So what does "Organized Play" mean anyway?

When most people first hear about Organized Play ("OP") they assume it just means tournaments where players square off in one-vs-one matches until a winner is determined.

Although tournaments are an important part of OP, it’s just part of the organization. OP also covers:

So why do we do all this work? The goal of Organized Play is to make sure that players have fun, that they have places to go play, and can expect a consistent well-run event. A player from Los Angeles, California can go to Paris, France and know they’re going to play in a tournament run the same way it is back home.

If you’re a new player, your next question is likely, “I’ve never played in a tournament before. How do I start, and what can I expect?”

There are many OP programs specifically targeted at new players. The two best are Release Parties and Battleground Leagues. Release Parties happen each time a new expansion is released, and are fun and friendly tournaments. This uses Sealed Pack Format, which means you don’t have to bring a deck. You will open sealed boosters and choose what you want to play from these new cards.

By clicking on the links above you will be taken to a page listing dates and locations. You can click on a location to get more specific information about an event, including a phone number or email address you can contact if you have any questions.

On the tournament page you should note the tournament format, the date of the tournament and the start time. Tournament formats are different ways to play the World of Warcraft game. To learn more about tournament formats you can reivew the Tournament Formats page.

When the day of the tournament rolls around, you should probably show up 15-30 minutes early to sign up. Don’t be worried about letting the registration staff know that this is your first tournament. They’ll be more than happy to answer any questions you have.

All tournaments should have a head judge. Larger tournaments may have one or more floor judges helping the head judge run the tournaments. The head judge’s role is to make sure that the games are played correctly, and to handle any questions that arise. If you have a question at any time during a game you can raise your hand and say “Judge!” to get help. Judges are there to help you with the rules, card interactions, or even when your opponent makes a mistake that needs to be fixed.

At the end of each match you will need to report who the winner is to whoever is organizing the tournament. When everyone is done, the new pairings will be announced. Most tournaments are run using “Swiss pairings,” which means that players with similar records will play each other each round.

The biggest thing to keep in mind at your first tournament is to make sure you have fun. Most of your opponents are happy to meet new players, so let them know that it’s your first event!

As you get more experience, you can move into more competitive tournaments such as Realm Qualifiers, Darkmoon Faire Championships, and Continental Championships. Successful players at these tournaments will get invited to the World Championship held each fall which features over $250,000 in cash and prizes.