2025 OTS Championship FAQ
OTS Championships are competitive level events in which Duelists compete to earn invites to the World Championship Qualifier events (henceforth “WCQ”), along with exclusive prizes.
OTS Championships are held at Official Tournament Stores ("OTS").
Participants in OTS Championships are held to the highest standards of sportsmanship and are expected to be fully prepared for the event.
A list of dates and locations for currently scheduled OTS Championship events can be found online at http://yugioh-card.com (section “Events”). New dates will be added to the calendar on a regular basis.
You can also use the NEURON app to locate OTS Championships that are close to you via the events section.
OTS Championships are run as Advanced Constructed Format tournaments.
OTS Championships will be run using Swiss Format, which means all Duelists will play a set number of rounds determined by the number of Duelists enrolled in the tournament. Duelists are not eliminated during the event. You can find the number of rounds in the Official Trading Card Game Tournament Policy.
The Tournament Organiser may also announce that they will run a single-elimination playoff after those Swiss rounds, but qualifications and OTS Championships-specific prizes will always be given out based on standings after Swiss.
An announcement should be made at the start of the tournament to announce if the event will include a single-elimination playoff.
Due to health, safety and fire regulations, each OTS Championship will have a seating capacity. It is advised that you check with the Tournament Organiser if the event requires Duelists to register.
If you have any additional questions, please contact the Tournament Organiser directly using the email address available on the events section.
Tournament Organisers are recommended to sell 3 to 6 Yu‑Gi‑Oh! TCG Booster Packs for entry at these events. Please note that this may vary from event to event.
In addition to the recommended Booster Packs awarded for participation, the prize distribution is as follows:
• The winner of the OTS Championship receives an OTS Championship Game Mat
• TOP 2 Duelists each receive a WCQ: EU / OC Championship Invite for the desiginated WCQ event
• At the Tournament Organisers discretion, the above prizes may be supplemented with additional Yu‑Gi‑Oh! TCG product or accessories – for participation and placement prizes
Qualifications to the WCQ: EU / OC Championship are awarded after the final round of Swiss. Qualifications are fixed to the TOP 2 of the Event.
Duelists who earn a qualification will also be able to find their CARD GAME ID in the WCQ: EU / OC Championship invite list on Yu‑Gi‑Oh! EU official webpage after the completion of the event they qualified in.
A list of qualified Duelists can be found at http://www.yugioh-card.com/eu/. Navigate to the “Events” Section of the website and select the OTS Championship page.
Anyone can participate in an OTS Championship event, unless they are suspended from official Yu‑Gi‑Oh! Organised Play or are a tournament official associated with the OTS Championship. This includes, but is not limited to, the Judge, Staff, Scorekeeper, Registration Staff, and Tournament Organiser.
• Suspended persons are displayed on each Tournament Organisers KCGN Portal page. Persons that have been suspended before and are not aware of their suspension status must email eu-penaltysupport@konami.comto confirm if they are in good standing. Reinstatement to good standing does not happen automatically
• OTS Championships are open to players from who live outside the host organisers country (invites will not carry over outside the region)*
• OTS Championships are open to players who already hold an invitation to the World Championship Qualifiers
• Tournament Organisers retain the right to refuse entry to players who have engaged in criminal behaviour, such as theft or violent conduct
*If a Duelist competes in a European OTSC, their invite will not carry over to North America, for example.
Duelists can compete in any number of OTS Championships, regardless if they have already earned an invite.
OTS Championships are large tournaments and attract competitive Duelists who are attempting to earn World Championship Qualifier invites, OTS Championship prizes and challenge their Dueling skills.
There are a lot of things you should do to make sure you are prepared before heading to the tournament.
Read over the list of things you will need for the tournament, and make sure you have everything.
You’ll have a better time at the event if you don’t have too many bulky or heavy possessions to carry around, as it can get crowded there on the floor. Think ahead while you are planning what to bring with you.
When you get to the event, you will need to register in order to play. You will also need to have NEURON installed - this is a Smart Device App. Duelists will also need to use the CARD GAME ID as displayed within NEURON.
Duelists may link the NEURON phone app with their KONAMI ID. This will allow quick access to the Duelists KCGN ID. This also provides additional benefits, such as notifications of qualification status, and online reservation (where offered by the host OTS).
Please arrive at least 30 minutes before the OTS Championship is scheduled to start to ensure you will be properly registered for the tournament.
You will also need a Deck List. Please check the section in this FAQ for "how do I submit my Deck List?"
