It's been a hot minute but while Filtrophobe is away on his honeymoon (congrats on tying the knot buddy!) Tuff decided to take the time to catch up with lead Draconis 8 Designer Carl Van Ostrand (AKA CVO) and talk about recent Draconis 8 events.

Carl Tries Hero Realms: 3:15

Next Fest: 10:27

Tournament Coverage: 22:36

New Features: 38:02

Draconis 8 Ability Summary & Roadmap: 1:06:18

Taps & Scraps: 1:38:47

BarberShop Games Discord: https://discord.gg/wVKZkMaJqw

Hero Realms is a fantasy-themed expandable deckbuilding game from Wise Wizard Games.

Hosts: John "Tuff" Labella, Carl Van Ostrand

Producer: John Labella

Tuff's Draconis 8 Deckbuilding Guide: https://www.realmsrising.com/draconis-8/tuffs-draconis-deck-construction-selection-guide/

Hero Helper: https://hero-helper.com/

Realms Rising: https://www.realmsrising.com

Patreon: https://patreon.com/sparksandrec

Anvroser's Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/anvroser

Realms Rising Discord: https://discord.gg/8pTxKqzFDc

Support Sparks & Rec: https://hero-helper.com/support-us

Sparks & Recreation Website: https://www.realmsrising.com/sparks-and-recreation/

Thank you so much to all of our amazing Patrons and community members!

Specific songs used in this episode were:

Intro/Outro Music: "Uplifting Orchestra Pack" by GoodBunny. (Under the Music Standard License)

Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The crew is back, and this time we’re talking Tavern Brawl team management where we share some advice and lessons learned on how to help your squad run smoothly across a long season.

Next up, it’s been quite a while since the last balance patch, and one upside of that fact is that we have substantial sample sizes to work with. So that means it’s time for a Meta Mashup!

Speaking of data, Filtrophobe unveils a vibe-coded ELO system using Hero Helper stats, complete with four different ranking interpretations depending on which game types are being factored in.

And with upcoming nuptials on the horizon, Tuff and Dubz take a moment to deliver some advice to the husband-to-be.

All this and more on the latest episode of Sparks & Rec. Thanks for listening!

WWYD: 10:01

Meta Mash-up: 28:09

Tavern Brawl Team Management Advice: 1:07:14

ELO Four Ways: 1:35:52

Advice: 1:54:45

Community Round-Up: 1:57:54

Taps, Scraps, and Good-byes: 2:05:45

Hero Realms is a fantasy-themed expandable deckbuilding game from Wise Wizard Games.

Hosts: Chris "DblDubz" Walberg, Cooper "Filtrophobe" Fitzpatrick, and John "Tuff" Labella

Producer: Chris Walberg

Hero Helper: https://hero-helper.com/

Realms Rising: https://www.realmsrising.com

You can find the WWYD screenshots for this episode here: https://www.realmsrising.com/podcast/episode-86-arena-updates-and-nut-draw-finale

Patreon: https://patreon.com/sparksandrec

HyperGeometric Calculator: https://aetherhub.com/Apps/HyperGeometric

Community Tournaments & Events Primer (+ signup links): https://www.realmsrising.com/community-events/

Realms Rising Discord: https://discord.gg/8pTxKqzFDc

Contact S&R: contact@sparks-and-recreation.com

Support Sparks & Rec: https://hero-helper.com/support-us

Sparks & Recreation Website: https://www.realmsrising.com/sparks-and-recreation/

Thank you so much to Level 12 Hero Sarah T., Warden Slayer, as well as Level 7 Hero Nudeltulpe!

Specific songs used in this episode were:

Intro/Outro Music: "Uplifting Orchestra Pack" by GoodBunny. (Under the Music Standard License)

Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The crew kicks things off with a WWYD that spotlights a fundamental concept called deck halving – a crucial skill for success at the top tiers of play.

Next up, they make good on their promise to predict the total number of each class represented in the Tavern Brawl. And since they can’t resist a little friendly competition, it’s a full-on contest to see who’s the most accurate! From there, Filtrophobe leads a discussion breaking down the key team archetypes as he sees them, with plenty of detours and debates along the way about overall composition trends. Finally, the gang digs into some spicy Community Round-up drama before wrapping things up with the usual Taps and Scraps.

Thanks so much for listening!

WWYD: 6:44

TB Team Comp Predictions and Analysis: 26:29

Community Round-up: 1:37:00

Taps, Scraps, and Good-byes: 1:49:05

Hero Realms is a fantasy-themed expandable deckbuilding game from Wise Wizard Games.

