SWNOVELXO Chapter 67
“Hello! YouTube!! Today, I’m going to talk about ‘The King’s Banquet,’ the first edition of CW Crossworld, which was re-released last month!!”
At my Tokyo residence, the internet connection was already set up, and I could enjoy the internet from anywhere in the house.
From the spacious living room, the voice of a young man speaking energetically echoed. The source of the sound was a thin laptop I purchased on Akira’s recommendation, and on the screen, a man with a flamboyant hair color, almost as if he belonged to the world of Asphial, wearing sunglasses, was speaking nonstop. I was currently watching this video to study Crossworld.
“To begin with, ‘The King’s Banquet’ is the first edition of CW Crossworld, so there are no Connect-type cards used in the current regulations! Also, some previously banned or restricted cards have been re-released, making the balance somewhat chaotic. Be cautious during the initial regulation tournaments!”
Despite his eccentric appearance, the man’s video was well-structured, and alongside his explanations, he displayed a list of banned and restricted cards on the screen.
“The most insane one is ‘Bio-Lifeform Atto!’ While it gets destroyed in the next turn, for 4 cost, you can select a card from either your field or hand, and treat it as that selected card! This insane ability has made it a must-have for players in tournaments, and it was banned and entered the hall of fame as a prohibited card after the second edition!!”
“Regulations, huh… I need to set those up too.”
In Asphial, the only person who can establish the rules for trading card games (TCGs) is me. This means I also need to decide on restrictions and banned cards, which I must communicate while the trend is still catching on.
“I should prepare a notice with the rules and regulations for Crossworld and other TCGs and get them posted in the student dorms during the next product delivery. Yeah, that’s something I need to handle.”
Though there are rulebooks for sale that include these regulations, not everyone is going to buy them.
To ensure widespread adoption and maintain a balanced environment, setting up regulations would be essential.
(…Well, since the regulations are already established, I guess I’ll just follow them for now.)
With a newfound task, I continued my studies on TCGs.
—
“I’d love to see a proper match one day.”
I clicked around with the mouse, searching for Crossworld tournaments happening around Tokyo.
While it’s important to spread the word about cards to popularize TCGs in the world of Asfial, I also felt that hosting events was equally important.
The TCG industry in Asphial is still in its infancy, and the groundwork isn’t quite ready for hosting tournaments, but having clear objectives is crucial.
It doesn’t have to be a full-blown tournament. We could hold beginner lessons or casual meet-ups. Doing it within existing communities is fine, but an official event could lead to new connections being made.
That’s why I wanted to visit an official tournament or event in person. I wanted to see how the venue was set up, how the tournament progressed… Not just from a player’s perspective, but also as a tournament organizer.
“Oh, there’s one this weekend… Perfect.”
As I continued browsing, I found a community tournament—not an official one, but still fairly large—being held at a card shop in Akihabara.
The tournament would be held over two days, Saturday for qualifiers and Sunday for the finals. I couldn’t attend Saturday due to the Royal Capital’s street market festival, but I could likely attend on Sunday as a spectator.
“Wow, a tournament with 100 participants.”
Most TCG tournaments are around 16 to 32 participants, but the one I found had a capacity of 128—a significantly larger tournament.
“Oh, and a well-known figure will be there as a commentator.”
The tournament’s website revealed that a famous YouTuber, the same one whose video I had just watched, would be doing live commentary.
“Akihabara has tons of card shops. I could do some market research while I’m there… No, I *should* go.”
Looking it up on social media, I found that the tournament had already generated a fair amount of buzz, and they were even planning to live stream the event online. Along with the famous commentator, some tough competitors who had previously ranked high in official tournaments were also expected to participate.
The venue itself was a well-known major card shop, and there were numerous stores in the area selling TCG-related products.
I decided that, while spectating the tournament, I would also tour the card shops in Akihabara. With that settled, I made plans to visit Akihabara this weekend.