So You Want To Be A Legend?

So you have heard about this little thing Wise Wizard Games (WWG) does called the Legends Series. Well, I am here to help fill you in on what that is and share information based on my experiences. I am going to lay out the basic structure, give some tips, and hopefully help prepare you for such an event.

Before I get too far, let me explain what a Legends Tournament is all about. When you win a Legends event, WWG will make a card in your likeness to be released in a future set for Hero Realms. You can see some examples of these in the Lost Village Kickstarter exclusive pack. There are other prizes as well, but this is what it is really all about, being immortalized in a game you love!

So how is a Legends event structured? Well, there are two different stages to the Legends format.  

1. The Swiss rounds 
2. The top 8 cut.  

If you have played other competitive card game tournaments, this is going to be fairly familiar. For those of you who have not, the Swiss rounds are set up to match players with similar win/loss records. This differs from a single or double elimination type tournament, so you don’t need to worry about losing your first game and being done for the day. The format is set up so that all players with only one loss (and sometimes people with two losses) would make the top cut.

Interesting fact: The Swiss system was first used in a chess tournament in Zurich in 1895, which is how it earned its name. 

The prize structure can vary, but usually everyone who plays gets some promo cards. Those who make the top 8 get an exclusive playmat. If you make it to the top 4 or final 2 you will get another prize each time you move on, but what this is varies (at Origins 2021 it was a couple of new promo cards). The person who emerges victorious gets a trophy, a card made in their likeness (released in a future set), and the title of Hero Realms Legend. 

So that was a lot of words just laying out the structure and prizes, but I also have some advice on actually playing in one of these tournaments. First off, you should have at least a basic understanding of how to play Hero Realms. You don’t have to be an expert but you should be competent. If you are reading this, then you are not adverse to doing some research and reading some articles, so keep reading up and improving your game play. The more you know, the better your odds. Familiarize yourself with the cards, what they do and how they interact with each other. You don’t have to memorize everything, but you should know what is there. Understand that these tournaments take hours. Depending on the number of players this can vary, but even assuming 5 rounds of swiss and the matches after the cut it will probably take 7-8 hours (possibly more!). Come prepared for a long grueling day playing a game you enjoy. Because of this length here are some things you should keep in mind:

Bring food and drinks. Preferably not something messy that will leave gunk on the cards or tables/playmats. It’s not a bad idea to bring something to eat for lunch or dinner, but this probably shouldn’t be a large meal. Have some snacks to munch on.  And definitely have some water or other drinks as well. You should also eat a decent breakfast (even a small one is better than showing up already hungry).

Come well rested. Do your best to get a decent night’s sleep. I know this can be pretty difficult when most of these are at a game convention, but do your best. It’s going to be a long and tiring day, showing up tired will exacerbate this.. 

Not only can it be a long day, you are going to have to interact with other human beings. As with every social situation, there are customs, norms, and expectations. If you aren’t familiar with these, I have some tips on etiquette, general game play, and rules issues:

• You should offer your deck to your opponent to cut or shuffle every time you finish shuffling. They may not do anything, but it’s pretty standard etiquette. Don’t get offended if they ask to do this, and don’t be afraid to ask this yourself (especially if things seem a bit fishy when they are shuffling their deck). 
• It should go without saying that cheating is bad. Don’t do it. Asking to cut or shuffle if you suspect this will cut the possibility down without raising a fuss. If you suspect your opponent is cheating, don’t be afraid to call a judge over. 
• When playing, keep a clean play area/board state. There is a lot going on in this game and having your play area organized and understandable is vital. Make sure your opponent can follow what you are doing, and don’t be afraid to ask them to do the same if you cannot keep up or decipher what is happening. Mistakes happen, so it is vital that you are clear about this. I suggest talking through what you are playing, the order you do it, and when you are using abilities or triggering effects. If you are familiar with where things are placed when playing in the app, then it should be fairly easy to place your cards similarly when playing the physical game. Don’t make it difficult for your opponent or a spectator to follow. If you have issues with how your opponent is doing this, call a judge over to help.
• Don’t be afraid to ask to read a card’s text. Not knowing what a card does is a huge hindrance, nobody will think less of you if you don’t have everything memorized. I have seen people play things incorrectly, it happens. It is almost always an unintentional mistake, if you catch something like this point it out nicely.  
• If you have a rules question, call the judge over. You don’t have to take your opponent’s word about the rules. People can be wrong in how they think things work, and having a clear ruling from a judge cuts out any chance of doing things improperly.