DTCG Singapore League 2021, Report and Reflection

Unfortunately, the emergence of the COVID-19 Delta wave dampened the excitement and anticipation of the semifinals originally slated to be held on 15 May 2021. To combat the local infection clusters, the Singapore Government instituted Phase 2 Heightened Alert from 16 May to 13 June 2021. During this period, social gatherings were restricted to 2 persons and dining-in was not permitted. The return to normalcy was hindered by a fresh surge in community infections in late June 2021 and the KTV cluster in July 2021 which consequently delayed the phased easing of restrictions to 10 August 2021. The uncertainty in the permissible group size made it impossible to finalise plans for the next rounds as new restrictions and measures could be announced without advance notice and effected days later.

Another consideration League organisers had to contend with was the release schedule of the upcoming sets. Ideally, the semifinals and finals should be held sometime after the release of the latest booster set but not straddle the release of the next set. They also had to survey all players’ availabilities and be mindful of major announcements such as the latest card ban and restriction list.

Semis and finals

The semi-finals were held over 2 weekends in Mid-Feb 2022 and 43 players played in 15 pods of up to 4 persons, in line with current safe distancing measures. The winner of each pod advanced to the grand final held on 26 February 2022, hosted by Sanctuary Gaming. The 16 finalists were only allowed cards up to EX2: Digital Hazard and all decklists had to be submitted to DTCGReview prior to the actual day. Players were paired after registration on the day of the grand finals and were presented a custom-designed top-16 playmat as keepsake for their efforts and commitment. The finalists then battled in best-of-3, single elimination rounds until an undefeated winner emerged.

The conduct of the grand finals was remarkably smooth and free from discrepancies or disputes. But what was a sight to behold was the level at which our nation’s best players competed at. The games I observed were rarely a one-sided affair – every move was deliberate, calculated and often the best play possible in that circumstance. Players were gracious and respectful and the judges noted very few misplays over the course of the grand finals. We saw a blue hybrid Leomon player breeze through a sea of yellow hybrid decks in the top 16, top 8 and top 4 rounds to reach the ultimate showdown against another yellow hybrid player in the final round. While blue was eventually bested by yellow, it was one of the most exciting and memorable matches to watch in a long time. No one left empty-handed either! DTCGReview also sponsored the lucky draw prizes that every eliminated finalist got to win. The grand finals concluded with players leaving happy with their prizes and a little more appreciative of their opponents’ abilities.