Local Championships have been an awkward topic for the last year. Before they were announced in 2024, they were expected to be the top event for competitive LGS action! Well, decisions were made. The prizing was controversial at times with the Tekken 8 promos, and nearly non-existent other times with this last run of tournaments only offering a mat to the winner. But where there’s a failure to deliver on expectations one year, there’s an opportunity to capitalize the next year!

I was able to talk to a multiptude of reps from UVS Games over the weekend at Nats in Dallas, and they completely agree that they want Local Championships to feel way better than they have in the past. Welp, time to find out what that means!

Step 1 – TURN UP THE PRIZING

The color has returned to the game and winner of the LC will still be getting a mat themed with the most recent set. UVSG has seemingly standardized the title of the winner of the mats in the lower left-hand corner. I’m not mad at the chaice, but I wish the title “Champion” had a little more … UMPH! Either way, the mat looks great. But we already received a mat last year, so what’s new?

Well, since Local Qualifiers are no longer a thing, they’ve combined what we lost from LQs into the LCs. There are several levels of promos that I don’t think we’ve seen since the dressed up Deku, Ochaco, Bakugo, and Shoto promos we received a year ago. This time around, we’ll be receiving promos for Participation, Top 8, Top 4, Top 2, and the winner!

There’s several points I have to make about these promos. First off, I love the fact that ever round you play is going to matter. Getting to Top Cuts is going to matter. Even if you’re 0-2 in a 10-player event, winning those last rounds matter! Playing UVS over the past year felt like it catered to everyone at times when we craved competition and inserted competition when more novice players were scared to compete. The solution is something you’ll also read in my OP article coming soon. Give players several rungs to reach for. That top 8 promo looks insane! A lot of players at my store will for sure set that as a goal to reach. Others won’t be happy unless they Champ card. But everyone has their own goal. Their own dopamine hit. Their own sense of accomplishment. That’s going to keep players coming back to the table.

Now, the cards themselves. LQ/LC promos have generally been stronger cards, Tekken characters, Smashing Stomps, etc. So, it’s expected that the cards they choose are going to be desirable to all levels of players. Did they hit the mark? ABSOLUTELY! the participation promo Tarot Reading I think might be better than the Top Cut promo. Essentially a reprinted Destined for Mainstream Success with some nerfed stats, this is a pretty strong Foundation that’ll find it’s way into any list that finds a spot for it. The Top Cut promo Enchanted Weapon Attack is another banger. Able to build any Weapon asset in Standard, like Beckett’s Bat’leth or Thunder Spear, EWA has a high ceiling. The number of assets it can build are a bit limited right now with Grenadier Bracers rotating out of Standard as it becomes legal, but I’d expect HoE to bring it’s own battery of assets to bolster the lineup. And a 0-mid block?? Noice!

Lastly, the art. No. More than the art. The entire way the card is put together. Full art has been a problem for this game for a while. Moving the text box, shrinking the text box, translucent, changing the styling… they tried it all. The problem was always trying to keep the color of the card type on the card. Make the promos still seem like they were apart of the game. Well, here’s the thing… they’re promos! Let them be promos! And they seem to be adopting my opinion on the matter. You’ll notice there’s no grey box, or outline anywhere on this one. The only identifier you’ll find is the Foundation tag at the bottom. Seemingly a nod to the idea, if you’re playing in competitive play, we assume you know enough to know what this is. It gives the card the freedom to just look awesome!

Step 2 – Make Points Make Sense!

Last year, the point structure to get to Nats probably too easy. The point structure to Worlds was a slanted mess that favored a few players. This year? Well it’s hard to fix everything, but there’s certainly steps to take. Make the Regionals matter more than local events. We know driving bodies to locals is the lifeblood of this game. But 2024 showed, making your LGS the dragon at the gate of Nats isn’t the answer. LCs will fashion a reasonable point total, enough to reward players for a great finish, while not skewing the CP Leaderboard towards players with more LCs around them. I’ve seen the presentations on the CP and I’m pretty happy with where it sounds like it’s going to end up. I’ll be eager to get feedback when it’s finally announced.