This weekend, some of the Philippines’ best players will be flying to Los Angeles (LA), California to compete in the Flesh and Blood Trading Card Game’s inaugural Pro Tour for this year. It’s the first time PH is participating in the highest tier of competitive FaB TCG since the World Championship last year, and we’re sending a bigger contingent this time!

In this article, you’ll get to know our country’s representatives who will be playing in one of the game’s most prestigious and competitive arenas.

Carlo Ople (@carloople)

Carlo is a beloved and respected figure in the local community, even though he only started playing FaB in July last year. He has played an instrumental role in the game’s significant growth in Manila and is well-known for leading community events that promote the game.

Carlo made a big impact on the local scene when he won BOTH days of the FaB tournament at the Kwentoon convention on Briar. He is famous for the significant damage he deals with Mount Heroic in the Blitz format using the Elemental Runeblade Hero. Carlo currently is the most active player in the country, visiting every Armory he can throughout the week and helping the community grow.

Despite his easy-going and cheerful demeanor, Carlo has a seriously high win rate. He was able to climb and secure his position as #1 in the country on the 90-day EXP leaderboard and reach a 1600+ ELO rating quickly. He is also one of the founders of Team Unbox, which has become one of the most successful FaB teams in the country. Carlo has won in Skirmish, Pro Quest, and Road to Nationals tournaments, secured a Top 4 finish in Battle Hardened Manila, and represented the Philippines at the World Championships last year.

When he’s not competing, Carlo can be found tending to his shop – the Tambuyan Gaming Hub at Unbox Greenhills. He often opens boxes of FaB to replenish his stocks, shares local tournament updates with the international FaB community online, creates content for the Unbox Flesh and Blood YouTube Channel, and plans more excellent events for the local FaB community.

Justin Cu (@justincu22)

If there were a checklist of FaB achievements, Justin would tick most of them. He has won Blitzgeddon, conquered all four Skirmish Season 7 tournaments in PH, won Pro Quest and Road to Nationals titles, Top 4’d last year’s Nationals, put the Philippines on the map with his iconic Calling Taipei win, successfully defended the land by winning the main event of Battle Hardened Manila with a perfect 11-0 record, and represented the country in the World Championships last year in Barcelona.

What’s even more amazing is that he achieved all of this within just a year of playing. While one could credit Justin’s successes to his prodigious talent and analytical play that rivals some of the game’s best, those who have played with him regularly know it’s his immense passion and enjoyment for FaB that allows him to practice for countless hours and earn his victories. He’s simply a student of the game through and through and undeniably the country’s best.

There are only a handful of achievements that are outside of his reach – a Nationals win, a Pro Tour win, and a World Championship win. With a little bit of luck, we just might see him accomplish all three by the end of the year.

Andre See (@See413See)

Andre gained recognition as the sole Prism player to make it to the Top 8 at the Blitzgeddon, which was a massive Armory with 71 participants and is considered one of the largest in the world. He also had an impressive performance in Skirmish Season 8, winning at his team’s home base at Kachi Cafe and Hobbies and coming in second place at the 76-player Skirmish at Unbox using the beloved Illusionist.

Recently, he has earned the distinction of being the only player to reach the Top 8 in both major events at Battle Hardened Manila, and he also achieved a legendary 9-0 Road to Nationals win with Olympia at Block 101.

Richard Tan

Richard’s ascent to the top of the 90-day XP leaderboard went largely unnoticed until he was right behind some of the most experienced Armory players. He joined the local FaB community toward the end of Iyslander’s popularity, but still earned a reputation as one of the Hero’s best users in the region. Once the Ice Wizard reached Living Legend status, Richard shifted his focus to mastering Mechanology and led Dash to multiple top finishes during the subsequent Skirmish and Pro Quest seasons.

Mikko Peña (@MeeTheCommoner)

Yours truly is the last member of Team Philippines who will be competing at Pro Tour LA. I’m Team Unbox’s resident Fai and Ira user, and I’ve been playing those Heroes through thick and thin. My proudest achievements in the game would be being in Ira’s Roll of Honor, using her to win what’s likely the world’s biggest Skirmish tournament in Season 8, getting Fai to the Top 4 at Battle Hardened Manila’s PTI tournament, and taking him to multiple top finishes this RTN season when he’s supposed to be washed up.

Jaime Manzano

Jaime will be competing at Calling Los Angeles, and planning to join many side events there. He is Team Unbox’s Dorinthea expert and played a major role in enhancing the team’s knowledge of how to win against this Hero by providing detailed and articulate explanations and then demonstrating them in practical sessions. If his busy schedule allows him, he sometimes participates in major tournaments. In the previous year’s Top 8 Nationals, Jaime had an outstanding performance with Dorinthea, losing only once in a Classic Constructed field that is generally considered unfavorable for the Warrior. He has recently worked as a caster for Battle Hardened Manila, bringing his analytical skills to the stage and helping viewers better comprehend and enjoy the game.

Neil Bautista

Neil is a new player in the local FaB community, who is always looking to improve his skills with each Armory event he attends. He can usually be found playing matches with other players and asking for their advice. He used the knowledge he gained from his fellow players during his first casting gig at Battle Hardened Manila, and this only increased his love for the game and its community. Although he has yet to have a big win in the competitive scene, I believe it’s only a matter of time until he does. The upcoming Calling Los Angeles is his first major international FaB event, and he is excited to gain new insights from the experience of competing against the best players in the world.

Let’s wish team Philippines the best of luck as they compete at Pro Tour and Calling LA!

Check out our recaps from Battle Hardened Manila and the recent Road to Nationals season that features some of these players!

Read More:

–Battle Hardened Manila Results, Recap, and More!

–FaB TCG Unbox RTN Results – The Nationals Season Begins!

–FaB TCG Road to Nationals Week 2 – Top Finishes for Unbox

–Flesh And Blood TCG RTN Week 3 – Back To Back Champs!

–Flesh and Blood RTN Week 4 – Season Ends In The Philippines