The crew kicks off the episode with the signature WWYD segment, followed by a Looking for Lethal submission from long-time listener Logan.

From there, we dive into the latest Arena updates and discuss the results of the experimental, community-driven balance testing from over the past few weeks.

Next up, we finally wrap up our three-part answer to Aarkenell’s mailbag question, analyzing how to counter a class’s nut draw. This episode covers Bard, Necro, Druid, and Monk. As always, we close with the Community Roundup and our usual taps and scraps. Thanks for listening!

WWYD: 7:08

Looking for Lethal: 25:45

Arena chats: 31:01

Mail-bag segment: 57:02

Community Round-up: 1:28:24

Taps, Scraps, and Good Byes: 1:42:21

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.

We’re back with Part 2 of our Origins recap, featuring none other than Silent Al, fresh off his fifth Legends victory between the Realms. (Apologies in advance for the audio quality here, we recorded on phones in the hotel lobby. The content hopefully makes up for it!)

Up first though Dubz and Tuff reflect on the convention overall, then get into their respective runs in the Star Realms Legends event, including their head to head battle in the Swiss.

From there Tuff takes us through his blitz through the Hero Realms bracket, where he collides with Silent Al in the semi-finals.

The second half of the episode features the aforementioned interview with Alex, taking us through his Hero Realms victory. We speculate on the impact this event could have on the future paper meta. Enjoy the show, thanks for listening!

General Con Chats: 0:00

Star Realms Legends event: 27:18

Hero Realms with Tuff and Dubz: 54:57

Silent Al interview: 1:15:19

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

Hosts: Chris "DblDubz" Walberg, John "Tuff" Labella, Alex "Silent Al" Sarkissian

Producer: Chris Walberg

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

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

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.

DblDubz and Tuff sit down with Rob Dougherty, CEO of Wise Wizard Games, for a jam-packed conversation spanning the present and future of the Realms (and beyond).

The journey begins in Hero Realms Digital, where Rob discusses the current state of the app and what’s next. From there, the crew dives into the paper side of Hero Realms, touching on production challenges, and the tough business decisions behind the ongoing delays and shifting timelines. The crew also dives deep into the universe of Star Realms, with an extended discussion on the Conquest campaign running through Gamefound, as well as the upcoming Star Trek Star Realms: Borg Invasion – an expansion featuring brand new cards, not strictly a re-skin like we saw with the first Star Trek set. Shifting gears to Draconis 8, we get new insights into its upcoming Steam release, which promises to bring a fresh wave of players into the fray. In between, Rob highlights Wise Wizard’s family-friendly line Wacky Wizard Games, and the company’s latest offerings in small box, high-strategy titles like Elemystic, Seeker Chronicles, and Sherlock Solitaire. This was a very candid and informative interview with Rob interjecting all sorts of great tidbits and anecdotes.

Check out the Star Realms Conquest campaign on Gamefound:

https://gamefound.com/en/projects/wise-wizard-games/star-realms-conquest

Hero Realms Digital: 4:40

Hero Realms Paper: 21:03

Star Realms 34:33

Wacky Wizard Games: 1:05:16

Small Form Factor Games (Elemystic, Sherlock Solitaire, Seeker Chronicles): 1:10:37

Star Trek Star Realms: 1:32:07

Draconis 8: 1:40:00

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

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.

EP 80: Dungeons Promos Finale and Fighting the Nut Draw

Tuff, Filtrophobe, and DblDubz kick things off with a fresh WWYD to get the strategic soliloquies rolling. Then, at long last, they wrap up the Dungeons Promos with Tuff making a bold claim about the best $2 in the game!

Next, a mailbag question from Aarkenell sparks a full-blown main segment set to span multiple episodes: What do you do when your opponent opens with the best possible start for their class? We break down smart counterplay approaches for each of the five base classes, saving the beta classes for a future podcast.

The crew sails off into the sunset as they deliver the latest community news and set their taps and scraps adrift in the seas of Thandar.

WWYD: 5:17

Dungeons Promos Pt. 3: 22:48

Mailbag: Countering the Nut Draws (Base Classes): 47:54

Community Round-up: 1:26:02

Taps, Scraps, and Goodbyes: 1:33:28

BirdLaw event

https://discord.gg/U5r4uGuh?event=1374401378411216946

Scorium Strategy Report

https://discord.com/channels/870492122023866448/1102810836877197363/1378503453671686326

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/ep-80-dungeons-promos-finale-and-fighting-the-nut-draw

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.

Tuff, Filtrophobe, and DblDubz assemble once again to kick things off with a WWYD plucked from the recent season of Thandar Combat League.

Then it’s time to open the floodgates for another wave of Dungeons Promos, as the crew deep-dives into over 20 new cards from the set. Next podcast will (hopefully) see the conclusion of this set’s early analysis and first impressions. At the top of the Community Roundup is Tuff’s recap of PaxEast including yet another trip to the finals in the Star Realms Legends event. From there we dig into the usual event coverage before releasing a fresh batch of taps and scraps. Thanks for listening!

Link for BirdLaw’s upcoming Star Realms Romulus event:

https://discord.gg/U5r4uGuh?event=1374401378411216946

WWYD: 5:30

Dungeons Promos: 19:03

PaxEast Chats: 1:34:16

Community Round-up: 1:52:10

Taps, Scraps, and Goodbyes: 2:03:31

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/sparks-recreation-episode-78-class-upgrades-and-card-reveals

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

Link to Dungeons Promo Card Gallery:

https://discord.com/channels/870492122023866448/1357068073529643109/1357068078009290853

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