{"id":5239,"date":"2024-08-23T06:30:31","date_gmt":"2024-08-23T10:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/?p=5239"},"modified":"2024-08-21T10:37:44","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T14:37:44","slug":"a-review-of-calling-manila","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/a-review-of-calling-manila\/","title":{"rendered":"A Review of Calling: Manila"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Greetings and salutations my fabulous fab folks! I&#8217;m Donnie K., and you&#8217;ve found another coverage review article here on FABREC. Today we&#8217;re taking a look at some featured matches from the coverage for Calling: Manilla.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s get started!<\/p>\n<h1>Great Games in the Pearl of the Orient!<\/h1>\n<p>Sadly (for me at least), there doesn&#8217;t appear to have been a live blog for Calling: Manila. The website only says, &#8220;Official Live Blog Coming August 2024.&#8221; Meaning, it was a little harder to compile the info this week. But we make do, right?<\/p>\n<p>The event was hosted by Legendary Games Distribution and the stream came to us from the official <em>Flesh and Blood<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@fabtcg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">YouTube channel<\/a>. Only the first names of the casters (Newsun and Elliot), were posted on screen where I could find them. I recognized Elliot from his previous work, but Newsun was a new face to me, and the casting from both was really enjoyable.<\/p>\n<p>In the absence of a live blog, let&#8217;s get straight to the numbers.<\/p>\n<h2>The Numbers We Always Want to Know<\/h2>\n<h3>Day One<\/h3>\n<p>After crunching the numbers from the metagame breakdown, there were 226 players who registered for the main event. The top five heroes on Day One were pretty much the usual suspects for the <em>Part the Mistveil<\/em> meta (Day Two data wasn&#8217;t available as of time of writing).<\/p>\n<div class=\"edhrecp__cards\"><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Zen, Tamer of Purpose\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Nuu, Alluring Desire\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Kayo, Armed and Dangerous\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Zen, Tamer of Purpose\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Zen<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> was the most represented with 43 players, followed by <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Nuu, Alluring Desire\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Nuu<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> with 28. There were 26 players who brought <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Kayo, Armed and Dangerous\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Kayo<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, then 20 and 15 for <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Prism, Awakener of Sol\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Prism<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> and <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Victor Goldmane, High and Mighty\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Victor<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, respectively. <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Betsy, Skin in the Game\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Betsy<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Arakni, Huntsman\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Arakni<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Bravo, Showstopper\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Bravo<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, and <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Katsu, the Wanderer\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Katsu<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> were all left on the sidelines as the other 23 legal heroes duked it out for the grand prize.<\/p>\n<h2>Top 8 Cut<\/h2>\n<p>After 11 rounds of Swiss Classic Constructed game play, the Top 8 consisted of five Zen, one Kayo, one Dash, and one Nuu.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>David Yau (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Zen, Tamer of Purpose\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Zen<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>)<\/li>\n<li>Pudding Tam (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Zen, Tamer of Purpose\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Zen<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>)<\/li>\n<li>Naib Moibassir (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Zen, Tamer of Purpose\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Zen<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>)<\/li>\n<li>Gordon Koh (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Nuu, Alluring Desire\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Nuu<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>)<\/li>\n<li>Brodie Spurlock (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Zen, Tamer of Purpose\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Zen<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>)<\/li>\n<li>Justin Cu (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Dash &#039;IE&#039;<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>)<\/li>\n<li>Soh Zheng (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Kayo, Armed and Dangerous\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Kayo<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>)<\/li>\n<li>Nova Chan (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Zen, Tamer of Purpose\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Zen<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Now, let&#8217;s talk about those games!<\/p>\n<h2>Feature Match Highlights<\/h2>\n<h3>Day One (Seven Rounds of Classic Constructed)<\/h3>\n<h4>Round One &#8211; Peng Joon (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Kayo, Armed and Dangerous\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Kayo<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>) vs Shoma (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Uzuri, Switchblade\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Uzuri<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>)<\/h4>\n<p>Fresh off of his win in Amsterdam, Shoma Yamamura brought his Uzuri to Manila. Facing off against FAB&#8217;s newest PT champ was Peng Joon and a beautifully blinged out Kayo.<\/p>\n<p>Shoma started things off with <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Isolate red\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Isolate<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> into <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Surgical Extraction\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Surgical Extraction<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, immediately ripping one of Peng&#8217;s <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Bloodrush Bellow\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Bloodrush Bellow<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>s away. The Brute had a weaker start, just setting up, but his second turn began with an <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Agility\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Agility<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> token. After a few more turns of disruption, Peng managed to find his second Bloodrush, discarding a <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Beast Within\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Beast Within<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"edhrecp__cards\"><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Death Touch red\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Bloodrush Bellow\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>As scary as that was, the stars didn&#8217;t align completely, and he was only able to deal one point of damage through Uzuri&#8217;s blocks. Kayo had a few good turns, and the game came down to single digit life totals. Eventually, Shoma&#8217;s discipline and disruption earned him the win with a <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Bloodrot Pox\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Bloodrot Pox<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> token taking Peng&#8217;s last life total point.