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Cryptozoic posts Wrathgate visual spoilers
If you're interested in the upcoming Wrathgate expansion for the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game, then Cryptozoic has a treat for you: spoilers for the May 25 expansion. If you're dying to see what cards will be entering the game, to look at some new art or just to see if you recognize anyone on the hero cards, get thee hence and check out the images. Then you can spend the next two weeks feverishly anticipating the release of the expansion. Not that I would know anything about feverishly anticipating an expansion. Not me. No, sir. Nothing doing. Cryptozoic's also been doing detailed previews of certain cards, discussing their impact on competitive play and their place in certain decks, so you can check that out while you're on their blog anyway. Side note: I really dig the draenei figure on this card. I know, I know, blueberry LOL whatever, man. He looks badass and you know it.
Cryptozoic breaks open Wrathgate expansion for WoW TCG May 25th
Cryptozoic, the new publisher for the World of Warcraft trading card game, dropped us a line to let us know that they're preparing the game's newest expansion pack, Wrathgate, for release on May 25. If you've been following the trials and travails of the WoW TCG in the past few months, you know that this is a big relief and a concrete sign that the game's in good hands. And there's loot, too! "The 11th set in the World of Warcraft TCG, Wrathgate features 220 new cards straight from Northrend and the new Argent Crusade faction. Yes, players can recruit figures from Warcraft lore like Highlord Tirion Fordring for the battle against the Scourge. Also, players can use new Wrathgate crafting materials to forge brand new gear for their TCG heroes. Each booster pack contains 19 game cards. As with previous sets, players have a chance to open one of three new Loot cards randomly inserted into Wrathgate booster packs. The codes on the Loot cards are redeemed for cosmetic upgrades to World of Warcraft® MMORPG characters. The loot cards in Wrathgate are Landro's Gift, Statue Generator, and Blazing Hippogryph. The latter is another TCG exclusive mount -- a flying hippogryph to set the skies on fire." To commemorate the occasion, Cryptozoic is running a special contest, the winner of which (and a friend) will attend the internal unveiling of the expansion, hang out with its creators and maybe even eat some food here and there. Check out the contest and official rules here.
WoW Trading Card Game Vegas championship
Do you play the WoW Trading Card Game? You any good, punk? From June 3 through June 6, 2010, the North American Continentals will be happening in Las Vegas, and Cryptozoic Entertainment, the new World of Warcraft TCG licensee, seems to be picking up the slack left by Upper Deck at record speed! They've booked several blocks of rooms at the Paris and Bally's hotels, a paid stay at which will include several nice TCG gifts: Two Tuskarr Kite (or King Mukla) loot cards Two Naxxramas treasure packs Two Series 1 class deck boxes (assorted) Two packs of WoW TCG sleeves Other gifts from Cryptozoic and other World of Warcraft partners There's $50,000 in prizes up for grabs and no entry fee, as far as I can tell. If you're big into the TCG competitively, this is the place to be! For the full schedule, check out Cryptozoic's press release here.
Cryptozoic takes over WoW TCG license
According to this press release and Blizzard Licensing Manager Kat Hunter, the World of Warcraft TCG is now in the hands of Cryptozoic. They will be handling all the aspects of the game, from releasing new sets to scheduling tournaments and events surrounding the card game. We don't know a lot about Cryptozoic, and we were initially skeptical until Kat Hunter's tweet. Kat Hunter WoW TCG Moves to Cryptozoic Entertainment. New company started by Blizzard's Cory Jones and Wildstorm's John Nee. http://cryptozoic.com/ -- Follow the new Cryptozoic Entertainment @cryptozoic source Blizzard and UpperDeck recently split ways, which left the TCG's future full of many unanswered questions. And while there are still several today, the game at least has a home and some real potential for success. Update: Nethaera hit the forums to formally announce Cryptozoic carrying the TCG. We'll be seeing the Wrathgate booster in May, and class decks will begin their run in June.
Current plans for the WoW TCG
If you're curious as to the fate of the WoW TCG, then check out this official statement by Bornakk. While the future of the TCG has been questionable since since Upper Deck had parted ways with Blizzard, that doesn't mean the TCG is going to end. The upcoming Wrathgate and Icecrown expansions are still on pace for the spring and summer. Realm Championships will still happen this weekend around North America, and all announced prizes will still be awarded (but trophies will not be ready yet). For the full list of North American locations, check out that same thread.
