2026 Local Championships

Next year, Local Championships are getting a total makeover. So much so, they might even feel like fully different events. In case you missed our 2026 Roadmap video, here’s a primer on everything you can expect in this new era of LCs.

Local Championships will still serve as the first foray into major Organized Play for UniVersus, but on a much grander scale. These will be Standard format events with swiss rounds and top cuts based on the attendance guidelines in our tournament floor rules. They will also require both judges and decklists. Currently, Level 2 events do not require judges (only recommend) in our floor rules. This definition will be updated once the current cycle of Local Championships is completed.

Local Championship prizing will consist of the traditional suite of participation and top cut promo cards you’re used to seeing at these events.

Past that, LCs will now feature heaps of prizing to tie into the next level of organized play. The top four will walk away with byes usable in the first round of major events,while the champion will receive an invite directly to the UniVersal Championship, our global-scale event taking place at the end of the 2026 Series. Additionally, any LC that hits 16 players will get a $150 travel voucher thrown into the prize pool by UVS Games, with a bonus travel voucher for 2nd place tossed in at 32 players.

40 Local Championships will take place each Round throughout the 2026 OP series across 4-week windows. Here’s when you can expect your local game stores to be hosting their LCs.

• Round 1: March 20th – April 12th
• Round 2: May 8th – May 24th
• Round 3: June 26th – July 19th
• Round 4: August 21st – September 13th

While there will be 40 LCs throughout each Round, don’t expect them to always stay the same roster. Some stores may cycle in/out to encourage variety and provide opportunity for new stores to try a Local Championship, or just to maintain a nice geographical spread so as many players as possible can engage with this program.

Retailers, keep an eye out on your inboxes! We’ll start sending out applications for hosting Local Championships for both Round 1 and 2. Once that roster is locked in, we’ll be posting the full lineup for players to track.