World Cup Final - <B-B-B> (France) vs <The Warriors> (USA )

Three days of play across two formats has come down to this. Guillaume Wafo-Tapa, Laurent Pagorek and Raphael Ait-Slimane of <B-B-B> are up against Ben Isgur, Matt Markoff and James Kandziolka of <The Warriors>. All the marbles. The whole shebang. Three matches, best of five. To battle!
 

World Cup Radio - Reflections on an Epic Weekend

Join Rich Hagon, Mike Rosenberg, and Dave Sutcliffe, as they reflect on the storylines that have made this such a compelling three days of gaming.

Darkmoon Faire Final - Alex Crow vs Luca Magni

It's Finals time! The Darkmoon Faire field has been cut down to two, and either Luca Magni or Alex Crow will be heading home a Champion!

World Cup Semi-Final - <B-B-B> (France) vs <Problem?> (Poland )

Something for the true connoisseur, boys and girls. Here in the semi-finals, both Poland and France find themselves just one step away from a title shootout. Can <Problems?> manage to troll their way into the Finals, or will it be superstars <B-B-B> fighting it out for the trophy?

Darkmoon Faire Paris Top 8 Decklists

All the decklists from the Worldbreaker Draft Top 8 of the Darkmoon Faire are ready. Whose deck would you pick for victory?

World Cup Semi-Final - <The Warriors> (USA) vs <We Have Nuclear Weapons> (Russia )

After barely scraping through the Quarter-Final in a nail-biting match against the Czech Republic’s best, the Russian team <We Have Nuclear Weapons> are something of an underdog in this Semi-Final. Their opponents? The juggernaut team <The Warriors>, hailing from the United States. The Finals were in sight now, but who would make it?

Darkmoon Faire Quarter-Final - Christophe Praplan vs Luca Magni

Christophe Praplan was first in the Swiss after Day 1 of the Darkmoon Faire, but he's up against a tough opponent in the Top 8 - Italy's Luca Magni, a former National Champion! Who would make it through and keep their hopes of Championship glory alive?

Darkmoon Faire Top 8 Draft Feature - Christophe Praplan

Christophe Praplan from Switzerland was the number 1 seed going into the Darkmoon Faire Championship's Top 8 booster draft. Would his great record from Saturday continue on into Sunday, or would he face an early exit? Mike Rosenberg followed Christophe in the Top 8 Draft, and soon we'll find out whether Christophe's run will continue!

World Cup Quarter-Final - <The Warriors> (USA) vs <French Beer Team> (France )

It's time for the Top 8! Our first Sunday Feature Match of the World Cup sees <The Warriors>, the tournament's lone US team, facing off against <French Beer Team>, one of two French teams still standing of an initial twenty-one.

World Cup Radio - Class in Session

In the final part of our review, we look at the Class Starter decks for Rogue, Shaman, Warlock, and Warrior. 

World Cup Quarter-Final - <Czech> (Czech Republic) vs <We Have Nuclear Weapons> (Russia)

By the third day of World Cup action it was no longer fair to think of the Russian team as a surprise package. The truth is that <We Have Nuclear Weapons> contains some of the most experienced players from Russia, with multiple National and Realm Championship Top 4s between them.

But <Czech> would be no pushovers in this quarter final. Like the Russians they hadfielded a team of experienced players for whom a Top 8 would hold no fears, including the two-time Czech National Champion, Thomas Kuchta - and the only national title that Thomas hadn't won had gone to his <Czech> teammate, Oldrich Mahdal!

Darkmoon Faire Paris Top 8 Profiles

Your Darkmoon Faire Paris Top 8!

Raiding the Frozen Throne: aka '3 Noobs, 1 Boss'

The last blows of the Group Rounds had been delivered, and the Top 8 matchups had been set - the decklists had been posted, the pictures had been uploaded, and the pizzas had been ordered. It was the end of a second long day for your World Cup coverage team of Richard Hagon, Mike Rosenberg and yours truly, and there was really only one thing on our minds, only one question we wanted to ask...

“Does anybody want to play some World of Warcraft TCG?”

And who did our three hardy reporters with time (and abominations) to kill find to challenge them? None other than Cryptozoic's own Director of Marketing, Organised Play and Community, Ben Drago!

World Cup Radio - Making Sense of the Top 8

Who will be crowned World Cup Champions when the dust settles?

World Cup Top 8 Match-Up Guide

Here's your guide to the Top 8 decks and matchups for the 2011 World Cup!

World Cup Top 8 Team Profiles

Your 2011 World Cup Top 8 teams!

