Wildcard News

[p]Big update going live tomorrow.[/p][p]Wildcard is officially moving from 2v2 → 1v1 as our primary competitive format.[/p][p]Here’s everything changing:[/p][hr][/hr][h2]1v1 Becomes Core Competitive Mode[/h2][p]Why?[/p][p]• Clearer outcomes
• Improve pacing and match flow
• More skill expression
• No teammate dependency
• Stronger competitive integrity[/p][p]Wildcard is about champion mastery — 1v1 makes that the focus.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]Ranked Schedule Update[/h2][p]Ranked will now run:[/p][p]Tuesday – Saturday
2PM – 10PM Eastern[/p][p]Consolidated windows mean:[/p][p]• Better matchmaking
• Shorter queues
• Higher competitive density[/p][hr][/hr][h2]Free Daily Ranked Games[/h2][p]Starting tomorrow:[/p][p]Everyone gets 10 free ranked games per day.[/p][p]Want to play more than 10?[/p][p]You’ll need the Season Pass.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]Season Pass Supporter Update[/h2][p]If you already purchased the current Season Pass:[/p][p]Open a support ticket and you’ll receive:[/p][p]• Retro Neva skin
• Your choice of 1 premium color for Bolgar OR Locke[/p][p]We want to make sure our Season Pass players are properly rewarded during this transition.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]1v1 Tournaments[/h2][p]• One-on-One tournaments launching
• 10 free games available at launch[/p][hr][/hr][p]This update is about sharpening the competitive experience.[/p][p]
[/p]

[p][/p][p]Wildcard Ranked & Season System Overview[/p][p]Wildcard is moving to a season-based ranked system that rewards consistent play, champion mastery, and weekly performance instead of one-off tournaments.[/p][hr][/hr][h2]Seasons[/h2]

• [p]Each Season lasts 12 weeks[/p]
• [p]Every season includes:[/p]
  • [p]12 Weekly Ranked Events (one per week)[/p]
  • [p]1 Full-Season Ranked Leaderboard[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]Season Pass[/h2][h3]How You Get It[/h3][p]Players receive the Season Pass if they:[/p]

• [p]Already owned the Summon Bundle[/p]

[p]Otherwise:[/p]

• [p]Season Pass costs $24.99 per season[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]What the Season Pass Includes[/h3][p]Owning the Season Pass grants:[/p]

• [p]Access to the Ranked Queue[/p]
• [p]Access to the Battle Pass[/p]
• [p]Eligibility for all Ranked prizing and leaderboards[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]Earn Next Season for Free[/h3][p]If a player completes the Battle Pass during the season:[/p]

• [p]They earn the next Season Pass for free[/p]

[p]This means:[/p]

• [p]Active players can keep playing competitively without repurchasing[/p]
• [p]Inactive players must rebuy to re-enter Ranked[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]Queues[/h2][h3]Ranked Queue (Season Pass Required)[/h3]

• [p]Main competitive mode[/p]
• [p]Affects:[/p]
  • [p]Weekly leaderboards[/p]
  • [p]Season leaderboard[/p]
  • [p]Champion leaderboards[/p]
  • [p]All prizing[/p]

[h3]Sandbox Queue (Free)[/h3]

• [p]No ranking[/p]
• [p]No prizing[/p]
• [p]Used for:[/p]
  • [p]Practice[/p]
  • [p]Learning champions[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]Season Pass[/h2][p]Each Season’s Pass is themed around:[/p]

• [p]A featured Champion[/p]
• [p]That champion’s summons and cosmetics[/p]

[h3]Season Pass Progression[/h3]

• [p]Earn BP points by:[/p]
  • [p]Playing matches (Ranked)[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]Ranked Structure[/h2][p]Players compete across multiple parallel rankings:[/p][h3]Season Rankings[/h3]

• [p]Overall rank for the full 12-week season[/p]
• [p]Used for:[/p]
  • [p]Main season prizing[/p]
  • [p]Top player recognition[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]Weekly Rankings[/h3]

• [p]Resets each week[/p]
• [p]Used for:[/p]
  • [p]Weekly prizing[/p]
  • [p]Short-term competition[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]Champion Rankings[/h3][p]For both Season and Weekly:[/p][p]Players also have rankings for each champion they play:[/p]

