Introduction to Leagues

Transcription

1 Welcome to the Wizards Play Network! This document will guide you through the basics in hosting a league to start running organized play events in your store. For information on running a tournament, please see the Tournament Guide also included in your kit. Remember, your goal is to run enjoyable events for your players so you can advance to Wizards Play Network (WPN) Core level and get access to other programs like Friday Night Magic, Prereleases, or Game Days. Introduction to Leagues What s a Magic League? A league is an organized play event designed to help players get together and play Magic in your store on a regular basis. While a conventional tournament may last for a few hours, players can participate in one league over a longer period of time. Magic Leagues are designed to run over several weeks and spread the time commitment out instead of condensing it in to one day. Stand Among Heroes

2 Why Run a League When to Run the League Running a league has many benefits: It attracts new players because of its casual nature and small up-front time commitment, and players appreciate the relatively low cost compared to the amount of time they can play. It also helps build your community by directing players to come in to your store consistently on league night, which will help prepare you and your players for Friday Night Magic. Pick a day and time and stick with it. The more consistent your message, the better your players will remember it. The better they can remember it, the more likely they ll show up. Also clearly state when a new week for your league begins, so players know when to get all of their matches in. St a n d A m o ng Scheduling Your League Once you ve decided on a day, be sure to sign in to Wizards Event Reporter (WER) and schedule your league events for each month. For example, if you are running your Magic League on Tuesday evening at 6 PM, be sure to schedule an event for each Tuesday for that month. Scheduling your events ahead of time in WER will cause your events to show up in the Store and Event Locator. That way, players looking for play locations on the Wizards of the Coast website will see that you re running a league and can make plans to attend. Don t forget to post something in your store to confirm players are in the right place, too. H er o es L e ag u e Wizards d 1 08_ _B110 MTG Store Support LG Poster.ind Sta nd A mong Heroes 001 Stella. 745B /30/13 n by Zack LLC. Illustratio of the Coast TM & :30 PM You ll also need to choose a format for your league when you sanction it. You have two options for Magic Leagues: Sealed Deck and Block Constructed. It s recommended that Sealed Deck leagues use six booster packs. You can read more about these formats at Wizards.com/MagicFormats. Don t mix the formats of your league. Run the whole league as either Sealed Deck or Block Constructed. Starting a new league each month will help keep players decks interesting, so consider rotating formats with each new league you start.

3 How to Run Your League Register s Once you ve scheduled your league, you ll need to register your players. If you have new players, be sure to give them a DCI number so they can participate and earn Planeswalker Points. Keep a list of participants in your league. You can do this in WER, but you might also want to keep a tracking sheet so each player knows where they stand. If you keep a tracking sheet, be sure to post it in a prominent location so your players can find it. Entry Fees and Prizes Entry fees are at your discretion. Calculate the product and prizes you will need for your league when considering charging an entry fee. League play focuses on participation, not just winning. Gathering feedback from your players is a good way to find creative ideas to improve your league. We ve included alternate-art tokens for you to give away as prize supplements, but keep in mind that they should not be the only prize you offer. Consider giving out additional prizes to players that finish all of their matches each week, too. Doing so will encourage players to keep coming back to your store each week to get all of their matches in. Also, be sure to recognize players that help teach others and foster your Magic community. Creature Soldier Zoltan Boros & 2013 Wizards of the Coast 1/1 League Recording League Matches Have each league participant play in three matches per week. s that don t play all their matches in a week can make them up the following week. For example, in the third week of the league, players can have a total of nine matches count towards their score. Encourage players to play more matches than necessary so other players can complete all their matches. When a player has completed all required matches for a week, have them check off the expansion symbol in the grid under their name on the tracking poster. 1/1 For Sealed Deck leagues, after each week, encourage players to purchase another booster pack to add to their deck. Decks still need to have a minimum of 40 cards. You can also encourage players with low records to purchase an additional booster to keep them excited about the league. Keep track of who has gotten an additional booster by checking the booster icon box on the tracking poster under that player s name. Award two points per win and one point per loss or draw. This will help encourage players to participate in a more casual manner. This also gives players who complete all their matches a shot at one of the tokens, regardless of their win-loss record.

