The Hubworld: Aidalon World Premiere.
After all of the mind-blowing previews, the just a taste demo games, and the countless attempts to temper excitement about Hubworld: Aidalon being on the horizon—it's finally time to attend its historic, world premiere tournament at PAX Unplugged! This will be the first-ever official constructed tournament for the game, and it's the first chance for all of us to get together and actually see whose theories will dictate the metagame of Prime Collective and beyond.
I still remember the iconic ending to the first Netrunner Worlds final in 2012. It fundamentally changed the way I thought about the game, made me fall further in love with the mechanics, and solidified Jeremy Zwirn and Ben Marsh as lowkey celebrities within our local community. Criminal and HB became the undisputed meta picks, and early deckbuilding was all about finding ways to counter them.
That's why an event like this is so critical, and so fun. It's the first time we all get to see, together, what is working and who figured it out.
To that end, we're bringing cameras and filming games throughout the event. We'll produce one, maybe two of the most iconic displays of Hubworld prowess and then get them out there to kickstart discussions around the globe. Additionally, the Earthborne team is bringing exclusive playmats and whatever else they might be cooking up to make sure everyone has something to remember the moment when it all started.
We had discussed hosting something more casual, even just some pick-up drafts, but we all agreed how important it is to be clear that Hubworld: Aidalon is a serious game designed for competitive play. Things don't have to get all sweaty and weird to engage in the most fundamental obsession of card games—build your deck, play games, theorize, rebuild your deck, play more games, theorize...and then win—and this loop is not the sole domain of TCGs. Hubworld is built for it, and I'm betting that PAX Unplugged is the first of many opportunities to play this game at a high level.
Of course, I'm looking forward to doing cube drafts, hanging out with friends, and playing more casually. That's a huge selling point of the game, and I'm sure it'll be happening around PAX. But I have access to every card right out of the gate, and by God I want to build my best deck and play my heart out. I'm betting a lot of other people do too.
So I hope you'll jump in and be a part of this electrifying moment in the game's history, no matter how "good" you think you are. No one is good yet, and the popular takes always miss things in card games. You have a favorite seeker and an idea of how to make them shine? Bring it on.
-Steven