With a new set comes a new Set Championship. Shimmering Skies makes a change that many had asked for, with eight promo cards instead of four. The new playmat and card feature Mirabel Madigral art by Hyuna Lee.

The Set Championships are semi-competitive local events held at stores that already run weekly Lorcana League events. These are full-day competitions that happen shortly after each set release, taking place over the span of just a few weeks.

They’re a step up in competition as exclusive cards and playmats can be won. The idea is to draw in players from surrounding areas and build the hype for the new set. You’ll often find this is where the meta of the set really starts to be formed.

The winner gets the newly shown Mirabel Madrigal – Family Gatherer – Set Championship Promo as well as an exclusive Mirabel playmat with CHAMPION text. Second place gets the promo card and an exclusive playmat without the text.

Previously only the top four players got the promo card, now the top eight players get a Mirabel! This is a change that was asked for by the community. Most events will have Swiss rounds to start, then the top players go into a “top cut” bracket where you must win to progress.

• Champion – Mirabel Madrigal – Family Gatherer – Set Championship Promo + Champion Playmat
• Runner-Up – Mirabel Madrigal – Family Gatherer – Set Championship Promo + Runner-up Playmat
• 3rd-8th Place – Mirabel Madrigal – Family Gatherer – Set Championship Promo

The top cut for 7-16 players is the top 4 players, but for 17+ players it is the top 8. That was the case for many events, which meant a lot of players would make the top cut after 5 or 6 rounds, only to lose their first match and go home with nothing.

Mirabel Madrigal – Family Gatherer – Set Championship Promo

For many, this felt a little unfair and was a bit of a heartbreaker (we felt this after getting knocked out in three top 8s!). This change means more of the card about and being sold on the secondary market but gives players a better chance to earn a reward after playing tough games all day.

What do you think of the change? Comment below!

It also means if a Set Championship has eight players, all eight get a card if they play a round. If under eight players: the event shouldn’t be run and the kit should be returned according to the kit instructions.

Another small change is that events with more than 65 players should have seven Swiss rounds. Previously 33 or more players would mean six Swiss rounds. The full details can be found on the resources page.

With Shimmering Skies just released at LGS on August 9th, and at larger stores on August 25th, the Championships are likely to follow in the next month or two. Dates stores can host haven’t been announced yet but we’ll update as soon as we know.

While the first Into the Inklands was limited to just two weekends, the last Ursula’s Return Set Championships were run over four weekends. That meant more stores could host them and more people could attend – we’re hoping the same for this set.