, Germany)
March 15th-17th, Battle Hardened Dallas-Fort Worth (Texas, USA)
March 21st-24th, Pro Tour, Calling, Battle Hardened Los Angeles (California, USA)
April 5th-7th, Calling, Battle Hardened Phuket (Pa Tong, Thailand)
April 12th-14th, Battle Hardened Atlanta (Georgia, USA)
April 12th-14th, Battle Hardened Bydgoszcz (Bydgoszcz, Poland)
April 19th-21st, Battle Hardened San Francisco (California, USA)
April 26th-28th, Battle Hardened Valencia (Valencia, Spain)
Let's not forget the casual crowd: another social play kit has been announced, this time focusing on our favorite Solanian Guardian. If you want to get your hands on rainbow foil Brevant cards, ranging from Chivalry to Civic Steps, ask your local stomping grounds to reach out for the new social play kit from their distributors.
If you haven't yet picked up the Tolarian Community College Collab Crate called Round the Table, fear not! Each of the 6 new blitz decks that launched with Heavy Hitters actually make for good UPF decks, so just pick one of those up, shuffle and play with some friends. Or make new friends, spill some fresh blood on the sands, and check out the multiplayer format of Flesh and Blood, in the flesh and blood, with some fresh buds!
If you are getting amped up to step into the deathmatch arena and play with all the new heroes, but just don't know where to start, let me point you in the right direction. LSS gave us some great starting points with their recent Dev Downloads. Each of the six new heroes got a bit of a spotlight shone on them from the mothership, and each of the articles from author Kasharn Rao gives us more than a little insight into each hero. They show off not only constructed strategies, but limited ones too– if you want to see what the developers think about Betsy, Kayo, Olympia, Kassai, Victor, or Rhinar, just click their names here! Then keep an eye here on The Rathe Times; we're cooking up more articles on how to fight and win as any of your favorite heroes.
One of the articles that really caught my eye this week was one concerning proxies, alters, misprints, and tokens. I always endorse players to use proxies in their playtesting – I don't know any other way to playtest with spoiled cards before official release! – but you should never be bringing proxies to an event. There are circumstances where you can get a proxy issued to you, and I do recommend that each of us become familiar with these tournament rules before going to an official tournament. Personally, I've got some pretty cool alters, so knowing the official policies regarding their use was important to me. A good rule of thumb for alters and such, especially for heroes and tokens, is to just have a copy of the official card nearby. Tokens and heroes are pretty inexpensive, and are even frequently given out at events, so don't be caught lacking when you go to the big show!
Well, thanks for joining me for another quick recap of the news in Rathe! There's always something happening in the community, and there's always a bit more news, so be sure to swing by here if you want some help staying informed.
