KeyForge Organized Play
KeyForge Organized Play is the official KeyForge tournament program by Fantasy Flight Games.
Formats and variants
There are two formats in KeyForge Organized Play: Archon and Sealed. In Archon tournaments, players bring their own deck, while in Sealed players receive a new deck at the tournament and open it only at the start of the event. The standard way to play both of these formats is Solo, where each player uses a single deck throughout the tournament.
Both Archon and Sealed tournaments can also be run with any of the following variants: Adaptive, Auction, Reversal, Survival and Triad. Additionally, matches are played as one-game matches or best-of-three matches.
Æmbershards
Æmbershards are digital rewards earned by players registering decks in the Master Vault, as well as by playing in all Organized Play events, from store-level tournaments to Vault Tours. Æmbershards can then be redeemed for physical prizes at events with a Prize Wall(currently, only at Vault Tours).
Power levels
KeyForge decks earn Power levels by successfully competing in Organized Play events. Power level 8, awarded to Vault Tour winners, is currently the highest awarded level. Power levels are permanent and once earned, decks cannot lose them by performing poorly.
Store-level events
Chainbound tournaments
Chainbound events are weekly tournaments where players can earn Power levels and chains for their decks. Each Chainbound tournament is run as a three or four round Swiss-style tournament. Eachplayer also receives one Æmbershard for participation and one Æmbershard for each win.
| 4-8 players
(3 rounds) |
9+ players
(4 rounds) |
Power levels |
|---|---|---|
| 1 or 0 wins = subtract 1 Chain |
1 or 0 wins = subtract 1 Chain |
1-6 Chains = Power Level 1 |
| 2 wins = add 2 Chains |
2 wins = no change |
7-12 Chains = Power Level 2 |
| 3 wins = add 3 Chains |
3 wins = add 3 Chains |
13-18 Chains = Power Level 3 |
| 4 wins = add 4 Chains | 19-24 Chains = Power Level 4 |
Chains can be gained or lost after each tournament, but Power levels are never lost. Only decks with Power level 3 or lower can enter Chainbound events. This is currently the only type of KeyForge event with a Power level restriction.
Store Leaderboards
Launched in November 2019, monthly Store Leaderboards track Æmbershards earned by players in weekly Chainbound and Sealed events. A store can run one of each of these events every week. At the end of the month, the Top 4 players receive an alternate art card deck.
Store Championships
Each store can run up to two Store Championships every year, in one of the following formats:Archon Solo, Archon Reversal, Sealed Solo, and Sealed 2 Deck Survival. Apart from physical prizes for participants and top finishers, participation is also rewarded with 5 Æmbershards, each win another Æmbershard, while the winner receives 40 additional Æmbershards.The winner's deck will gain Power level 3, the finalist's Power level 2, while the remaining Top 8 decks will gain Power level 1.
Prime Championships
Formerly known as Regional Championships, these events are a tier above Store Championships and offer better prizes. The winner of each Prime Championship receives an invitation to the KeyForge World Championship (in case the winner already has an invitation, the invitation is passed down to the finalist). Available formats and variants for Prime Championships areArchon Solo, Archon Adaptive, Sealed Solo, and Sealed Triad.
Participation is rewarded with 10 Æmbershards, each win with an additional 5, while the winner gets a bonus of 75 Æmbershards. The decks of both finalists are rewarded with Power level 4, while the remaining Top 8 decks get Power level 2.
Grand Championships
Formerly known as National Championships, Grand Championships are high-level tournaments that take place only once a year per nation or territory. As the tier above Prime Championships, these events offer increased prizes, as well as invitations to the KeyForge World Championship for the Top 4 players.
Grand Championships can be run in one of the following formats: Archon Triad, Archon Survival, Sealed Adaptive, Sealed Triad.
KeyForge World Championship
The first KeyForge World Championship will take place in May 2020 in Minnesota, USA and will be an invite-only event. Players can secure invitations by winning a Prime Championship, by placing in the Top 4 at a Grand Championships, by placing in the Top 100 on the Vault Tour Leaderboard, as well as competing in a Last Chance Qualifier immediately before the World Championship.
The 2020 World Championship will be a team event with each team consisting of three players and only one of them needing an invitation. The exact format has not yet been announced.
Vault Tour
Main article: Vault Tour
The Vault Tour is a series of high-level events open to all players and all decks.The main events are always two day tournaments: a Day 1 consisting of multiple Swiss rounds, with the best players progressing to a Day 2 single elimination top cut. Formats used for Vault Tours are Archon Solo, Archon Survival, Archon Triad and Sealed Solo. In Sealed Solo, players open three current set decks and choose one to play in the event.
Æmbershards and power levels are awarded to all participating players and decks. Æmbershards from all Vault Tours count towards the Vault Tour Leaderboard. Invites to the 2020 KeyForge World Championship event will be awarded to the Top 100 players on the Vault Tour Leaderboard. Each Vault Tour also features a Prize Wall where players can redeem Æmbershards for unique prizes.
VaultWarrior series
| Prizes | VaultWarrior
Qualifiers |
VaultWarrior
Championship |
|---|---|---|
| Top 32 | 75$ | 750$ |
| Top 16 | 200$ | 2,000$ |
| Top 8 | 500$ | 5,000$ |
| Top 4 | 750$ | 7,500$ |
| Finalist | 1,200$ | 12,000$ |
| Champion | 2,500$ | 25,000$ |
VaultWarrior is an upcoming series of high-level KeyForge tournaments focusing on the current set and offering cash prizes. All VaultWarrior events will be Archon.
VaultWarrior Tryouts
These are local events, run by stores or tournament organizers, where players can win a free seat at an upcoming VaultWarrior Qualifier event, as well as unique physical prizes. All events will be current set Archon, using the Adaptive, Triad or Solo Best of 3 variant.
VaultWarrior Qualifiers
Starting in March 2020, ten VaultWarrior Qualifier three-day events will be held across the world throughout the year, each offering a $10,000 prize pool. These events are open to all players who either earn a free seat through Tryouts or pay the entry fee. The Top 32 players from each of these VaultWarrior Qualifiers will earn cash prizes, as well as invitations to the VaultWarrior Championship. For these events, players will need to bring decks from the most recent three sets.
Day 1 will be played using the Adaptive, Triad or Solo Best of 3 variant and a deck from the currentset. On Day 2, players will bring one deck from each of the two previous sets, using "2 Deck Elimination," a new sub-variant where each player chooses one (of two) decks from their opponent to play against; the other deck is eliminated from that round. The match is then played using the Adaptive, Solo Best of 3, or Reversal variant. Players who have the highest combined score from Day 1 and Day 2 will go on to compete on Day 3, choosing a deck to use from Day 1 or Day 2.
VaultWarrior Championship
The VaultWarrior Championship is an invite-only multi-day event held in Miami, FL with a $100,000 prize pool. The format is current set Archon Adaptive and the Top 32 players receive cash prizes. Last Chance Qualifier events (Archon Adaptive) will be held in the days leading up to the VaultWarrior Championship, as well as a Vault Tour (Sealed Solo) running alongside the main event. Two Last Chance Qualifiers will be held each day, each having five rounds and all players winning four rounds or more earning a seat at the VaultWarrior Championship.