Hearthpwn

An Important Update on the 2018 Hearthstone Championship Tour Stops

Blizzard provided an update this evening on the Hearthstone Championship Tour to respond to recent feedback they have received about their Tour Stops.

• Information on Tour Stops will be posted on the @HSEsports Twitter account until they have a schedule on their site.
• We will see a total of 24 tour stops this year.
• Tour stops going forward will be announced at least six weeks before they are scheduled to take place.
• Registration times are to be shared four days before they begin.
• Registrants must provide proof of travel if they want to attend.
• All tour stops will require deck lists to be published. They're working on getting platforms on board to make the process better.
• They'll try to give players as much time as possible with regards to patches and deck list submission times.

Quote from Jesse Hill

Greetings everyone!

We are now through our first few Tour Stops of the year, and wanted to take a moment to provide some updates regarding Tour Stops in 2018.

Tour Stop Awareness

Many players have reached out with questions regarding Tour Stops. We will be providing information via our announcement posts and the @HSesports Twitteraccount until a comprehensive schedule is available on our website. This year there will be 24 Tour Stops — eight each in the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe.

Tour Stop Announcements and Schedule

We recognize that planning travel to attend a Tour Stop is complex, and that it’s difficult for teams to decide whether they will send a player to an event. Going forward, Tour Stops will be announced at least six weeks before they are scheduled to take place. Registration start times also will be shared four days before registration begins. An overview of Season 2’s Tour Stops are now available here, and the schedule will be updated with specific dates as they are announced.

Tour Stop Signups

Tour Stop signups are capped at attendance numbers each venue can support, so that venues can be optimized for competition and that tournaments don't run unreasonably long.

Tour Stop signups open at a time appropriate for their region, and are received on a first-come, first-served basis. Grand Prix Tour Stops have regional player allocations—just like online-to-offline Tour Stops—to ensure all players have an opportunity to register. 

Signup Verification

To ensure those who register for a Tour Stop will attend, we require all registrants to provide proof of travel; or, if the Tour Stop is attached to a larger event, proof of event ticket purchase. After registering, organizers may allow registrants up to 10 days to provide appropriate documentation. Registrants who do not provide documentation by the organizer’s deadline will forfeit their registration to the next player on the waiting list. This verification process is designed to eliminate uncertainty, while allowing for players to register for the event before making travel arrangements. 

Open Deck Lists

Moving forward, all Tour Stops will require published deck lists. We are working with various tournament platforms to improve the functionality of deck submissions, deck editing prior to a tournament, and the display of submitted decks during a tournament.

Patch Timing

We strive to provide as much notice as possible regarding game updates, though occasionally we cannot communicate this as early as we would like. We always intend to schedule deck list submission deadlines with as much lead time as possible. We will be working closely with the game team to minimize impact to the tournament ecosystem due to patches.
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Thank you for your valuable feedback on the 2018 Hearthstone Championship Tour system. We look forward to seeing you at tournaments around the world!