Tournament Regulations: Star Wars™: Destiny
Tournament Regulations: Star Wars™: Destiny
Tournament Regulations: Star Wars™: Destiny
Tournament Regulations
Version 1.1 / Effective 04.12.2017
All changes and additions made to this document since the previous version are marked in red.
Tournaments supported by the Organized Play (“OP”) program for Star Wars™: Destiny,
sponsored by Fantasy Flight Games (“FFG”) and its international partners, follow the rules
provided in this document.
Introduction
A tournament is a competition between Star Wars: Destiny players. After enrolling in the
tournament, competitors are paired against one another in an organized fashion to play
a game. After multiple games against different opponents, players are ranked according to their
performance. Most tournaments conclude with the awarding of prizes to top finishers.
Tournaments are played using the rules provided in the Star Wars: Destiny Rules Reference, which
may be downloaded from the Star Wars: Destiny page of our website at any time. Additional rules
for playing games in a tournament are detailed in this document.
This document explains important tournament concepts and provides the details for Standard
Play tournaments, where players come to a tournament with pre-made decks and are paired in
head-to-head games.
Table of Contents
I. Tournament Participant Roles
1. Organizer
2. Marshal
3. Judge
4. Player
5. Spectator
6. Leader Participation
7. Conduct
a. Unsporting Conduct
1. Organizer Materials
2. Player Materials
a. Deck Building
b. Deck Lists
c. Dice
d. Card Sleeves
f. Tokens
3. Legal Products
1. Tournament Setup
2. Game Setup
3. Dice Procedures
4. Missed Opportunities
2. Pairings
a. Swiss Rounds
b. Progression Cut
a. Going to Time
4. Tournament Points
a. Tiebreakers
V. Tournament Structures
1. Basic Structure
2. Advanced Structure
3. Custom Structure
1. Relaxed
2. Formal
3. Premier
Organizer
An event must have exactly one organizer. The organizer is responsible for the oversight of the
entire event, including both planning and execution. If the organizer does not assign a marshal
for the event, the organizer must perform the responsibilities of the marshal role.
Marshal
An event may have any number of marshals, including none. A marshal is an expert on the
game’s rules and regulations and the final authority on their application during a tournament. A
marshal also determines if unsporting conduct has occurred and what the appropriate remedy is,
referring any recommendations for disqualification to the organizer. When a marshal is not
actively performing his or her duties, he or she is a spectator and should communicate this
change in status clearly.
Judge
An event may have any number of judges, including none. A judge is well versed in the game’s
rules and regulations. A judge’s responsibilities include assisting players to resolve disputes and
answering questions regarding the game’s rules. When a judge is not actively performing judge
duties, he or she is a spectator and should communicate this change in status clearly.
When a judge is observing a game or an issue is brought to his or her attention, the judge should
inform players when they are not following the game rules. Players have an initial opportunity to
resolve any situation among themselves, but any player may alternatively ask the judge to make a
ruling. At a player’s request, a marshal can review a judge ruling and provide a final determination.
Player
A player is an individual that plays Star Wars: Destiny at the event. A player must bring all
components they need to play a game of Star Wars: Destiny. When a player is not actively
engaged in a game of Star Wars: Destiny, he or she is a spectator.
Spectator
A spectator is any individual at a tournament not actively engaging in another role. Spectators
must not disturb an ongoing game, and cannot provide any input or assistance to players during
their games. If a spectator believes a breach of the rules was made in a game they are watching,
he or she may search out a leader. If a spectator believes they have witnessed a breach of the
rules in a game they are watching, other than a missed opportunity, he or she may bring it to the
attention of a leader.
Leader Participation
A leader may participate as a player in a Relaxed tier tournament for which he or she is responsible
only if there is a second leader present. The second leader must be announced at the beginning of
the tournament and is responsible for all rulings for games in which the first leader is playing. If
two leaders play one another, the marshal is responsible for any rulings during the game.