Blizzard opens up official TCG forums
With all the news regarding the WoW Trading Card Game, avid players have been wondering exactly what's going on, where the license is going, and who's going to be producing new cards, if any. While there aren't any answers to these questions specifically, it's heartening to note that Blizzard just added a new Trading Card Game section to the official forums, solely for discussion about the TCG. The card game hasn't been forgotten, and neither have its players. The question of what the future of the TCG will bring has already been addressed on the forums by Eyonix, who restated Blizzard's earlier announcement that Blizzard and UDE would be parting ways. He also reassured players that Blizzard is committed to supporting the TCG and will be releasing new content in the near future, although there are still no new details as to who is picking up the license. While this also doesn't really answer any questions, it's good to know that Blizzard is still thinking about the TCG community -- and this gives an ideal place for Blizzard to post any updates regarding the game's production. Hopefully we'll see more news on the future of the TCG soon.
Upper Deck comments on loss of WoW TCG license
Upper Deck has issued their own news release statement regarding the dropped license of the World of Warcraft: Trading Card Game. The decline in sales and economic downturn has been cited as the cause of their discontinued product. For now though, it appears that World of Warcraft products will still be up for sale until the end of March. However, their future products like the Class Starter Decks, Wrathgate Boosters, Souls of Vengeance Starters, Deluxe Starter and Boosters will not be produced. This announcement comes at the heels of the Yu-Gi-Oh! counterfeiting controversy revealed a few short weeks ago. Upper Deck has been caught printing hundreds of thousands of counterfeit Yu-Gi-Oh! cards and managed to settle with Konami. We're not sure if the two are related but it may have had an impact on their agreements. Who knows? There is no information right now as to which company will partner with Blizzard in regards to the WoW: TCG. I tried out the game myself at BlizzCon 2009, but I had recently gone back into Magic: the Gathering, and there is no way I can afford to get into another hobby at the moment.
Blizzard: WoW TCG will come back better than ever
We recently broke the news that Upper Deck would no longer be producing the WoW TCG, and Blizzard poster Zarhym has popped by to say that they still have plans for the TCG: "As some of you may already be aware, we will not be renewing the World of Warcraft: The Trading Card Game license with Upper Deck. We want to assure you that we are committed to supporting the TCG, and players can look forward to new content and strong organized play support in the near future. We will share additional details about the game's transition to a new partner as soon as possible. For those awaiting tournament prizes, we will ensure you receive them." Of course, this isn't too surprising, really. As it turns out, sources close to the TCG say that all development and art for the game has been done inside Blizzard for a year or more -- Upper Deck has only been providing the printing. They've either been preparing for the switch for quite a while, or ... well, I can't really think of any other reasons. Why go elsewhere when you could get it done internally anyway? Licenses are big money, and contracts require that they be active for a certain amount of time. Companies can always choose not to renew their licensing agreement if they feel things aren't going well, or for any reason, really. But this is Blizzard, and this is a business move, pure and simple; you needn't worry that the game is going anywhere. It just might take a little bit to get everything back on track.
Upper Deck and WoW TCG parting ways [Updated]
We've discussed the reported death of the WoW TCG before, but its publisher Upper Deck reported that everything was good in the hood, so to speak, where the TCG was concerned. Today, however, Magic: The Gathering news site Mananation reported that Upper Deck and the WoW TCG are parting ways, citing confirmation from two sources. Mananation reports that the split was "amicable," but it seems very strange given that there are still several TCG products slated to be released in 2010, including class starter decks and the Wrathgate/Northrend sets. What this means for the future of the game is uncertain -- Blizzard might re-license the game to a different publisher or develop it internally, or pursue other means to keep the game (which was apparently doing well financially) alive. This also apparently affects the WoW Minis game, which might not have been doing as well. Upper Deck has had some legal issues lately, which may be the root cause of this split, but we won't know for sure until we get a comment from either company. We've confirmed the split independently through Potomac Distribution, and we contacted Blizzard and Upper Deck Entertainment around 6pm EST requesting their comment, and have yet to hear back from them. We'll update the post if we get a response. Update 7:56 p.m. EDT: Upper Deck replied to us letting us know that we'll hear from them on Monday concerning this matter. Update 8:10 p.m. EDT: A Upper Deck representative on their forums posted the following about an event happening in Houston: "We're going to make Houston all kinds of awesome, and I'm confident this will be a great start to a new chapter for the World of Warcraft TCG." Update 9:15 p.m. EDT: Zarhym hit the forums to confirm that the TCG is no longer in the hands of Upper Deck, but is not being discontinued entirely.
