Milan Sector Qualifier Q&A

I’ve gotten some amazing feedback and questions regarding the Sector Qualifier and I wanted to take a moment to provide some answers (Thanks LinkWizard)!

To be clear, some of my feedback is subject to change because not all Sector Qualifiers are run by the same companies, and they may or may not change how the events are run (for the better or the worse).

I do not know if all Sector Qualifiers will have a “Premium Cup” like Milan, for example.

1) Do you get prize tickets for playing in the main tournament to compensate for not playing in the side events?

From what I was told, if you make it to Day 2 you get 100 extra prize wall tickets. So, technically there is some compensation, but it’s paltry. If you play throughout the entire main tournament, you aren’t going to have time to play side events and get those prizes.

2) On prizing events there seems to be a base price and a discounted price in parentheses. How do you get the discount?

There are no discounts for prizing. Everything on the prize wall is labeled with its corresponding price.

3) What does “O/D” mean on the sealed and constructed events banner?

It means “On Demand.” You put your name on a list, and you join a “pod.” Then they call you when enough people join the pod, and it starts or “fires.”

4) What does it say in yellow under Carbonite Draft on the events banner?

It said while supplies last!

5) Breakdown for each event type:

a.      Number of tickets for participating – 100 for the main tournament. No participation tickets for the side events.

b.      Number of tickets for winning a round – depends on the event type.

c.      Number of tickets for a draw - You did not get any ticket for a draw.

6) 100 tickets for a booster seems to indicate that 100 tickets = $5 USD. Are the prices fair for the prizing?

This is subjective because it really depends on how good you and your deck are. The more you win, the more access to tickets you get. For example, if you go undefeated in the Premium Sector Cup (4-0) then you get 2000 tickets and the price to enter this tournament is ~ $45 USD. If you are a casual player and don’t expect to win as much, which then, yes, makes obtaining these prizes overpriced by comparison. For pins that cost 500 tickets (or equivalent to $25) I think this is ok. These are exclusive pins and I’ve seen pins of similar quality go for $40 to $60.

7. What do you think is the best way to grind for tickets?

I’ve been thinking about this and did some calculations. Originally, I thought that if you could get 7 other buddies and do your own pod, play fast and keep chugging along, then that would work. But at the end of it all your pod would only have 700 total tickets between 8 players. Each paying $15 dollars. Not worth it.

If you are confident in your skills (and deck) then you have to play the Sector Cup (if this option is available). In Milan, a one-time $45 entry with the potential to go 4-0, get 2000 tickets AND get a copy of all the promo cards as well was much more cost effective (in my opinion).

8. How was your actual tournament experience? What did you play? Was there a significant language barrier?

I thought the tournament was fine! Relatively smooth considering how many people were there. The sound system was not very good though, so sometimes it was hard to hear announcements. I played Quinlan/TT, but I didn’t have much experience with the deck, so I lost a lot (to be expected). I always do this to myself, haha, I should play decks I actually know! Sometimes there was a language barrier, but because we all know what the cards do, any issues were usually easily resolved. But also, the judges were almost all multi-lingual, so we all had the right support for any language barriers.

9. Do you ultimately feel it was worth travelling for Milan Sector Qualifier? Do you think a US-based one would have been better suited for you?

I thought it was worth it because it was the first one! I am in a unique position where the flights are really cheap for me, so essentially my costs are just food and hotel (which is what I would do for the US-based ones anyway). I was so excited during the entire event, and it was great to speak with Euro-players, content creators, and simply see how the meta was like in Europe. At the end of the day, how people play and act in Europe is very similar to the U.S., so I felt right at home!