Happy 2024 to the greatest community in gaming!
We’re excited for another amazing year and to share a preview of what to expect this spring, including some new options for engaging the community, the first-ever Destiny World Cup, a new weekly event in an Americas-friendly timezone and the release of ARH’s 8th set in March!
ARH Standard Holocron Update
We’re kicking off the year with a new Holocron for ARH Standard that’s designed to inject a bit of new energy into the Resurgence meta. These changes are effective January 5, 2024 and will be live in the database later today, with a new PDF document available soon.
Cluster Missiles and Tie Fighter Squadron are now a restricted pair. Although our designers love it when players discover new ways to make the most of card mechanics, we never intended a scenario in which an opponent could trigger the missiles 3+ times each round with virtually no options to prevent it. By restricting this combo, we preserve design space for the future and neutralize a negative play experience.
A pair of Blue cards are leaving the Echoes of Destiny list. Since the release of Display of Power more than a year ago, Luke- Reluctant Instructor has reigned at the top of the mono blue hero mountaintop, first with Obi-Wan- Jedi Protector and more recently with Yaddle- Valiant Master. Bidding farewell to Old Man Luke will hopefully prompt a new wave of creative partners for these powerful ARH Jedi.
Like Luke, Rise Again has become a staple of today’s meta, with players quickly discovering that the path to the Emperor’s throne is paved in blue and red for those willing to pay the price. With so many tools for generating those 5 resources and the arrival of Palpatine- Master of Manipulation, Rise Again has become more attainable than ever and we’re excited to see what the villains will discover now that it’s off the table.
Finally, we’re excited to feature several characters in a Redemption Farewell Tour, giving them a final walk in the sunshine before Redemption rotates.
We look forward to seeing what pairings the community discovers to make the most of their -1/-1 point reduction:
- Luminara – Patient Master (now 9/13)
- Leia Organa – Adept Student (returning to 12/15)
- Dak Ralter – Rogue Gunner (now 11/14)
- Maul – Consumed by Revenge (now 9/12)
- General Veers – Death Squadron General (now 13/16)
- Skreek – Warbird Enforcer (now 7/10)
Community Engagement
Early this year, we’ll be refreshing the ARH website to build in some of the resources requested by the community, including a “getting started on TTS” video, updated “hall of fame” and prize support pages, quick links to content creators, and an overview of regular meet-ups. If you have specific suggestions that would make the site a more valuable resource for new, experienced, and returning players alike, please contact us or reach out to Casero on Discord.
To keep the dialogue going as we kick off the new year, Majobasil will also be hosting an “Ask the Admins” roundtable in the ARH Discord server at 5pm ET/10pm UK on Tuesday, January 23rd. We look forward to taking your questions about the year ahead and hearing any suggestions you have for keeping the Destiny community vibrant moving forward.
Organized Play
As always, Destiny is best when it’s shared, so we’re complementing our tried-and-true Organized Play approach with some new ways to play together. Speaking of which, if you haven’t yet watched Dice Commando’s announcement video (HERE) for the “Dicey Companions” draft kit for ARH, what are you waiting for?!?
In-Person Play
Regular Meet Ups
Although not organized by ARH, numerous groups across the community (including in Boston, Montgomery, NY; Toronto, and Wisconsin) organize regular in-person events and would love to welcome new players. We’ll be revamping the “Local Meet-Ups” section of the ARH site this spring but in the meantime, please let Casero know if you host a regular gathering you’d like us to promote.
Local Play Kits
Later this month, we’ll launch Wave 3 of our popular initiative supporting in-person playgroups around the world. Designed to support casual and semi-competitive play at local game stores and kitchen tables, each kit includes 1 spot gloss card (for the winner) and 6 paper cards featuring alternate art of an ARH character. Each wave includes an LPK exclusive promo card and although we’re not ready to reveal them, we can confirm this card is as purple as a Destiny card can be without infringing on Willy Wonka’s turf!
