Preparing for the Team Blitz Calling: Sydney by Jonathan Asquith

Preparing for the Team Blitz Calling: Sydney

With the Team Calling event in Sydney just under a week away, what better time to emerge from your Covid Cocoon, call up your friends, dust off your sleeves and play some games together in the Flesh & Blood!

Be it your first trio gig or if you are just in need of a refresher, this crash course in team events will have you and your mates ready to go in time for the Calling. Let’s dive straight in.

Choose Your Fighter(s)

Typically, team events in TCGs require 3 players. You have got your trusty old self, now it’s time to find two more people to link up with before you are able to battle. So – How do you choose who to play with? The keyword takeaways here are: Aligning Expectations & Compatibility.

What do you want to get out of the weekend? Are you gunning for that trophy with the top Meta Decks aiming to leave a trail of dust behind you as you blitz into the finals? Are you and your buddies hyped to represent a triple warrior line-up as you bring your pet decks to the big stage? Or are you simply content playing with folks who are mainly there for the experience & weekend away that do not mind if the event becomes a 0-2 drop into side events /or hitting up the local pub?

The important element to note here is mutual goals. Let’s be real, Spikey McGee who wants to win the whole event at any cost is probably not going to be a good match for Brutey McBrute who just wants to jump up and flex both biceps whenever he plays “Smash with Big Tree”. Make sure when you are thinking about who you would like to play with for the weekend that their expected outcomes align with your own. Asking questions such as “How will we react as a team if we miss out on Day 2?” and “How much time should we dedicate to practicing – if at all?” will help you get a good idea of how compatible you would be as a team. With friends you know quite well, it may not matter as much but even so, ensure that expectations are outlined ahead of time so that everyone is on the same page.

Personality is another factor to consider here when deciding who to buddy up with. You will be spending a lot of time with your team this weekend (especially if you are rooming together as well) so think about people you are comfortable spending time with that make you feel good both inside and outside of the game.

Picking a Seat & Effective In-Game Communication

There are many ways to skin a cat when it comes to allocating seating for a team event. You will either be seat A on the left side, B in the middle or C on the right side. The best practice when it comes to seat allocation is that there is no best practice. There will be metagaming galore when it comes to teams trying to line up their seats for the best expected match-up. But hey, nobody is a mind reader, and everyone will have a different approach on this. My general wisdom would be to put your most experienced player in the middle so that they can offer the right advice when it is needed.

This brings me into my next point on effective in-game communication. Just like any other event, Team Events are timed rounds, and boy oh boy will you find this out the hard way if you keep nudging your middle teammate with your elbow every single turn saying “Psst, do you think I should block this attack?”. Not only will this likely distract your teammate who does not have the game state context to go with your question, but it will also take up valuable time on the clock. Try to save the channels of communication for quick & important questions such as “Do Kassai decks play Nourishing Emptiness anymore?” or “Which card would be better to Arsenal on Turn 1?”.

This changes when one or two players completes their games where you can begin to be more invested in your teammates game. Though as the old saying goes “Too many cooks spoil the broth” – so trust that your teammate, the pilot of the deck, has the entire context of how the game has unfolded and should be the final decision maker for any given choice. If you as a teammate feel they may be about to make a play that you would not in that circumstance, perhaps give them a tap on the shoulder and ask them what is going through their mind and discuss it together.

There is no I in Team

As is inevitable at TCG events, you will bump into a familiar face, and they will ask “What is your record?”. Your reply here, whether it is in front of your teammates or not, is especially important. Saying something akin to “Well, the team is 4-3, but I am 6-1 personally” is an absolute kick in the guts to the team’s morale – avoid personal record spit balling at all costs.

Irrespective of your goals for the weekend. if you have a teammate that is having a bad day and feels guilty about “letting the team down”, be an awesome teammate and bring them up with you instead of putting them down. Offer words of encouragement, a pat on the back and just generally treat them how you would like to be treated if the roles were reversed. There is only one result that goes on that match slip so the motto here is quite simple: Win together; lose together.

Quickfire Tips

Plan ahead and get organised as early as possible – Tickets run out fast and hotels and flights only get more expensive as the event draws closer.
Decide what you guys will eat during the day – It may sound simple but knowing where you will eat breakfast and what food/snack options you have access to during the day are key to a smooth event. Don’t blame me when you are running on empty in Round 7 wishing you had more than a hot dog for lunch!
Leave no one behind – If you are part of a bigger team or a Local Games Store, try to make sure that everyone who wants to attend the event finds a home in a team. Remember what we discussed in the ‘Choose Your Fighter(s)’ section.
Put your hand up if you are the snorer if the team – There’s no shame in it, but your teammates might like to know. And hey, you will probably even score your own bed as a result (Even if it is on the other side of the apartment).
Most importantly: Have Fun! - Team events are far and away one of the best experiences you will have playing card games. So rides the highs, bounce back from the lows and make some memorable moments with your friends at the Team Blitz Calling in Sydney. See you there!


Pre-orders for Uprising are available now: https://plentyofgames.com.au/collections/uprising-preorder

Flesh and Blood Singles available here:
https://plentyofgames.com.au/collections/flesh-and-blood-singles-instock