Japan is beloved for many things. Now, it adds Hearthstone to its arsenal with HCT Tokyo, an online-to-offline Tour Stop! Take part in any of four online qualifiers for a chance to fly all-expenses-paid to Tokyo for the grand finals, where you’ll be able to earn Hearthstone Competition Points (CP) and a cash prize. (Not to mention eating copious amounts of great food and soaking up the local culture!)
HCT Tokyo’s open qualifiers will take place from June 22 to June 30 (PDT), with the playoffs on July 27 and 28 (PDT).
Tournament Information
Like all other Tour Stops with online qualifiers, HCT Tokyo will feature four different qualifiers with varying levels of eligibility. Eligibility is determined by your Blizzard Battle.net Country of Residence, so make sure that’s up to date! Each qualifier will accommodate up to 256 players.
All qualifiers will be best-of-five Conquest format with one ban, meaning players must bring four decks. The full ruleset for HCT Tokyo can be viewed here.
The available Open Qualifiers are listed below.
- Global Qualifier: Open to all players, held on the Americas game region.
- When: June 23 and 24, 11:00 a.m. JST (June 22 and 23, 7:00 p.m. PDT)
- Registration: Sign up here from June 16 at 12:00 a.m. JST until June 23 at 9:00 a.m. JST (June 15 at 8:00 a.m. PDT until June 22 at 5:00 p.m. PDT). Join the Discord channel for the tournament here.
- Asia-Pacific Qualifier: For players residing in Asia-Pacific, held on the Asia game region.
- Date: June 23 and 24, 11:00 a.m. JST (June 22 and 23, 7:00 p.m. PDT)
- Registration: Sign up here from June 16 at 12:00 a.m. JST until June 23 at 9:00 a.m. JST (June 15 at 8:00 a.m. PDT until June 22 at 5:00 p.m. PDT). Join the Discord channel for the tournament here.
- Global Qualifier #2: Open to all players, held on the Americas game region.
- Date: June 30 and July 1, 11:00 a.m. JST (June 29 and June 30, 8:00 p.m. PDT)
- Registration: Sign up here from June 23 at 12:00 a.m. JST until June 30 at 9:00 a.m. JST (June 22 at 8:00 a.m. PDT until June 29 at 5:00 p.m. PDT). Join the Discord channel for the tournament here.
- Japan Qualifier: For players living in Japan, held on the Asia game region.
- Date: June 30 and July 1, 11:00 a.m. JST (June 29 and June 30, 7:00 p.m. PDT)
- Registration: Sign up here from June 23 at 12:00 a.m. JST until June 30 at 9:00 a.m. JST (June 22 at 8:00 a.m. PDT until June 29 at 5:00 p.m. PDT). Join the Discord channel for the tournament here.
The top four players from each qualifier will advance to the offline playoffs in Tokyo, Japan. Flights and accommodation for the qualifying top 16 players will be provided by Blizzard Entertainment.
Points and Prizing
HCT Tokyo will have the following up for grabs at the tournament:
| Standing | Points | Prize |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 15 | $3,500 |
| 2nd | 12 | $2,300 |
| 3rd – 4th | 10 | $1,100 |
| 5th – 8th | 8 | $750 |
| 9th – 16th | 6 | $500 |
| 17th – 32nd | 4 | $0 |
| Total: | 191 | $15,000 |
Broadcast
This tournament will be broadcast on the PlayHearthstone Twitch channel in English and on the PlayHearthstoneJP channel in Japanese.
Who can participate in HCT Tokyo
HCT Tokyo will open its doors to all players through the following qualifiers:
Global: Open to all regions
Asia Pacific: Open to citizens and residents of Asia-Pacific.
Japan: Open to citizens and residents of Japan
Which game region will HCT Tokyo be played on?
The second Asia-Pacific qualifier and the Global qualifier will be played on the Americas game region. The first Asia-Pacific qualifier and Japan qualifier will be held on the Asia game region.
What is the format for all matches in HCT Tokyo?
Matches will be played in two different phases. The nine Swiss rounds will be played best-of-five in Conquest format with one ban, while the top 16 playoffs will be single elimination. Each player will have to bring four decks. The full ruleset for HCT Tokyo can be viewed here, with the HCT 2018 Player Handbook available here.
How do I get more information on HCT Tokyo?
Email the organizer with any questions you might have! You can also join the official Discord servers:
Only join the server that corresponds with the qualifier you have signed up for.
Can I play with an account that is not mine?
All participating players must be the legal owners of their Hearthstone accounts. Players found to not be in ownership of the account they are using to play will be disqualified immediately.
Stay up to date on tournament details through the Hearthstone Esports Twitter channel and let us know your thoughts with the hashtag #HCTTokyo! We’ll see you in the tavern!