The Daily Quest: I love Explosive Trap too, Euripides
We here at WoW.com are on a Daily Quest to bring you interesting, informative and entertaining WoW-related links from around the blogosphere. OutDPS loves himself some explosive trap. Righteous Defense covers tankadin leveling 51-80. GlazerVision Studios has made a nice YouTube video of How To Download World of Warcraft AddOns. The Shadow Troll asks Why do I always pick the good guys? Find out what's in store for the WoW TCG in 2010. Click here to submit a link to TDQ
TCG art contest winners announced
Some of the coolest contests happen in the EU, and unfortunately, sometimes completely under our radar. World of Warcraft in Europe recently announced the winners of a contest held between November 23 and December 6, 2009 (that's a period of two weeks, so even the folks in Europe might've missed out on it) which asked folks to design their own World of Warcraft trading card. We told you the coolest contests happen in the EU. Winners were announced last December 18, 2009, with Blizzard apparently selecting the best entries according to language. Five winners were selected, with J. Hoermandinger winning the top prize for English submissions with the Boo'Yah "Brickhead" card; D. Klenk was the German winner with Shilanya; S. Mariez won the French top prize with Perséphia Tristombe; A. Fuentes Garcia was the Spanish winner with Nairies; and A. Kirsanova won the Russian prize with a thankfully nameless but awesome-looking card (Cyrillic would be a little troublesome to jot down here). The contest awarded a veritable Upper Deck treasure trove that included a Death Knight deluxe starter kit, a World of Warcraft miniatures game starter kit and booster pack, and the ScourgeWar epic collection which has the Tiny loot card. The loot card enables Horde characters to mount a miniature raptor and Alliance characters to ride a miniature pony to move at unmounted speed. Congratulations to the all the winners! For those of you who missed out on the fun, you can always make your own TCG cards by downloading their Horde or Alliance templates. Enjoy!
The Twelve Days of Winter Veil: Day one loot code giveaway
WoW.com's final day of Twelve Days of Winter Veil contests keeps on rolling. For the last loot code contest, we're giving away 1 Foam Sword Rack code courtesy of WoWTCGLoot.com. A rack of foam swords can be summoned. From there, any player can click on the rack to temporarily gain a foam sword that can be used to duel other players or just bonk them on the head. If a player loses a duel, their foam sword will explode into confetti. To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment in this post by Sunday, January 3, 2010, 11:59pm ET. Limit one entry per person and make sure you're registered with a valid email address. We'll be choosing one winner randomly from the entrants and contact them via email after the close of the contest. EDIT: Contest closed. Thanks everyone!
The Twelve Days of Winter Veil: Day two loot code giveaway
WoW.com's Twelve Days of Winter Veil contests keeps on rolling. If you didn't win a Path of Cenarius code yet, here's your last chance. Today we are giving away the last 5 Path of Cenarius codes courtesy of WoWTCGLoot.com. Yes, you, too can have flowers follow in your wake. What self-respecting PuGger would not want that for the New Year? To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment in this post by Saturday, January 2, 2010, 12pm ET (noon). Limit one entry per person and make sure you're registered with a valid email address. We'll be choosing five winners randomly from the entrants and contact them via email after the close of the contest. Don't forget to check back tomorrow for new contests celebrating the Twelve Days of Winter Veil! EDIT: Contest closed. Thanks everyone!
The Twelve Days of Winter Veil: Day three loot code giveaway
Every day until Saturday we will have new prizes to give away along with new loot codes for WoW.com's Twelve Days of Winter Veil contests. Today, we are giving away 1 Disco Inferno code courtesy of WoWTCGLoot.com. As you can see in the movie above, this in-game item summons a disco ball that comes with a lightshow and disco music. Any player that clicks on it will /dance. The perfect celebration item for your next guild meeting or surviving a PUG with your sanity intact. To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment in this post by Friday, January 1, 2010, 12pm ET (noon). Limit one entry per person and make sure you're registered with a valid email address. We'll be choosing one winner randomly from the entrants and contact them via email after the close of the contest. Don't forget to check back every day through Saturday for new contests celebrating the Twelve Days of Winter Veil! EDIT: Contest closed. Thanks everyone!
The Twelve Days of Winter Veil: Day three
WoW.com continues celebrating Winter Veil with our Twelve Days of Winter Veil contests. Today is day three of our countdown and we are giving away a Feast of Winterveil TCG Collector's Set to five (5) lucky winners courtesy of Upper Deck. Each Collector's Set comes with all the following goodies: 10 exclusive Feast of Winter Veil cards that can't be found anywhere else and feature new content that are all usable in your favorite WoW TCG deck! Two exclusive Pet mini-cards that allow players to customize their experience even more! An exclusive holiday deck box featuring Feast of Winter Veil artwork One Heroes of Azeroth booster pack One Through the Dark Portal booster pack One Fires of Outland booster pack The contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, and Canada (excluding Quebec), and everyone who enters must be 18 or older. To enter, leave a comment on this post before 12pm ET (noon) Friday, January 1, 2010. Please be sure to use a real email that you check often to enter, so we can contact you should you be one of the winners. You may enter only once and five winners will be selected randomly. Each winner will receive 1 Feast of Winter Veil Collector's Set with a retail value of US$25. Click here to read the official contest rules. And if you don't win today (or even if you do!) check back later today for loot card giveaways and tomorrow for more contests -- the prizes only get better as we count down the Twelve Days of Winter Veil! EDIT: Contest closed. Thanks everyone!
