France vs Singapore. Gravy Bones vs Gravy Bones. Enki Dupaquier vs Shirui Wu.

Shirui kicks things off with blue Golden Tipple discarding Limpit. Normally this would be an extremely strong turn 1 play, but Enki immediately eats the Limpit with Sunken Treasure. Shirui isn't able to develop an ally and passes. With a Gold already on board, it's a very strong start for Enki.

Enki bins Chum and Riggermortis, then plays Call to the Grave, dumping a Back Alley Breakline. Swinging in with both Chum and Riggermortis on board, it's an immediate danger zone for Shirui. He needs an answer to this board immediately or the game could end right then and there. Shirui has a Conqueror of the High Seas available to him, but is it worth letting the Gold-Baited Hook through?

France draws first blood. Shirui avoids sinking with Saltwater Swell and Swiftwater Sloop, clearing Enki's allies. Enki retaliates with Golden Tipple into his own Chum. Shirui is the first to commit his Balance of Justice, cashing in on that extra draw.

Shirui plays Golden Tipple into Chum, discarding Chum, then plays Chum, attacking Chum. Just two Chums chumming it up chumly, chum!

Enki cracks a Gold, into Portside Exchange, into Saltwater Swell, hitting a blue off the top. Then he takes a moment to think about whether he sends in the second Saltwater Swell. He's got an insane play if it hits another blue, but it will be a massive punish if he doesn't. He takes the greedy option and is rewarded, downing a Goldkiss Rum to run out Limpit, then send Sea Legs into Chum, ending with a vicious Blanch straight at Shirui's face.

Shirui calmly blocks, playing Golden Tipple into Call to the Grave, searching Sawbones, sending out Riggermortis. Enki commits Balance of Justice and Gold-Baited Hook, then responds with a modest Murderous Rabble, into Golden Tipple, into Oysten. The board is looking even, but Shirui is massively far behind on life.

Shirui takes out Oysten, then sends out Limpit, finally drawing his first blood of the match. Mage Master Boots enables Sawbones to join the fray. This ship is looking DANGEROUS, and Enki needs to answer it now.

Enki sends a Golden Tipple into Sawbones, sends out his own Sawbones, then slams down Conqueror of the High Seas! Shirui glances down at this fearsome monster of a card, but his expression is as calm as ever. Without seeing the table, you'd never guess what he was facing down. We soon find out why Shirui isn't afraid when he plays Blood in the Water from arsenal, dampening the whole play.

Shirui patiently clears Sawbones with Oysten, biding his time. Enki clears Limpit, then sends out a SECOND Conqueror of the High Seas! Shirui bins a Swabbie, then is forced to triple block and pass turn. Enki plays Golden Tipple... into Golden Tipple... into Golden Tipple! You ever heard of the Triple Tipple?

Enki gets out Sawbones, and with Shirui at 12 life, it's looking a little bleak for Singapore's Last Hope. He needs a major comeback, or an alternative exit strategy. He plays Portside Exchange into Golden Tipple to clear Sawbones, but this double draw lets Enki cash in his Balance of Justice. Shirui sends out Chum, and Enki takes it, confidently grasping a 5-card hand.

Down comes Conqueror of the High Seas #3, pulling a triple block from Shirui, followed by Call to the Grave searching Swabbie to take out Chum. Shirui is down cards, he's down life, he's down board presence, but there's one thing he's not down—allies in graveyard.

Anka eats Swabbie, Anka is cleared by Saltwater Swell, but this one doesn't hit a blue off the top. The second Swabbie hits the board, but he's not long for this earth, as Shirui clears it with Saltwater Swell, pitching Eye of Ophidia to ensure he hits that precious blue, allowing him to recruit Sawbones and another Anka.

Enki draws from Gold, again, again. He can smell blood in the water, he just needs to eat through a little more of Shirui's life, so excruciatingly close to victory, and all the gold and glory that comes with winning a Pro Tour. No quarter is given, Swabbie comes out, and instead of clearing allies, Enki sends it straight at Shirui's face.