During Formal and Premier tier tournaments, leaders cannot participate as a player. Leaders for
Formal and Premier tournaments are expected to commit their full attention to overseeing the event.
Conduct
All tournament participants are expected to act in a respectful manner during a tournament. If
players have a dispute during a competition and cannot resolve it themselves, they must call for a
judge to resolve it and provide any rulings that are needed. All card interpretations during a
tournament are a marshal’s responsibility, and he or she may overrule the rules documents when
a mistake or error is discovered.
Unsporting Conduct
Players are expected to behave in a mature and considerate manner and to play within the rules
and not abuse them. This prohibits intentionally stalling a game for time, placing components
with excessive force, inappropriate behavior, treating an opponent with a lack of courtesy or
respect, cheating, etc. Collusion among players to manipulate scoring is expressly forbidden.
The organizer, at his or her sole discretion, may remove players from the tournament for
unsporting conduct.
Tournament Materials
There are many materials and game components needed to facilitate a tournament. The organizer
and players are both responsible for supplying certain items.
Organizer Materials
In addition to arranging a location, the organizer is responsible for securing tables and chairs for each
player. The organizer should have table numbers on hand or some other method of demarcation so
players can easily find their seats at the beginning of each tournament round. The organizer is
responsible for having blank deck lists and pens available if they are required for the event.
Finally, the organizer is also responsible for having all required rules documents on hand for
reference during the event. This includes the Star Wars: Destiny Rules Reference, Star Wars:
Destiny Tournament Regulations (this document), any Event Outline relevant to the event, and
any other relevant document for the event. Most of these documents can be found on the Star
Wars: Destiny page of our website at www.fantasyflightgames.com.
Player Materials
Players are responsible for bringing all of the game components they need to play a game of Star
Wars: Destiny. This includes all cards, sleeves, dice, and tokens. They should make sure that they
have a legal deck. When a deck list is required, players should bring a completed list or arrive at
the venue early to fill one out.
Deck Building
Each player must build one team of characters and a deck to use in a tournament. A team of characters
must include at least one character and cannot exceed 30 points, though it may contain fewer than 30
points. A player may choose to field heroes or villains, but cannot have both on his or her team. Each
deck must contain exactly 30 cards. Each player must also select exactly one battlefield.
Players must use the same team, deck, and battlefield for the duration of the tournament.
Deck Lists
Some events require players to submit deck lists, including their name, team of characters, each
character’s point value, battlefield, and all associated cards in their deck to the organizer before the
start of the tournament.
If a player includes a card in his or her deck or team of characters that could be confused with a
different card that could legally be in the deck or on the team, he or she must uniquely identify
that card on his or her deck list. The recommended way to uniquely identify a card is by
including the full name of the card including its subtitle, or the full name of the product in which
the card appeared, in parenthesis. A player can ask a leader for specific instructions if they are
unsure of the best method to uniquely identify a card.
Unique identification example: Veronica includes Kylo Ren’s Lightsaber in her deck and writes
“Lightsaber” on her deck list. This does not uniquely identify the card, as a generic Lightsaber Luke
Skywalker’s Lightsaber also exists. Veronica must write “Kylo Ren’s Lightsaber” on her deck list.
If a leader discovers a player’s deck list is missing appropriate information, he or she should find
that player immediately and update the deck list based on the cards the player is using. If this
would result in a significant and potentially advantageous change, the leader should consider
investigating for possible cheating.
Dice
If a player includes any cards in his or her deck that require a die, he or she must have the die
matching that card’s collector number for each copy of that card. A player must have the die—or two
dice if they are using the elite version of the character—required for each character in his or her team.
Players are not required to reveal a die to their opponent until the corresponding card is in play
during a game.
Card Sleeves
Players are required to sleeve their deck in opaque card sleeves for Formal and Premier events.
