Upper Deck Announces WoW TCG World Championship Details ($100,000 payout)

Upper Deck Entertainment has just announced two important upcoming events related to the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game:

• First, Upper Deck will host the first-ever World of Warcraft Trading Card Game World Championship Tournament in San Diego Nov. 30 to Dec. 2. The top player will receive the biggest tournament payout in TCG history – $100,000!
• To kick off the award-winning World of Warcraft TCG’s second year, Upper Deck is releasing the March of Legion expansion set this month. A nationwide March of the Legion Sneak Preview event will be held at participating retail stores across the country on Nov. 17th.

UPPER DECK ENTERTAINMENT BRINGS $100,000 WORLD OF WARCRAFT® TRADING CARD GAME ‘WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT’ TO SAN DIEGO

Top Player to Receive the Biggest Tournament Payout in Trading Card Game History of $100,000

CARLSBAD, CA – Upper Deck Entertainment (UDE) brings one of the biggest gaming events to San Diego this fall with the first-ever World of Warcraft® Trading Card Game (TCG) World Championship Tournament.  From Friday, November 30 through Sunday, December 2, top World of Warcraft TCG players from over 30 countries around the globe will gather at the San Diego Convention Center to battle it out for the coveted title of 2007 World of Warcraft TCG World Champion and for $100,000 – the biggest tournament payout in TCG history.

UDE will not only be awarding the top player of the competition a $100,000 check but will also be giving away an additional $160,000 in cash prizes to other top finishers.  Winners will receive the following payouts: $25,000 (2nd place); $10,000 each (3rd-4th place); $4,000 each (5th-8th place); $2,000 each (9th-16th place); and $1,000 each (17th-100th place).  Additionally, all participants will receive a limited “Thunderfury” Extended Art card.

“We are excited to bring an event this large of scale to the World of Warcraft TCG players around the world who have dedicated themselves to the game,” said Ben Drago, Organized Play Program Manager.  “We will be awarding over $260,000 in cash prizes, which makes this one of the largest TCG events ever.”

To provide the ultimate gaming experience for all World of Warcraft TCG fans, UDE will also bring the highly popular Darkmoon Faire to San Diego , complete with a variety of tournaments and activities for those players not participating in the World Championship event.  The Darkmoon Faire event will feature over 20 different tournaments throughout the weekend for players of all levels, ranging from beginner, intermediate and advanced-level tournaments, to sealed, drafted and constructed tournaments, with every type of TCG format represented.

With numerous tournaments held around the world, hundreds of World of Warcraft TCG National Championship participants earned a spot to play in the World Championship tournament by competing in various tournaments and events.  These various tournaments included Regional Tournaments (the Top 4 in each tournament received invites) and World of Warcraft TCG Dream Machine Championship Tournaments (the Top 8 finishers received invites).  Winners from these National Championship tournaments were then awarded a seat to represent their own country at the World Championship tournament.

Players who have achieved a UDE Honor Ranking of Level 6 or higher (by November 20) or who have achieved a limited UDE rating of 2700, or constructed rating of 2850 (by October 30), will also be qualified to participate in the World Championship tournament.  For players who have not qualified to play in the tournament (but have attained and Honor Ranking of at least a Level 4), UDE will host four “Honor Grind” events on Thursday, November 29, and award the top four players in each “Honor Grind” event a seat to participate in the World Championship tournament.

For more information on the upcoming World Championship tournament and activities, please log onto www.wowtcg.com.

Based on Blizzard Entertainment’s hit massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG), the TCG allows players to experience the action and adventure of World of Warcraft in a new format. Released last October, the TCG’s premiere set quickly became the hottest and most sought-after trading card game in the industry, prompting UDE to produce additional quantities to support the overwhelming demand.

World of Warcraft is the most popular MMORPG in the world, with more than 9 million subscribers playing the game in North America, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Europe, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. In World of Warcraft, players assume the roles of legendary heroes and interact with thousands of other players online as they explore, adventure, and quest across a vast realm. Whether journeying together or fighting against one another in epic battles, players form friendships, forge alliances, and compete against enemies for power and glory.

For more information on World of Warcraft TCG products and UDE Organized Play programs, log on to www.wowtcg.com or www.upperdeckstore.com.

About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Upper Deck Entertainment (UDE) is a division of Upper Deck and specializes in award-winning entertainment collectible trading cards and games such as the wildly popular Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME, and World of Warcraft ®, Marvel, DC, Avatar, and Pirates of the Caribbean TCGs.