Shirui brings out Chum. He may be severely behind on life, but with three allies on board, Enki's grip on this game could easily slip away at a moment's notice. The decks are running thin and the graveyards are piled high—a story of the arduous three-day pirate war fought across the High Seas, whittled down to just two wounded battleships circling each other in the middle of the typhoon.

But despite being at just 4 life, having beared the brunt of three Conqueror of the High Seas, Shirui has been playing the long con this whole time. Enki realises too late when he checks his gravyard and finds only two Riggermortis left. Shirui has been subtly playing to fatigue him ever since the second Conqueror of the High Seas.

Enki takes a swig of Goldkiss Rum and sends out the remainder of his loyal crew. It's too late to do anything else. His ship is sinking into a watery grave, and France's dream at claiming the Pro Tour with it. Shirui takes out Enki's last two allies, then on Enki's followup Murderous Rabble he activates Chum to prevent any further attacks against him, forcing Enki to arsenal and draw up his last hand.

With no allies left, Enki starts laughing. A great captain always goes down with his crew in merry spirits. He fought harder than he thought he was capable of, he took down Michael Hamilton, he made the final match of Pro Tour: Singapore, but this is where his expedition comes to an end.

Shirui swings in with his crew...

With no other moves possible, Enki conceeds, and Singapore's Last Hope finally conquers the High Seas.

I sat down with Legend Story Studios’ Art Director / Illustrator Sam Yang and Design Vision Lead MJ Fetesio, who are here at World Tour: Singapore in the Flesh and Blood, to chat about their artistry journey, the creative process, and their advice to aspiring artists.

Tell us about your journey to becoming an accomplished artist. Where did you start, and how did you hone your skills?

Sam:

I was influenced by pop culture. As a kid I grew up with lots of comic books, just random issues from the cheap bin, and so I drew a lot of muscular superheroes. When I was about 11 there was this game called Beatmania which was very popular at the arcade. My friend’s brother had an emulator on his computer, and people would make their own songs for it. And I saw one song that featured Evangelion, and I was watching the visuals like “woah, what is this?!”, and that was my first proper introduction to anime. I started jumping from drawing superheroes to drawing anime, then from there started exploring other animation styles. I just wanted to draw cool characters.

Later on I studied 2D animation, and quickly learned that it’s so much work. Somehow in my mind I thought 2D animation could be done with the push of a button and all your cool drawings would be animated, but no, you have to draw every single frame and you have to draw like 24 pictures per second. I realised it wasn’t really what I wanted to do, I wanted to draw pretty pictures. So I moved over to, what was pretty fresh at the time, concept art for video games and movies. Paintings that were fantasy, sci-fi, nerdy, or whatever. I thought, “maybe I can make a living out of this”.

Today, my background still influences my work. There’s a heavy emphasis on dynamics from my background in animation. The comic book stuff with over the top exaggerations, breaking realism to get greater impact, all these little things.

MJ:

When I was young I originally wanted to be an architect, for a long time. A lot of my family is involved in building homes, renovators, architects, cabin-makers, etc. So it felt like a natural thing to want. I studied architecture at University of Auckland, and it wasn’t what I expected. I felt like I was constricted with numbers. Fair enough, you know, you don’t want the building to fall over. But it felt really restrictive, and so I changed course, moved over to a Bachelor of Creative Technologies, but that course almost felt too broad, so I kind of started panicking, like “I need to figure out what I’m doing”. I really took a liking to illustration because of the people I met there, a lot of them were into games, so I took a liking to fantasy games, like Path of Exile and Skyrim.

I picked up the Wacom pad that my dad gave me two years prior, I hadn’t touched it until then. I started drawing, built up my portfolio throughout my uni days, including graphic design because I thought it might be more practical and help with getting a job with New Zealand start-ups. Before my last day I sent out a whole lot of CVs, then went on holiday in Japan for three weeks. When I got back, I had managed to get an interview with Legend Story Studios, where I met James and Robbie.