4 Reporting Results When everyone in the league is done playing for the night, be sure to upload your results with WER. Enter in your results. s will earn Planeswalker Points for playing in events at your store. s can log on to PlaneswalkerPoints.com with their DCI Number to check their play history and point totals. Additional Resources For additional information, as well as tips and tricks, and the latest version of WER, be sure to bookmark and visit the WPN Website: If you have questions about any Wizards of the Coast product or program, please contact our Customer Service team or your WPN Representative at Wizards.com/CustomerService or (within the US and Canada) or In other countries, please refer to the Global Contact list: Wizards.com/GlobalCS. TM & 2013 Wizards of the Coast LLC. 740B

5 Magic: The Gathering Guide for In-Store Events This document applies to typical Magic events run in stores. This document should not be used as a guide for events such as Pro Tour Qualifiers, Grand Prix Trials, and World Magic Cup Qualifiers. The Basics Organized Play is the cornerstone of Magic, and this document, along with event-specific fact sheets, is all you and your staff need to successfully run a fun and fair Magic event. Focus on fun and enjoyment rather than strict adherence to technical play. While competitive behavior is acceptable, players are still expected to assist their opponents with information or game actions that may take skill or calculation to determine. If more details are needed about tournament fundamentals, they are available in the Magic Tournament Rules. At the end of this guide is a list of online resources and links. All that is required for sanctioning and running a Magic event are an up-to-date copy of Wizards Event Reporter (WER); sufficient seating and play space for at least eight players; a Head Judge (you or someone you know will run a great event). Having prizes for your event is a great plus, and when running large events consider using table numbers and results slips to help your players. Certified judges are a great resource for other ideas to help turn your tournament into a great event and keep everything running smoothly. To find a judge in your area, visit the Judge Center at Judge.Wizards.com. There are two types of Magic events: Constructed (including formats such as Standard or Modern), where players bring their own deck, and Limited (Sealed Deck or Booster Draft) where players construct their deck from sealed booster packs as part of the tournament. All Constructed main decks are at least 60 cards, with an optional sideboard of up to 15 cards. Cards in the sideboard can be exchanged with or added to cards in their main deck before games 2 and 3 of a match, and the deck must be reset for game 1 of any match. The same deck must be used for the entire event. In Limited events, decks must contain at least 40 cards, with the remaining cards becoming a sideboard. In Limited events, players build a deck made from any cards in their card pool for any game. They do not need to reset the deck to its original configuration for game 1 of subsequent matches. In Sealed Deck events, players open six booster packs. These cards are their card pool for deck construction. You can read more about Magic formats at Wizards.com/MagicFormats. Stand Among Heroes

6 Booster Drafts Seat players together randomly WER can create groups (called pods ) if there are more than 11 players. Each player is given 3 boosters. Each player opens the most recently-released booster only and selects, or drafts, one card. This card is placed face-down in front of them and the remaining cards are passed to the left. A player should not pass a booster until the next player is ready having boosters queued up can cause confusion. s must make an effort to keep their cards hidden. Tokens and non-foil basic land cards are not drafted. PACK 2 Swamp Basic Land Swamp Island Raoul Vitale & 2013 Wizards of the Coast 241/ 249 PACK 3 _4 PACK 1 booster, and pass the booster to the left after drafting a card. After all cards have been drafted, the cards that each player has drafted become that player s card pool for deck construction. During the draft, players may look at their drafted cards, but only if they aren t looking at other boosters and have no other cards in their hands. Swamp_4 In Booster Draft events, players draft cards to build their card pool. Please read the following and the WER User s Guide before starting Island S-Spell and Island LL08_T HS Basic L Vitale Coast 237/249 the izards of Raoul ins 2013 W & Pla TGTHS 0237_M ins _ S-Spell ins Pla LL0 d an ic L H 2_T S Pla Each player continues to draft one card from each booster until no cards remain. Then players open the newest remaining booster. The process for the second booster is the same as the first booster except the booster will pass to the right after a player drafts a card. Once this booster is complete, players open the final Bas 9 /24 2 te st 23 uet Coa Paq s of the dam ard A & iz 3W 201 ll pe Sta nd A mong Heroes S-S S TH TG 2_M 3 02

