The League Returns! Challenge your friends! - FAQ

[noxy]

Hi everyone,

It might be too many announcements in one day but here it is anyway: The League is back, in a different format and style!

Here is a quick FAQ:

What is the league? A bunch of players having fun in a competitive environment.

Why the League? Simply to promote a more casual style of play outside sanctioned tournaments, it's also a good way to test out new decks or techs!

How much? Each player participating pays a one-time entry fee of 60 Dirhams to support the structure and the prizes.

What are the prizes? It will depend on the number of players, but with 12 players minimum, the winner will receive one box of Shards of Alara!!! Top-half of the players are also guaranteed to receive prizes!

How does it work? Anytime you'd like to challenge someone, you can let an organizer initiate it and play your favourite Standard Constructed deck in a challenge match. Your rating in the League will change according to your results. Your first 5 matches will have to be against different opponents, and you can never have played the same opponent twice in your last 3 matches. In addition to all that, any participation in League-Sanctionned tournaments will earn you points based on your performance. Tournaments will earn you a lot more points than casual play so never hesitate to challenge someone!

What deck do I play with? In Challenges, you'll play your own Standard Constructed deck.

Which tournaments are League-Sanctioned? All DCI Sanctionned tournaments will be League-Sanctioned.

When will it start? The League will start on Saturday 11/10/08, on the day of our first Shards of Alara Standard Tournament.

How long will the League run for? To keep it intense and give everyone a chance, the League will run for 4 to 5 consecutive weeks only (depending on participation, it will be announced at the end of week 2). After the end of those 5 weeks the Season 2 of the League will start (after a break of one week probably) and everyone's rating will be reset.

How does the rating system works? It is an Elo rating system, the system used in the world of chess! Check it out here. Basically after each match the winner earns points based on his ranking and the ranking of his opponent, same thing for the looser but he looses those points instead. Tournaments will be ran at much higher K-value. Players not in the league encountered during tournaments will be considered as having an entry-level rating of 1600.

If you got any other question or query, just let me know!
Complete rules of the league will be distributed on Saturday 11/10/08.

Let me know if you are interested!


Cheers,
Olivier

[knightoflillith]

I'll be coming back to Dubai in a couple of days, and I am very interested in a league going on inside the group.

I am more than willing to try the Standard League, however the Magic Online style of league (one Tournament pack + 2 boosters, extra booster added in certain intervals) would be better I think. Would give a chance for us to learn how the current block works in limited, and gives us a chance to try out certain cards and deck archetypes in a more casual environment.

See you all soon

[noxy]

Oct 6, 2008 15:47:13 GMT -4 knightoflillith said:

I am more than willing to try the Standard League, however the Magic Online style of league (one Tournament pack + 2 boosters, extra booster added in certain intervals) would be better I think. Would give a chance for us to learn how the current block works in limited, and gives us a chance to try out certain cards and deck archetypes in a more casual environment.

Limited in the League is cool and will be the next format for sure (maybe not in the same way as MtGO but one way or another).
Having short League seasons is another advantage and the format will change with each Season!


Cheers,
Olivier

[gelfling]

that sounds cool, i'm interested in either format, i tend to do better at constructed which is great for my rating & prizes but i really need the practice in limited aswell.

[kangor]

come draft then Gelf.

[noxy]

Some additional questions that were asked on Satuday 11/10/2008:

Do I need to play to maintain my rating? No, you dont. The point is that not everyone has the ability to play a lot. Players that participate in very few events or challenges have as much chances as other because you don't loose any points.

Do I need to play a minimum of one match per week? No you dont. There is no restriction on the minimum or maximum of matches you need to play. If you don't want to play challenges you can, although it's encouraged to play them.

If you got any other question, just fire em!