All sleeves within a single deck must be identical in size, color, texture, and condition. At
Relaxed events, if a player is not using opaque card sleeves, he or she must make sure that all
card backs in their deck have a uniform appearance. Players may sleeve their characters and
battlefield, but they must use different sleeves from their deck. Players should bring a few spare
sleeves for their deck in case a card sleeve breaks or becomes unusable during a tournament.
Lost and Damaged Components
If a player loses a die or card during a tournament, he or she has an opportunity to find a
replacement, if necessary. Any player that discovers they are missing a die or card at the
beginning of a round should notify a leader. The leader will give the player a short time
extension to their game in order to find a replacement. If the player cannot find a replacement
within that time, they must concede the game. If the player is unable to find a replacement by the
start of the next round, they should be removed from the tournament.
During a game, if a player discovers they are missing a die or card from their deck, they must
concede the game.
If a player’s die or card becomes damaged during the course of a tournament, he or she has an
opportunity to find a replacement. If the player cannot find a replacement die, it is treated as lost
and he or she should be removed from the tournament. If the player cannot find a replacement card,
he or she uses a proxy card in its place for the remainder of the tournament. A leader will create the
proxy, including the card name, any information that is no longer legible or available on the
damaged card, the name of the leader who created it, and the date it was created. The original card
must be kept facedown and nearby, available for reference when the proxy card is played.
Tokens
Tokens are representations of information about the game or game state. The presence of tokens
is marked by one or more indicators. Indicators may also be used to represent multiple tokens, or
other open or derived information.
Typically, players use the cardboard tokens included in official product as indicators. However,
players may choose to use other items as indicators, so long as they do not obscure significant
component information, are resistant to accidental modification, and their purpose of use is clear to
both players. The marshal is responsible for determining the legality of an indicator and its reasonable
use during a match if objected to by its owner’s opponent.
Legal Products
Players may use only official Star Wars: Destiny components in tournament play, with the
following exceptions for third-party replacements:
All Star Wars: Destiny components are legal for Standard Play tournaments.
For Relaxed and Formal events, all product is legal in North America upon the product's official
release. For Premier events, all product is legal in North America 11 days—typically the second
Monday—after the product's official release. Official dates will be updated on the Product Legality
page on our website (https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/op/legality/sw). Players outside
North America should check with their organizer to determine which products are tournament legal.
Tournament Play
This section provides information and considerations for playing a game of Star Wars: Destiny at
a tournament.
Tournament Setup
Before the tournament begins, the organizer must set up tables suitable for tournament play. Each
seat should be arranged so that players have enough space on the table to comfortably place all
of their dice, cards, and tokens over the course of a game. In addition, the organizer should
clearly communicate the details of the event to players ahead of time.
Game Setup
The following steps must be performed before players can begin their game each tournament round.
1. Each player places their character cards faceup in front of them, along with those
characters’ matching dice.
2. Each player sets aside their battlefield faceup.
3. Each player shuffles their deck thoroughly and presents it to their opponent. The
opponent may shuffle and cut the deck if desired. After the opponent has had a chance to
shuffle the deck, each player places his or her deck within easy reach in their play area
and draws 5 cards from it.
4. Each player selects any number of cards in their hand and places those cards facedown in
a pile next to his or her characters. After all players have selected cards, each player
shuffles those cards into his or her deck, presents the deck to their opponent, and then
draws cards again until he or she has five cards in hand.
5. Players prepare the tokens they will need over the course of the game, placing them in
piles within easy reach. Each player takes two resources to start the game.
6. Players roll their starting character dice and add up the values rolled. If there is a tie, they
roll again until there is no tie. The player with the highest total chooses which battlefield
to fight on. In each game after the first of a best-of-three match, the player who lost the
previous game chooses which battlefield to fight on. The player who owns the chosen
battlefield controls the battlefield and places it next to their deck. The player who does
not own the chosen battlefield removes his or her battlefield from the game and takes two
shields to distribute amongst his or her characters as he or she wishes. After rolling, each
player returns all character dice to his or her corresponding cards.