<\/p>\n<h4>Round Five &#8211; Junnel (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Azalea, Ace in the Hole\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Azalea<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>) vs Yu Fan (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Victor Goldmane, High and Mighty\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Victor<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>)<\/h4>\n<p>Yu Fan and Victor started the game against Junnel\/Azalea with an arsenal pass. When Junnel shot his first arrow of the game, Yu Fan instantly threw equipment in front of it along with a <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Trounce\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Trounce<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>. Then, on Azalea&#8217;s next turn, another Trounce earned Yu Fan another bevvy of tokens when he won the clashes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"edhrecp__cards\"><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Trounce\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Pummel red\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Weirdly, very little damage made its way through on either side in the first few turns. Both players were content to play patiently and look for edges. That&#8217;s exactly what Victor wants to do though, and Junnel was never able to take control of the game.<\/p>\n<p>Slowly but steadily, Victor beat the Ranger down until the game was locked out completely with a <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Pummel red\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Pummel<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> in the arsenal.<\/p>\n<h3>Day Two (Four Rounds of Classic Constructed)<\/h3>\n<h4>Round Eight &#8211; Khoi Dinh (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Azalea, Ace in the Hole\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Azalea<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>) vs Pudding Tam (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Zen, Tamer of Purpose\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Zen<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>)<\/h4>\n<p>Pudding Tam and the rest of Team Blue Pitch have been on a tear this year, putting up very consistent results. In Calling: Manila, he managed to remain the only undefeated player left in the tournament at the end of Day One. Khoi Dinh and his Azalea had racked up six wins, so both players were still live for the top cut.<\/p>\n<p>Khoi started with one of Azalea&#8217;s newest toys on the board, <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Sharp Shooters\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Sharp Shooters<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> from <a href=\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/precon-progression-azalea-ace-in-the-hole\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Azalea&#8217;s recent Armory Deck release<\/a>. That wasn&#8217;t his only unique choice though. Khoi&#8217;s list featured several arrows that aren&#8217;t normally in Azalea lists but have been given new life thanks to new aim counter support.<\/p>\n<div class=\"edhrecp__cards\"><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Sharp Shooters\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Warmonger&#8217;s Diplomacy\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Pudding&#8217;s Zen weathered the unusual disruption very well though, and the <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Zephyr Needle\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Zephyr Needle<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>s put in a lot of work. Eventually, Zen did the Zen thing and blocked with his equipment suite to set up a massive turn.<\/p>\n<p>Azalea didn&#8217;t manage to get any disruptive arrows to hit, and <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Warmonger&#8217;s Diplomacy\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Warmonger&#8217;s Diplomacy<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> at the end of Zen&#8217;s combat chain was the final nail in the coffin. Art of War on Pudding&#8217;s next turn closed it out completely.<\/p>\n<h4>Round Eleven &#8211; Ji Timm (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Riptide, Lurker of the Deep\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Riptide<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>) vs Soh Jia Zheng (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Kayo, Armed and Dangerous\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Kayo<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>)<\/h4>\n<p>There was a hiccup with the audio in this game, so the first few minutes are just rapid-fire card slinging. Normally, Zen is known for &#8220;blink and you&#8217;ll miss it style&#8221; games, but these two players must have had <em>a lot<\/em> of reps in the matchup. They set a blistering pace from start to finish.<\/p>\n<p>Ji Timm on Riptide met Soh Jia Zheng on Kayo in Round 11 for a win and in to Top 8. The action really started with a double <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Bloodrush Bellow\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Bloodrush Bellow<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> turn from Soh Zheng. Weapon swing led to a <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Pulping red\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Pulping<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, then a literal <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Massacre\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Massacre<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> for 12 after popping <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Savage Sash\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Savage Sash<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> to give Kayo an 18-point life lead.<\/p>\n<div class=\"edhrecp__cards\"><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Massacre\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Death Dealer\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Riptide fired back with a handful of pumps on an arrow for 16, immediately narrowing the life gap when Kayo said &#8220;no blocks.