World Cup Top 8 Decklists

Top 8 decklists? We got Top 8 decklists! 24 of them! Want a preview of tomorrow's Top 8 matchups? Take a look...

Darkmoon Faire - Round 7 Feature Match - Luca Magni vs Christoph Schilling

It's the final round of the Darkmoon Faire, and we're bringing you two players on the bubble. Christoph Schilling and Luca Magni both need that vital last win to lock up their Top 8, while the loser will have to lick their wounds and console themselves with a Top 16 finish.

World Cup Group Play - Round 5 - <No F’in Luck> (England) vs <Von Dutch> (Netherlands )

Battling for survival in a Group that has already claimed German super-Team <Indy Pick Up Group>, teams from the Netherlands and England are making their bid for the Top 8. Will <No Fin Luck> or <Von Dutch> be the ones to keep their hopes alive?

Deck Recon - Pure Beatdown

After some questionable choices in the first day of play, Mathieu Brochu has refined his Eadric the Pure deck, and took down both of his Core Constructed matches on Day 2! Is Paladin back, and will Brochu and the rest of <Team Samoulle> make it to the Top 8 on Sunday?

World Cup Group Play - Round 4 - <Team Samoulle> (Canada) vs <Team Karttysiet Ayriaiset> (Finland)

When I first saw that Mathieu Brochu was running a deck using Eadric the Pure, I couldn't believe it. I had to see if he and the rest of their team, <Team Samoulle>, were playing the same decks as yesterday. Sure enough, they were. At X-1 for the day, they were still in contention for Sunday play...as long as no teams were undefeated in their pod at the end of the day. Of course, Mathieu's deck for today wasn't quite the same as it was yesterday...

Did They Bubble Hearth?

Paladins. Oh, Paladins. Where have you all disappeared to? Back in 2007, they were on top of the world. That's not even an exaggeration – that was the year that Guillaume Matignon took the Horde Paladin Nathadan to the World Championship title! Fast-forward to 2011, and out of the 249 decks seen in action in Day 1 of the World Cup, there were only 5 Paladins. Mike Rosenberg wishes they were back for good, and he's found some good news - one of those Paladins is in the hands of Mathieu Brochu, with his Canadian team still in contention for Top 8!

World Cup Group Play - Round 3 - <Just The Love!> (Hungary) vs <Team Trickplay> (Denmark)

The Hungarians <Just The Love!> have been tearing through their Team Sealed group and were on two wins, while <Team Trickplay> had lost two matches on the bounce. The difference between round-robin and swiss pairings was immediately obvious, and the Danes faced an uphill battle against one of the best teams in their group. <Just The Love!> were in no position to slack off, as a third win would leave them with a great chance of topping their Group and hitting the Top 8 on Sunday!

Darkmoon Faire Update

Team competition is intense. Players are battling it out to try and remain undefeated in their pod. One loss could potentially knock a team out of Sunday playoffs. Countries with few team representatives working to fight their way through the slew of teams representing the heavy hitting countries today, such as Germany and France. But for those who've already taken one loss too many, or who couldn't assemble a full team in time... it's Darkmoon Faire time!

World Cup Radio - Worldbreaker Around the World Set Review

Hans Joachim Ho of Germany talks about Priest, Erik van der Laan of the Netherlands tells us all about going Rogue, Guy Jones brings us the Welsh perspective on Shaman, Anssi Alkio of Finland on Warlock, and Matt Markoff of the United States rounds things off with Warrior.

World Cup Group Play - Round 2 - <We Have Nuclear Weapons> (Russia) vs <Team Valhalla> (Sweden)

<We Have Nuclear Weapons>, the Russian Team whose deckbuilding was featured earlier in the coverage, pulled out a close first match against Scotland’s <Blueberry Penguin Shovel>. The second round saw them paired against <Team Valhalla>, one of the three teams from Sweden that had advanced to Saturday competition.

China's Close Call

If you went through the country breakdown, then you may have noticed that there was one team representing the Republic of China in Saturday's competition. The team name is Dragon D’ombre, and it is represented by players Don Jiping, Tan Tianyang, and Jin “Chanbo” Xing.

However, if friends Don and Chanbo had not met Tan before registration closed yesterday, there would have been no teams representing China in the World Cup!

World Cup Radio - Inside Cryptozoic

In this special interview, we get to sit with the Cryptozoic Director of Marketing, Organized Play, and Community, Ben Drago. For great conversation, and an exciting announcement, get your ears in gear, and listen in.

World Cup Group Play - Round 1 - <Too Sexy> (Croatia) vs <Team Alsace> (France)

It's Day 2 of the World Cup, our Teams have assembled their Sealed Pack decks, and are ready for battle! Our first featured showdown sees Croatia's <Too Sexy> face off against <Team Alsace> of France.

