Hugo

GFs aren’t what collectors want, and that’s clear by market data. The EAs are driving a bit more demand and that’s nice, a couple more will sell. Still though there just aren’t enough players/collectors willing to spend $1000+ on a GF L for their deck, especially when there 30-40 of them potentially on the market. Lots of these GFs sit in vendor booths or players are stuck trying to sell for months and months at a time. Same with C/R/M’s from PQ/RTN, they sit and sit and sit and their prices collapse over time. Imagine if you top 8’d a calling and got a CNC with art of the hero you topped with, similarly to the Kassai CNCs which are $2500+ and do sell, or maybe even like a best-of hero prizing…? That sounds way more appealing and would have 3x the demand that a 1 of equipment has since you need a full playset. And it doesn’t have to be CNC, it could even be of the biggest staples like Scar, Sink, Snatch, Pummel, Etc. I don’t think something like metal heroes would be popular or sell due to the nature of the LL system, and we’ve seen this from how CF/Marvel heroes have gone from being $250+ down to $30-40 promos over time when a hero hits LL. It needs to be hero alt arts of playable promos that are staples. I top 32 a calling and I min cash my first calling after 2 days of grueling games! Oh I spent 2 full days and $70 entry to get $250…? While others played side events all weekend and farmed $500-1000+ in prize wall promos and playmats? Day 2/Top64/32/16 need and should’ve had additional promo prizing. If you don’t want to give specific top 32/64 promos, then give players who day 2 and extra tournament pack, then another for top 64, then another for 32, and maybe even another if you top 16. LSS literally made a product that fixes this if you additionally give extras out as reward for doing well. They may only be $60-80 each for the tournament pack cards, but if you get 3 extra for top 32, now your min-cash is more like $450-500 and doesn’t feel as bad, while not needing new promos or anything. Just give out what you already have made for these events! If you want to leverage the model of using promos/playmats to supplement raising your prize pools, then actually do it, you can drive big growth with that model. Current models aren’t working or driving major growth in the OP circuit. FAB events are holding steady, kind of, but we’re not seeing any large % growth at T3+ events. If the game is seeing all time player counts, compendium is best selling set ever at distro, then WP Prague should’ve been a 1000 player calling at least if the model for a calling/WP was attractive enough for competitive players. FAB still hasn’t had a 1000 player calling yet. If I’m right the largest calling ever was Baltimore 2023, tied to the PT, at 914 players. Riftbound is selling out every regional and running consistent 1500+ player RQs and they’re less than 1 year old. One Piece runs consistent 1000+ player regionals 3 times a month. I just love FABTCG and I want to see this game have major growth and bigger and bigger events year after year.