The best of WoW.com: December 22-29, 2009
There have been widespread reports of earthquakes happening around Azeroth, seemingly at random. People believe that these earthquake are the beginning of a very large world event that will usher in WoW's third expansion, Cataclysm. After a bit of digging, WoW.com speculates that they might be coming form invisible mobs roaming around the virtual world. Blizzard has since come out and started slyly commenting on the in-game earthquake, neither denying nor supporting the conclusions drawn. Of course, there's other things going on in the WoW universe as well, and after the cut we'll take a look at the top stories of the week.
The Twelve Days of Winter Veil: Day four loot code giveaway
Only four days left to our Twelve Days of Winter Veil contests and we're breaking out the good stuff. Today, we are giving away 1 Center of Attention code courtesy of WoWTCGLoot.com. This grants the in-game item Epic Purple Shirt. Clicking on the shirt causes you to /flex and a sparkle appear around your smile. What? You thought they'd make a teabagging emote? To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment in this post by Thursday, December 31, 2009, 12pm ET (noon). Limit one entry per person and make sure you're registered with a valid email address. We'll be choosing one winner randomly from the entrants and contact them via email after the close of the contest. Don't forget to check back every day through Saturday for new contests celebrating the Twelve Days of Winter Veil! EDIT: Contest closed. Thanks everyone!
The Twelve Days of Winter Veil: Day five loot code giveaway
WoW.com's Twelve Days of Winter Veil contests keeps on rolling. If you didn't win a Path of Cenarius code on Christmas, we're giving away 5 more Path of Cenarius codes today courtesy of WoWTCGLoot.com. Yes, you, too can have flowers follow in your wake. What self-respecting PuG farmer wouldn't want to have bright foliage sprouting behind them? To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment in this post by Wednesday, December 30, 2009, 12pm ET (noon). Limit one entry per person and make sure you're registered with a valid email address. We'll be choosing five winners randomly from the entrants and contact them via email after the close of the contest. Don't forget to check back every day through January 2nd for new contests celebrating the Twelve Days of Winter Veil! EDIT: Contest closed. Thanks everyone!
Landro's Pet Box available for UDE points
Upper Deck recently announced a new item available in-game for players to claim using UDE points accrued from collecting the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game. The item, Landro's Pet Box, is a grab bag of sorts that can randomly give the character one of the following loot items: Papa Hummel's Old-Fashioned Pet Biscuit, Path of Cenarius, Sandbox Tiger, Dragon Kite, Ethereal Soul-Trader, or Bananas, the Monkey. Items previously available through UDE points were limited to a selection of epic tabards, permanent fireworks, and a Carved Ogre Idol that turns characters into ogres for 10 minutes. According to the product description, Landro's Pet Box will more commonly give out Pet Biscuits, Paths of Cenarius, or the Sandbox Tiger, but will occasionally grant the rarer vanity pets. Players will not receive duplicates of vanity pets already obtained through the Pet Box. The item can be purchased through the UDE points store for 2,000 UDE points (the same cost as tabards) and is only available on US and EU realms. Landro's Pet Box marks the first time items previously available only through loot cards would be made available through UDE points, allowing players who miss out on elusive loot cards another shot at obtaining the items.
Naxxramas Raid Deck and Treasure Packs now available
Following the success of their previous raid sets, Onyxia's Lair, Molten Core, Magtheridon's Lair, and the Black Temple, Upper Deck has released the first Wrath-themed event pack with the Naxxramas Raid Deck and Treasure Pack last December 22. Unlike their previous raid offerings, however, the Naxxramas Treasure Packs are stand-alone products which can be used separately from the raid deck. According to Dan Bojanowski, Upper Deck's World of Warcraft TCG Senior Brand Manager, the stand-alone approach "was created as a direct result of customer feedback." Aside from containing the standard content such as exclusive foil cards, the set would also include "alternate art heroes featuring heroes from the Drums of War block in Naxxramas-themed gear and settings." The Raid Deck, which is available for $29.99, contains a 110-card raid deck, 15 oversized boss cards, a 16-card Treasure Pack, and a UDE points card (or Loot card) and rulebook. Treasure Packs retail for $9.99 apiece and contain 15 random foil Treasure Pack cards out of a total of thirty collectible cards, a hero in Naxxramas-themed armor, and a UDE points card or Loot card. Hero cards are drawn from the Drums of War expansion set with variant art, with a total of ten cards with new art to collect. Each Treasure Pack also has a chance to contain a random Loot card from the Fields of Honor expansion set.
