It’s been a hectic few weeks here at UDE. A good chunk of the crew was out for a couple weeks while attending the PC Down Under. When they got back, I was forced to listen to stories of crazy bears that fall out of trees and squash tourists. Then, with barely enough time to catch their breaths (the bear stories really got them worked up), they were off again—this week to Games Expo and our PTO Conference in Las Vegas. Vegas isn’t known for crazy, tourist-squashing bears, so they should all make it back safe and sound at the end of the week. Possibly a bit lighter in the wallet, though.
So while some of the team was living it up dodging bears and gambling, the rest of the hard working folks at UDE have been focusing on City Championships. The Marvel Team-Up season begins this weekend (March 23rd) and runs through April 15th. Our Tournament Support Team has been hard at work over the past few weeks, calling every store that ordered a City Champs kit to help them set up their event and answer any questions they may have.
Our IT group has put together a really gorgeous new web site for Vs. System, complete with a shiny new City Champs information page. Be sure to go check it out here.
Tournament Organizers should be sure to pre-sanction their events so that they show up on the tournament locator featured on the bottom of the City Championships page. You can also see a complete list of the stores who have ordered a March Hobby League Kit here.
If your local stores have not pre-sanctioned their events yet, just contact them directly to see when they have their City Championships scheduled. While the stores running City Champs do have some flexibility to adjust the programs to their players’ needs, here are some general guidelines you should expect to see followed at each City Championship tournament:
Tournament Guidelines
Silver Age Format – Players bring decks they constructed out of the last eight sets of the Vs. System TCG.
- Green Lantern Corps (includes Batman starter deck)
- The Avengers (includes Fantastic Four starter deck)
- Justice League of America
- The X-Men (includes The X-Men starter deck)
- Infinite Crisis
- Heralds of Galactus
- Legion of Super Heroes
- Marvel Team-Up (became legal on March 9, 2007)
- The Hellboy Essential Collection (becomes legal on March 23, 2007)
Tournament will be Swiss rounds and top cuts.
Tournament organizers may slightly adjust the number of rounds, but only if they clearly announce this prior to the start of the tournament.
One Game Matches: Rounds and Cut
4-8 – 4 rounds (Top 2)
9-16 – 5 rounds (Top 4)
17-22 – 6 rounds (Top 8)
23-36 – 7 rounds (Top 8)
37-52 – 8 rounds (Top 8)
53-94 - 9 rounds (Top 8)
95-152 – 10 rounds (Top 8)
Of course, as with any new program, there are always lots of questions. After some time trolling the message boards, answering email, and talking to our Tournament Store Support Team, here are the answers to some frequently asked questions:
How do you get more player registration cards?
For more cards, email entertainment@upperdeck.com with “UDE Registration Cards” in the subject line.
To speed things up, stores should place the store name, address, phone number, and account number in the body of the e-mail.
What is the entry fee?
This is up to the store organizing the event.
What are the prizes?
Check out the new Vs. System City Championships page here.
How do I win a chance to get my likeness on a Vs. System card?
City Champions will need to send printed copies of their decklists along with a form available on www.vssystem.com to UDE by May 1, 2007.
Send to:
Upper Deck Entertainment
C/O Vs. City Champs R&D Tournament
5909 Sea Otter Place
Carlsbad, CA. 92010-6621
Eight Vs. System R&D team members will then each select a deck to play, after which they will then have a week to build the decks and practice with them. On May 16th, R&D will play a tournament in which the submitter of the winning deck wins his or her likeness on a future card. This event will be supported with full web coverage all day. Be sure to tune in to www.vssystem.com and follow all the action!
How can my local store run Hobby League and City Championship events in the future?
Check out this article from February 22nd.
My players are asking for this event to be sanctioned. How do I do that?
The first thing you need is a UDE number. To get one, all you need to do is email ude@upperdeck.com with “UDE #” in the subject line.
You then need to take the online Tournament Organizer test at www.ude.com/op/certprogram.aspx. All the documents you’ll need to pass the test are located at www.ude.com/policy.
Once you are certified as a Tournament Organizer, you’ll be able to use the MANTIS program to run the tournament and upload the results to UDE.
Where can I get a copy of the MANTIS program needed to sanction tournaments?
The latest version of MANTIS can be downloaded at www.ude.com/mantis. Even if you have run tournaments in the past with MANTIS, it is highly recommended that you download the latest version.
I hope the information above helps you out if you were looking for some answers. Good luck to those of you competing this weekend! And if you’re planning on attending the event in Costa Mesa this Sunday at Edgeworld, don’t be surprised if a few UDE guys stop on by to check it out.
See you next week,
Scott