The Sealed Masters Circuit is returning for a second year! This year we have 8 brand new sealed leagues that will test the gameplay and analytical skills of our competitors. We will also be changing the format of the Sealed Masters Final Tournament to include only 8 players instead of the 12 from last year. More details on the format of the Sealed Masters Final Tournament below. We look forward to seeing if the title of Sealed Master will stay with daisukeman or be passed on to another masterfully skilled sealed player.
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WHAT IS IT AND HOW DO I QUALIFY?
Each month from March-October, we will run a brand new custom Sealed Gala league that no one has played before. The winner of each Sealed Gala from March-October will qualify for the Sealed Masters Final Tournament in November. For those who are not yet familiar with the Sealed Gala events, these are monthly sealed leagues on Gemp where players have 20 days to complete 10 games.
If we have a repeat winner in an event, the next highest finisher who has not already qualified will qualify for the Final Tournament. Once the 8 competitors have qualified for the Final Tournament, we will create a list of backup players who will participate in the Final Tournament if one (or more) of the qualified players is unable to attend the event. The backup list will be created based on a point system related to the results of the previous events. Players will accumulate Backup Points based on high finishes in the qualifying leagues. The point system is as follows:
2nd Place Finish: 3 backup points
3rd Place Finish: 2 backup points
4th Place Finish: 1 backup point
On Saturday, November 21, we will run the Sealed Masters Final Tournament. This will be a live double-elimination tournament with the 8 qualifying competitors. The format for the final will be one of the 8 previously run formats during qualifying. The exact format chosen will be announced approximately 1 week prior to the event.
ABOUT THE 8 CUSTOM SEALED LEAGUES:
The 8 new leagues for the Sealed Masters Circuit each have their own theme and attempt to use a large number of LotR TCG cards that are generally underused or rarely/never see gameplay. While I won’t share the full details of each event quite yet, I will give the name of each event, a short general description of what they will be, and the names of the 4 decks that players will be able to choose from. Please note that the order of these leagues has not yet been decided.
Romance Sealed: This league focuses on the theme of love in The Lord of the Rings. Players will open an array of booster packs to pair with one of 4 custom sealed decks. Each deck is based around an iconic couple on the free peoples side. On the shadow side, the strategies involve both wounding and burden synergies that should make opening bids more interesting. Players will use sites from either Fellowship, Towers, or King Block. The 4 decks are:
- Arwen-Aragorn
- Eowyn-Faramir
- Celeborn-Galadriel
- Sam-Rosie (with a Tom Bombadil - Goldberry subtheme)
Bromance Sealed: Similar to the previous league, players will open booster packs to pair with one of 4 custom sealed decks. Each deck is based around two iconic male characters with a very close bond. The shadow sides explore the concept of lurking and threats that lie in wait. Players will use expanded sites. The 4 decks are:
Forbidden Love Sealed: Players will open a variety of booster packs to pair with one of 4 custom sealed decks. Each deck is based around a taboo or one-sided love interest either on the free peoples side or the shadow side. There is a sub-theme in this league that revolves around possessions, how they are played, used, and discarded (and the love some characters will never possess). Players will use Towers Block sites. The 4 decks are:
True Love Sealed: This league takes a more whimsical approach to the theme of love. Players will open six boosters to pair with one of 4 custom sealed decks. The ‘true love’ connection, if you can really call it that, dictates both the free peoples and shadow side for each deck. I attempted to put as much imagery into the decks to support the comical themes. Players will use expanded sites. The 4 decks are:
- Sam-Oliphants
- Shagrat-Shiny Things
- Smeagol-Fish in Forbidden Pool
- Warg-Gimli
Lineage Sealed: There are many strong bloodlines in The Lord of the Rings and now players will be able to choose one of them to fight their opponents. Players will open 6 boosters and choose one of 4 custom sealed decks. The free peoples side for each of these decks consists entirely of companions who share a distinct lineage. The shadow sides use a number of cards that rarely see play and should spice things up in this restricted format. Players will use sites from either Fellowship, Towers, or King Block. The 4 decks are:
- House of Eorl
- House of Hurin
- House of Telcontar
- Line of the Half-Elves
Knighted Sealed: There are a number of actors in The Lord of the Rings who have received knighthood. Of those actors who are featured in the TCG, we have Sir Peter Jackson (Albert Dreary, Rohirrim Warrior, Castamir of Umbar, and Castamir again), Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Sir Ian Holm (Bilbo), Sir Christopher Lee (Saruman), and Sir Billy Connolly (Dain in The Hobbit films). Each of the 4 decks in this league use knighted characters on both the free peoples side and the shadow side. The 4 decks are:
- Dain Ironfoot-Castamir
- Gandalf-Albert Dreary-Saruman
- Gandalf-Bilbo-Saruman
- Rohirrim Warrior-Castamir-Saruman
Battle for Site Control Sealed: What happens when everyone is trying to control sites and liberate their opponents sites throughout the entirely of the match? My hope is chaos! This league focuses on the 4 free peoples cultures that can liberate sites and 4 of the main shadow sides that can control them. Throw in a small amount of boosters for some variance and we should have a true battle for middle earth. I attempted to pair free peoples cultures with the sides that they liberated in The Lord of the Rings (or at least as much as possible). Players will use sites from either Fellowship, Towers, or King Block. The 4 decks are:
- Rohan-Dunland
- Gondor-Raider
- Ents-Isengard
- Elves-Besiegers
Move Limit Sealed: Generally in sealed, we don’t see a lot of triple moving (or quadruple moving). This league should put general movement patterns to the test. In this league, each fellowship side has the ability to increase the move limit, while the shadow sides have the ability to decrease the move limit (or increase it and force the fellowship to continue their sprint to site 9). Don’t cycle your shadow cards too much! Even if you’re at site 8 and your opponent is back at site 5, they may still be able to win the race to 9. Players will use sites from either Fellowship, Towers, or King Block. The 4 decks are:
PRIZES:
Mailing prizes last year turned out to be much more difficult than expected, so this year, we are moving to a gift card prize. The winner of the league will receive a $50/€50 gift card to either Category One Games or Card Game Geek.
If you would like to donate a prize to the event to add to the prize pool, please email the Player’s Council: playerscouncil@lotrtcgpc.net.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The 8 new formats should present a wide variety of challenges and unique game-play. There will be new problems to solve and new strategies to decipher. In some leagues, it will be beneficial to bid high and go first, while in other leagues burdens will be a shrinking resource and you may want to bid low. In some of the leagues, the fellowships will be stronger than the shadow sides, and in others, shadow kills will be more common than fellowship victories.
Since I designed each of these leagues, I will be ineligible to qualify for the Final Tournament; however, I will be playing in the events because I put a lot of time into creating these leagues and I’m excited for them!
In order to qualify for, and ultimately win, the Sealed Masters Final Tournament, you will need to accurately analyse the new formats. Which custom deck is the strongest? Should I let my pull dictate my deck choice or simply choose the deck that I think is best? Which strategy should I employ? What cards in my pool should I use to make the best deck possible? Every small advantage will make a difference. You will need good deck-building, strong format analysis, clean game-play, and a little bit of luck to take home the title. Are you up for the challenge?
Looking forward to seeing you all on Gemp!
Sincerely,
Nelson (bign19) and the Player’s Council
