Hearthstone - Heroes of Warcraft news » Take Your Place in the Fireside Gathering Championship

Tavern Hosts and Fireside Gathering attendees, ready yourselves—the Fireside Gathering Championship is coming! This is your golden opportunity to be part of some of the most epic Fireside Gatherings of the year. Whether you’re a Tavern Host, a skilled Hearthstone player eager to duel, or you’re just ready to root for your hometown heroes, this is for you!

In the coming months, Blizzard sanctioned Fireside Gatherings will turn Tavern Hosts into legends, and provide aspiring champions a path to the Hearthstone World Championship.

Here’s how it works:

Stage 1 – Blizzard Sanctioned Fireside Gatherings

Make It Official

Tavern Hosts can hold Blizzard sanctioned Fireside Gatherings, and the winners of those tournaments brackets will move on to compete in the Fireside Gathering Championship Qualifier.

Here’s how to make that happen. Tavern Hosts should plan a Fireside Gathering, including all the usual details, such as venue, address, and date. Then submit the event to FiresideGatherings@blizzard.com.

Eligibility

• Blizzard Sanctioned Fireside Gatherings must occur between May 5 and July 19.
• It must be a public event, and held in a public location. That means no private residences!
• The minimum size for a qualifying tournament is 8 players and the maximum size is 16. For events with more than 16 participants, organizers can break their tournament into smaller brackets of no fewer than 8 players. Each bracket winner will be qualified to advance to the online qualifier.
• Tournaments must be run according to
  Conquest Format:

Conquest Format

• All matches will be best-of-five. The first player to win three games within the match is considered the winner of the match and advances.
• Each player must submit deck lists from three unique classes prior to each stage of the event. Players may submit new decks prior to each stage of the event.
• A player must win one game with each of his three decks to win the match.
• When a player wins a game, the deck used by the winning player cannot be used for the remainder of the match.
• The losing player can keep the same deck used or switch to a different one of their choice.
• Players will be told what classes their opponent has available, but they won’t know which class is picked until both players have picked.

If the event is approved, it will become a Blizzard-sanctioned Fireside Gathering, and we’ll send out a prize support kit while supplies last*!

Events will continue to be added as Tavern Hosts submit new applications, but keep in mind that the last day to submit an event for approval is July 3.

Finishing Touches

After your event is over, Tavern Hosts will need to submit a completed bracket including full player names and Battle Tags for each competitor. They’ll also need to submit the event winner’s full name, Battle Tag, and contact information. Each report will also need to include two pictures depicting the participating players. Finally, a VoD of the final match being played is preferred!

(The easiest method to acquire a VoD of a match is by spectating both players using Spectator Mode, and recording the video using a streaming service or video capture app.)

IMPORTANT: Event reports must be submitted within 7 days of the event to be eligible.

Winner Plays

The winner of each bracket at Blizzard sanctioned Fireside Gatherings will become a qualified player, and move on to Stage 2—the Fireside Gathering Championship Qualifier! The qualified players list will be finalized on July 31. After the players list has been finalized, the Fireside Gatherings team will be contacting players who have qualified for Stage 2 with tournament rules and details regarding competition.
Stage 2 – The Fireside Gathering Championship Qualifier
In Stage 2, qualified players will participate in their region’s online-only Fireside Gathering Championship Qualifier, which will be announced at a later the date. The Fireside Gathering will follow the Conquest Format, and feature a single-elimination bracket.

The competition is sure to be fierce, but all that effort will be worth it as the top four players from this event will win the right to move on to their region’s Fireside Gathering Championship.

Stage 3 – The Fireside Gathering Championship!
The four finalists who successfully battled their way through the online qualifier will face off in the Fireside Gathering Championship for a prize pool totaling $5000! This final stage of the tournament will be a high-stakes single-elimination bracket using the Conquest format.

Championship Prize Pool
1^st: $2,500
2^nd: $1,500
3^rd: $500
4^th: $500

It’s not just cash that’s up for grabs in this exciting Fireside Gathering showdown. The winner will also earn a seed to their Hearthstone World Championship Regional Qualifier! That gives those Fireside heroes a chance to be among the players from each Regional Qualifier who will move on to the Hearthstone World Championship at BlizzCon 2015!

Think you’ve got what it takes to go to the top? Read the official rules to make sure that you qualify, and prepare yourself for glory.

*Contents of prize support kit may vary based on availability. Limited time offer. Must be 18 years of age or older. Offer limited to 200 verified respondents. Void where prohibited or unlawful.

• Official rules of 2015 Hearthstone Europe Championship