Hosts: Chris "DblDubz" Walberg, Cooper "Filtrophobe" Fitzpatrick, and John "Tuff" Labella

Producer: Chris Walberg

Hero Helper: https://hero-helper.com/

Realms Rising: https://www.realmsrising.com

You can find the WWYD screenshots for this episode here: https://www.realmsrising.com/podcast/episode-86-arena-updates-and-nut-draw-finale

Patreon: https://patreon.com/sparksandrec

HyperGeometric Calculator: https://aetherhub.com/Apps/HyperGeometric

Community Tournaments & Events Primer (+ signup links): https://www.realmsrising.com/community-events/

Realms Rising Discord: https://discord.gg/8pTxKqzFDc

Contact S&R: contact@sparks-and-recreation.com

Support Sparks & Rec: https://hero-helper.com/support-us

Sparks & Recreation Website: https://www.realmsrising.com/sparks-and-recreation/

Thank you so much to Level 12 Hero Sarah T., Warden Slayer, as well as Level 7 Hero Nudeltulpe!

Specific songs used in this episode were:

Intro/Outro Music: "Uplifting Orchestra Pack" by GoodBunny. (Under the Music Standard License)

Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The standard crew of DblDubz, Filtrophobe, and Tuff set sail once again as the seventh Tavern Brawl gets underway! With the draft now complete, the gang breaks down some of the best value picks and surprise standouts from the draft board.

Then they turn their sights to perhaps the most fascinating feature of this season: team composition. With up to two beta classes allowed per team, the permutations explode – enough to leave even the Daredevils’ heads spinning.

All this plus signature segments like WWYD, Looking for Lethal, and the Community Roundup. Thanks for listening!

WWYD: 5:45

LFL: 19:51

Draft Recap: 32:10

TB Team Composition: 1:00:05

Community Ronud-up: 1:37:19

Taps, Scraps, and Good Byes: 1:47:51

Hero Realms is a fantasy-themed expandable deckbuilding game from Wise Wizard Games.

Hosts: Chris "DblDubz" Walberg, Cooper "Filtrophobe" Fitzpatrick, and John "Tuff" Labella

Producer: Chris Walberg

Hero Helper: https://hero-helper.com/

Realms Rising: https://www.realmsrising.com

You can find the WWYD screenshots for this episode here: https://www.realmsrising.com/podcast/episode-86-arena-updates-and-nut-draw-finale

Patreon: https://patreon.com/sparksandrec

HyperGeometric Calculator: https://aetherhub.com/Apps/HyperGeometric

Community Tournaments & Events Primer (+ signup links): https://www.realmsrising.com/community-events/

Realms Rising Discord: https://discord.gg/8pTxKqzFDc

Contact S&R: contact@sparks-and-recreation.com

Support Sparks & Rec: https://hero-helper.com/support-us

Sparks & Recreation Website: https://www.realmsrising.com/sparks-and-recreation/

Thank you so much to Level 12 Hero Sarah T., Warden Slayer, as well as Level 7 Hero Nudeltulpe!

Specific songs used in this episode were:

Intro/Outro Music: "Uplifting Orchestra Pack" by GoodBunny. (Under the Music Standard License)

Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John "Tuff" Labella and Samwise embark on a half hour segment to figure out what expansion sets and build is best for cleric on ladder but go down a two hour rabbit hole.

Start: 1:19

Taps & Scraps: 1:51:00

Sparks and Recreation Presents: a Legendary Contest

https://challonge.com/34nulpfe

Tavern Brawl 2025 (Now with Beta Classes)

Signup: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeUS3Z2wXtO2WadsdPWYLrLN4x7H6aFuY5zeOY-SaaKL0iU8g/viewform?usp=header

Rules: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nypsEE0rtZowZw2o-wsokaJwQtc5oyALAcGvzXOPKD0/edit?tab=t.0

Samwise's data sheet #1: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wWpzMMySLUEmDUM1AIP2xZP3JqG10tI7waPkPIdQeGA/edit?gid=0#gid=0

Samwise's data sheet #2: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TMvs6NHQFdoQkHxkN-vwMwWK567mEi0grBr2OrZVtl4/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.k81vecaibhmi

Hero Realms is a fantasy-themed expandable deckbuilding game from Wise Wizard Games.

Hosts: John "Tuff" Labella. Samwise

Producer: John "Tuff" Labella

Hero Helper: https://hero-helper.com/

Realms Rising: https://www.realmsrising.com

You can find the WWYD screenshots for this episode here: https://www.realmsrising.com/podcast/episode-83-ancestral-ascendancy

Patreon: https://patreon.com/sparksandrec

HyperGeometric Calculator: https://aetherhub.com/Apps/HyperGeometric

Community Tournaments & Events Primer (+ signup links): https://www.realmsrising.com/community-events/

Realms Rising Discord: https://discord.gg/8pTxKqzFDc

Contact S&R: contact@sparks-and-recreation.com

Support Sparks & Rec: https://hero-helper.com/support-us

Sparks & Recreation Website: https://www.realmsrising.com/sparks-and-recreation/

Thank you so much to Level 12 Hero Sarah T., Warden Slayer, as well as Level 7 Hero Nudeltulpe!