Once players complete setup, they must wait for a leader to announce the start of the round
before beginning their game. If the round has already begun, players may begin playing
immediately upon completing these steps.
Dice Procedures
Players must follow certain procedures to ensure a clear and fair game state in regards to dice.
Players must keep their dice pool in an area further away from them than their cards and
characters in play. Dice not currently in a player’s dice pool that correspond to cards in play must
be kept on their corresponding cards.
When a player controls multiple cards or effects that use a die with the same collector number, he
or she must designate the specific card or effect that each die in their dice pool corresponds to.
The recommended way of designating this is by keeping dice adjacent to that card or source of
the effect, in their dice pool area.
When a player rolls dice, he or she must roll into an area away from their dice pool. When rolling
multiple dice, a player must roll all dice simultaneously unless physically incapable of doing so.
When a player adjusts a die in his or her dice pool because of an effect, they must be careful not
to alter any other dice. When spending or removing a die from a player’s die pool, its owner
should attempt to maintain the die face that was showing until the next time the die is rolled.
Missed Opportunities
Players are expected to follow the game’s rules, remembering to perform actions and use dice
and card effects when indicated. It is all players’ responsibility to maintain a proper game state,
and to ensure that all mandatory abilities and game steps are acknowledged. If a player forgets to
use an effect during the timing specified by that effect, he or she cannot retroactively use it
without the consent of his or her opponent. Players are expected to act with respect and not
intentionally distract or rush an opponent with the intent of forcing a missed opportunity.
Taking Notes and Outside Material
Players cannot take notes or reference outside material or information during a tournament
round. However, players may reference official rule documents at any time or ask a judge for
clarification from official rule documents. Official rule documents include all rules documents
and inserts available on the Star Wars: Destiny page of our website, those found in a Star Wars:
Destiny product, or any portion thereof.
Tournament Concepts
The tournament concepts create the framework for any Star Wars: Destiny tournament.
Pairings
Each tournament round, players are paired with an opponent, against whom they play between one
and three games of Star Wars: Destiny. The method of pairing and number of games may change
based on what type of rounds are being used. The organizer must announce the number and type(s)
of rounds and what size any progression cuts will be before the start of the tournament.
When necessary, a player may be assigned a bye instead of being paired against an opponent.
That player receives a win for that round of the tournament. The rules for when to assign a bye to
a player are detailed in the relevant sections below.
Players should not be paired against the same opponent more than once during a single stage of a
tournament. In general, a stage of a tournament ends when a progression cut is made.
If a player no longer wishes to continue playing, he or she can notify the organizer of their intent.
The organizer will avoid pairing him or her in future rounds by dropping them from the
tournament. Players are also dropped if they do not appear for a round in which they are paired
within a reasonable time limit, or if they are no longer able to play for another reason. Players
can request that the organizer allow them to rejoin an event from which they were dropped, being
assigned unpaired losses for each round they did not attend. Players can rejoin an event only
during the same stage in which they left. Disqualified players are removed from the tournament,
and cannot rejoin.
Swiss Rounds
Most Star Wars: Destiny tournaments use a Swiss pairing system that awards tournament points to
the winner of each game. Each Swiss round pairs players in head-to-head, one-game matches,
attempting to pair players with the same number of tournament points together while preventing
players from playing the same opponent more than once. At the end of Swiss rounds, the winner of
the tournament is the player with most tournament points unless there are single elimination rounds
(see “Single Elimination Rounds” on page 12).
For the first round of Swiss pairings, players are matched randomly against an opponent. For
each round after the first, players are paired at random against another player with the same
number of tournament points.
To determine pairings, take the group of players with the most tournament points and pair them
at random. If there is an odd number of players in that group, pair the remaining player with a
random player from the group of players with the next most tournament points. Then, pair all
remaining players in the second group at random. Continue this until all players are paired.
If there is an odd number of players in the tournament, a player at random receives the bye in the
first round. In later rounds, if there is an odd number of players remaining in the tournament, the
bye is given to the lowest ranked player who has not yet received a bye.
