Official Kartomantik Tournament — Lucca Comics & Games 2026

We are pleased to announce the first Official Kartomantik Tournament sanctioned by Hollow Press at Lucca Comics & Games 2026!

Date and time: Sunday, November 1, from 10:00 to 19:00

Location: Games Café at Lucca Comics & Games

Available spots: 16

Entry fee: €15

Every participant will receive a promo variant card!

Prizes

• Top 3: Qu Lom, Haphazard Martyr variant signed by Shintaro Kago
• 1st place: Buddhan the Dark variant signed and sketched by Shintaro Kago

Registration and Deadlines

• Spots are limited to 16 participants. You can register until spots are filled, and no later than October 20.
• All decklists must be submitted by October 20.
• Decklists will be made public starting October 21.

To reserve your spot, contact Magic Maze via direct message on Instagram, or Federico via WhatsApp at +39 3200697422.

Official Tournament Rules

1. Tournament Structure and Timing

The tournament is divided into two phases:

• Swiss Phase;
• Single-Elimination Top Cut Phase.

Number of Rounds by Number of Players

Time Management

Each Match (Round) is played as Bo1 (single game) and lasts 55 minutes in total, split as follows:

• 5 minutes of pre-game Study Phase and Sideboarding.
• 50 minutes of regulation playing time.

2. Official Terminology

For the purposes of these rules, the following definitions apply:

• Round: A tournament round assigned by the organizers.
• Match: A contest between two players.
• Game turn: A normal turn within a game.

3. Deck Construction and Banlist

Players must bring a mandatory paper Decklist, listing exactly both the Main Deck and the Sideboard.

To be valid for the tournament, the Decklist must be compiled following this format, to make it easy to consult:

• Grouped by Type: Cards must be grouped and listed clearly by category (Manifestations, Ephemeral Wills, Persistent Wills).
• Individual Score: Next to the name of each Manifestation (whether in the Main Deck or the Sideboard), its specific Point value must be written.
• Main Deck Total Score: The deck's Total Score (the exact sum of the Points of all Manifestations in the Main Deck) must be shown clearly and visibly.

3.1 General Construction Rules

• Main Deck: Exactly 30 cards.
• Score: The total Points of all Manifestations in the Main Deck must not exceed 500.
• Singleton: No more than 1 copy of the same card (same name) across the Main Deck and Sideboard.

3.2 Banlist and Restrictions (Provisional Rules)

To ensure a healthy and varied competitive environment, the following restrictions apply for the duration of the tournament:

Banned Cards

The following cards may not be included in any Main Deck or Sideboard:

• Ergorath, Scribe of the Limbo;
• Freenya, Heartless Songstress;
• Imitate.

Restricted Cards

The following 3 cards may not be in the same deck at the same time:

• Ponder;
• Pray the Ether;
• Martyrize.

Restriction Rule: A player may have at most one of these cards in their Main Deck, giving up the other two. A different restricted card may be kept in the Sideboard and swapped in during the Study Phase, but the deck played at the table may only ever contain one of them.

3.3 Sideboard and Study Phase

• The Sideboard consists of a maximum of 6 cards.
• At the start of the tournament Round, the first 5 minutes of the clock begin. During this phase, players exchange and review each other's paper Decklists.
• Based on the opponent's list, players may modify their Main Deck by swapping cards with the Sideboard (always respecting the Point limit, the 30 singleton cards and the Restrictions).
• When the 5 minutes are up (or earlier, if both players are ready), decks are reshuffled and the 50 minutes of actual play begin.

4. The Swiss Phase

Draws are allowed during the Swiss Phase.

4.1 End of Regulation Time (Swiss Phase)

When the 50 minutes of play expire, the judge will call "Time". If the game has not yet reached its Natural End (a deck running out):

1. The current Turn is completed normally.
2. 1 Additional Turn is granted.
3. At the end of this additional turn, players count the points in their respective Empathic Vessels. The player with the higher score wins.
4. If the points are exactly tied, the game officially ends in a Draw.

4.2 Natural End in a Tie (Swiss Phase)

If the game ends because a deck runs out, before Time or during the Additional Turn, and the Empathic Vessel points are exactly tied, the game officially ends in a Draw.

4.3 Tournament Points

At the end of each Round, the following are awarded for the standings:

5. The Top Cut Phase

The Top Cut phase is played as single elimination. Draws are not allowed in the Top Cut.

5.1 End of Time and Tiebreaker Cascade

If the judge calls the end of the 50 minutes and the decks have not run out, the following procedure applies:

Step 1: The Additional Turn The current Turn is completed and 1 Additional Turn is played. At the end, the player with more points in their Empathic Vessel wins.

Step 2: The Time Extension If points are exactly tied, the judge grants 5 extra minutes on the clock and play resumes normally. When the 5 minutes expire, play stops immediately. Points are counted again: the player with more points wins.

Step 3: Remaining Cards If points are still tied when the 5 extra minutes expire, the winner is the player with the most cards remaining in their deck.

Step 4: Final Tiebreaker If the number of cards in the deck is also identical, the final tiebreaker is played. Both players fully reshuffle their decks. At the same time, the players reveal the top card of their deck and compare its numerical value: Base Strength for Manifestations, or Tribute Cost for Wills. The player who reveals the card with the higher numerical value wins the match instantly. If tied again, the revealed cards are put into Limbo and the next cards are revealed, continuing until there is a winner.

5.2 Natural End and Tiebreaker in the Top Cut

This rule applies if the game ends naturally because cards run out:

• If one player runs out of deck and the Empathic Vessel points are exactly tied, the player who ran out of deck automatically loses the game (having zero cards in their deck, the opponent wins under the Step 3 Criterion).
• If both players' decks run out at the same time during the same Turn, with points exactly tied, the players reshuffle their cards and go straight to Step 4 to decide the winner.

6. Competitive Guidelines and Penalties

Competitive play requires technical precision, clear communication and individual responsibility.

6.1 General Principle

"The game does not easily go backwards."

Players are responsible for maintaining a legal game state and for their own advantage. The Judge is not a strategy advisor but the guarantor of the event's integrity.

6.2 Communication and Procedure

• The following must be announced out loud: Phases and Sub-phases; chosen Targets; payment of Tributes and Alternative Costs or Replacement Effects; Triggered or Activated Effects.
• Public information must be given correctly when requested.
• Cards must be protected by opaque, identical Sleeves with no recognizable markings.
• The Empathic Vessel point count must always be visible to both players.

6.3 Common Errors and Penalties

The Head Judge will apply the following penalties:

6.4 Right of Appeal

Any player who disagrees with a judge's ruling has the right to pause the game and request the Head Judge. The Head Judge's final decisions cannot be appealed during the event.