• [p]Best Ragna players this week[/p]
• [p]Best Locke players this season[/p]
• [p]etc.[/p]

[hr][/hr][h2]Prizing[/h2][h3]Weekly Prizing[/h3][p]Based on Weekly Overall Rankings:[/p][hr][/hr][h3]Weekly Top Champion Bonuses[/h3][p]For Champion Leaderboards (Weekly):[/p]

• [p]Top 3 players per featured champions[/p]
• [p]Up to $50 each[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]Season Prizing[/h3][p]Based on Season Overall Rankings:[/p][h3]Season Top Champion Bonuses[/h3][p]For Champion Leaderboards (Season):[/p]

• [p]Top 3 players per champion[/p]
• [p]Up to  $150 each[/p]

[h3]Reconnect Feature[/h3]

• [p]Reconnect works, if you disconnect from a match you will ONLY have the reconnect option[/p]
• [p]If you reconnect everything works but the UI is has some display issues. When you reach the next level just remember you can level up a card with F1-F4 or V if you have the card selected via Scroll Wheel.[/p]
• [p]Unleveled cards may appear invisible. Leveling them up by pressing the keys and then using them once will unhide them[/p]
• [p]If a match has ended and you press Reconnect, your game will freeze for about 30 seconds while it refreshes back to the play button. Just wait a moment while it does this.[/p]

[h3]Updating the Scoring System This Week

Tournaments this week will be Thursday, January 22nd and Friday, January 23rd.
[/h3][p]Over the last few tournaments and ranked tests, one thing has become clear:

The current scoring system doesn’t always reflect how well someone actually played, and in some cases it can be influenced by things that don’t represent real skill or impact in a match.[/p][p]Since competition and rewards are a big part of why many of you are playing right now, we’re rolling out a new scoring system that’s designed to be fairer, harder to exploit, and more focused on real performance over time.[/p][p]Here’s what’s changing and why:[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h3]Scoring Is Now Based on Performance Over the Tournament, Not Just Single Games[/h3][p]Instead of matches feeling like isolated point swings, your score now reflects:[/p]

• [p]Consistent wins[/p]
• [p]Playing against stronger opponents[/p]
• [p]Performing well across many matches[/p]

[p]This means:[/p]

• [p]One big game won’t carry you[/p]
• [p]Consistency and difficulty matter more[/p]
• [p]Grinding easy matches is far less effective[/p]

[p]The goal is to reward players who are actually competing at higher levels, not just farming volume or lucky streaks.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h3]Beating Stronger Opponents Is Worth More[/h3][p]Your score now accounts for who you beat, not just that you won.[/p]

• [p]Wins against stronger teams are worth more[/p]
• [p]Wins where you were heavily favored are worth less[/p]

[p]This helps:[/p]

• [p]Keep matchmaking fair[/p]
• [p]Prevent boosting and win trading from being effective[/p]
• [p]Reward players who take on harder games[/p]

[p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h3]Fewer Ways to Game the System[/h3][p]The new scoring model also reduces the impact of:[/p]

• [p]Extremely short matches[/p]
• [p]Repeated games against the same players[/p]
• [p]One-sided lobbies[/p]

[p]These matches still count, but they’re no longer the best way to climb the leaderboard.[/p][p]The goal is simple:[/p][p]The best way to score well should be to play real, competitive games.[/p][p][/p][hr][/hr][p][/p][h3]This Is A Step to a Bigger Ranked Overhaul[/h3][p]This scoring update is a step toward the larger ranked and seasonal system we’re moving to, where:[/p]

• [p]Ranked performance over time matters more than single events[/p]
• [p]Leaderboards are more meaningful[/p]
• [p]Payouts and rewards better reflect actual competitive skill[/p]

[p]We expect to keep tuning this as more data comes in, and this version lets us make faster, more accurate balance and matchmaking adjustments.[/p][p]As always, your feedback and match data are what help us refine this so jump in, play hard, and let us know what feels better (or worse) with the new system.[/p][p]
[/p]

[p]From player feedback and tournament data, it’s clear that the best part of Wildcard is the champion combat and big ability moments but too many overlapping systems were making it harder to understand what’s happening and what decisions actually matter in a match.[/p][p]Here’s what that means and why we’re doing it:[/p][p][/p][h3]Summons Are Now Part of Your Champion’s Kit[/h3][p]Instead of building decks, each champion now has a set of summons that are part of their kit, just like abilities.[/p]