Pairing example: John, Stella, and Laramy each have 5 tournament points, the most out of any
player in the tournament. John is paired against Stella. Because there are no other players with 5
tournament points, Laramy is paired against a random player from the next highest score group
—in this case, players with 4 tournament points. Kyle is selected at random from players with 4
tournament points and is paired against Laramy.
Progression Cut
Many Star Wars: Destiny tournaments set a predetermined number of rounds, at the end of which all
players that meet a certain performance criteria advance to the next stage of the tournament and all
other players are dropped. This is commonly referred to as "making a cut," and is often accompanied
by a change in the type of tournament rounds and the start of a new stage in the tournament.
These tournament regulations cover the type of cut used for the Basic and Advanced tournament
structures: a standings-based cut to the top 4, 8, 16, or 32 players. There are additional types of
progression cuts detailed in the Fundamental Event Document, found on the Star Wars: Destiny
page of the FFG website.
If a player qualified for a standings-based cut drops from the tournament before any games are
played during the next stage of the tournament, the next highest ranking player should be added
to the cut as the lowest ranked player in the cut.
Player drop example: Steven finishes the Swiss rounds of a tournament in sixth place and makes
the top 8 cut but has a family emergency come up before the single elimination rounds begin. He
informs the organizer that he must leave the tournament and then departs. The organizer
immediately calls over the ninth place player, Eve, and informs her that she may play in the top 8
due to someone leaving. She accepts and is entered into the top 8 as eighth place. The former
eighth place player moves to seventh place, and the former seventh place player moves to Steven’s
spot at sixth place. Then the organizer pairs all eight players based on these new rankings.
For the first round of single elimination which follows a progression cut, pair the highest ranked
player against the lowest ranked player who made the cut. This is Match #1. Pair the second-
highest player against the second-lowest player who made the cut. This is Match #2. Continue in
this manner until all players are paired.
For tournaments which begin with single elimination rounds, byes will need to be utilized for the
first round if there are a number of players not equal to an exponential power of 2 (4, 8, 16, 32,
and so on). Randomly assign byes to a number of players equal to the difference between the
actual player count and the next-highest exponential power of 2. Then pair all remaining players
against each other at random. Assign each pairing and player with a bye a match number in a
random order, starting with Match #1.
For additional elimination rounds, pair the winner of Match #1 against the winner of the last
pairing (the match with the highest number). This pairing is the new Match #1. If there are more
than two players remaining, pair the winner of Match #2 against the winner of the second-to-last
pairing (the match with the second highest number). This pairing is the new Match #2. Continue
in this manner until all players are paired for the round.
In further single elimination rounds, follow the same method until all players are paired.
If a player drops from the tournament after single elimination rounds begin, that player’s current
opponent—or next opponent, if the player drops between rounds—receives a bye for the round.
End of Game
Each Swiss tournament round and some single elimination rounds consist of one game—the
winner of the game is the winner of the round. Some single elimination rounds are made up of
two or three games—the first person to win two games is the winner of the round. A game ends
in one of the following ways:
• All Characters Defeated: All of a player’s characters are defeated. The game ends
immediately, that player receives a loss, and his or her opponent receives a win. If all of
both players’ characters are defeated simultaneously, the player who controls the battlefield
receives a win and his or her opponent receives a loss.
• Empty Deck and Hand: If a player has no cards in their deck and hand at the end of an
upkeep phase, the game ends immediately, that player receives a loss and his or her
opponent receives a win. If both players have no cards in their hands and decks at the end
of an upkeep phase, the player who controls the battlefield receives a win and his or her
opponent receives a loss.
• Time: When time is called at the end of a tournament round, players must play through the
upkeep phase of the current game round. If neither player has won, they follow the “Going
to Time" rules on page 14 to determine who receives a win.
• Concession: A player voluntarily concedes defeat at any point during the game. The
conceding player receives a loss and the opponent receives a win.
