What do you all think will be the prize support? I wonder if there will be special cards! I would be kinda against it but it works so well for Herocilx. Maybe special Plot twist and such. I don;t know I just keep guessing!

Well, for the first little bit at least, it seems like their skipping promos and going straight to the big money ($10 000 at Origins, anyone). I can't say I'm opposed. :)

There is some card promo special happening sometime soon (either next month of in April) that is hush-hush - they're saying it exists but giving no details =)

As for Prize Support - there is a $1,000,000 Pro Tour with 2 stops this year. The first will be at ORigins with the $10,000 prize pool championship JoFo mentioned. There will also be a tone of other tournaments - win a box, sealed, booster draft, and constructed.

For info on the tourneys at Origins go to www.originsgames.com

it's only $250 000 per pro tour...next year there will be four stops, and this year only two...so this years pro tours will only be worth $500 000. And that's probably only the big money, there probably alot of smaller tourneys, maybe 2-3 thousand in prizes that won't get as much publicity...i'm kinda undecided about special promos as prizes at tourneys...it'll just allow the winners at those tourneys to keep winning since losers aren't able to get those promos to use at tourneys..

That depends. First off, many tourneys are booster draft and sealed, so promos are hardly useful in those tourneys.

Plus, this game is really focused on strategy and deck-construction. A card or three, even if quite powerful, will not win games. There is a counter for everything, and the best cards do not make the best player...

I know people, for example, who routinely use tons of LEs in HC tourneys and still get whomped. You can't simply own the tools you have to know how to use 'em =)

Good point Kergillian. I woudnt mind seeing some Promo cards as prizes at tournaments. I think the only problem game play wise with that is if they made very low cost cards that where very playable and powerful. Then there might be some imbalance issues with the game.

That's also a good point, Dr. Doom - I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt, however, as I don't think they put 8-10 months of 'balance revision' into this only to unbalance the entire system with a handful of too powerful pomo cards. Tht said, if there DO have promos as prizes, nobody would want to win a promo that didn't have SOMETHING to make it attractive...

Most small Magic tourneys (at venues, etc), however, tend to have packs as the prizes, or occasionally major rares or foils. As much as I'd love tpo win special promo cards, I'd be just as happy to walk off with a couple of rare foils or a fistful of oosters =)

Cheers!
-Ben =)

Yea boosters or some rares would be fine also. I just hope theres regular tournaments where I live, I would hate to only get to play once a month or so.

How about boxes, do you guys think they'll give away boxes at tourneys? Maybe of current sets, or maybe a prerelease box :)

Don't think we'll get prerelease boxes (but we can dream;) ). But if the tourneys get big enough locally I'm sure with a bit of incentive and maybe a small participation fee that some shops might consider giving away a box.

My venue's promised a fair amount of support for the game, o there should be at least once-a-week tourneys.

As for boxes? As Gambit266 mentioned, if you have a tourney with a LOT of participants and a reasonably high fee, you'll possibly see a bix given away. That would be a venue decision, though, and likely not an UD one...

(that said, there are win-a-box tourneys at origins, so who knows?;)

Did they hint at what time and day these would be at? I'd love to make it to some of those.

As far as having boxes for prizes goes, I doubt we'll see that too much outside of conventions (Origins will have a few) unfortunately. Maybe for some anniversary or otherwise very hyped event, but aside from that, I think a box is a bit too lavish for many venues to splurge on. Hope I'm wrong though. :)

Their (Quantum Cards in Montreal, for those who don't already know where I play) tourneys are usually 12-4 or 1-4 on wekends and 4-8 or 5-8 on weekdays.

And I agree that win a box is an unlikely event - don't forget that at Origins, Win-a-Box tourneys are the most expensive to enter;)