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Everything You Need to Know About March 19-20’s Calling: Indianapolis

Get all the details for March 19-20’s Flesh and Blood Calling at SCG CON Indianapolis!

Channel Lake Frigid illustrated by Carlos Cruchaga

The Calling: Indianapolis marks the return of Premier Flesh and Blood Organized Play in the United States in 2022, taking center stage at SCG CON Indianapolis next weekend. The professional level tournament boasts a $20,000 prize pool, eight Pro Tour Invitations (PTIs), and one of the last remaining opportunities to win a Golden Cold Foil Fyendal’s Spring Tunic. The event will showcase the Classic Constructed format following the release of Everfest and, thanks to our friends at Legend Story Studios, fans can catch all the action live on Twitch.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Calling: Indianapolis

Tournament Details 

The Calling: Indianapolis is a two-day Classic Constructed tournament. Day 1 will have a number of Swiss rounds based off attendance with a cut to Day 2, which consists of five more rounds of Swiss followed by a single-elimination Top 8 bracket. Entry fee is $50 and comes with a Rainbow Foil Extended Art Arcanic Shockwave while supplies last. Day 1 begins at 10 AM ET on March 19. The $20,000 prize pool breakdown can be seen below:

  • 1st: $7,000.00, Gold Cold Foil Extended Art Fyendal’s Spring Tunic, Pro Tour Invitation*
  • 2nd: $3,000.00, Random Gold Foil Legendary, Pro Tour Invitation*
  • 3rd-4th: $1,000.00, Random Gold Foil Legendary, Pro Tour Invitation*
  • 5th-8th: $800.00, Random Gold Foil Legendary, Pro Tour Invitation*
  • 9th-32nd: $200.00

PTIs are good for an entry to the player’s choice of any future professional Flesh and Blood event (Nationals, Pro Tours, or World Championship). The Calling: Indianapolis is one of the last four events that will award the Golden Cold Foil Extended Art Fyendal’s Spring Tunic ever. Along with the upcoming Callings in Krakow, Taipei, and New Jersey, Indianapolis will be the last chance to get your hands on the iconic legendary in Golden Cold Foil as no more copies will be produced.

Players looking for more rewards can register with the Answer the Call! Main Events Package (only 300 available) for $80 to receive three copies of the Rainbow Foil Extended Art Arcanic Shockwave, a limited edition Tales of Aria storage box, and entry to the Calling and Battle Hardened event on Sunday. Players in the Calling that make Day 2, and are unable to participate in the Battle Hardened event, receive 300 prize wall tickets.

Format Spotlight

Classic Constructed is the name of the game this weekend and the metagame has churned since the release of Everfest. Bravo, Star of the Show emerged as worthy of his title by taking down the first large event with the newest set being legal, the Battle Hardened event at SCG CON Philadelphia. Charles Dunn claimed first place with the powerful Elemental Guardian and was joined by four other players on the new hero in the Top 8. And while Bravo, Star of the Show had a dominant showing in the first week of ProQuests as the most-played hero with the most wins, the format adjusted in Week 2 with the rise of Prism, Sculptor of Arc Light to combat the hammer-wielding newcomer.

Prism already had the title of Guardian slayer prior to Everfest, but with new tools from the latest set the Light Illusionist settled into the role of paper to Bravo, Star of the Show’s rock. This progression opened up room for a deck that can prey on Prism, and Viserai, Rune Blood stepped up to slot in as the current scissors at the top of the meta. These three heroes account for roughly half of the meta at the ProQuest level, which leaves a decent chunk of the field for other familiar heroes like Chane, Bound by Shadow, Lexi, Livewire, and Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity — each ranging from three to seven percent of the meta and claiming ProQuest wins.

Of course, more fringe fan-favorites have made deep runs in ProQuests this season with a few even earning an invite to Pro Tour New Jersey. Dorinthea Ironsong, Ser Boltyn, Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire, and Katsu, the Wanderer all notched wins despite much smaller representation. After three weeks of ProQuests, 13 of the 16 adult heroes have taken down a ProQuest, leaving just Azalea, Ace in the Hole, Kano, Dracai of Aether, and Levia, Shadowborn Abomination without a win to their names.

We’ll have to wait to see how the meta shakes out at Indianapolis. Will Bravo, Star of the Show, Prism, or Viserai be the main target or will another hero rise up to counter what has taken shape early in the season?

Players To Watch

The first Calling of 2022 is less than two weeks away, but the field is already stacking up with some of the game’s best players and up-and-comers. Here are some of the players to watch out for this weekend whether you’re at the event or watching coverage from home.

Matt Rogers

Matt Rogers (right) with Flesh and Blood creator James White and a Calling trophy

Matt Rogers is the most storied player in competitive Flesh and Blood. With five Calling Top 8s (there have only been 11 total), one Calling win, and a New Zealand 2020 Nationals title, Rogers has been playing the game since the start and is often considered the best player in the game. He backs that claim up with the highest Elo rating in Classic Constructed in the world. Rogers even made it to the US early for work and squeezed in a ProQuest win in Las Vegas this past weekend.

Tariq Patel

Tariq Patel after winning United States Nationals

Tariq Patel has quickly made a name for himself in Flesh and Blood after jumping into the game late last year. Patel’s first premier level event was the Dallas Calling in October where he finished in ninth place. A week later, he earned his first Top 8, taking second in Cincinnati. He capped 2021 by taking down the United States Nationals with a deck of his own creation that took the Classic Constructed format by storm. Patel hasn’t slowed down either, winning ProQuests in back-to-back weekends in February with Chane and Bravo, Star of the Show.

Michael Hamilton

Michael Hamilton after winning the Calling in Orlando

Michael Hamilton heads into Indianapolis as the highest Elo rated Classic Constructed player in the US. He has two Calling Top 8s to his name, including a win in Orlando with Oldhim. Even as the meta has shifted, Hamilton won a ProQuest the first week of the season with the Grandfather of Eternity. Will he stick with the Guardian this weekend or shift to another hero?

Charles Dunn

Charles Dunn with his prize after winning the Battle Hardened event at SCG CON Philadelphia

Charles Dunn broke onto the scene with a win at the Battle Hardened event at SCG CON Philadelphia. At the first event with Everfest legal in Classic Constructed, Dunn rose above all the other Bravo, Star of the Show players to win and clinch an invite to Pro Tour New Jersey. Indianapolis will give him another chance to build his Flesh and Blood competitive resume.

Brendan Patrick

Brendan Patrick after winning a Road to Nationals event

One half of the Arsenal Pass podcast, Brendan Patrick has been playing Flesh and Blood since 2019. With two Calling Top 8s and two Road to Nationals wins, Patrick is one of the more experienced players in the field. Patrick joins Rogers and Hamilton as three of the 12 players who have more than one Calling Top 8.

Coverage

Thanks to our friends at Legend Story Studios, live coverage for every round of the Calling: Indianapolis will be streamed to twitch.tv/starcitygames. Catch all the action with commentators Bryan Gottlieb, Craig Krempels, and Tannon Grace starting at 10 AM ET on March 19. Follow the SCG CON Twitter account for updates all weekend long.

Head over to the SCG CON website to learn more about the many Flesh and Blood events that will be taking place over the course of the three day event, then register for the Calling: Indianapolis today!