Runeterra's first seasonal tournament is starting its open round this weekend on December 6 and we've got an important update on how the preparation phase will work - information notably absent on Riot's Seasonal Tournaments FAQ.

According to Runeterra's Live Design Lead, Steve Rubin, the previously announced 5-minute preparation period before a match starts will also allow you to see your opponent's decklists. This phase takes place before the deck bans happen so if there is something particularly annoying you don't want to fight, you'll be able to make a more informed ban decision.

Quote From Steve Rubin

Each match has a 5 minute prep period before bans, where you can look at your opponents decklists & copy them down if you please.

You won't be able to access them outside of the prep period.

All of this isn't unusual, other card games have open lists for tournaments including Hearthstone and Magic the Gathering, which sees players make their lists public on social media as a way to drum up some excitement and start conversations over the deck choices. Do you think this is the way forward for Legends of Runeterra?


What is the Runeterra Seasonal Tournament?

From now on, the end of every season -- including the current Monuments of Power season -- will culminate in a huge 1024-player tournament for each of the four regional shards, America, Asia, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Riot has announced the prize pool for this upcoming tournament will be over $80,000 USD, including $10,000 for each 1st place winner.


When is The Runeterra Seasonal Tournament?

The Call of the Mountain seasonal tournament begins on December 6 with an open round. The 32 finalists from the initial day move on to the playoffs on December 13.

  • On December 6th, all 1024 competitors will begin with Open Rounds of 5 Swiss Best of Three matches
  • On December 13th, the top 32 players from the Open Rounds will advance to the single-elimination Playoffs

All 32 Playoff participants will receive a cash prize, with a minimum of $150 for 9th-32nd place increasing to that $10,000 reward for 1st. All participants from the Open Rounds will receive an exclusive Player Icon; any player with 3+ wins will also be awarded a Card Back.


How Can I Watch The Runeterra Seasonal Tournament?

Each of the December 13th playoffs will be broadcast in a variety of languages and channels; many of those details are still being finalized. Riot has provided a page with the complete schedule and full list of broadcast channels which they are continuing to update (see below for link); for English listeners, most content will be available on Riot's Twitch and YouTube accounts.