National Championship Tournament Structure (96 players)

OVERVIEW

Format: Classic Constructed and Booster Draft
Rules Enforcement Level (REL): Competitive
Eligibility: Qualified players only
Entry Fee: None
Player Cap: 96

PRIZES

TOURNAMENT STRUCTURE

SWISS ROUNDS

Swiss rounds are best-of-one.

• Classic Constructed Swiss rounds are 50 + 5 minutes in duration (50 + 5 means there are 5 minutes allocated for the start of game procedure. Players must have presented their deck and revealed their equipment and weapons within this 5-minute window. If both players complete the start of game procedure in less than 5 minutes, they may begin playing their match immediately.)
  
• Booster Draft Swiss rounds are 30 + 5 minutes in duration.

TOP 8

• Top 8 playoffs are single elimination, best-of-one matches.
• Top 8 matches have no time limit. Players are expected to play at a reasonable pace and Slow Play penalties will be enforced.
• For each Top 8 match, the player that finished higher in the Swiss portion of the event chooses to play first or second.

DECKS

• Decks must be legal as defined by the Card Legality Policy.
• Deck registration must be done using full card names only and be clearly legible.
• The official Classic Constructed Deck Registration Sheet is available here.
• Players may not change their registered deck during the tournament.
• Deck checks will be conducted by event staff throughout the tournament.
• It is the responsibility of each player to ensure there are no distinguishing marks or patterns on their cards or card sleeves for the duration of the tournament.

ELIGIBILITY

Players can only participate in one National Championship per year, and only in the country registered on their player profile.

All players need to pre-register for the event. Players can qualify for Nationals in the following ways:

• Obtaining an invitation to the National Championship through a Road to Nationals 2025 in-store event. Road to Nationals invites do not pass down and can not be given to another player. If a player has already qualified, the invite ceases to exist. However, this will create an additional spot for ELO qualification.
  
• Ratings-based invitations will be issued based on standings as of March 25, 2025 at 11:59 pm PST, following the end of the 2025 Road to Nationals season.
  • Elo (Overall)
  • To qualify for a Ratings-based invite, a player must have competed in at least 5 Elo-rated matches in the previous 90 Days (From December 25, 2024 to March 25, 2025).
  • Ratings-based invites do not pass down and are valid only for Nationals 2025.
    
• Redeeming a PTI (Professional Tournament Invitation) obtained from a previous event, such as a Battle Hardened or Calling.
  • Redeeming a PTI - PTIs can be redeemed by emailing protour@fabtcg.com with your name and GEM player ID. The player redeeming their PTI must send this email from the same email address registered to their GEM player account. PTI redemptions can be submitted up until Tuesday May 27, 2025 at 11:59 pm PDT. If the player does not attend the event, their PTI will still be deemed to have been used.
  • Gifting a PTI - A player may also gift a PTI to another player by emailing protour@fabtcg.com with your name and GEM player ID number, and the name and GEM ID number of the recipient. The player gifting the PTI must send this email from the same email address registered to their GEM player account. PTI gifting requests can be submitted up until Tuesday May 27, 2025 at 11:59 pm PDT. Please note that a gifted PTI must be used by the recipient to play at the National Championship. If the recipient does NOT attend the event, the PTI will cease to exist.
    
• 2024 National Champions
  • 2024 National Champions are invited to defend their title! They will be granted free entry to the main event. If a 2024 National Champion also qualifies through Road to Nationals, the invitation do not pass down and can not be given to another player. Instead, it will create an additional spot for Ratings-based invitations.

Living Legend

National Championships play a significant role in the accumulation of Living Legend points. For more information, refer to the Living Legend page.