Specific songs used in this episode were:

Intro/Outro Music: "Uplifting Orchestra Pack" by GoodBunny. (Under the Music Standard License)

Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kicking off this episode, the crew of DblDubz, Filtrophobe, and Tuff announce that they will be hosting a tournament with a grand prize of a Hero Realms Digital Legends account! (Available to non-Legend account holders only! Check the link below for details and to sign-up.)

After this the crew breaks down a Dungeons character showdown between a Necromancer and a Druid. The Meta Mashup takes center stage for the episode as Filtrophobe takes us through all the latest Hero Helper data with much more significant sample sizes than available in our previous episode. Things are certainly taking shape around the latest update.

This segues into Tuff’s latest experiment, an Elf Barbarian which we discuss in the Build Lab. From here we open up the Mailbag to continue our segment on beating the nut draw for each class. Tucked away in the Round-up is a star related rant that you won’t want to miss. Finally the crew says their goodbyes with their taps and scraps. Thanks for listening!

Legends Tournament announcement: 4:20

WWYD: 14:01

Meta Mashup: 28:48

Build Lab: 1:03:37

Mail bag – Counterplay vs Alchemist and Barbarian Nut Draws: 1:26:20

Community Round-up: 1:42:12

Taps, Scraps, and Goodbyes: 2:07:10

Sparks and Recreation Presents: a Legendary Contest

https://challonge.com/34nulpfe

Hero Realms is a fantasy-themed expandable deckbuilding game from Wise Wizard Games.

Hosts: Chris "DblDubz" Walberg, Cooper "Filtrophobe" Fitzpatrick, and John "Tuff" Labella

Producer: Chris Walberg

Hero Helper: https://hero-helper.com/

Realms Rising: https://www.realmsrising.com

You can find the WWYD screenshots for this episode here: https://www.realmsrising.com/podcast/episode-83-ancestral-ascendancy

Patreon: https://patreon.com/sparksandrec

HyperGeometric Calculator: https://aetherhub.com/Apps/HyperGeometric

Community Tournaments & Events Primer (+ signup links): https://www.realmsrising.com/community-events/

Realms Rising Discord: https://discord.gg/8pTxKqzFDc

Contact S&R: contact@sparks-and-recreation.com

Support Sparks & Rec: https://hero-helper.com/support-us

Sparks & Recreation Website: https://www.realmsrising.com/sparks-and-recreation/

Thank you so much to Level 12 Hero Sarah T., Warden Slayer, as well as Level 7 Hero Nudeltulpe!

Specific songs used in this episode were:

Intro/Outro Music: "Uplifting Orchestra Pack" by GoodBunny. (Under the Music Standard License)

Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The crew is back with their first post-Origins episode. The release cadence has been a bit slower but will hopefully settle back into our bi-weekly-ish schedule soon here.

Wise Wizard Games made big waves with the introduction of ancestries for alchemist and barbarian so the crew takes a deep dive on the implications including match-up strategies, play advice, and build decisions. Visit this episode's post on realmsrising.com to view the recommended builds!

This conversation sprawls beyond expectations (surprise surprise), bumping the much awaited second segment of Aarkenell's mailbag question to the next episode of the pod.

Thanks for listening!

WWYD: 5:57

Alch Ancestries: 24:10

Barb Ancestries: 1:02:16

Community Round-Up: 1:38:53

Taps, Scraps, and Outro: 1:58:53

Hero Realms is a fantasy-themed expandable deckbuilding game from Wise Wizard Games.

Hosts: Chris "DblDubz" Walberg, Cooper "Filtrophobe" Fitzpatrick, and John "Tuff" Labella

Producer: Chris Walberg

Hero Helper: https://hero-helper.com/

Realms Rising: https://www.realmsrising.com

You can find the WWYD screenshots for this episode here: https://www.realmsrising.com/podcast/episode-83-ancestral-ascendancy

Patreon: https://patreon.com/sparksandrec

HyperGeometric Calculator: https://aetherhub.com/Apps/HyperGeometric

Community Tournaments & Events Primer (+ signup links): https://www.realmsrising.com/community-events/

Realms Rising Discord: https://discord.gg/8pTxKqzFDc

Contact S&R: contact@sparks-and-recreation.com

Support Sparks & Rec: https://hero-helper.com/support-us

Sparks & Recreation Website: https://www.realmsrising.com/sparks-and-recreation/

Thank you so much to Level 12 Hero Sarah T., Warden Slayer, as well as Level 7 Hero Nudeltulpe!

Specific songs used in this episode were:

Intro/Outro Music: "Uplifting Orchestra Pack" by GoodBunny. (Under the Music Standard License)

Licensed under Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 License

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.