When a game ends in a best-of-three match during single elimination rounds, unless one player has
won two games in the match, the players begin setup for a new game (see “Game Setup” on page
8). The player who lost the previous game chooses which battlefield to fight on. If time is called
before the second game round of the third game in a best-of-three match, players continue playing
until the end of the second game round’s upkeep phase. If no player has won by the end of the
second game round’s upkeep phase, players follow the Going to Time rules on page 14. If time is
called during the second game in a best-of-three match and a player wins before the upkeep phase
of that game round giving both players one win in the match, they start a third game and play
through the upkeep phase of the second game round before following the Going to Time rules.
Going to Time
If neither player has achieved victory at the end of a tournament round, they must follow the
steps below, in order, to determine who receives a win. That player’s opponent receives a loss for
the round. If a single elimination round ends and only one player has a game win for the match,
the player with a game win wins the match instead of players following the steps below.
1. The player who has less damage on their characters receives a win. To determine this,
players count the total amount of damage on any characters in play and add the total
health value of all their defeated characters to achieve a final number. If both players
have the same total, proceed to step 2.
2. The player with the most cards remaining in his or her deck and hand receives a win. If
both players have the same number of cards remaining, proceed to step 3.
3. The player who controls the battlefield at the end of the game receives a win.
End of Game Example: Time is called for the round. Dan and Emily are currently in the action
phase, so they finish the game round. Neither player wins by the end of the upkeep phase, so they
follow the rules for going to time. Based on step 1, Dan has 15 damage on his characters and
Emily has 13 damage. Emily has less damage on her characters, so she receives a win and Dan
receives a loss.
Tournament Points
Players earn tournament points at the end of each round. At the end of a tournament, the player
with the most tournament points wins the tournament. In the case of a larger event, they are
instead used to determine who makes the cut to elimination rounds. Players earn tournament
points as follows:
Basic Structure
The basic tournament structure is designed to be very accessible, especially for newer
participants. This structure provides a tournament experience that requires a modest commitment
of time and resources from organizers and players. Single elimination rounds in the Basic
Structure consist of one-game matches. The Basic Structure is used for Store Championship
events.
Custom Structure
The custom structure applies to all round structures other than the basic and advanced structures.
Also included in the custom structure are tournaments that offer a number of rounds or size of
cut that does not change based on attendance. The Event Outline of official custom tournaments
will either include a specific structure tailored to that particular type of event or instruct the
organizer to design a structure and communicate it to participants. The Custom Structure is used
for official Premier events, such as National, North American, European, and World
Championship events.
Tournament Tiers
FFG’s OP events are broken into three tiers of play. These tiers serve to establish the
expectations of a Star Wars: Destiny tournament. Expectations are not intended to exclude
people from participating, but to communicate the experience that players can expect from an
event. Organizers of unofficial tournaments are encouraged to utilize the Relaxed tier, unless
their tournament is specifically aimed at competitive players.
Relaxed
Tournaments at this level are welcoming to all players, regardless of experience level. Players are
encouraged to help each other improve and learn, so long as it does not significantly disrupt the
game. The focus is on creating a fun and friendly environment. The Relaxed Tier is used for
Store Championship events.
Formal
This tournament level expects players to possess at least a minimal amount of experience.
Players should be familiar with the game rules, and be prepared to exercise that knowledge to
play at a reasonable pace. Players are expected to avoid confusion about their actions and refrain
from other sloppy play mistakes. The focus is a friendly competitive environment. The Formal
Tier is used for Regional Championship events.
Premier
Premier events are the highest level of competition for Fantasy Flight Games tournaments. At
this top level of tournaments, players are expected to have a moderate amount of experience.
Players should be familiar with not only the game rules, but also the Rules Reference and
tournament regulations. The focus is on a competitive and fair environment.
This and other supported documents for FFG Organized Play can be accessed from the FFG Organized
Play Page:
http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/swdestiny