UPPER DECK ENTERTAINMENT CROWNS THE FIRST-EVER
WORLD OF WARCRAFT® TRADING CARD GAME WORLD CHAMPION
CARLSBAD, CA (December 21, 2007)—After three days of fierce World of Warcraft® Trading Card Game (TCG) competition, Upper Deck Entertainment (UDE) is pleased to have crowned the first-ever World of Warcraft TCG World Champion, 26-year-old Guillaume Matignon of France. Matignon beat over 400 of the world’s best World of Warcraft TCG combatants to claim a grand prize of $100,000—the biggest tournament payout in TCG history—and the World Championship title. Guillaume finished 6-3 after the first day’s challenge and went 6-0 on Day Two, securing his place in the Top Eight, as the final player to advance to Day Three.
Runners-up for the TCG championship include 30-year-old Eric Prieur from Montreal who received $25,000 for second place, and 28-year-old Brad Watson and 25-year-old Matt Loomis, both from Chicago’s Team Camp Cheatyface, who each received $10,000 for third and fourth place, respectively. Additional prizes were given to 5th-8th place winners ($4,000 each), 9th-16th place winners ($2,000 each), 17th-32nd place winners ($1,500 each), 33rd-48th place winners ($1,250 each) and 49th-100th place winners ($1,000 each). All participants received the limited “Thunderfury” Extended Art card.
UDE also hosted the first-ever Ladies Championship Tournament, in which Jacqueline Spreadbury, of Chicago’s Team Cheatyface, battled 13 other women and won the Ladies’ World of Warcraft TCG Championship title, taking home the new Apple MacBook Pearl with a 13” monitor.
The World of Warcraft TCG World Championship was held at the San Diego Convention Center and began Friday, November 30, ending with an award ceremony on Sunday, December 2.
Since the TCG’s launch in October 2006, players competed in numerous tournaments held around the world to qualify to play in the 2007 World of Warcraft National Championship Tournament held in their country this past summer. These tournaments included Regional Tournaments (the top four in each tournament received invites to the National Championship Tournament in their country) and Dream Machine Championship Tournaments (the top eight finishers received invites to the National Championship Tournament in their country). Winners from these National Championship Tournaments were then awarded a seat to represent their respective country at the World Championship Tournament event.
Players also qualified to play in the World Championship Tournament using “Honor Points” or “Rating Points” earned by playing in UDE-sanctioned tournaments.
For more information on upcoming tournaments and World of Warcraft TCG product information, please log onto https://www.wowtcg.com or https://www.upperdeckstore.com.
Based on Blizzard Entertainment®’s hit MMORPG, the World of Warcraft TCG allows players to experience the action and adventure of World of Warcraft in a new format. Released last year, the TCG’s premiere set quickly became the hottest and most-sought-after TCG 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.
