“My skin has turned to porcelain, to ivory, to steel.”
   –Sansa Stark, A Storm of Swords

Whether you are defending the honor of your clan in the Emerald Empire, or supporting your faction in pursuit of the Iron Throne, this winter you can claim the ultimate prize at the upcoming World Championships for Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game and A Game of Thrones: The Card Game!

These World Championship events form the pinnacle of competitive Organized Play, drawing in players from all over the world to compete at the highest possible level. In order to dedicate more space than ever to each game, the Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game Winter Court and the A Game of Thrones: The Card Game World Championship have been separated this year, taking place on their own individual weekends!

Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game players, you can fight for your clan at the Fantasy Flight Games Center in Roseville, Minnesota from November 6 – 10, 2019. A Game of Thrones: The Card Game players, the battle for the Iron Throne will also take place at the Fantasy Flight Games Center, from February 7 – 9, 2020. This winter, you will have the chance to prove yourself worthy of the title: World Champion.

We'll explore each event in more detail below, but here's a quick overview of the main events at each upcoming World Championship.

Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game	A Game of Thrones: The Card Game
November 6: Last Chance Qualifier November 7: Day 1A November 8: Day 1B November 9: Day 2 November 10: Worlds 2020 Qualifier	February 7: Joust 1A, Melee 1A February 8: Joust 1B, Melee 1B February 9: Joust 2, Melee 2

As countless battles are waged across both Westeros and Rokugan, few things are certain amidst the unrest that rules these lands. Despite the ongoing conflicts and political conspiracies, time presses on, the seasons change, and eventually, winter comes. It's during these times of hardship that your people must fight for survival—but there's also the greatest glory to be won!

Can you maintain your honor in the face of your challengers? What will you sacrifice to claim the Iron Throne or to serve your daimyō? Prepare yourself for the chaos that comes with the cold and cut through those who dare challenge you.

For more information on these events, we first look to the Emerald Empire of Rokugan…

Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game

Whether you favor the churned mud and hard-won glory of the battlefield, or you test your honor in the veiled courts of Rokugan, your struggles for victory ultimately lead you to the Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game Winter Court. This year, the stakes are higher than ever before—for the first time, the World Championship is invite-only, and you must do battle to even win your seat. If you've already won your invitation to the World Championship, you can claim your reserved seat using this form, with a deadline of October 11, 2019. If, however, you have not won the glory of a seat at the most prestigious event in Rokugan, you'll have one last chance to win your place in the World Championship at the Last Chance Qualifier!

The Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game Last Chance Qualifier will take place on November 6, giving you the opportunity to win your place among Rokugan's greatest samurai. The Top 64 players in the Last Chance Qualifier are guaranteed to advance to the World Championship (split evenly across Day 1A and Day 1B), with additional seats becoming available if any reserved World Championship seats go unclaimed by their champions. Of course, even if you can't seize a place at the World Championship, there's still plenty for you to do, with side events throughout the weekend, a costume competition, and a World Championship 2020 qualifier on Sunday all available for you to play in.

Tickets for the Last Chance Qualifier go on sale on July 11, 2019 at 2:00 PM CDT (UTC –5), with a fee of $25. If you win your seat in the World Championship and choose to participate, there will be an additional $25 charge.

Once the World Championship proper begins, players will duel across two days, with Day 1A on Thursday, November 7, and Day 1B on Friday, November 8. Both of these flights feed into the highly elite Day 2 on Saturday, November 9, with the champion ultimately winning the title of Shōgun and the chance to influence the story of Legend of the Five Rings forever. Then, before the weekend ends, players will have the chance to contend for seats in next year's World Championship, with a Worlds 2020 Qualifier taking place on Sunday, November 10.

We don't have much to share on the prizes for the Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game Winter Court at this point, but we'll have much more information on these prizes as we draw nearer to the event. Importantly, the Prize Wall will be returning to this year's Winter Court, and players will be able to use all tickets earned at this year's Winter Court on the Prize Wall! (Koku earned at Kotei events cannot be spent at the Winter Court Prize Wall.)

Are you prepared to duel for the future of Rokugan and uphold the honor of your clan and family? Grab your tickets for the Last Chance Qualifier on July 11, or claim your reserved seat using this form now! And of course, even if you aren't able to join us in person, we'll be streaming the entire event from FFG Live on Twitch and YouTube—so be sure to stop in and join us there to watch the world's greatest Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game players!

UPDATE: You may buy your tickets for the Last Chance Qualifier starting on July 11th at 2:00 PM CDT (UTC -5). At that time, half of the tickets will be made available. Twelve hours later at 2:00 AM CDT (UTC -5), the other half will become available to purchase.

A Game of Thrones: The Card Game

Meanwhile, in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, the battle for the Iron Throne rages on, engulfing mighty lords and lowly peasants, spreading from the sands of Dorne to the icy fastnesses north of the Wall. With a full weekend dedicated to A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, players from around the world will have the opportunity to come together and celebrate everything that sets this game apart. Giving A Game of Thrones: The Card Game its own weekend also allows more room for participants, with a total of 360 seats being available. 

The main event for A Game of Thrones: The Card Game (Joust format) will begin on Friday, February 7 for Day 1A and Saturday, February 8 for Day 1B. Representing the factions of the Seven Kingdoms, players will use deadly schemes, cunning tactics, and brute strength to make their way to the Day 2 cut on Sunday, February 9. Running alongside the Joust tournament, players can also participate in the Melee tournament, which also runs with opening flights on Friday and Saturday. Those players who outwit and outperform the rest of the competition at their tables will then meet on Sunday for the final Melee showdown.

In addition to Joust and Melee, there will be a number of side events available for players to participate in throughout the World Championship weekend. The Ironborn-themed multiplayer variant, Kingsmoot, will be available for groups to play, as well as draft pods. Stay tuned for more information on these and other side events!

As well as the chance to dedicate a full weekend to A Game of Thrones: The Card Game, the February event date also gives players the opportunity to pay the iron price for their World Championship entry by waiting to win a Prime Championship before purchasing a ticket. Registration for the A Game of Thrones: The Card Game World Championship begins July 11, 2019, at 2:00 PM CDT (UTC –5), where half of the seats (of the first batch) will become available. The other half of the first batch of seats will become available twelve hours later at 2:00 AM CDT (UTC -5). The second batch of the seats will be made available at a later date once the Prime Championships are underway and players have had more chances to win their seat. The price point for all tickets is $50, but if you have won a reserved seat, you can claim your seat now! The deadline for claiming these reserved seats is January 4, 2020. 

And of course, even if you are unable to attend in person, we'll be streaming the entirety of the A Game of Thrones: The Card Game World Championship with FFG Live on both Twitch and YouTube for you to enjoy!

UPDATE: You may purchase your tickets here starting on July 11th at 2:00 PM CDT (UTC -5). At that time, the first batch of the tickets will be made available. Twelve hours later at 2:00 AM CDT (UTC -5), the other half of the first batch will become available to purchase. The second batch of tickets will be made available at a later date once the Prime Championships are well underway.

Winter Is Coming

The winter snows may be falling, but the champions of Rokugan and Westeros are still called forth. Face the elements and strike your enemies down in order to claim your rightful prize!

Join us for the Winter World Championships for Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game in November and A Game of Thrones: The Card Game in February! It's sure to be full of unforgettable moments, amazing prizes, and incredible players—and we'll have more information to share on these events soon. For now, mark your calendars to get your tickets on July 11, and join us this winter for the pinnacle of Organized Play competition.