2017-2018 WCT (World Championship Trek) League Season begins in October

by Kenneth Tufts, Director of Organized Play

21st September 2017

2017-2018 WCT (World Championship Trek) League Season begins in October

Much like in previous years, this year's WCT season will run approximately six (6) months, from October 2016 through March 2017. A local WCT league is a great supplement to your play group's organized play during the championship off-season. There are few Road to Worlds events held between the end of Worlds and the start of Regionals the next year, and having a league can really fill the gap nicely!

If you've never hosted or played in a league, WCT events are conducted exactly like a normal tournament; the only addition is that players are awarded League Points based on their placement in the tournament. Your WCT League events can consist of any combination of First Edition, Second Edition, or Tribbles tournaments.

One special note: the Excelsior team has advised me they will have special bonus incentives to any one running 2e league events as Excelsior format to help get additional data on the format.

Additional points will also be available to players based on each league's decisions. For example, here are some ways that leagues can choose to award bonus points during the league season:

• Playing a deck/affiliation/headquarters you haven't played before.
• Playing in a tournament format you haven't played in before.
• Playing a deck based around an achievement you haven't earned (yet).
• Playing a deck to meet a challenge set by the league director.

But that's just a sample! It's only limited by your imagination! The bonus points are there to provide incentive to try out a new affiliation, that tantalizingly good combo never played, those pages of binder fodder that are just crying out to be put into a new deck. Who knows, your League might uncover the next World Championship deck! Try something different and get rewarded! That's a pretty good deal, and a fantastic way to keep your local metagame fresh and exciting.

Normally, the half-year WCT League season is divided into three two-month sprints, comprising of four League events per sprint:

Sprint 1 – October - November 2017
Sprint 2 – December 2017 - January 2018
Sprint 3 (Playoffs) – February - March 2018

For this structure, we recommend scheduling two tournaments a month to ensure an even spread of events, however final scheduling of events within the sprints is at the discretion of the League director. The top finishing players in the first half join the top finishing players in the second half to participate in the Playoffs, where the champion of the league is determined.

New this year, we're adding a two sprint option to accommodate play groups that just can't get together every other week:

Sprint 1 – October 2016 - January 2017
Sprint 2 (Playoffs) – February - March 2017

For this structure, groups schedule a single league event per month, again with final scheduling of events at the discretion of the league director. For the playoffs, the winner of each event plus the next four highest ranking overall players compete in the Playoffs, where the champion is determined.  NOTE: all players may still play in the play off events.

Apply to Run a WCT League in Your Area!
Is a WCT League happening in your area this season? Pester your League director to get your Team re-signed for another year! Or, are you new to Leagues and want to get something happening in your area? Get your players together and decide on a Cool Team Name™ for your League!

The next step is to send your application via forum PM directly to the Director of Organized Play, (Worf Son of Mogh),  as follows:

Your Full Name
Your League's Name
Your League's Location (Town/City, State/Province/Territory, and Country)
Sprint Type (2-sprint 1/month or 3-sprint 2/month)
For Renewing Leagues, include your previous League Name with your application

FAQ
1. Can we start scheduling and advertising WCT League events right away?
Yes, get your applications in asap and we will be processing them as soon as we get them. As soon as your league appears on the Leagues page, you will be able to update your tournament (alternatively, send your continental coordinator the URL/link to your proposed WCT tournament(s) and we'll get it updated for you).

2. What about the WCT League Foil kits?
They will be made available in the Promenade soon, check back often for the area to update.

3. What are the WCT League foils this year?
We're so glad you asked! How about three BRAND NEW, never before seen cards?

4. When can I use these cards?
The non-foil versions will be available starting in October and will be legal immediately after worlds Oct 9th. These can be used in any format that allows virtual promo cards. The foil versions are only going to be available through league kits.

5. We're having trouble scheduling our tournaments in the allotted timeframe?
Send a PM to your continental coordinator with the event details and the dates you have in mind and we'll do our best to get your events happening that works for your group.

For more details on previous WCT League teams, as well as a comprehensive list of all WCT League players and lifetime League points scored, check out the Leagues page.

As always, if you have any questions regarding the WCT League that are not answered in the Organized Play Guide, please send "Worf son of Mogh" (Director of Organized Play) a message.

Discuss this article in this thread.

Back to Archive index