• [p]The champion controls when and how their summons are used[/p]
• [p]Summons behave more like powerful abilities than random card draws[/p]
• [p]Balance is now focused on champion kits, not on hundreds of card combinations[/p]

[p]This makes combat more readable, creates clearer counterplay, and lets us tune champions and s together as a single system.[/p][p][/p][h3]Level Up to Unlock During the Match[/h3][p]Summons are no longer available all at once.[/p][p]During a match:[/p]

• [p]You level up over time[/p]
• [p]New summons unlock as part of your progression[/p]
• [p]Power ramps naturally instead of spiking randomly[/p]

[p]This gives matches:[/p]

• [p]Clear early / mid / late game phases[/p]
• [p]Strong comeback opportunities[/p]
• [p]More meaningful decisions about when to push or defend[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Simpler, Clearer Match Flow[/h3][p]We’re also changing how the objective works to make matches easier to understand and more focused on action.[/p][p]The Goalie Does NOT Respawn[/p]

• [p]Once the goalie is taken down, it stays down[/p]
• [p]This creates real momentum and pressure[/p]
• [p]Teams can convert advantages into actual wins[/p]

[p]Summon Waves Are Always Active[/p]

• [p]summon waves constantly push the lane[/p]
• [p]They create natural front lines and fights[/p]
• [p]Map control matters more over time[/p]

[p]Wildcards Empower Your Summon Waves[/p]

• [p]Wildcards now add special summons directly into your summon waves[/p]
• [p]Instead of random effects, they become visible power spikes on the map[/p]
• [p]Opponents can see and respond to these pushes[/p]

[p]Take Down the Goalie → Then Score to Win[/p]

• [p]First, break through by defeating the goalie[/p]
• [p]Then, you still have to finish the play and score[/p]
• [p]This keeps clutch moments and last-second saves in the game[/p]

[p]Overall, this makes the win condition clearer:[/p][p]Build pressure, break the defense, then close it out.[/p][p][/p][h3]This Is About Building Forward, Not Cutting Features[/h3][p]We’re not removing systems because we don’t believe in them, we’re simplifying so we can:[/p]

• [p]Balance faster[/p]
• [p]Learn faster[/p]
• [p]And build complexity back on top of a strong, fun core[/p]

[p]Right now, our priority is:[/p][p]Make every match easy to understand, exciting to play, and skill-driven then expand from there. [/p][p]Your feedback is what pushed us in this direction, and this new structure lets us iterate quickly and make smarter improvements moving forward.

[/p]

[p][/p][p]Based on player feedback and live data, we’ve made adjustments to improve fairness, access, and reward distribution.[/p][p]What’s New[/p]

• [p]Guaranteed $2,000 prize pool per day (Wednesday–Sunday)[/p]
• [p]Top 128 players earn rewards daily[/p]
• [p]Weekly leaderboard removed → prizes moved into more daily tournaments[/p]

[p]This means more chances to win, less pressure to grind, and clear daily competition windows.[/p][p][/p][h2]Daily Prize Breakdown[/h2][p]Per Tournament Day[/p]

• [p]1st–2nd: $80[/p]
• [p]3rd–4th: $70[/p]
• [p]5th–6th: $50[/p]
• [p]7th–8th: $40[/p]
• [p]9–16: $20 each[/p]
• [p]17–32: $15 each[/p]
• [p]33–64: $10 each[/p]
• [p]65–128: $5 each[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Summons Update[/h2][p]All players now have access to all summons for tournament play.
Anyone can queue this week.[/p]

• [p]Players who previously purchased a Summon Bundle will automatically receive the future tournament requirement (of similar value) at no cost.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Prize Payouts[/h2]

• [p]January prizes will be available for payout on Thousands during the first week of February, once minimum thresholds are met.[/p]
• [p]We are actively exploring USDC payout options. Timing TBD.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Rules Reminder[/h2][p]We actively monitor tournament data and enforce the rules.
Scores that violate the TOS will be removed, and repeat offenders may be banned.[/p][p]Please review the rules before playing: https://wildcard-alliance.gitbook.io/wildcard/wildcard-tournaments[/p][p][/p][h3]Good luck, have fun,
And we will see you in the Arena[/h3][p][/p]