As sure as the lava flows from the core of Mt Volcor, they will know my power in all its blazing glory. It's time to turn up the heat!
Skirmish is back from August 24 to September 8, kicking up Blitz once again, and for the first time, introducing Living Legend format to an instore organised play season!
Skirmish Season 9 is a perfect opportunity for local communities to come together for casual and exciting games, with awesome prizes up for grabs! Bring a mate who's just started playing, or test the waters with your new deck! Skirmish is the best stepping stone for players who want to play great games in a friendly, low-stakes environment.
What are Skirmish Events?
Skirmish is a single instore event offered to selected GEM stores. It is a way to help grow local communities at a casual level. Each event is supported by a Skirmish prize kit, provided free of charge by Legend Story Studios (LSS).
When is Skirmish Season 9?
August 24 to September 8, 2024.
For stores in the Eastern United States, particularly in Florida, we would advise considering scheduling your event earlier in the season due to Calling: Tampa Bay on September 6th-8th.
What are the formats for Season 9?
Blitz and Living Legend are the formats available for Skirmish Season 9.
For full details on the formats check here: Blitz, Living Legend
It is up to the store to decide on their preferred format for their Skirmish event.
How will I know if I am selected for Skirmish?
Selected stores will receive an email invitation. Invited stores will be able to see and select the event type "Skirmish Season 9" in their GEM account.
Entry fee?
For Skirmish events stores can charge up to USD25 / EUR25 / GBP25 / CAD35 / AUD35 / NZD35 entry or local currency equivalent.*
* If it's normal in the territory for sales tax to be applied to the marketed price at the point of purchase, sales tax may be charged in addition to the prices stated here. For events in Japan please refer to the Japanese FAQ linked below.
Event Structure
All events should be run with swiss rounds, followed by a Top 4 or 8 cut depending on the number of players in the event (with the exception of 8 players where there is no top cut).
*Events need a minimum of 8 players to run (start).
Blitz
| Players | Swiss Rounds | Top Cut |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 3 | None |
| 9 - 16 | 4 | Top 4 |
| 17 - 32 | 5 | Top 8 |
| 33 - 64 | 6 | Top 8 |
| 65 - 128 | 7 | Top 8 |
How long should I budget for my Blitz event?
For Blitz Skirmish events, we recommend 35-minute rounds. This allows players up to 5 minutes to present their decks and at least 30 minutes to play their match.
Living Legend
| Players | Swiss Rounds | Top Cut |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 3 | None |
| 9 - 16 | 4 | Top 4 |
| 17 - 32 | 5 | Top 8 |
| 33 - 64 | 6 | Top 8 |
| 65 - 128 | 7 | Top 8 |
How long should I budget for my Living Legend event?
For Living Legend Skirmish events, we recommend 55-minute rounds. This allows players up to 5 minutes to present their decks and at least 50 minutes to play their match.
Prizes and Distribution
Organizers will receive a prize kit containing the following:
| Prize | Distribution |
|---|---|
| 1x ???? (Cold Foil) Promo Card | To be awarded to the first place winner |
| 4x ???? (Cold Foil) Promo Cards | To be awarded to the top 4 placed players |
| 12x ???? (Rainbow Foil) Promo Card | To be given as participation prizes |
| 12x ???? (Rainbow Foil) Promo Card | To be given as participation prizes |
| 1x Just a Nick Playmat | To be given as a random prize draw |
How do I get the Prize Kits?
The prize kits will be available to order from your GEM registered distributor. LSS will send distributors a list of invited stores to the Skirmish season once the sanctioning window has closed. Once your event has been confirmed, you will be able to contact your distribution representative and order the kit. The kits will be shipped from your preferred distributor closer to the date of your event.
Do the top players qualify for any other events?
Skirmish events do not award any invitations to future events.
Can I add prizes to the prize pool?
TO’s can add whatever additional prizes they see fit to the event. The distribution of additional prizes is up to the TO.
Rules Enforcement, Judges and Decklists
What level of rules enforcement is this event run at?
Skirmish events are run at casual rules enforcement. Please check the Procedure and Penalty Guidelines for more information.
The purpose of this event is to be an enjoyable community-building exercise; if you have to adjudicate on a rules breach, we would encourage you to assume good faith on the part of the players and to treat it as an honest mistake and a learning opportunity.
The intent behind rulings is to restore the game state where possible and leave the players feeling positive after you have adjudicated the situation.
Do I need a Judge for the event?
You don’t need a judge for the event, however, we would recommend that either the TO for the event or a store staff member is familiar with documents found in the Rules & Policy Center.
If you would like to appoint a judge for the event, you can also try to find one on Judge HUB Judge Finder.
Are decklists required for Blitz or Living Legend Skirmish events?
The Skirmish series is run at a casual level so they are not required. At your discretion, you may require decklists but you should advise players well in advance if this is going to be a requirement. If you wish to submit to our event coverage form, you will need to record the Winner and Runner Up decklists.
Do I need to record the Hero’s played by players?
For Skirmish events, it is required for TO’s to record the hero played by the Top 8 competitors. We appreciate it if stores are able to fill in the details of all heroes played for constructed events, as this helps us to improve the development of the game. The Hero Assignment feature is available in GEM and you can read up on how to use it at the link Hero Assignment.
Digital Assets and Marketing
Where do I find digital assets for social media?
There is a page of digital assets for social media and printable posters can be found here.
Event Coverage
I ran an amazing event! Is there any way to get my players and their decklists featured?
We will be featuring coverage of the week's events including decklists, reports and photos. In order for your event to be featured, you will need to fill in the coverage form in the link below.
As with the previous event series, we are collecting information from stores for feature articles on our website. All compulsory information is being collected via GEM and the Hero Assignment feature. All coverage information is being collected via our Skirmish Season 9 Coverage Form.
In particular, we are looking for:
- Winner and Runner Up decklists
- A photo of the Winner and Runner Up
- A general event photo, plus any additional interesting photos
- Stories of players, matches, or the day itself
We appreciate any and all information that stores can provide for our coverage articles; please note that we cannot feature every store that provides coverage information. We look forward to hearing your stories! If you have any questions about the form or want to submit additional information, please email the team at coverage@fabtcg.com.