7 Forest Mountain Basic Land Forest Raoul Vitale Basic Land Mountain & 2013 Wizards of the Coast 245/249 Once players have their card pool, give them time to construct a deck (and optionally register the pool on a decklist). In most cases, minutes is sufficient, though if you have a lot of new players, consider allowing more time. The cards players draft are the only cards (beside basic land cards) that players may use for the entire event. Raoul Vitale & 2013 Wizards of the Coast 249/249 Organizers should provide basic land cards for all the players, and players that bring their own land should ensure it is unmarked or sleeved. Use WER to generate pairings that are announced or posted before each round. Each player should find their opponent and a place to play. Make any additional announcements (like prizes and the number of rounds), and give them 50 minutes to complete their matches. A match is a series of games, played until one player has won two games. When time runs out in a round, unfinished matches have five extra turns (total) after the current turn to finish the current game. If the game is not completed in five turns, it is a draw. Use completed games to determine the match score: If both players won the same number of games, then the match is a draw. Any unfinished games are entered into WER as draws. At the end of your event, award any prizes you have arranged. A flatter payout (where most players get something) is preferred by less competitive players, whereas a steeper payout (where less than half the players receive a prize and first place gets a relatively large prize) is preferred by more competitive players. Consider giving all players with the same number of wins the same prizes, as this reduces some of the issues that lead to collusion. Factor in your expenses and compensating your judge staff when developing a prize structure, and work with your players to create events that will keep them coming back. The end of the event is also a good time to inform your players about other Magic events that you have coming up in the near future. The more information your players have, the more likely they are to attend.

8 Resources Wizards Event Reporter (WER) Complete information about the Wizards Event Reporter software, including a link to download the program, can be found at Wizards.com/WER. WPN Support Team Have a question about WER, tournaments, or anything Wizards of the Coast supports or offers? Contact the WPN Support Team at Wizards.com/CustomerService or by calling (within the US and Canada) or In other countries, please refer to the Global Contact list: Wizards.com/GlobalCS. Planeswalker Points s earn Planeswalker Points for participating in events that you run with WER. s can visit PlaneswalkerPoints.com to see their tournament history and more. Wizards Play Network (WPN) For the latest news about tournaments, products, and general news and retailer resources, visit the WPN Website at. Judge Center Resources to find a Judge and information about the Judge Program at Judge.Wizards.com TM & 2013 Wizards of the Coast LLC. 720B

9 Sanctioning and Reporting Events in Wizards Event Reporter To schedule events for your store, you must be an approved Wizards Play Network (WPN) location. If you re the store owner and you need a tournament organizer added to your organization, please contact the WPN Support Team at Wizards.com/CustomerService or by calling (within the US and Canada) or In other countries, please refer to the Global Contact list: Wizards.com/GlobalCS. If you don t have Wizards Event Reporter (WER) installed on your computer, visit Wizards.com/WER to download and install it. Once you have WER running, log in with your DCI Number and password. If you need help, don t hesitate to contact the WPN Support team. Scheduling an Event From the main screen, click on the green Schedule New Event button in the top right corner of the window. The following screen will be the Event Options window. This is where you ll choose what type of event you re scheduling. The Organization field will be populated with your organization, and the Play Location will be populated with your play location. Next, ensure the correct game is selected for the Game field, and click on the Sanction Rule drop-down. The Sanction Rule field will determine the type of event you re going to run. Clicking on the box will display a list of available events for you to schedule. Some programs have predetermined formats or restricted formats. Selecting a program (Such as League or Friday Night Magic) will limit you to only the available formats. For this document, we ll schedule the Gateway to Core Program (a league). To run a formal tournament and not a league, select Magic Tournament under Sanction Rule in Event Options. The Event field will automatically populate when WER synchronizes with Wizards of the Coast. It will name your event based on the sanctioning rule you selected and the date of the event. For example, a league scheduled for October 15th, 2013 will appear as Magic League 13/10/15. Make sure you select the correct date for your event. The format is Year/Month/Day. Leave the Post Event Entry box blank. Stand Among Heroes

