How do I participate in the 2009 tournament?

The Warcraft III open ladder has been reset for the start of the 2009 Tournament. To qualify for a chance at the invitational ladder, you must be a top-ranked player at the end of the open ladder. To participate, you simply play in a regular ladder match by selecting Play Game at the Battle.net start screen and choosing the One vs. One game type.

What is different between the invitational ladders and the standard regional ladders?

On the invitational ladders, there are no restrictions on who can play whom. This means the top-ranked player could play the bottom-ranked player. Additionally, top performers in the invitational ladder are eligible to compete in offline regional qualifiers and potentially in the global finals.

Who will play on these invitational ladders?

• We will be removing the bottom-100-ranked players from each invitational ladder from last year and replacing them with the current top-100-ranked players from each standard regional ladder. The top 50 in each of the Lordaeron and Azeroth realms will comprise the 100 ranked ladder players from the Americas.
• This will result in 150 total players per ladder.

What if a player is in the bottom 100 of the invitational ladder, but also in the top 100 of his or her regional ladder?

In this case, the player will keep his or her spot in the invitational ladder.

How long will the invitational ladder tournament run?

The invitational ladder is scheduled to run for three weeks. There will then be one offline regional qualifier event for each region, which will all feed into the global finals.

Will there be a ladder reset for this year’s tournament?

Yes. We will be resetting the ladders in preparation for the 2009 tournament, as well as resetting the invitational ladder at the start of the 2009 tournament.

How do I play a 2009 tournament game?

Once the invitational ladder begins, invited participants will gain access to a new ladder game type. To play in a 2009 tournament game, log into Battle.net and click the Play Game button. In the Game Type dropdown menu, there will be a 2009 Tournament game type. Choose that and play.

How do I win a StarCraft II beta key?

The top 20 eligible participants at the end of each region’s invitational ladder will receive a StarCraft II beta key.

Who will go to the regional qualifiers?

The top-six-ranked players from each region’s invitational ladder will be invited to their respective regional qualifier event. They will combine with the top two performers from last year’s tournament for each region. This will result in a total of eight players for the regional qualifier. If the same player was in the top two last year and also reaches the top six in the current tournament, additional invitations will be extended until a total of eight players is reached.

Who will go to the global finals?

The top two players from the Americas and the top three players each from Europe and Asia will be invited to the global finals. This will result in a total of eight players for the global finals.

When and where will the regional qualifiers and global finals be held?

More information about the regional qualifiers and global finals will be announced at a later date.