Originally it was just a two week contract to make two logos, one was the Legend Story Studios logo, and the other was for their upcoming TCG. At the time they were still developing the world and the themes, and they said “hey, your concepts and ideas are great, do you want to stay on and help us build the world?” So we did that for about a year, then I came back to finish the logo that we recognise today.

Guide us through your thought process when taking an initial concept through to the finished Flesh and Blood product.

Sam:

Speaking from the illustrator perspective rather than the art director perspective, I’m very driven by emotion when I’m doing art. I think I over-romanticise the process and the ideas. When I get the brief, there’s a few layers to it. From a professional standpoint, we have to identify the goal. We’re not just drawing something random, there’s a goal to hit, there’s a feeling to capture, there’s a message to deliver. That has to stay at the forefront. But then on the other side is having fun with the piece. Ideally the piece I’ve been given is one that fits my style, or it’s something different I’ve been interested in trying out. I love getting to play around with it, inject my past experiences into it, while making sure we still stay on target.

MJ:

When I receive the brief, I think of different ways the concept can be captured. I brainstorm, I get references, I build moodboards. Sketching new concepts is the most fun part, but refining it towards a finished illustration is always at the forefront. There are always so many directions to explore, but you just need to pick one and get it done.

What’s your advice for aspiring artists?

Sam:

What it takes to get work as an artist in this fantasy/sci-fi/nerdy art zone has changed a lot over the years. Like everyone else I started out not really knowing what to do, and grabbing every single piece of information online that I could find, hearing from other artists who had made it. When I started working as an art lecturer, it really opened my eyes to the fact that everyone has a different way of learning, and there’s not a single approach that works for everyone.

I think a lot of people glorify grinding and sacrificing time, putting every waking hour of your life into art to get good. And maybe that’s what it takes, because you do have to make sacrifices, but beyond that, what I realised when I started teaching was what I thought was my own grit was actually just passion. If you got me to do something else that I didn’t like, I couldn’t get myself to do it. You should identify and lean into what you like. You love dragons, you love tanks, you love how all the different boat parts screw together, that’s the kind of stuff you should fully nerd out about. Then, those sacrifices you need to make in order to get good don’t feel so much like sacrifices.

So my main advice is nerd out. It’s hard to find what you like, maybe you’re even embarrassed by what you like, but that’s what will keep you drawing. Try to find friends or artists who enjoy the same things. Artists can be quite introverted, we like to hermit ourselves, and we’re often adverse to reaching out and talking to people. But over the years, my friends who have leveled up so quickly are the ones who reached out to their favourite artists and asked for advice. Getting feedback from someone who’s been there is so useful, because you and your friends might not be able to pick up on those details.

Lastly, I was lucky to be surrounded by people who said nice things about my art, gave me positive encouragement, told me my stuff was awesome. It made me motivated to keep going, so it’s important. But it’s also important to have some people who crush you a little bit, who test you a little bit, give you determination to prove yourself. As long as what they’re saying doesn’t make you want to stop drawing. That’s one of the great things about working at Legend Story Studios, is we get to pick each other’s brains and level up together.

MJ:

It really does just come down to passion. If you’re passionate, you can get through criticism, you can get through most challenges. Try to find good friends who stick by you. People who naturally help you move forward on that path, and who you could help out in return.

What has been your favourite Flesh and Blood piece to work on so far?

Sam:

My most memorable piece to date is Dash. All the Dashes, every iteration. Before I joined Legend Story Studios, I worked as an illustrator for the game, and that character has been alongside me for the entire journey. It’s so emotional for me just thinking about it.

MJ:

It hasn’t been released yet!

How does it feel when you see one of your artworks on a physical card?

Sam:

It’s wild! I get so touched whenever people bring a card over to the signing booth. Their excitement about it, their affection towards the card, whether its value, the lore context, the gameplay, all these things attached to the artwork, is really surreal for me because I can see that feeling from them and I also have so many feelings towards the art myself. It’s just a very surreal, beautiful connection. It’s wild because we sit in a room and draw pictures, and suddenly these pictures have emotional heartstrings, their journey in the game is attached to it, it’s so rewarding. It’s the most amazing thing ever.

