Top cut and prizes
After the Swiss rounds, the best players move on to a single-elimination top cut, always best-of-three. According to Victory Road, in the 2027 season that cut has at most 16 players. Regionals award prize money; Special Championships don't.
| Placing | Masters | Juniors and Seniors |
|---|---|---|
| Champion | 6.000 $ | 1.000 $ |
| Finalist | 4.000 $ | 750 $ |
| Semifinals | 2.000 $ | 500 $ |
| 5th to 8th | 1.000 $ | — |
| 9th to 16th | 750 $ | — |
The Championship Points for each placement
Points are the same in every division and at both Regionals and Special Championships. They go a long way down: at a big Regional, finishing in the top 512 already earns 45 points. On top of that, only your five best finishes across Regionals, Specials and Internationals count, and that route caps out at 1,750 points. Each event also gives 3 Play! Points and a promo card.
| Placing | Championship Points |
|---|---|
| Champion | 350 |
| Finalist | 325 |
| Semifinals | 300 |
| 5th to 8th | 280 |
| 9th to 16th | 200 |
| 17th to 32nd | 160 |
| 33rd to 64th | 120 |
| 65th to 128th | 80 |
| 129th to 256th | 60 |
| 257th to 512th | 45 |
| 513th to 1,024th | 22 |
How to get to Worlds from Europe
There are two routes. The direct one: the champion of each division at a Regional or Special Championship earns the invite on the spot, regardless of points; if they already had one, it doesn't pass down to the runner-up. And the points route: at the end of the season, each zone invites its top players on the Championship Points leaderboard. Direct invites don't use up the zone's spots.
In Europe, the top 90 Masters and the top 40 Seniors and Juniors qualify. The best in the zone also get help with travel: in Masters, the top 16 in Europe receive a Travel Award and 17th to 22nd a $1,000 Travel Stipend, according to Victory Road. The 2027 World Championships take place from August 13 to 15 in Tampines, Singapore, the first ever in an Asia-Pacific country.
What to expect from your first Regional
This is our take. At a first Regional, the sensible goal isn't Worlds but learning the rhythm of a two-day tournament and earning your first points: going by the table above, a solid Swiss run already scores. A points invite is built across several events, because your five best count.
That wraps up the series: requirements, registration, team and list, tournament day and points. To get ready, our weekly report sums up what's being played and what's winning in Reg M-C tournaments.
