The World of Warcraft TCG World Championship is the most competitive event of the year. In 2008, the World Championship started with players from across 30 countries shuffling up in round 1 and ended with the US’s Jim Fleckenstein holding a giant check—with many zeroes—for all the players to see. Yes, the competition you will meet at the tournament is world-class, and you would assume it’s a fierce fight just to be invited to the event. I mean, how many people actually get to go to this tournament? Thirty? Fifty?
2008 WoW TCG World Champion Jim Fleckenstein
Try 400. As prestigious as the World Championship is, with its $250,000 prize pool, it’s pretty inclusive. Anybody can make it to Austin, TX this year for the 2009 World Championship if they work hard enough, play their cards right, and have a little luck. There are multiple ways to earn a spot at the World Championship and a chance to be that player on the front of the event coverage page. Along with the prize check, you could be known as the 2009 World Champion—forever.
Just a small portion of last year's Worlds prizes.
Path 1: National and Continental Championship
This is the more traditional route, pitting you against your country’s best to make it to the World Championship.
For some countries, the National Championship is an “open” event, which means that anybody can play. For others, you’ll need to qualify by finishing in the Top 8 of a Darkmoon Faire or the Top 2 of a Regional Qualifier. You can also qualify by meeting the honor or rating requirements.
You’re likely already familiar with rating and how it works. World of Warcraft TCG players have a Constructed rating and a Limited rating. If you’re rated high enough in either of the two, you get to go to your National Championship.
Honor, well, that’s something wholly new and different. You gain honor by playing in events. Even if you go 0-2 drop, you’ll gain honor. Plus, if you do well at an event, you gain more honor. The higher-level event you play in—like a Darkmoon Faire—the more honor you can earn. You can never lose honor. If you have a high enough honor rating, you can qualify for your National Championship!
Now that you know how to qualify for Nationals or your Continental Championship (if you happen to be in North America), you’ll need to finish high enough there to qualify for Worlds. The number of people who qualify for Worlds varies, and the larger your player base is, the more slots are awarded.
Path 2: Realm Championship
Every weekend, hundreds of players pack sleeves, lunch, and counters, and head out to a Realm Qualifier. Taking one of the top two spots in this event qualifies you for the Realm Championship, which pits you against the best across your entire region. Last year at Realm Championships, players won not only slots to the World Championships, but free hotel and travel. Imagine their shock when they found out that they had won a free trip to Paris, France!
Path 3: Honor and Rating
If you get unlucky at your National Championship, don’t worry! While the thresholds are more demanding than the ones for the National Championship, you can still make it to the World Championship through an honor or rating invite. Hundreds of players every year make it to Worlds through sheer determination and skill. If you play and do well across the entire year, a slot at the World Championship is easily within your grasp. All you need is a 2009 yearly Honor rank of at least 5 or a lifetime Honor rank of 9, and you can make your plans for Austin.
Path 4: Last Chance Qualifier
Sometimes you get unlucky, or you find out a group of friends is going to a tournament and they convince you to come along. After all, who turns down a weekend completely dedicated to gaming? If you haven’t been able to qualify through the previous paths, you can grind out a slot the day before the tournament. A handful of Last Chance Qualifiers will be run the day before the World Championship, with players battling it out to see who will win the chance to play the following day for the trophy and title. Slots are extremely limited, so it might be risky to bank on winning a Last Chance Qualifier, but the possibility is there for last-minute plans.
All roads lead to Austin this October for the 2009 World of Warcraft TCG World Championship and its $250,000 prize pool, and there are plenty of detours for you to take if you find that one way is blocked. Whether you grind in on the day before the event or you’re a National Champion, each player has an equal chance of winning the trophy, giant check, and slew of other prizes up for grabs. Good luck on your quest to find your specific path, and I hope to see you in Texas!