MJ:

It’s so funny working on a big screen then seeing it printed on a small card! Seeing the complete idea come through with the card templated and effect text, it’s not just your work, it’s work from the whole team on a single card. So I’m always proud of everyone’s work coming together.

Aesthetically, what’s your favourite Flesh and Blood booster set?

Sam:

I feel like everyone is gonna be like “booooo” but my answer is always the next set. Each set we work on is our new best.

MJ:

High Seas… at the moment!

You can't just hop on board a ship and call yourself a pirate—you've gotta have FLAIR. That's like piracy 101! Let's take a look at the colourful characters who sailed on stage last night...

How often do you get a chance to bring the characters of Rathe to life on stage in front of Legend Story Studios' own creative department?! Creative Director Robbie Wen and his talented team were there in the Flesh and Blood to watch the spectacular performances unfold. I hope that guy who was killed by Arakni is okay!

While cosplaying itself is very rewarding, the dedication, creativity, and excellence deserves a prize. Hopefully a Cold Foil Taylor will make all those purchases of EVA foam even more worth it! Remember that the Super Slam World Premiere in Montréal is the LAST CHANCE you will have to get one. After that... well, you'll just have to Make Ends Meat...

Congratulations to our four winners:

• Craftmanship - Carolina Alvarado
• Accuracy - Nicole Lim
• Performance - Areena Jasmine
• Best Rookie Cosplay - Zoe Starr

Classic Constructed: Gravy Bones, Shipwrecked Looter
Draft 1: Gravy Bones
Draft 2: Gravy Bones
Record: 12-3
Local Game Store: Games Haven, Jeux Kingdom
Favourite Card:

"I started playing in 2022. I'm feeling good. Shout out to Gas Guzzlers."

Classic Constructed: Gravy Bones, Shipwrecked Looter
Draft 1: Gravy Bones
Draft 2: Gravy Bones
Record: 12-3
Local Game Store: Uchronies Games
Favourite Card:

"I started playing in 2022. I'm feeling awesomeee! Shout out to The Armory, Uchronies Games, and all the French community.♥️"

Classic Constructed: Gravy Bones, Shipwrecked Looter
Draft 1: Gravy Bones
Draft 2: Marlynn
Record: 12-3
Local Game Store: Cartapapa
Favourite Card:

"I started playing in 2022. I'm feeling ecstatic! Shout out to Team Ironrots Montpellier, all the wonderful French community, and Sophie, my super supportive girlfriend!"

Classic Constructed: Gravy Bones, Shipwrecked Looter
Draft 1: Puffin
Draft 2: Gravy Bones
Record: 12-2-1
Local Game Store: Valkyrie Vault
Favourite Card:

"I started playing in 2021. I'm feeling thankful to all the amazing people who helped me get here. I have a ton of shoutouts. First my wife and family back home who supported me. Then to MinMax Games who have helped me get to a bunch of tournaments. Michael Feng and Brodie Spurlock for being amazing teammates, travel buddies, and fellow MinMax Gamers. Jacob Clements for jamming six Saltwater Swells in the Gravy Bones deck which is ultimately what got me on board with playing him. And finally, the rest of The Armory team for being an amazing group to hang out with and test with. Thank you guys.♥️"

Classic Constructed: Arakni, 5L!p3d 7hRu 7h3 cR4X
Draft 1: Gravy Bones
Draft 2: Gravy Bones
Record: 13-2
Local Game Store: Uchronies Games
Favourite Card:

"I started playing in 2023. I'm feeling euphoric, still can't believe it's happening. Shout out to all my friends in the training team, Uchronies Games, and all the French community for being so amazing."

Classic Constructed: Cindra, Dracai of Retribution
Draft 1: Marlynn
Draft 2: Puffin
Record: 12-3
Local Game Store: Unbox
Favourite Card:

"I started playing in 2023. I'm feeling so happy right now. Feels surreal. Shoutout to my girlfriend, Pam, for being supportive. To team Unbox, escpecially to Aer for lending me his deck for this weekend."

