2008 United States National Championship



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    The Magic: the Gathering 2008 US National Championship will be held on August 1-3 at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. Last-chance qualifier grinders will take place July 31. The full Publc Events schedule can be viewed here.

    Tournament Location

    McCormick Place
    Grand Ballroom, Room S100
    2301 S King Dr
    Chicago, IL 60616-2452
    312-791-7000
    Website
    Parking Information

    Hotel Information

    The Hyatt Regency McCormick Place has a special room rate for players:

  • Single Occupancy: $149
  • Double Occupancy $149
  • Triple Occupancy $159
  • Quad Occupancy $169

    • Room rates are quoted exclusive of applicable state and local taxes (which are currently 15.4%) or applicable service, or hotel specific fees in effect at the Hotel at the time of the meeting.

    In order to secure this rate, players must call the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place Reservation Department at +1-800-233-1234. You can also visit the Hyatt Regency web site here.

    Players must indicate that they are attending “Magic Weekend” or “US Nationals.”

    CHICAGO-AREA STORES
    Looking for Magic: The Gathering cards in the Chicago area? Click here to visit our Store Locator.

    Registration Information

    U.S. Nationals registration will occur from 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM on Thursday, July 31, 2008 at:

    McCormick Place
    Grand Ballroom, Room S100
    2301 S King Dr
    Chicago, IL 60616-2452

    Players must have a signed waiver and consent form to compete at U.S. Nationals. Forms can be downloaded at www.wizards.com/protour and will be available onsite.

    Minors must have a parent or guardian's signature on these forms. Minor's will not be able to register or play unless we receive a waiver signed by a parent or guardian. No exceptions!

    Bring these forms with you to registration. We will make forms available for competitors at registration, if necessary.
    To register, all participants must present one of the following forms of identification:

    • a driver's license, or
    • a passport, or
    • a copy of a birth certificate and photo IDs (school IDs are acceptable).

    We encourage players to attend registration on Thursday. However we understand that delays might cause players to miss this and we will have late registration on Friday morning between 8:00 and 8:45 AM.

    Players not registered by 8:45 AM on August 1 may be denied entry to U.S. Nationals.

    If you anticipate any difficulty registering during the official registration hours, please contact Scott Larabee at +1 (206) 793-3534 or scott.larabee@wizards.com.

    Tournament Format

    All Universal Tournament Rules and Magic: the Gathering Floor Rules are in effect for this event unless specifically overruled by information in this Format Document

    Format

  • Standard and Booster Draft
  • 2 Shadowmoor™ booster packs and 1 Eventide™ booster pack will be used for drafting
  • Deck lists are required
  • Check www.thedci.com for Standard and Booster Draft format rules

    • Tournament Length

  • Day 1 will consist of 3 rounds of Standard followed by 4 rounds of Booster Draft
  • Day 2 will consist of 3 rounds of Booster Draft followed by 4 rounds of Standard
  • 14 Swiss Rounds total, 60 minutes per round
  • Top 8 will be Standard
  • Top 8 single-elimination finals have no time limit; however, players are expected to play at a reasonable pace and finish their matches within 90 minutes.

    • Advancement

  • All players may participate in all Swiss rounds
  • After round 14 the top 8 players advance to Sunday's top 8 single-elimination finals

    • Top 8

  • Standard format
  • Top 8 matches will be best 3 of 5

    • Invitations

  • The Top 4 players receive invitations to the 2008 World Championships.

    • Notes

  • 40K, REL Professional
  • Players are required to use the same Standard deck for day 1, day 2, and Top 8.
  • All Universal Tournament Rules and Magic: the Gathering Floor Rules are in effect for this event unless specifically overruled by information in this Format Document
  • Players are responsible for knowing all DCI rules and high-level tournament rules
  • Players must bring pen, paper, card sleeves and appropriate counters

    • Friday Schedule
    8:45 AM    Seating for player meeting posted
    9:00 AM    Mandatory Player meeting begins.
    9:15 AM    3 rounds of Standard, followed by 4 rounds of Booster Draft

    Saturday Schedule
    8:45 AM    Seating for player meeting posted
    9:00 AM    Mandatory Player meeting begins
    9:15 AM    Second Booster Draft begins. 3 rounds will be played, followed by 4 rounds of Standard

    Sunday Schedule
    9:30 AM    Top 8 players check in at feature match area
    10:00 AM    Quarterfinal matches begin

    Prizes

    Place Prize Pro Points Place Prize Pro Points
    1 $5,000 10 11 $350 2
    2 $3,000 8 12 $350 2
    3 $2,000 6 13 $350 1
    4 $2,000 6 14 $350 1
    5 $1,000 4 15 $350 1
    6 $1,000 4 16 $250 1
    7 $1,000 4 17 $250  
    8 $1,000 4 18 $250  
    9 $500 2 19 $250  
    10 $500 2 20 $250  
          Total $20,000  

    Site Attractions

    ARTISTS ON SITE

    U.S. Nationals will feature an appearance by Aleksi Briclot and Dave Kendall. Click here to read more about these artists and see their signing schedules.

    PUBLIC EVENTS

    Come one, come all to participate in four days of events open to the public. Starting Thursday with the U.S. National Open Tournaments (Grinders), there are tournaments, drafts, and drawings all weekend. There are events for every type of Magic player – Pro Tour-Berlin Qualifier, Vintage Championships, Draft Challenge, Two-Headed Giant, and Juniors only events! Magic Weekend also features Super Friday Night Magic and an unsanctioned 64-person Multiplayer free-for-all!