10 You can include information you d like to appear in the Store and Event Locator in the Event Information field, up to 32 characters. The event time and entry fee are good things to include here. The Format drop-down will automatically populate depending on the Sanction Rule you chose earlier. It will default to League Play if you select League. For casual events, or events you run on the spur-of-the-moment with fewer than 8 players, ensure the List Only box is checked. Leagues should be scheduled as List Only because they re casual events. Registering Your s After you ve sanctioned your event, you should receive an confirmation. If you don t, make sure your address is correct by logging on to the DCI Personal Information Center at Membership.Wizards.com. Your event will also appear in the WER Main Window. If you can t see your event, make sure the filter check boxes at the top are marked correctly. Stand Among Heroes If you use WER to pair your events, select the Pairing Method you desire, and make sure the List Only box is not checked. The Magic Tournament Rules describe the different pairing methods in detail, but the most common method is Swiss. In a league, players are typically responsible for pairing themselves so they can get all of their weekly matches in. Be sure to fill in the , Phone Number, and web URL fields so players can contact you if they have questions. The information filled in these fields will be visible in the Store and Event Locator. When you re finished filling in the Event Options, click Create and Sanction Event to get started. It s also a good idea to make table numbers (for every two players) so participants can quickly find their opponents. You can add players to your event by doubleclicking the event in your event list, and selecting the s tab. Get the player s DCI Number and add it to the DCI Number field, then click on Find to confirm their DCI Number is correct. Click Enroll at the bottom left to add that player to your event. If a player doesn t remember their DCI number, you can enter their first name, last name, and the country they live in to search for them. Otherwise, if you still can t find them or aren t sure which DCI number to use, issue them a new DCI number. Once everyone has been added to your event, you re ready to go.

11 Running Your Event If you re running a casual event, you can keep track of player progress by adding League Points in the s tab of the Event Window. To add League Points, select the player from the list on the right, and enter the number of points to add in the League Points field on the left. Then, click the Add Points button to confirm. If you re running a conventional tournament, click Begin Event on the Event Window. When you begin an event, WER will recommend a number of rounds based on the Pairing Method you selected in Event Options. You can override this number, but it s usually a good idea to go with the suggested number of rounds. Select Ok to proceed. WER is a versatile tool when it comes to running Magic tournaments. It will create pairings, draft pods, and seating assignments for players. Advanced users can create all of these things manually, but having WER do it will save you a lot of time and help your event run smoothly. Be sure to print out or announce pairings so everyone knows who they re playing. When everyone is ready to play, click on Create Matches in the Rounds tab in the Event Window. WER includes a round timer that you can use to keep track of the time remaining in the round. You can access the round timer in the Timers tab of your Event Window. When players report match results, update WER by entering the result of each match. To enter a result, click on the pairing you want to report and then click appropriate result from the table at the bottom of the Rounds tab in the Event Window. For example, if John defeats Pat, two games to one, select the button that says [2/1]. That will record the result and go to the next pairing. When all results for a round are in, you ll be able to see and print standings from the Standings tab. When you re ready to start the next round, go back to the Round tab and click Create Next Round. The interface will be familiar by now, and you ll repeat this process for each round of your event. When the number of recommended rounds has been reached, WER will prompt you to proceed to a playoff or to finish the event. Running a playoff for small events is not recommended. Now, you wait for players to complete their matches and report the results to you. Something you can do to keep things moving smoothly is print out match slips. WER can do this after you ve started your event. In the Event Window, click on Print and select Print Entry Slips > Table Order.

12 Ending and Reporting When your event has concluded, return to the Event Screen in your event window and select End Event. If you re done with your event and ready to report it to Wizards, click on Upload Results. Uploading the results of your events, even casual events, will earn you credit towards Core and Advanced WPN levels, as well as Planeswalker Points for your players. You can also save the results of your event to keep track of your past events. It s a good idea to save your events, in case you need to review them in the future. Tips and Tricks Did you know that you can request additional DCI cards through WER? You can do this by clicking on WPN Materials in the main window of WER. WER keeps a local list of players that have been enrolled in your events. If you have regular players that come to your events, you can quickly add them to your event by going to the Local s tab in the Event Window. TM & 2013 Wizards of the Coast LLC. 738B