Classic Constructed: Verdance, Thorn of the Rose
Draft 1: Marlynn
Draft 2: Gravy Bones
Record: 12-3
Local Game Store: Magic Stronghold
Favourite Card:

"I started playing in 2023. I'm feeling super excited for Top 8. Shout out to Jay and Yuki from On the Bauble podcast."

Classic Constructed: Arakni, 5L!p3d 7hRu 7h3 cR4X
Draft 1: Puffin
Draft 2: Gravy Bones
Record: 11-4
Local Game Store: Dobbelsteen Den Bosch
Favourite Card:

"I started playing in the Kai of Cards basement right around when Crucible of War released (2020). He registered as a store, and we were probably some of the first in Europe to play. I got baited into buying a Welcome to Rathe Alpha box, which I really didn’t want to at the time cause I wasn’t sure if I was gonna play (it was like €90), and then the last pack had a Cold Foil Fyendal's Spring Tunic and I was stuck.

I'm feeling... still a little confused to be honest. I thought I was locked after Round 14 but then it turns out Round 15 has two X-2 downpairs that I need to win, and Arthur is a X-3 downpair that I need to lose, and if all of these go the wrong way for me I’m 9th. Edison wins on stream, Arthur wins, so now I can only pray, but thankfully Tom beats Tommaso so I get 8th as the highest X-4. It still hasn’t really set in to be honest.

Shout out to team Stroopwafel, a lot of us registered Slippy and I have a bunch of better Slippy players to learn from on the team, so shout out to everyone who tested with me this week, and especially Peter who helped me Saturday night to prep for the mirror. Also shout out to the Dutchies team Niet Goed, who I am also playing with!"

It wouldn't be a pirate's life if we didn't shore up chests full of sunken treasure! There are endless X-marked spots on the World Tour map where special commemorative items have been stashed, but the amount of booty you can find right here at World Tour: Singapore is unmatched. You don't need to play in the Pro Tour to get your mitts on shiny gold, precious jewels, long-lost relics, sweet beverages, or even alternate artworks of your favourite heroes on their Beach Party holiday!

What on earth will they come up with next—Gravy Bones serving Thanksgiving Dinner? Rhinar going golfing? Vynnset being shot out of a cannon?! Probably not any of those. But what you will find, if you've got a golden tooth, is packs upon packs upon packs upon packs upon packs upon packs upon packs of High Seas.

If you've been starved of blues in Booster Draft, missing those few crucial cards needed to pull together a decent deck, then you should treat yourself to some therapy with FULL BOX SEALED DECK! Simply gorge yourself on all the gas rares, blue block-3's, and 3-for-7's you could ever want.

And of course, each booster box of High Seas comes with a Treasure Pack—featuring golden bordered Pirate Booty, Cold Foil Extended Art Legendaries, or... if you're insanely lucky, a lost treasure like a Marvel Amulet. True treasure is rarer than a King Kraken sighting, so feast your eyes on these hauls...

The room is full of jittery bones as 135 players embark on the next leg of the expedition. Today they face a second round of High Seas Booster Draft, followed by four more rounds of Classic Constructed.

For some, the chance of making Top 8 has probably already washed away, but at least they can maybe salvage some World Tour points from the sea floor. For many, this next draft is the deciding factor between flying high or walking the plank. And for a few ruthless buccaneers with near-perfect records, there's only the scent of blood in the water.

Let's take a look at the metagame breakdown for Day 2:

Despite the wild waves of the open ocean, the metagame has maintained its sea legs through to Day 2. The top three heroes have held their position, with Gravy Bones pulling ahead of Cindra in terms of conversion. This is likely due to the high representation of Slippy, who has an edge into Cindra, but a slightly shakier time into Gravy Bones.

It's a good day to be Arakni, Marionette. Low in numbers, but boasting a strong conversion rate, it appears that trading advantage into other matchups for the ability to eat Slippy players for breakfast is paying off.