World Cup Radio - Meet the Teams

Want to know exactly who's going to be representing your favorite country here on day two? This is your chance to meet every single player battling on your behalf, with bonus musical accompaniment!!!

The Gifts that Keep on Giving

It's your birthday soon. You're visiting family. And one of your Nice Relatives asks The Question. You know the one, the one that leads to befuddlement and confusion: "So, what do you want?"

But don't despair! Rich Hagon is here for you, with a cut-out-and-keep guide to World of Warcraft TCG gift-giving for parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and third-cousins-twice-removed.

World Cup Blog - Winning Round Zero

Three players are already winners, here in Paris.  Whenever packs are opened there's a chance for some fantastic Loot cards to drop, and there were no less than three Mottled Drakes - the brand new Worldbreaker flying mount - opened here within a five minute period!

Deckbuilding with Russian Federation's <We Have Nuclear Weapons>

As we walked over to the feature match area, I asked Dmitry Tikhomirov from the sole Russian team in Saturday's competition if he had prepared for the Team Sealed Pack portion of this event. He laughed. I guess I can take that as a no. But despite the laugh, it was clear that <We Have Nuclear Weapons> were organised, quick, and ready for this unique take on the Sealed Pack format.

World Cup Blog - Around the World in 60 Rares

It's Team Sealed Pack time here at the World Cup! With each team opening twelve booster packs of Worldbreaker, what strategies are going to be employed by teams looking for an edge? David Sutcliffe has talked to some of the Teams building here to draw out some clues...

Nation against Nation

When you play for yourself, it can feel pretty neat when you beat a rival from another country, especially if it's a match with the weight of history behind it. Maybe England v France, or the USA v Russia. But once you get into team mode here at the World Cup, national fervor really comes to the fore. There really is nothing like the chance to represent your country, and the opening round of Day 2 showcases some fabulous matchups, bringing players together from around the world.

World Cup Day 2 Country Breakdown

Eighty-three teams have been cut down to 48 as the World Cup enters the all-important Group stage on Day 2. David Sutcliffe has crunched the numbers on the nations represented in this critical stage of the competition.

Alexstrasza Comes to Europe!

Cryptozoic is now bringing Alexstrasza to the European Darkmoon Faires, and players will be able to challenge her—or end up a human toothpick—at EU DMFs.

Champions of the Black Flame

Hesriana. Yep. You read that right. Staff will be given copies of foil Hesriana.

Round 9 Round-Up

It's the final round here in Paris, and Mike Rosenberg is stalking the top tables, laptop in hand, to bring you the latest results of those critical final matches!

Round 8: Three Players, Three Matches, One Team - Jonas Skali vs Anssi Alkio

Throughout Day One of the World Cup, teammates have battled across the tables, adding their individual scores towards a common goal. Now, in the penultimate round, one team of German superstars look to cement their place in Day Two. When 3+3=1, it can only mean one thing - Team Time!

Round 8: Three Players, Three Matches, One Team - Hans Joachim Hoeh vs René Skyggebjerg

Throughout Day One of the World Cup, teammates have battled across the tables, adding their individual scores towards a common goal. Now, in the penultimate round, one team of German superstars look to cement their place in Day Two. When 3+3=1, it can only mean one thing - Team Time!

Round 8: Three Players, Three Matches, One Team - Stefan Urban vs Juha Kivioja

Throughout Day One of the World Cup, teammates have battled across the tables, adding their individual scores towards a common goal. Now, in the penultimate round, one team of German superstars look to cement their place in Day Two. When 3+3=1, it can only mean one thing - Team Time!

Round 7 - René Skyggebjerg vs Marcin Filipowicz

Dane René Skyggebjerg is fresh from explaining some of the more unusual card choices in his Fillet, Kneecapper Extraordinaire deck in our Deck Recon, and he's ready for his next match. Poland's Marcin Filipowicz, with Jeremiah Karvok, is the one hoping that this time, going rogue doesn't pay off for René!

World Cup Radio - All Star Worldbreaker Review

Too much information for just one show, we're bringing you the brightest and best talking about the brightest and best of Worldbreaker.

Buried Treasure

When you hear the word 'Redemption', what do you think of? A sweet Paladin ability? A Bob Marley classic? How about some of the hottest cards in the World of Warcraft TCG, and how to get your hands on them!
 

Deck Recon - Antyr -is- a Win Condition!

Yup, you read it right. To René Skyggebjerg from Dernmark, Antyr is... his win condition? And he's at 5-1? I had to see this for myself!

