What You Need to Know About Star Wars: Unlimited Competitive Play

There are lots of exciting trading card game releases to look forward to in 2024 already – including MTG sets, new Lorcana releases, and plenty of rumored Pokémon expansions, to name a few. 

One of the most anxiously awaited releases, though, is the new Star Wars: Unlimited TCG. Star Wars hasn’t always had a great run when it comes to trading card games, but SWU is looking like it’s going to be an absolute blast to play.

There’s been a recent update from the official Star Wars: Unlimited team about competitive play and what tournaments are going to look like when the game releases. We’ve gathered everything you need to know here, including what Tournament Points are and how official competitive events will be set up. 

What Are Tournament Points?

Firstly, let’s take a look at what Tournament Points are as they play a crucial role in understanding the tournament layout. Tournament Points are the digital currency that Star Wars: Unlimited fans will be able to earn by taking part in organized competitive events.

This currency will be tracked via the player’s Star Wars: Unlimited account online, and the amount of Tournament Points obtained will be determined by where the player comes in the event. If Player A places higher than Player B at the end of the event, Player A will come away with more Tournament Points- but that doesn’t mean that Player B walks away with nothing. 

Tournament Points are incredibly important for aspiring competitive players to pay attention to, as they relate to progression throughout the competitive circuit. 

We’ll look at that in more depth in the next section, but essentially, you can’t get to the Galactic Championship final event if you don’t have enough Tournament Points. Currently, there is no confirmed number for how many Tournament Points you’ll need to progress. 

What Will the Star Wars: Unlimited Circuit Look Like?

The diagram that we’ve used for the cover photo comes from an official announcement that the Star Wars: Unlimited team put out on their website and it’s a fantastic visual example of what fans can expect from the organized competitive circuit. 

There are multiple stages that the circuit will be broken up into, each of which leading up to the Galactic Championship event, which is essentially the grand final. 

The first type of event in the line-up is Planetary Qualifiers. These events are held on the local store level, meaning that, if your local card shop or hobby store is a selected retailer, they will be able to host and monitor one. These Qualifiers will be the most common type of Qualifier.

The Planetary Qualifiers reward high-ranking players with enough Tournament Points to enter the Galactic Championship at the end of the single-day event. There are prizes, too, although the actual prize types have not currently been confirmed. They are awarded for both winning and for participating.

The next type of event in the line-up is Sector Qualifiers. These events take a little longer, lasting two days, and there will be less of them than Planetary Qualifiers. Interestingly, the Star Wars: Unlimited website notes that there will also be side events to complement the Sector Qualifiers that aim to make them more community-oriented.  

There are plenty of prizes that can be picked up, both for attending and for winning, and the amount of Tournament Points awarded to successful players is enough to secure a place in the Galactic Championship. 

Regional Qualifiers are the most interesting type of Qualifier by far, but there currently isn’t a lot known about them. They won’t be happening too often, but there are way more Tournament Points and prizes up for grabs during the two-day events. 

Interestingly, the official SWU site notes that there may be ‘twists’ to the tournament structure of Regional Qualifiers.

As noted earlier, the Galactic Championship is an invite-only grand final.

With enough Tournament Points, players will be able to secure a place in the 3-day final event. Winning on the first day will allow them to advance to the second day, and so on. 

There will be a season structure which allows players with enough Tournament Points from the previous season to bypass the first day of the event and get started on the second day. This can’t happen the first time around, of course, but there will be side events during the Galactic Championship where players can accrue Tournament Points for next year.

Tournament Points won during the Galactic Championship matches will also carry over to the next season, so if a player strikes out on the last day, they still have a great head start for the next season of official play.

There should be plenty of interesting prizes to pick up during this event, too. These haven’t been announced yet, but it’s likely that rare cards or game accessories could be included. 

Are There Events For Casual Players?

One of the most exciting things about the Star Wars: Unlimited release is that it looks like there’s going to be something for everyone to enjoy.

As you can see in the diagram above, there is also a casual play format that the SWU team will be following. The casual events will be geared towards fans who want a more laid back, community-oriented vibe without the pressure of trying to get through the competitive circuit to the Galactic Championship.

It’s always great to see a TCG team think about the different aspects of their community. Some TCGs can feel like they’re specifically aimed at just collectors/competitive players, so having events and tournaments for multiple niches in the community is a fantastic move.

Star Wars: Unlimited is set to be one of the most exciting TCG launches next year. Make sure to check out our official Instagram page for breaking news and updates – as soon as we can get our hands on cards and game accessories, we’ll be revealing and reviewing them there.