There's an incredibly diverse spread of heroes scattered throughout the top tables, notably Naib Mobassir as the lone surviving Ira, and Christopher Iaali doing the Riptide Discord proud. I'd also like to draw attention to the solo Dorinthea, Marlynn, and Puffin—the latter of which was the only person who registered Puffin from the beginning.

Yuki Lee Bender is looking to continue her monstrous run into Day 2, but first she has to sink Liam Bennett—a well known Aussie player consistently seen at top tables.

Esmond Heng is still the leading Singapore player, but he's got the back-up coast guard rallying close behind in Brandon Peh, Shirui Wu, Gordon Koh, and Malcolm Song.

Shirui Wu is facing the duke of daggers, Taotao Chu. If Taotao can make it through draft, a field infested with Slippy is looking pretty damn promising for the Marionette master.

Fresh off sending Nuu, Alluring Desire to Living Legend at his Calling: Bologna win, Tommaso Viscido finds himself against fellow countryman Lorenzo Branbilla Pisoni.

Japan has placed their faith in Calling Champion Tatsuya Okanishi. But first he has to play against another Calling Champion—Gordon Koh. It really is a clash of the titans out here.

Stay on course with us as we see who makes it through to the Top 8.

Avast ye! Here we be droppin' the anchor 'fore the next leg o' the expedition. Aft' a blimey day scrubbin' decks, here be yer undefeated cap'n:

Yuki Lee Bender, Canada

We've had a treasure trove of highlights today, from Shoma Yamamura's excellently timed Flic Flak mopping up a Herald of Erudition, to Yuki Lee Bender's Bonds of Agony drawing out all the opponent's defenses only for her to follow up with another attack into Take Up the Mantle into a second Bonds of Agony, to the secret Wellington tech of Knick Knack Bric-a-brac finally making its way into the limelight.

How about Arthur Trehet, who clearly was just waiting for the iconic Bryan Gottlieb / Mitch Leslie casting duo to return before pulling out the stops again. Will he give us a Sigil of Solace moment #2?

Justin Fryar, outta nowhere at 5-0 on Oscilio, then taking down a Pro Tour Champion to advance to the final round of Day 1... What a legend!

Shout out to the not one, not two, but three players I spoke to today who suffered through a triple Just a Nick play. Snag wasn't there for you when you needed it most.

Going undefeated on Day 1 feels great, but time and time again we've seen our promising heroes lost to the shifting tides on Day 2. They can't get overconfident, they can't get careless. One misstep and those dreams of gold vanish as you plummet to a watery grave...

See you in Day 2, savvy?

What were previously clear blue waters have turned into turbulent storms as players sail into High Seas Booster Draft. One of Flesh and Blood's most exciting and interesting limited formats to date, High Seas puts the pressure on players to assemble everything they need for the expedition—blues, block-3's, threats, and as much equipment as they can get their greedy hands on. One wrong call and you could find yourself shipwrecked.

Fret not, dear viewer, for you will be safely aboard the HMS Sigil of Solace in the steady hands of le capitaine, Arthur Trehet.

(Draft picks at 06:47:00)

Building a high-synergy deck is one thing, but executing it is a whole 'nother kettle of fish. Treasure Island massively impacts gameplay, adding a whole extra level to defending and attacking.

You could be the solo Puffin in your pod, but if your opponent tries to deny you Gold and you don't have a way around it, you'll quickly find your power cards turning into dead cargo.

Gravy Bones demands a high level of skill from his pilot, and often his games can get quite technical, as you work out what lines lead to victory and which will get you marooned without any crew.

Marlynn has a strong safety net with her Goldfin Harpoon overpower loop, but like Puffin, she can't risk getting starved for Gold. The firepower coming from Marlynn's boat can change drastically from turn to turn—sometimes you juice 'em for 14, other turns you might have all the gas in the world but no way to load a card into your arsenal.

As an added layer of complexity that the Pro Tour players are dealing with, each hero has multiple archetypes available to them. You have to be able to mentally handle all of these decision trees if you want a chance at a good record, and you can bet these players have been grinding day in, day out.