Renewed Prime Kit
After the launch of ARH8, we’ll share the gorgeous Renewed Prime-exclusive cards that players will be competing for in our signature “regional” events. As in the past, tournament kits will include paper promo cards for all participants, spot gloss versions for the top 4, and a special card for the champion. Who will join Baze & Chirrut (2022) and the Force Family (2023) in the Renewed Prime trophy case?
Grand Championships
In 2023, we crowned Grand Champions in the United Kingdom and United States, and we look forward to supporting these once per year/country events as the “crème de la crème” of in-person play in 2024.
Prize support will continue to be legendary and we look forward to sharing more details as we confirm them this spring. At this stage, we expect the US Grand Championships to return to Gen Con (Indianapolis, August 1-4) and we’re exploring multiple options for UK Grand Championships, including a potential return to the UK Games Expo (Birmingham, May 31-June 2).
We’d be thrilled to support additional nations in hosting a Grand Championship-level event! If you’re willing to host and you feel your country has the player base (can attract at least 16 players), please contact us or reach out to Casero via the ARH Discord to explore how we can help you bring it to life.
Online Play
Regular Meet-Ups
Over the past several years, LandoWonka has set the bar for consistent online meet-ups, hosting the (in)famous weekly Echobase event on Thursday evenings at 7:30pm UK time. These free events usually include 4 rounds of ARH Standard although have occasionally brought in new formats to spice things up.
NEW in January, ARH will be piloting a parallel event with Americas-friendly hours on Tuesday evenings. We’ll experiment with specific timing, but for the month of January will start at 9:30pm ET to accommodate players in as many geographies as possible. Check out the #event-announcements channel in ARH Discord for details!
ARH Monthly League
ARH’s free, monthly league continues into its 6th year with a new twist! As in the past, players find opponents in a designated Discord channel, earning points for matches played, wins, regular play, and using unique character pairings for their first 6 (or 8 depending on league size) matches in a given month. The best of the best are selected for a top cut each month, with champions crowned in a League Hall of Fame (HERE) on the revamped ARH website, right next to the snazzy new ARH Tournament Hall of Fame HERE.
NEW in 2024, players will also earn ARH prize tickets for their participation and performance each month, putting some of those gorgeous spot gloss cards (see HERE for refresher on using prize tickets) within reach sooner than ever before. Players earn prize tickets as follows:
- 2 points for finishing the month with minimum # of games (6 or 8 depending on league size)
- 3 points for making the monthly top cut
- 6 points for the monthly runner-up
- 12 points for the monthly champion
We’ve also been talking with community members from Europe and elsewhere about adjustments we can make to to make the League more engaging for players outside of the Americas. We’ll check interest on this after ARH8 launches this spring.
Release Party Tournament
As always, we invite the community to celebrate the arrival of each new set with a free “release party” tournament. Geared towards fun and exploration, these events offer a first look at the new meta as it forms before our eyes! The ARH8 release party will take place in late March/early April and we’ll include specific timing and prizing details in the announcement that kicks off spoiler season.
Galactic Open
Each ARH set brings the community to a new system, where players battle across 3 heats for spot gloss promo cards and glory. Over the past several years, we’ve visited Canto Bight, Tatooine, the Outer Rim, Coruscant, Ryloth, and Ferrix and collected a bazillion ARH prize tickets, so it’s anyone’s guess where the next Open will take us when we gather in May/June.
Set Online Championship
Formerly known as the “mid cycle” event, the Online Championship for each set is designed for players to test their mettle in a more competitive atmosphere and a more defined meta than most other online events. We’ll schedule the ARH8 Online Championship once we’ve established dates for the in-person Grand Championships.
Destiny World Cup
Last but not least, we’re thrilled to announced the debut of the Destiny World Cup: a free, online team event that will see trios of players – generally organized by geography – compete for regional pride and some exclusive ARH prizes. The Cup will kick off in April, a few weeks after the ARH8 release.
Later this month, we’ll post a preview of the Cup format and an opportunity for players to express interest in participating in the “qualifying” phase scheduled for February & March. In the meantime, keep playing because the number or spots for each region will be partially determined by player engagement in regular meet-ups in-person, online (Echobase, new Tues event for the Americas) and the monthly ARH league.
