Regional Qualifier Bologna - Preparing For Your First Big Event
What Large TCG Events Are Like
Large scale TCG events like Regional Qualifier Bologna happening this weekend are more than simply tournaments. These are large gatherings for fans and players alike, a celebration of the game and the culture around it, and is a weekend full of fun activities and experiences. Outside of the main event, you can expect to see tables full of players jamming games, side events firing off constantly, and people celebrating their latest pack openings.
For the main event at a Riftbound Regional Qualifier, you’ll enter a two day tournament with a Swiss round structure. On day two there will be a top cut playoff. During the Swiss portion of the event, every player competes in a set number of rounds. As the event progresses, you are paired against opponents with similar records. Each match is usually best of three games, which allows players to adjust strategy and sideboard between games.
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How to Prepare for Your First Riftbound Event
Large events like this are not only about chasing a trophy. They are about testing your ideas against a broad field, seeing how your preparation holds up, and discovering new strategies. You will encounter creative deck choices, unexpected tech cards, and moments where a single decision changes the course of a match. It can definitely seem daunting, but most players here will be happy to help, give tips and advice after your match, and make sure you’re also having a great time. Here are some tips and tricks to make sure you have a fun and enjoyable experience.
Learn the Game Basics
This may seem a bit odd, you’re there to participate in a weekend full of cardgames, of course you know how to play Riftbound. This is more than simply knowing how to play, but also knowing the smaller details and individual steps. You’re going to be playing with players from all over the world, from various different local metagames, and from various different play groups.
People communicate differently, speak different languages, and play at different paces. It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the steps of play, go through the proper resolution of cards and abilities, and clearly communicate what is going on and your actions.
Practice Matches
You’re going to be playing against a wide field of players and decks. Whether or not you’re playing in the main event or jamming side events, you’ll want to be prepared for a wide range of opponents. Head to your local game store, play with some friends, or test with your team. The more games you get in, the better you’ll know other decks, the field, and even your own deck. You may even find some changes you want to make.
Bring the Right Supplies
There will be so much trading, gaming, and socializing, you’ll want to make sure you’re well equipped for all the events. First thing’s first, make sure you have your decks ready to play. I know most of us love bringing binders to either trade cards or put new flashy acquisitions into safely. Card sleeves are a card gamer’s best friend as well. As a personal preference I also love to have a notebook and pen on me for keeping track of points during a game. And of course, you have to stay hydrated, don’t forget to bring a water bottle.
Mindset
This is probably the biggest part of having a great time at these events. You’re going to be traveling with friends, jamming games, and meeting tons of new people. It’s very easy to get hung up on tough losses, bad beats, and rough match ups. At the end of the day however, you’re still traveling the world, playing the game you love. Don’t let losses get to you, and try to focus on just having a good time. Stressing about matches won’t get you anywhere.
Spiritforged Regional Play in China
Regional Qualifier Bologna is going to be the first Regional Qualifier outside of China where Spiritforged will be legal. Fortunately for us, we have months of tournaments that happened in China that we can analyse and get a good basis of what to expect. Let’s take a look at the early days of Spiritforged in China and see what we can expect this weekend at Regional Qualifier Bologna.
Fuzhou Regional Open – January 17–18 (511 Players)
This first major Spiritforged event showed early dominance from aggressive Draven builds focused on tempo and board pressure. When the meta is fresh, we usually see a surge in straight value oriented aggressive decks. Draven really stood out with high tempo plays, powerful early combat, and efficient removal options. Purple is one of the most versatile and flexible colours so far, and the new card draw tools and efficient counter-play makes any deck using chaos a powerful contender.
While we also saw stand out performances from Fiora and Irelia, Regional Open Fuzhou really laid the groundwork of the metagame and what to expect.
Chengdu Regional Open – January 24–25 (512 Players)
While Fuzhou set the pace, we saw Chengdu as the first iteration of a metagame where players were already beginning to adapt and change. Draven still continued to dominate, but the builds were beginning to evolve and change.
Chengdu was also the first tournament where we really started to notice Ezreal on the rise. Ezreal is able to really churn through his deck and pull far ahead on card advantage. While the version of the deck we see in Chengdu is still raw and not as optimized as more recent iterations, we already see the formation of a heavy card draw and control game plan.
Ezreal – Prodigy is one of the strongest chosen champions out there, and leveraging the heavy card cycling theme is exactly what the deck does best. Using powerful repeat cards like Called Shot and Frigid Touch makes ample use of Ezreal – Prodigy’s ability. You then look to get on board with low cost units and use your card advantage to keep your opponents from taking the fields back. This is certainly a deck we love to see get played more and look forward to seeing how it evolves over time.
Dalian Regional Open – January 31–February 1 (510 Players)
Just the next week, we were treated to an amazingly diverse top 8, with 7 unique legends making it to the final stages of the tournament. While Draven continued to hold the largest share of the metagame, we saw now several other decks stepping up to with unique tech pieces and adapted game plans.
In fact, the entire tournament was won by none other than Kai’sa, Daughter of the Void. However, while Kai’Sa played a very aggressive gameplan in Origins, we see some big changes to the overall playstyle here. Darius – Trifarian no longer makes the cut, and several key cards have been swapped out in favour of more consistent removal. Kai’Sa now function almost solely as a control deck, looking to keep opponents off battlefields, hold capture with small units, and score big points with Time Warp at the end.
Piercing Light gives even more versatility for removal, being able to pick off units still at base, and Plundering Poro helps you pull even further ahead with its gold generation. The deck as a whole looks to go even lower in units than it used to, and combat the new early game aggression with pure card value and removal.
Nanjing Regional Open -February 8 – (508 Players)
By the time Nanjing came around, the Spirit Forged meta was no longer dominated by a singular deck. Sure, we still saw Draven as the popular go to option, but by now most players no longer considered it strictly the best deck in the format. Many decks had evolved to incorporate counterplay, or even outpace the aggression that Draven offered. One such deck was Annie, who won the entire tournament, beating out Azir in the finals.
While Azir had an amazing breakout performance, making it all the way to the finals, Annie grabbed victory with one of the most aggressive renditions of her deck yet. Pure value with some of the strongest units in the game allowed her to take points very quickly and snowball ahead in value. Annie’s ability then allowed her to easily protect her units and make use of all the extra cards that the deck can generate. If you want some high octane fun, this is definitely the deck for you.
Final Thoughts
Large TCG events are as much about connection and growth as they are about competition. The early Spiritforged regionals in China revealed a fast evolving metagame where players refined strategies week by week. For new players, these events offer inspiration and opportunity.
The amazing tournaments in China showed how quickly a metagame can evolve as players adapt, explore new ideas, and refine strategies. Watching this evolution showcased just why we love this game. If you put work into it, almost any hero can come out on top. We are so excited to share Riftbound with all of you and can’t wait to see you all at Regional Qualifier Bologna.
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