Brian visited Tilted Gaming for the first time and placed 3rd with Gravybones, Shipwrecked Looter in Classic Constructed. Below is his full interview — answers kept exactly as written.

Here’s the complete interview from Brian’s first night at Tilted Gaming:

🏆 Winner Interview

Q: What is your name?

A: Brian Gutierrez

Q: How long have you been playing Flesh and Blood, and what hero did you start with?

A: Started Fab in Late 2022 and my first hero was Dorinthea in Blitz but I went to play Boltyn in CC had a ton of fun but then went to Guardian (Oldhim/Bravo) shortly after and the rest is history

Q: What drew you to that hero?

A: I love Guardians Core gameplay cycle. Blocking well attacking well finding pivot turns pitch stacking it’s all so much fun

Q: What hero did you decide to run tonight, and why did you choose them for this Armory?

A: I ran Gravy Bones Shipwrecked Looter tonight and I played him because he has a lot of the core mechanics I enjoy about fab runs a lot of blues plays big cards but hes playing a mini game the whole time with an opponent with gold generation and threat assessment hes extremely rewarding albeit very very hard to play correctly

Q: Where did you place tonight at our Classic Constructed Armory?

A: I went 3-1 played against one of the soon-to-be best Fangs round 1

Round 2 against Cindra against my boy Moises (orejas) in a close but tight game

Round 3 against Cindra vs Han the handom devil of Tilted Gaming (I lost) and it wasn’t even close lmao

And round 4 against none other than the Pitch It To Me Podcast leader Fuzzy Delp in a mirror match

Q: For players struggling against your hero, what tips would you give?

A: When playing against Gravy you need to have good threat assessment you can’t let yourself be overrun by allies and sometimes you just have go face and hope they die play fair until you have a hand that will make Gravy explode

Q: Was there a matchup tonight that gave you trouble?

A: I played two Cindras and that’s a notoriously difficult matchup. I took the first one managing damage and playing for my outs

Game 3 against Cindra I made an immediate game losing mistake turn 0 by blocking with a blue tipple (my only gold generator) and drew up a hand with 2 allies and 2 blues that don’t do anything. It’s hard to say who would have won otherwise but Gravy is very unforgiving he has a delicate engine that he needs to start early against aggro decks and making a blocking mistake will snowball you into a lose everytime

That’s not to say that you could play perfectly and still lose to a Cindra (or any aggro deck) because theyre kind of designed to beat you but theres a lot of game to be played before you lose but it’s even more unforgiving if you make a mistake

Q: Was this your first time visiting Tilted Gaming? How did you hear about our store?

A: First time at Tilted Gaming! Amazing store great people great staff great energy ! It’s over an hour away from me so it’ll be difficult often but it’s WORTH THE COMMUTE all things considered. I heard about it from the Pitch It To Me Podcast

Q: How was your experience playing here tonight?

A: I loved playing tonight ! It was laughter and fun up until the time starting and it became real sweaty! I LOVE THAT! No games were free everyone was trying to win and that’s what it should feel like ! Says a lot about a store when you play and everyone still has a great time win or lose

Q: How do you feel about our local meta here at Tilted Gaming?

A: Tilted has a great meta! A lot of diversity and a good amount of people playing what they like I think most anyone can come and enjoy their hero

Q: In your opinion, what makes our locals unique compared to other stores?

A: Inviting atmosphere not just from the players but from the owner and their staff. Reminds me of my LGS it’s all love the moment you walk through the door.

Q: What do you think separates top players from newer players?

A: A lot. The game isn’t complicated but it is complex. The turn by turn decisionmaking creates a lot of branching decision trees and the difference between new players and top players is top players create better situations for themselves starting from turn zero

Q: Any memorable moments or interactions tonight?

A: Yeah ofc I loved seeing so many famailar faces and spending time with the community I love so much my second game against Cindra was very memorable super tight game Cindra at 2 me at 1 it was tense and fun

Q: With our first Pro Quest (Las Vegas – Silver Age) coming up, do you plan on participating?

A: Plan to see me there and with my LGS in toe

Q: Outside of FAB, what other card games do you play?

A: I grinded competitive magic back in 2014-2018 but fab has been my main squeeze since

Q: Anything you'd like to promote or share?

A: Join the Guardians of Rathe Server on Discord 528 people strong ! And if you’re interested listen to me on Spotify “Goblits” for video game inspired music and “Pacific Palace” for moody rock music

Q: Do you have any suggestions to improve our store?

A: Prizing is great! Ambience is great! Environment feels safe and welcoming! Drinks and food readily and easily available. Wide selection of card games honestly this is such a cozy store I can’t wait for more to come!

Thanks for being part of the Tilted Gaming community! 💜