Yuki Lee Bender, Naib Mobassir, Noah Beygelman, Taotao Chu, Chu Heng Eng, Vespa Chujitngamsuwong, Ben Dodd, and Grzegorz Kowalski are just some of the familiar names braving the open waters of the top tables.

Esmond Heng currently carries the torch for Singapore, having boosted to a clean 5-0 record in swiss with Dash I/O. Can he stay fast and furious throughout the draft? We'll know by the end of Day 1, which is rapidly approaching. Soon we'll have a weather forecast for Day 2.

385 players have berthed upon the shores of Singapore, cutlasses sharpened, tricorns tilted, rum stocked. $175,000 is on the line, and each player in the room can almost feel all that gold slipping through their fingers.

Speaking of slipping through things, here's your metagame breakdown for Day 1:

Heading into Pro Tour: Singapore, players were facing uncharted waters. With several iconic heroes making their departure from Classic Constructed this year and the introduction of an entirely new class, the metagame was looking very diverse and uncertainty levels were at an all-time high.

But a consensus has been reached. The Age of Arakni is here. Slippy is the deck to beat, outnumbering the other heroes by a long shot. The deck can play aggressively into heroes like Gravy Bones, and play a disruptive gameplan into heroes like Cindra. Slippy is well positioned, with a very decent matchup spread, and it's for this reason that a huge number of household names have elected to take up the mantle.

Behind Slippy we have Gravy Bones and Cindra at almost equal numbers. Both these heroes performed well over National Championship season and were expected to show up at Singapore in significant capacity. They form the push and pull of the meta, with all other decks aiming to beat 'em or dodge 'em.

Verdance, Dash, and Prism are the next tagalongs, and are fully capable of winning a Pro Tour if things go their way. Surprisingly decent numbers of Kano and Victor Goldmane, despite their apparent drop off in recent weeks. Oscilio, Ira, and Kassai round out the rest of our double digits—more niche, targeted strategies that have taken a greater risk for the promise of a greater reward.

Singapore has long been a hub of fiercely competitive play, with Armory Events round every corner every day of the week. It's thrilling to see the greatest players from all over the world converge in this hotspot to stake their claim. But this time, the APAC players aren't jetlagged. That home ground advantage is real, and I would be shocked not to see some of APAC's finest in Top 8.

Pablo Pintor has his work cut out for him.

The Player of the Year race is reaching breaking point, and Brodie Spurlock has gained an almost insurmountable foothold. But enough about ham sandwiches, it's time for dessert. Blue Pitch's all-star Pudding Tam is well-positioned to take home the trophy this weekend. He's proved he can play aggro like a GOD. He's proved he can make Top 8 more than once. He's proved he's got what it takes.

What better Round 1 pairing for CYK Lionel than the first ever World Champion, Michael Hamilton? Start your Pro Tour run off strong, am I right? No pressure.

Two veterans of the World Tour, Yuki Lee Bender and Florin-Cristian Loghin, find themselves facing each other in the first round. It's agonising that we can't showcase each of these iconic matchups on the Live Stream, as you know every game is going to be a straight banger.

Oh Oh is a name you should kn-oh by now, he's topped enough events to be recognised as an APAC legend. He's repping Dorinthea, and it would be shocking if he didn't. His opponent, Pro Tour: Los Angeles Finalist Max Klein, is no stranger to Dorinthea, however. Oh Oh will need to bring his best.

The Singapore team is off to a strong start defending their home turf. You can't just rock up to Singapore and not expect competition! Calling Champion Gordon Koh makes short work of his Round 1 opponent, while freshly crowned National Champion Brandon Peh does the same. Ivan Teo, highly ranked on the global leaderboard, with several Calling and Battle Hardened Top 8 placements under his belt, is looking for his day in the sun.

Before hoisting the sails and embarking on the adventure of a lifetime, Flesh and Blood's captain made sure to brief his crew on the voyage ahead. Like a bustling portside market, there was a vast variety of things to excite and entrance a vast variety of people. Here's all the big news...

• The next Pro Tour will be held in Yokohama, Japan, from April 9-12, 2026.