Duelists are responsible for paying attention to information from judges and/or tournament staff in order to understand what is going on. If Duelists have questions about the event either beforehand or while they are there, they should check with the Tournament Organiser.
Before heading to the event, all Duelists should read over the KDE Tournament Policy and Penalty Guidelines carefully.
These documents tell you what you can and cannot do at an event and give you a good idea of what to expect. You
may find these Guidelines, Constructed Deck List. Write the name of each card in full and write down how many copies you have in your Deck.
• Make sure your name and KCGN ID are on your Deck List
• Make sure your Deck List exactly matches your Deck
• Write legibly and do not use abbreviations for card names
Please check with the Tournament Organiser for additional instructions on the Deck List collection process.
You must bring a tournament-legal Deck as described above, along with any tournament supplies you will need, such as paper and pen to track Life Points, dice, Field Center Cards or counters if you are using cards which require them.
Extra sleeves to replace any that become damaged, and so forth might be necessary. You will also need a Smart Device with NEURON installed.
You’ll also need the entry fee for the tournament, as well as money for your incidentals (food, drink, Public Events, etc.). If you win a qualification to the WCQ: EU / OC Championship, the Tournament Organiser will require you to provide a form of legal identification, so bring a passport, school ID, driver’s license or similar.
If you’re interested in judging, you should contact the Tournament Organiser for the OTS Championship as soon as
possible. Most Tournament Organisers are always on the lookout for judge staff, so be prepared to provide your full name, contact information including email and phone number, and a description of your previous judging experience.
Judges are encouraged to take the Level 1 Rulings Comprehension test available at Judge Program. Following their successful completion of the test, they should follow the instructions at the above link and register as a judge with KDE.
Using the KCGN ID within NEURON is mandatory for entry into an OTSC. You will need this to have NEURON registered before the event.
Please check the page forCard Legality/a>. This is an up-to date resource to help you look at the legality dates of Yu‑Gi‑Oh! TRADING CARD GAME product releases, prior to preparing your Deck for the event.
In addition to checking the tournament legality of a product, please check the current Advanced Format Forbidden/Limited list. Certain cards in products with tournament-legal dates can sometimes be excluded from the current format.
No. Cards printed for Asian markets are not legal for play in TCG tournaments.
You can use foreign-language copies of legal-for-play cards printed for the TCG market, as long as you can show an official translation of the card, kept outside of your Deck, when asked to do so by an opponent or tournament official.
Duelists may also use NEURON to scan and translate cards and show them to their opponent.
Your best resource for answers about a specific OTS Championship event is the contact listed in the list of OTS Championship dates and locations, as posted on www.yugioh-card.com. KONAMI won’t be able to answer questions such as “How do I get to the venue?”, “Where should I park?”, “When does registration start?”, and so forth. For questions such as these, you will need to contact the Tournament Organiser directly.
If you have more general questions about OTS Championships, you can send them to eu-opsupport@konami.com
Please be as detailed as possible, so we can try to provide you with the answers you’re seeking!
Some OTS Championships may offer additional Public Events. Check with the Tournament Organiser to find out.
The number of Swiss rounds is determined by the number of Duelists enrolled in the tournament. Rounds in the Yu‑Gi‑Oh! TRADING CARD GAME are 45 minutes long. Since you can play all rounds in a Swiss tournament, you should expect to be at the event for several hours.
Duelists should familiarise themselves with the new End of Match procedures prior to attending any event.
Sometimes a Match will not be finished when the time ends for a round. If this happens, it is both Duelists' responsibility to note whose turn it is when time is called. Duelists who require assistance with the End of Match procedures should raise their hand and call for a judge. The judge should be notified that the Match is ongoing and whose turn it is. The judge may or may not stay to supervise the End of Match procedure, but should ensure that both Duelists understand the following procedures.
End of Match procedures should follow these three (3) rules:
Rule #1: If time is called while Duelists are in the middle of a Game, the current Game must have a decision (Win, Loss, or Draw)
Rule #2: Once the current Game has concluded with a decision, determine the winner of the Match by determining the number of Game Wins (or Game Losses) each Duelist has for the current Match. The Duelist with the most Game Wins will win the Match.
Swiss Rounds: If both Duelists have the same number of Game Wins, or if time was called in between games of a Match when both Duelists had the same number of Game Wins, then the Match is a Draw.
Single-Elimination Rounds: If both Duelists have the same number of Game Wins, or if time is called in between Games of a Match while both Duelists have the same number of Game Wins, they will begin a new Duel with specific guidelines.
