UPDATE!!!: We will be starting the day off with the modern constructed portion of the tournament, the followed by the draft portion. The bye awarded on the Friday FNM will be used for the first round of modern.
The sounds of battle echoe once more through the gates of Isengard. Que the epic music!
The Gatekeeper fallen, but not defeated, urges for mercy as you too have come to stake your claim as the champion of these lands. You scoff at his puny remarks, and set your choice of weapon upon the playmat-clad tabletop. You will emerge victorious; You will defeat all those who oppose you; You will become the next Magic: the Gathering National Champion!
That was ever-so-slightly more dramatic than it needed to wasn’t it? No matter. This is the signal of a new era. A time for Champions. You will wage war in the name of sweet victory, over 3 rounds of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt draft, followed by 3 rounds of Modern Constructed, with a cut to a single elimination top 4 (or top 8). Out of the ruins of devastation laid all around, you will be crowned the best of the best, claiming the hard-earned right to be called: National Champion.
Isengard is proud to announce the long-awaited return of the Magic: the Gathering National Championship. A high level competitive event, boasting the largest prize pool of the year, and the very first chance for one aspiring competitor to become the next National Champion.
What does it mean to be National Champion?
The Title of National Champion will not come easy. It will not be held onto easily either. It also bears responsibilities only served for those who have seen the top. You know what they say, with great power…
Of course there will be a trophy awaiting for you to claim it, and you can see it at the store premises until the event takes place.
Whoever holds the trophy, holds the championship, and whoever holds the championship earns the following perks:
- 10% store-wide discount
- Double League earnings. You will earn each prize from each league level you reach twice.
- Reserved seating position for all events attended.
- Draft Boosters earned during events turn into Set Boosters instead.
But as the champion you now have a target on your back. Exactly what this means will be announced next week, but for now know this, aspiring champion: EVERYONE will be after your crown!
Event Details for the Nationals Event held on the 23rd of October 2021:
- Entry Fee: €25
- Start time: 11:15. This is a strict start time for the event. Players arriving later than this time will not be allowed to participate. Read on for a full schedule.
- Format: 3 Rounds of Innistrad: Midnight Hunt Draft followed by 3 rounds of Modern Constructed (4rounds in case of more than 15 players). The Top 4 players (8 players in case there are more than 15 participants) will then play single elimination constructed matches until a Champion is crowned.
- Prizes: Each player adds more than 4 boosters in the prize pool!
- All positions receive prizes, but the better you do, the more prizes you’ll earn. You are guaranteed 1 booster pack regardless of final position.
- Triple points towards your league score. The perfect opportunity to earn a huge surge of points in a single event!
- 1 “Modern Horizons 2” Set Booster is added to the prize pool for every 2 participants
- The following promos will be part of the prize pool: 1 Inkmoth Nexus per 4 players, 1 Flooded Strand, 1 Mana Confluence and 1 Abrupt Decay.
- Other promotional material may be added to the prize pool depending on supply.
- The Championship trophy and Perks to the National Champion!
- The top table matches during the top8/4 will be recorded, commentated and posted on our social media pages and website.
- Note that this is a competitive level event. You should aim to play as carefully as possible, adhere to instructions given out by Organizers and Judges, pay close attention to time limits, play at a reasonable pace, provide correct decklists for both your draft and constructed decks etc.
Event Schedule:
- 10:00am: The Store will be open at this time. You can come and have a chat with others, get some coffee and in general mingle about until the event begins.
- 11:15: The official start time for the event. Any player who has not arrived by this time will not be allowed to participate. Organizers and Judges will share any final instructions. They will collect your decklists for the constructed portion of the tournament. More information about decklists will be shared in a future announcement.
- 11:25: You will be seated in your draft pods and given 3 Draft Boosters as well as a draft decklist. Information about how to complete a draft deck list will be posted in the next announcement as well as be explained during the event.
- 11:30: The Draft Portion of the Event begins. Judges will hold a strict time limit for the duration of each pick. You can see here how long you will have to think about each pick. You must have passed all cards to the next player before time has been called for each pick. You are not allowed to look at any cards you have already picked. You may only do so during the review period in between packs.
- 12:15: End of the draft and deck building/registration process.
- 12:25: First round of Draft begins. Pairings are posted in prominent areas of the store and you can also find your opponent on the event application on your phone. Table numbers must be followed for easier identification of your seating.
- Each round for both Draft and Constructed lasts 50 minutes. You can see a timer with how long you have remaining displayed within the store. If you have not finished a match after the timer reaches 0, you will have 5 turns to finish the current game. If that game has not reached a conclusion after those 5 turns, it is considered a draw. This can result in the entire match to be a draw. Match wins award 3 points, Draws 1 point and Losses 0 points.
- 14:25: There will be a 30min break between the second and third round of the Draft. During this time you can eat/drink or do whatever you wish until the final round of the draft begins. The store will be providing pizza slices at the premises.
- 15:00: Third Round of Draft Begins
- 16:10: First Round of Constructed Begins
- 19:30: Top 8 is announced and single elimination, untimed matches begin
- 22:30: The Champion is crowned!
We would love for you all to attend, and make this the glorious event it deserves to be! There will even be a chance to earn yourself a bye for this event by attending the Modern FNM on the 22nd of October.
There are some amazing prizes being given out during this event, and we’d love to see you there! NATIONALS ARE BACK BABY!!!