• Pro Quest: Yokohama will run from October 4 to November 9, 2025.

• The Calling comes to Hong Kong from December 19-21, 2025.

• World Championship: Philadelphia features Living Legend as a format.

• New cards with crazy mechanics from Super Slam and Armory Deck: Pleiades have been revealed, including fetching cards from your inventory, and taking an extra turn.

• Taylor is officially retiring as the Cosplay Contest promo, passing the torch to Frankie, Make Ends Meat—a new Necromancer hero.

• Legend Story Studios is putting $25,000 towards Content Creator Grants.

• Project Blue = Silver Age???

Check out the full presentation in the Singapore Keynote Summary:

Ahoy there! Time to inflict some serious FOMO.

The Flesh and Blood World Tour just keeps getting better and better. We couldn't be in a more beautiful venue, the carpet a blue sea upon which many ships will be sailed, the reds and yellows bloom above, casting a warm glow upon the crowds as they wander in. Seems a few of our favourite heroes have skipped straight to the beach party...

Nothing says "I went to World Tour: Singapore" like a T-Shirt with pretty much exactly that on it. You will all remember this weekend for the rest of your life, and the merch wall is the perfect way to proudly display that. Gravy Bones wants you for his undead crew, who are you to decline?

Looking for a way to spend all that hard-plundered gold? Well, you could pay 2 to draw a card, or you could head to the Midtown Markets to pick up slick Cold Foils, Marvels, or even just a handful of chaff for the Commoner event on Saturday. I've already scored a Cold Foil Graven's Call for $12—what a bargain! Arakni, Huntsman will be a top deck one day, I just know it.

In an age where the creative industry faces unprecedented challenges, our belief in human craftsmanship holds strong. Your favourite FAB artworks, the ones you frame and just stare at for hours on end, can finally get a fancy signature from the same hands that brought it to life. Get yourself an artist sketch to flex at locals, or as a gift for the FAB fan in your life (it's you, you're the FAB fan in your life, treat yourself, you deserve it).

Behind the sleek black and gold walls lie the black and gold feature match tables. They may look elegant, but they're bloody battlegrounds, where the pressure reaches tipping point, the nerves undergo maximum duress, and the sweat pools into buckets at your feet until you're swimming in an ocean of your own making. God it feels good to win on stream.

You may have seen already that Legend Story Studios is partnering with Wētā Workshop at Comic-Con. We're incredibly proud to be working with another New Zealand creative powerhouse, bringing the world of Rathe to life in magnificent new ways. And you can see some of the fruits of this labour scattered around the venue at World Tour: Singapore. Kia ora!

The Keynote presentation is moments away, so stay tuned for thrills, chills, and one-turn-kills!

Arrrrr... I warn ye, this tale be not fer the lily-livered. As the sun sets o'er Horizon's Mantle, the sloops 'n' barques of gold hunters aplenty be dockin' at Sentosa's sweet shore. Murderous rabble, the lot o' 'em, ready to mutiny at a mere change o' the wind if it means escapin' a watery grave...

Down yer grog, chum, yer stomach'll churn fiercer than the briny deep when I tell ye 'bout the great pirate war o' twenty-five! Three days it raged, blood swillin' with the saltwater swells, as hundreds o' buccaneers traded blow fer a blow in hopes o' conquerin' the High Seas.

Legend has it the lost riches o' Trōpal-Dhani awaited the one cap'n who sank 'em all. I heard the booty fetched more'n 175,000 gold, and ye bet yer landlubbin' life them thievin' varmints struggled to divvy it all up. More'n enough to spend the rest o' yer sailin' days kickin' yer barnacled feet up at Azuro Keys.

But fer one, 'twere more'n just the gold 'n' jewels. Aye, this one swashbuckler were born with a heart fer danger that should've landed 'em straight in Gravy Bones' crew. I remember starin' into 'em fearsome eyes, and do ye know what I saw? No quarter.

Fer 'em, 'twere never 'bout the bounty. 'Twere 'bout the sport. They wanted to win. Nothin' else.