Neither Duelist may use his or her Side Deck. If time was called in between Games of a Match and at least one Duelist has already accessed his or her Side Deck, then both Duelists may use their Side Deck.
Duelists must use a random method (die roll, coin flip, etc.) to determine who will go first.
The Duel will continue for a total of four (4) turns, two (2) turns for each Duelist, unless a Duelist manages to win the Duel before the four (4) turns have concluded.
A "turn" is defined as the start of the Draw Phase until the end of the End Phase for a single Duelist.
Once the four (4) turns are completed, Life Point totals are compared and the Duelist with the highest Life Point total wins the Match.
If both Duelists' Life Points are the same after the four (4) turns are completed, then play will continue on a turn-by-turn basis, with the Duelist with the most Life Points at the end of a turn being declared the winner of that Game.
Rule #3: If a win condition occurs during End of Match Procedures, that Duelist wins the current Game.
Keeping these three (3) rules in mind, please follow these instructions when proceeding to End of Match procedures:
?Continue with the current Phase of the Game. Once the Phase is over, stop the game.
?Determine a Game Winner at this point, with the Duelist with the most Life Points winning the Game.
?During Swiss Rounds, if both Duelists' Life Points are the same, the Game is a Draw. Compare Game Wins with the Duelist with the most Game Wins winning the Match. If the Game Win totals are the same, the Match is a Draw.
?During Single-Elimination, if both Duelists' Life Points are the same at the end of the current Phase (Step 1 above), finish the current turn. If both Duelists' Life Points are the same at the end of the turn, then play will continue on a turn-by-turn basis, with the Duelist with the most Life Points at the end of a turn being declared the winner of that Game.
Match Draws cannot occur during Single-Elimination Rounds.
Duelists must check with the Tournament Organiser what is their policy regarding buying or selling cards in their venues.
If you attended one of our OTS Championships and would like to send us feedback, you are welcome to send us an e-mail to eu-opsupport@konami.com.
A list of Duelists who have earned qualifications to the WCQ: EU / OC Championship will be posted online. A list of qualified Duelists can be found in the WCQ section located here.
• Duelists will NOT receive an invite or certificate via email
• Duelists will NOT be required to present any kind of physical invite in order to enter the WCQ: EU / OC Championship
• Duelists First Name, Last Initial, CARD GAME ID and Qualification Tournament will be added to the list of qualified players, and that is proof that they qualified.
If you have a question about your qualification status, you can email eu-opsupport@konami.com and enquire. Please provide your full name, CARD GAME ID number, and participated event date and location at which you qualified, along with your question, so we can answer you quickly and efficiently.
Please remember that qualification status information isn’t automatically or instantly updated, so you should allow approximately 2-8 weeks after the conclusion of your event for results to be posted from your tournament. Please first check with the Tournament Organiser that they
Invites earned in previous seasons will not carry over to future Seasons.
Yes, OTS Championships award World Qualifying Points
You can check how many points you have by checking the World Qualifying Points page. When available, it will be located in the World Championship Qualifiers webpage.
Qualifications will not pass down for the WCQ events in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Oceania for the current season.
The WCQ Dragon Duel events for Europe and Oceania were replaced with the Dragon Duel Championship. These are open-entry events to eligible players.
Duelists who earn an invite to the WCQ: EU or OC, and are eligible to compete int he Dragon Duel Championship, may only choose to play in one of those events. A Duelist may not compete in both the WCQ: EU/OC event, and the Dragon Duel Championship.
Travel and/or accommodation are not included with qualifications earned at a OTS Championship – the expenses incurred in attending a WCQ: EU / OC Championship tournament will be the responsibility of the Duelist.
You can earn a WCQ invite through OTS Championships in any country. No matter where you qualify, you will always qualify towards the EU / OC Championship of your home country. For example, if a Duelist from Mexico qualifies in Italy, they will still qualify to play in the Central American World Championship Qualifier.
Yes.
Example:
Duelists who earn an invite in Oceania will only holds a qualification for Oceania, it will not qualify that Duelist for any other region.
Europe, Middle East, Africa = Europe
Oceania = Oceania
For regions in the Americas, please see the Americas FAQ for information on their region:
https://www.yugioh-card.com/en/events/otschampionship/otschamp_faq/
OTSC are Tier 2 tournaments, meaining "Competitive" level.
For more information, see our Tournament Policy, available on the following page:
Policy Documents Webpage