&#8221; The pace was incredible to watch, but the Brute proved better in the end. Another Pulping, then <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Mandible Claw\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Mandible Claw<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> into <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Swing Big\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Swing Big<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> turn while Ji Timm had double <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Codex of Frailty\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Codex<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> in hand secured Kayo&#8217;s spot in the elimination rounds.<\/p>\n<h3>Top 8 Cut<\/h3>\n<p>(Only one game from each round was streamed, except for the quarterfinals which had a back-up game.)<\/p>\n<h4>Quarterfinals &#8211; Gordon Koh (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Nuu, Alluring Desire\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Nuu<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>) vs Brodie Spurlock (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Zen, Tamer of Purpose\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Zen<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>)<\/h4>\n<p>Gordon Koh on Nuu was the higher seed and chose &#8220;Kid Wonderbread&#8221; to start their quarterfinal game. Mr. Worldwide, Brodie Spurlock, was playing Zen and started with a <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Sift blue\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Sift<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, but drew into a clunky hand.<\/p>\n<p>Gordon did not have that issue. Two dagger pokes led up to <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Levels of Enlightenment\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Levels of Enlightenment<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> for six, go again, draw a card and still had two cards left to play. He followed that with <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Leave No Witnesses\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Leave No Witnesses<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, starting off strong with the disruption that Nuu is known for.<\/p>\n<div class=\"edhrecp__cards\"><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Bonds of Agony\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"The Weakest Link\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Brodie blocked and used the <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Command and Conquer\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Command and Conquer<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> from arsenal, but Gordon responded with <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"The Weakest Link\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">The Weakest Link<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> and took an <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Art of War\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Art of War<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> from the hand. That&#8217;s pretty much how this whole game went. Every time it looked like Zen might have a way back in, Nuu had an answer that shut him down.<\/p>\n<p>The final play of the game was double <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Just a Nick\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Just a Nick<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> on <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Bonds of Agony\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Bonds of Agony<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> while Brodie was on his last two life points. With Gordon still at 20 life, he had no choice but to hope Gordon wouldn&#8217;t have a third reaction to pair with Arousing Wave. No such luck, so Gordon moved on after a dominating performance.<\/p>\n<p>In the other games, David Yau won the Zen mirror against Nova Chan, Justin Cu&#8217;s fatigue Dash outlasted Naib Mobassir&#8217;s Zen, and Soh Zheng&#8217;s Kayo eliminated Pudding Tam.<\/p>\n<h4>Semifinals &#8211; Soh Zheng (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Kayo, Armed and Dangerous\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Kayo<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>) vs Justin Cu (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Dash &#039;IE&#039;<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>)<\/h4>\n<p>Soh Zheng and Kayo were the higher seed, so they chose to go first, denying Justin Cu&#8217;s Dash the chance to set up an item. Where in the last game we saw with Soh Zheng was rapid, this one was methodical. Of course, that was mostly thanks to the brick wall of defenses Justin was running.<\/p>\n<p>Soh Zheng started things off with a <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Pulping red\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Pulping<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, trying to leak some damage through with dominate. Justin managed to come out of the turn with more life than he started with, thanks to <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Sink Below red\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Sink Below<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> and a <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Sigil of Solace red\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Sigil<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> to block and reset.<\/p>\n<div class=\"edhrecp__cards\"><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Induction Chamber\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Sink Below red\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Slowly and steadily, Dash weathered the barrage of aggression that Kayo threw. And point by point, the <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Teklo Plasma Pistol\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Teklo Plasma Pistol<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> and <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Induction Chamber\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Induction Chamber<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> whittled away at Soh Zheng&#8217;s life total. No matter how hard Kayo punched, the Mechanologist just wouldn&#8217;t go down.<\/p>\n<p>Justin still had a cushy 13 life when Soh Zheng was caught with two no-blocks in hand. He wasn&#8217;t able to protect his last few life points against <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"The Weakest Link\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">The Weakest Link<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> and Justin moved on to the finals to face Gordon Koh and Nuu.<\/p>\n<h4>Finals &#8211; Gordon Koh (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Nuu, Alluring Desire\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Nuu<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>) vs Justin Cu (<span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Dash &#039;IE&#039;<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>)<\/h4>\n<p>Both of these players have <em>Flesh and Blood<\/em> National Championship and Battle Hardened trophies to their names. (Gordon has <em>two<\/em> Nationals trophies, actually.) Justin also has a trophy from winning Calling: Taipei not that long ago, so they&#8217;re pretty similarly matched in pedigree.