Calling: Sao Paulo Review - The Meta and the Future!

From March 21st to March 23rd, Brazil hosted its first competitive Flesh and Blood event, the World Tour Sao Paulo or Calling: Sao Paulo, and I was there to see everything up close!

Today, I'll share this experience with you all, so we all know what to expect from the upcoming events and competitive seasons.

There are many competitive Flesh and Blood events. Some are more competitive, and some less. They can range from the weekly Armory at a local game store (the most casual events) to the World Championship (the most competitive event of the year).

The Calling is a Tier-3 event, ranked just below Worlds and the Pro Tour, so it's at the same level as a National. This makes it the biggest open, competitive Flesh and Blood event. You don't have to classify or be invited to a Calling to play: you just have to register, pay a fee, and enjoy.

How Important It Is?

Because of their size, Callings offer more than just the main competition. They attract players from many regions and include an exclusive prize wall sponsored by the company behind the game. There are also other competitions at these events, and stores that carry "rare gems" you can buy right then and there.

So, even if you're not interested in the Calling itself, you can still have fun at the other competitions and get exclusive cards at this event.

The event kit already included an exclusive playmat for this Calling in particular, and exclusive cards from The Hunted season. Remember, though, you don't have to get this kit to play. You can just register at any available tournament to start competing at a Calling.

Winning other competitions gave you Tix (a sort of currency) that you could exchange for Boosters and Boxes at the Prize Wall. However, the most coveted prizes were the exclusive Cold Foil Tokens and playmats.

These other events featured different formats, such as Classic Constructed, Sealed, Blitz, and many others. If you play Flesh and Blood, there's certainly a tournament you can play at any Calling.

Let's discuss the most important event of the night: the Calling!

Around 260 players took part in this event, so it was the biggest competitive Flesh and Blood event in Latin America.

The meta was what we all expected: many Auroras, followed by Zen, Cindra, and Nuu, but a few other numbers were quite different from what we're used to seeing. Dash I/O, Vynnset, and Dorinthea showed up a bit more, and Enigma showed up a bit less, so our Calling was unique in that sense.

However, these Day 2 results prove that only the best decks managed to move forward: Aurora became the best deck in the format, Florian performed really well after winning the Calling: Kobe (an incredibly strong list against Aurora), Nuu was the best disruptive deck in the format, and Enigma also became an excellent choice.

A few decks couldn't move on as much, though. Cindra (which, up to a few weeks ago, was considered "the deck to beat") barely made it in, only one Dorinthea got to Day 2, and only a few Dash I/O and Vynnset moved forward.

The Top 8 was as expected, but still held a few surprises. Besides three Auroras and two Enigmas, Dorinthea actually stood out from the others. Though it lost in the quarter-finals, seeing a sort of unpopular hero get so far at this tournament was quite impressive.

The finals were decided by an Aurora (piloted by Carlos Eduardo) and an Enigma (piloted by Florin-Cristian). After a tough match, Aurora won the tournament, and Brazil once again won another title. Congratulations, Carlos Eduardo, for winning the Calling!

If you'd like to know more about Carlos, his mindset for this tournament and his POV, I highly recommend this YouTube interview conducted by Amigos do Meta (turn on the subtitles and auto-translate into your preferred language!).

The Battle Hardened on the second day of the Calling was a new opportunity for anyone that couldn't play on the first day.

This competition is one tier below the Calling (on the same level as a Road to Nationals and Pro Quest), but it is still quite competitive. Around 120 players competed at this event.

This Top 8 was identical to the Calling Top 8, but some heroes stand out, namely Vynnset, Dash I/O, Jarl, and Dorinthea.

The Finals were between Jarl (piloted by João Foltran) and Aurora (piloted by João Zeni). Jarl ended up winning, so congratulations João Foltran for the win and the excellent deck choice. This hero was a true counter for this Aurora meta.

The Calling: Sao Paulo wasn't the only competitive event of the season, but its highly competitive level is a great example of how the metagame is progressing and what we can expect for the next events. Namely, Pro Tour London, and the Singapore Pro Quest season.

Aurora In the Spotlight

After Viserai, Rune Blood reached Living Legend status, many players believed Aurora, Shooting Star would fill in his shoes. And they were right.

Her consistent hands and attacks that are incredibly annoying to block are not her only strengths. This list has everything an aggressive deck wants: ways to deal damage easily, consistent ways to get Go Again, anti-fatigue tools, and excellent blocks whenever you do need to block.

With strong interactions, like Sigil of Suffering (1) and Channel Lightning Valley, her specialization, Arc Lightning, and her Armory Deck support, Aurora has everything to remain the best deck in Classic Constructed. However, with great powers, come many Living Legend points, and we can all see how she is rapidly ascending to this status. She might even hit it before Nationals.

Aggressive Decks Try To Keep Up

Aurora is clearly the best aggressive deck in the format, but a few other aggro lists are trying to find some space in the meta. Cindra, Dracai of Retribution was promising as the "next deck to beat" after she was released in The Hunted. However, it seems like players learned how to play against her, and, as such, her popularity dwindled.

Furthermore, Cindra is much more vulnerable to disruptions than Aurora, so she'll struggle in a meta that is trying to stop these aggressive decks.

Dash I/O, on the other side, is one of the few decks that can be more aggressive than Aurora, so she is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to beat the meta. The only issue is that she is not as consistent as other decks, and doesn't play a lot of disruption, so you should consider your options carefully before investing in this Mechanologist.

Nuu Is the Answer

Part the Mistveil is still rather strong in the meta, as well as popular. Zen, Tamer of Purpose is nearly a Living Legend now, and Enigma, Ledger of Ancestry plays many cards that are great against Aurora, like Phantasmaclasm, so it is an excellent choice as well. Yet, in such an aggressive meta, Nuu, Alluring Desire is your best answer.

Nuu is one of the most disruptive heroes in the format, and can present real threats to more aggressive decks, as it can remove cards from your opponent's hand and deck. Bonds of Agony, Persuasive Prognosis, Just a Nick, and Siren's Call are just a few of the many options this Assassin has to beat this meta.

What did you think of the Calling: Sao Paulo? Tell us your thoughts in our comment section below.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!