Round 6 - Jan Palys vs Stuart Wright

Veering away from the Jeremiah Karvok deck that he used to take down Darkmoon Faire Orlando, Stuart Wright is packing Boarguts the Impaler for the World Cup. Jan Palys is looking to follow up his victory over Ben Isgur with another lethal shower of Sparks. Who will survive to reach a 5-1 record?

Round 5 - Ben Isgur vs Jan Palys

As Jan Palys sat down for our feature match and revealed Kinivus the Focused, Ben Isgur asked “Can I just concede?” “You can check with someone if you want to!” I responded. Ben looked down at his hero, Kungen the Thunderer. “I don't think I want to.” Bluff of the day, or accurate portent of doom? Only one way to find out...

World Cup Radio - Starting a Class

In the first of two shows this weekend, Rich and Dave take time out from the World Cup to present a guide to all the classes in the TCG.

Round 4 – Anssi Alkio vs Christophe Vandalem

European Continental Champion Anssi Alkio is in action against Christophe Vandalem, and Sparks are sure to fly in this feature match as Zaritha takes on Triton the Sacrilegious!

Round 3 – Laurent Pagorek vs Gionata Dal Farra

Hunter sighted! French veteran Laurent Pagorek with the popular Emek the Equalizer deck faces off against Italy's Gionata Dal Farra, who has chosen Valerie Worfield for his very first tournament.

World Cup Metagame Breakdown

With the World Cup class restrictions, where will players turn after making their easier deck choices? Mike Rosenberg has put together a metagame breakdown, and he has just one thing to say... For the HORDE!

All World Cup Teams

All the participating teams for the 2011 World Cup

World Cup Blog - One of a Kind

A number of nations are represented by single teams here at the World Cup. David Sutcliffe introduces some of our lone wolves with a little quiz. If you want to know where you can find Lake Peipsi and the birthplace of Aphrodite, read on!

Round 2 – Hans-Joachim Hoeh vs Wouter Egas

German super-team Indy Pick Up Group's march to victory had begun well, with wins in the first round, but for their second round the Germans had been drawn against tough opponents. Hans-Joachim Hoeh faced off against Wouter Egas, representing the strong Dutch team Google.

World Cup Radio - Horde Warlock Aggro

To get us going in a rush, Jeffrey Verwoerd of the Netherlands brings us the blistering speed of Horde Warlock Aggro. With sixteen one-drops, the action doesn't take long to heat up.

Round 1 – Matt Markoff vs Krysztof Morzyc

The World Cup is underway! There are 11 rounds of Core Constructed ahead, and our first feature match sees one of "The Warriors", Matt Markoff, taking on Poland's Krysztof Morzyc. One troll shirt, one Troll hero, and only one winner...

World Cup Radio - Round One From the Floor

With eighty-three teams in action, there's plenty to catch the eye here in round one.

Deals and Steals

One of the first signs of a new deck breaking out often doesn't come at the tournament tables, but at the dealer stands. Mike Rosenberg is an old hand at this less well-known side of metagame research, and he's been doing some digging to give some pointers for the World Cup!

World Cup Blog - Looking for Group

As the World Cup swings into action, Dave Sutcliffe brings you a roundup of the European teams to watch. And there's one trio of familiar German faces that everyone will be hoping to dodge today...

World Cup Radio - The Inside Track

In our first show, we talk to many of the leading teams as they sleeve up their decks ready for round one. 

Three Days of Gaming Heaven

So you couldn't find a third teammate for the World Cup? Don't be sad! The World Cup venue is host to a huge range of side events across all three days and oh, did we mention, a Darkmoon Faire Championship? Check inside for the low-down...

Upper Class - World Cup Core Constructed Preview

With the World Cup Core Constructed format only allowing a single deck from each class to be played on a team, which heroes are likely to make the cut from popular classes like Warlock and Priest? And beyond that, are we in for a weekend of rush and counter-rush, or subtle, back-and-forth control dogfights? Mike Rosenberg investigates!

Come Out and Play!

With their path to Day 2 clear, how are the North American teams planning on using the rare opportunity of being able to experiment with the Core Constructed format on Day 1 of the World Cup? Mike Rosenberg caught up with the teams from the United States and Canada to find out...

World Cup Country Breakdown

With eighty-three teams ready to battle it out for the inaugural World of Warcraft Trading Card Game World Cup, Rich Hagon has the lowdown on the competing nations.
 

Five Things to Do in Paris

Paris is certainly a world city, attracting people from all over the globe to be a part of Parisian culture. That rich culture also produces some must-see tourist destinations.