<\/p>\n<p>Gordon Koh and Nuu faced off against Justin Cu in the finals of Calling: Manila and Justin was chosen to go second. The first dagger hit was met with a <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Battlefront Bastion red\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Battlefront Bastion<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, covering the second one as well. Justin only put an <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Evo Steel Soul Tower\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Evo Steel Soul Tower<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> in front of <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Persuasive Prognosis\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Persuasive Prognosis<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, but no reactions came from Nuu.<\/p>\n<p>Justin loaded the gun and the <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Induction Chamber\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Induction Chamber<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, then sent <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"The Weakest Link\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">The Weakest Link<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> to force Gordon to block if he wanted to keep any instants in hand. He did block and also respected the pistol shots for most of the game.<\/p>\n<div class=\"edhrecp__cards\"><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Persuasive Prognosis\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Command and Conquer\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Double <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Just a Nick\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Just a Nick<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> on a second Persuasive Prognosis was met with a <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Firewall red\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Firewall<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> and a defense reaction. Only a few points leaked through, but every point counts in a game that both players knew would be going long.<\/p>\n<p>The last Just a Nick lined up with a <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Bonds of Agony\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Bonds of Agony<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> turn, but a clutch <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Sigil of Solace red\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Sigil of Solace<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> off of <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Sink Below red\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Sink Below<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> gave everyone PT: LA vibes and kept any cards from being banished. Gordon followed up <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Codex of Frailty\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Codex of Frailty<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> for <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Command and Conquer\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Command and Conquer<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> to finally push damage. All of this happened above 30 life points for both players!<\/p>\n<h4>The Final Turns<\/h4>\n<p>The game ground on and Justin started finding his items. By the time he did though, Gordon had over a 20-point life lead. Gordon had two attack reactions line up on a <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Leave No Witnesses\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Leave No Witnesses<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span>, dealing another good chunk of damage. He seemed to smell blood, taking huge hits from the battery of pistol shots Dash began firing to keep the pressure up.<\/p>\n<p>Once both players were in single digits, everyone watching was on the edge of their seats. The energy and tension were palpable even through the replay as Gordon struggled to find a way to close it out. Every trick Nuu could pull, Gordon tried, but Justin and Dash just would not give up.<\/p>\n<div class=\"edhrecp__cards\"><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Venomous Bite red\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Surgical Extraction\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>With a full package of items in play, keeping more than one blue card would mean victory for the OG Mechanologist. Dash never got to keep that elusive second card though and Nuu finally found a trick to get over the last of the blocks. Gordon Koh claimed the trophy and title as Champion of Calling: Manila!<\/p>\n<h2>Final Thoughts on Calling: Manila<\/h2>\n<p>As the founder of the Cult of Nuu, seeing my favorite hero taking down big events so soon after release is both thrilling and terrifying. I&#8217;m happy that she&#8217;s powerful; it means I can actually win games. But I&#8217;m sad that she&#8217;s going to have a shorter life in Classic Constructed than I&#8217;d like. <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Nuu, Alluring Desire\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Nuu<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> hasn&#8217;t caught up with <span class=\"edhrecp__link\"><a class=\"edhrecp__link-a\" content=\"Uzuri, Switchblade\"href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\">Uzuri<\/a><span class=\"edhrecp__link-image\"><\/span><\/span> yet, but she&#8217;s getting close and has already crossed 300 Living Legend points, after all.<\/p>\n<p>Calling: Manila was a wonderful event to watch on a lot of levels, even for someone on the opposite side of the planet who had to watch it in review. I&#8217;m not sure how anyone could tune in to the coverage for this game and not be hooked. (Come on, really, just look at this art!)<\/p>\n<div class=\"edhrecp__cards\"><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Nuu, Alluring Desire\"><\/div><div class=\"edhrecp__card-container\" name=\"Just a Nick\"><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Now, with all eyes focusing on the upcoming return to Aria with <em>Rosetta<\/em>, the future both on the camera and off looks bright. With the way the last two sets have shaken things up in the meta, what kind of impact do you think the next set will have? Will Runeblades rule the world? Or will we all bow before the might of the coming Elemental Wizards?<\/p>\n<p>Look for me in the Cult of Nuu on Discord or on Twitter as Dracohominis87 if you want to chat. Or, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@SiblingsinCardboardPodcast\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">check out the podcast<\/a> I do with some other FAB nerds and reach out to me there!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this exciting coverage of Calling: Manila, the meta is heavily dominated by Mistveil heroes. But you may be surprised by who makes it to the finals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":5247,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[399,344,7],"tags":[193,198,35,36,500,468,454,126,471],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>A Review of Calling: Manila - FABREC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In this exciting coverage of Calling: Manila, the meta is heavily dominated by Mistveil heroes. But you may be surprised by who makes it to the finals.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fabrec.gg\/articles\/a-review-of-calling-manila\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Review of Calling: Manila - FABREC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In this exciting coverage of Calling: Manila, the meta is heavily dominated by Mistveil heroes. 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