Yesterday, UVS Games dropped their first look at what Organized Play will look like in 2025. If you’ve read my other article on their 2025 Roadmap, you know that I think. (Read here: UVS Roadmap – 2025) There are clear problems with the current track to Worlds, and also with the way we’re welcoming in new players. Let’s see what they addressed and what’s left to be addressed later.

First off, they’re separating events into Competitive Level and Community Level events, which is really interesting. So now we have a new event called Scramble, which is an LQ without the CP rewards. On one hand, it’s a great change for the player that just wants to have fun with a deck that may not be the meta-choice, but they just don’t get a chance to play. I’ve wanted to roll out a Vash for a while now but never seem to get an opportunity. At our weekly locals, I’m shooting for the Victory card, and every other event requires something tuned to win. It’ll be nice to have an event that’ll reward the fun and allow us to play around with the formats as we like. Modern anyone?

On the other hand, attendance is already a problem and if players don’t have to attend, I hope the allure of playing for the promo and for fun is enough. I’ve seen incredible promos come from UVS Games at times, from those sweet Set 1 regional promos to the set 4 Extra Credits. If we’re handing out something like that, even if it’s for a few months at a time, I think that’ll spark plenty of interest.

No changes to weekly locals, which is expected. Many players have requested a return to the silver Plus Ultra packs, but as we add in more IPs, it becomes impossible to put those different IPs into 1 pack. Expect the promo-of-the-month prizing to continue.

On to what we all really care about! The road to Worlds! So, what’s different? Let’s go from the top down so everything makes sense. Worlds will be the big event in 2025, with Nationals no longer being a thing. I look at this as US Nats basically absorbing UK and OC Nats and making it 1 big event, which is pretty cool when you think about it. Maybe you’re a fan of UKVersus or an OCE creator and never had the chance to meet them. Maybe you’re a avid player in the UK but never had a chance to play against the best NA had to offer. This format allows all of UVS to come together for one weekend like we haven’t seen in the modern format (since 2021).

So how do you get to Worlds? Champion Points will remain the currency of competition in 2025, with players needing to hit a certain threshold to qualify. For example, every player with 50 points will get their invite to Worlds. Final numbers have not been announced yet, so I’m holding off on doing the math to see how difficult it’ll be to make the cut. I’d assume UVS Games wants a lot of players to make the cut, so I’d expect you’ll be able to earn your invite with a modest level of skill and good attendance.

Worlds is going to be 3 days with players being able to earn a 1st-day bye if they earn enough points throughout the year. I like Top players having an opportunity to participate in the broader event and not just be locked into playing for top cut, like they usually are. 3 Day events also give a number of goals for players to hit and be satisfied with. I could see a lot of players being stoked to Day 2 Worlds and have that sense of accomplishment.

Prize Wall! Something that’s been sorely missing from Regionals this year has been a good motivator to play in side events. The OP team has announced that they are bringing back the Prize Wall in 2025 with more than just Regional promos. “Prize Walls will have alternate art and treatment promo cards as well as playmats, deckboxes and other game accessories…” I like that there’s more than just cards to earn. Some of the swag I’ve seen from UVS Games has been SO SICK and I hope players get a chance to win them.

The Regional Schedule will also change. More Regionals, more often centered on places where players play the most. So, coming out to your locals will literally give your area a better chance to have a Regional in your area. That’s kinda cool. More importantly tho, we get more events to cover before the format changes so we can adjust and react to trends, techs, and play patterns. Hopefully, we’ll get to a monthly schedule at some point. For now, we know the first regional of 2025 will be held in March and I’d expect we’ll get more details this December. Disconnecting all 3 regions from hosting their events at the same time has so many good benefits. Stores have more flexibility when to host their LCs, more places can host a regional (like our neighbors to the north), and we erase this expectation that regional promos have to follow the IP of the set that just came out when they don’t.

Local Championships are largely the same. You’re guaranteed 1 point for entry and more based on placement. HOWEVER, now we will also receive a participation promo and more copies based on placement. Again, here’s to hoping these cards are awesome. Universus is going to need a push to create new communities so these LQs are more frequent and spread out. There are plans in the works to make that happen, but since I can’t talk about what those plans are I’ll leave that there. Here’s to hoping our tournaments get more and more players as the years go on!

Overall

Most of these changes I’ve already been expecting. I think Regionals and Worlds will be more fun, LCs will be more rewarding with the promos, and more regionals makes the game SO much more engaging. When you can step away from the game for 2 months and not miss anything, people lose interest. With the Regional change and the Challenger Decks spread throughout the year, this should create an environment where there’s always something to look forward to.

I still want the cold hard numbers on CP. That’ll color my opinion a lot on these changes. I want to see Contender Promos return that are custom and gorgeous. We’re still waiting for the regional schedule, the Prize Wall prizing, the LC/Scramble schedule, and more. So far, these changes are great. The path is cleaner, prizing seems like it might be better, and we’re making room for different formats. Can’t wait to hear the next announcement. Until then, I’ll see you on the tables!