Direct Challenge: It's Time to Duel!

Direct Challenge is a game mode that allows you to 1v1 your friends, foes and other mortals. The ability to duel can take many forms: from refining the perfect strategy to running your own events!

Direct Challenge is the way to (put simply) directly challenge someone and get paired against them. But the Direct Challenge system is and can be so much more than that, so let's look at how to set up a duel and some of the ways you can extend the system.

Setting up a 1v1

Sending a challenge is like creating your own mystical room in the Citadel of the Gods. It's a haven away from other mortals, where you and your opponent can duel to your heart's content!

Setting up a match is simple: 

1. Create a Challenge Code: A Challenge Code is any line of text you decide to create. It must be between 3 to 40 characters in length and can be anything from ‘PetrifyIsACardWizard’ to ‘FACE-ME,MORTAL!’ to ‘11111111111111!!!!!’. It’s up to you!
   
2. Give your code to your opponent: Make sure the mortal you wish to duel is the only one who knows the code. This is important if you want to be sure you are facing the correct opponent.
   
3. Enter the code in the launcher and click ‘Start’: The next mortal (if you followed step 2, this will be your opponent) to enter that same code in the ‘Direct Challenge’ section of the launcher will be paired up against you in an unranked game.

Pick something unique and share it with a friend in Discord via direct message, or in email, or similar. If you have a group of players you want to test with, give it to all of them.

Follow your own Format

Right now, there is one constructed format. However, in many analog TCGs, players are oftentimes the ones to create new and fun ways to play. We hope to encourage that here.

A popular format known as “highlander” or “commander” in some other games has the rule that you can only play with one copy of each card. Well, people that want to play in that way could use onlyone as a challenge code and try their luck. Others might use the code pauper to play against people who are only using commons in their deck.

If you're looking to customise the experience, make sure the mortal you want to challenge also has the same understanding of the rules, as none of these deckbuilding rules are enforced within Direct Challenge. We may look at implementing something along those lines in the future, but for now the opportunity to experiment is ripe for the taking.

For a few more suggestions on how to use Direct Challenge, check out our 6 Ways to Duel with Direct Challenge article. This new mode opens up a world of possibilities, and we look forward to seeing what people come up with.

Tournaments & API access

A huge part of Direct Challenge is the ability to create your own tournament systems. The way we see this working is to issue a unique code to each pair of players per round in the event. All you need to have is a system to ensure that the codes are unique and not easily guessable by someone who plans to cause trouble. The results of each game in the Direct Challenge mode are published in our API. Tournament organizers would need to look up those results every few minutes to see who won.

Warning! Very technical details ahead! API users can collect the public data here and refer to our public results API for more info. When running the search, look for game_mode = 6, and compare start_time, player_won, and player_lost to determine the results for the event you are running. The challenge code is not exposed in the API though that feature might be implemented at a later date... so don’t make it anything you wouldn’t want the rest of the world to see. 

A New Era Has Begun

We’ve been wanting to release a mode where players can easily set up 1v1s for a while now, and we’re excited that it’s finally here. That said, we are launching this as an experiment, and we’ll be making changes as necessary and improvements as warranted to ensure this offers the best experience possible. As always, let us know what you think in our Discord (in the #feedback channel) as your insights are endlessly helpful. 

Happy dueling, mortals! 

See more:

• 6 Ways to Duel with Direct Challenge
• Welcome Set: Best & Brightest Cards
• How to Play: New Video Tutorial