Garden Arena: Los Angeles Regional Player Guide
Garden Arena: Los Angeles Regional Player Guide
This Saturday, 384 players will gather in Pasadena for the first Garden Arena Regional.
This event is sold out. Players will compete for $10,000 in cash prizing, exclusive stamped prize cards, Seasonal Points, and 16 invitations to the 2027 Azuki Invitational.
If you are competing, read this before you leave home.
Event Details
- Date: Saturday, August 15, 2026
- Location: Pasadena Convention Center, Ballrooms ABCD, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena, CA 91101
- Doors open: 8:00 AM PT
- Tournament starts: 10:00 AM PT
- Host: CoreTCG
- Player cap: 384, sold out
- Waitlist: In-person
Questions about registration should be sent to eventinfo@coretcg.com.
Before You Arrive
Submit Your Decklist
If you are registered for the event, decklists are required the night before.
You must submit your decklist on the Azuki TCG app by 7:00 PM PDT on Friday, August 14.
If you miss the deadline, you may be dropped from the event or receive a game 1 loss.
Your tournament deck must include exactly:
- 1 Leader
- 1 Gate
- 50 main-deck cards
- 10 IKZ and 1 IKZ token
Once the tournament begins, you may not change decks or swap cards.
You may not have any other cards in your deck box.
If you are deck checked and the deck you are playing with does not match your submitted decklist, you will receive a game loss.
Check Your RK9 Profile
Make sure your RK9 profile includes your legal name, birthdate, country, and Azuki TCG Member ID.
Your registration is tied to the named player and cannot be transferred.
Review your registration on RK9.
Review the Rules
Players are responsible for knowing the latest game rules, tournament rules, card errata, and banned-card updates.
All main-deck cards must use identical opaque sleeves.
Your Leader, Gate, and IKZ cards must be sleeved differently from your main deck.
We also recommend bringing extra sleeves and a fully charged phone for life tracking.
Check-In and Arrival
Doors open at 8:00 AM PT.
Give yourself enough time to park, find Ballrooms ABCD, complete check-in, and resolve any decklist issues before the tournament begins at 10:00 AM PT.
Signs will direct players to the correct ballroom.
For on-site parking, enter 175 S. Euclid Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101 into your GPS.
The convention center garage is first come, first served. The typical daily rate is $15, but pricing can vary by event.
The convention center is also a short walk from the Del Mar A Line station.
Tournament Format
The Main Event will be Swiss best-of-1 for up to 9 rounds or until there is 1 undefeated player.
- Swiss matches: 30 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of overtime
After Swiss, there will be 3 rounds of Top Cut to determine finalized 1st–8th place standings.
- Top Cut matches: Best-of-3, 70 minutes, followed by 15 minutes of overtime
Players who arrive at their table 5 minutes late automatically forfeit the match.
Both players are responsible for reporting results. If no result is reported, both players receive a game loss.
If a rule interaction or game-state issue is unclear, stop play and call a judge.
Judges are there to help. Please do not try to resolve a disputed ruling between yourselves.
What's on the Line
Entry Prizing
Each Main Event participant receives:
- 6 Gates Awakened booster packs
- 1 Regional Pack Wave 1
Exclusive Prize Cards
- Top 128: Regional Pack Wave 1
- Top 64: Stamped Foamback Crab alternate art
- Top 32: Stamped Scarlett alternate art
- Top 16: Stamped Miharu of the White Bloom alternate art
- Top 8: Serialized Raizan alternate art
All top prize cards feature exclusive tournament stamps and textured foiling.
All Top 16 players will also qualify for the 2027 Azuki Invitational.
Invitations pass down when a player has already qualified.
$10,000 Cash Prize Pool
- 1st: $3,000
- 2nd–4th: $1,400 each
- 5th–8th: $700 each
Players will also earn Seasonal Points tracked through the Azuki TCG app.
Main Event Waitlist and Spectators
The 384-player Main Event is sold out.
The waitlist will be in person.
Do not travel expecting a Main Event seat unless CoreTCG confirms your registration.
Spectators are allowed but must remain courteous and avoid disturbing players.
Spectators cannot interact with competitors during matches.
If you see cheating, you can quietly inform a judge, but you cannot talk to the competitors or alert judges about misplays.
You may be removed from the venue if you interfere with the tournament in any way.
Side Events
Side events will run throughout the day.
Please check with the Tournament Organizers on-site for details.
Watch From Home
Coverage will begin roughly 30 minutes before the tournament starts, at 9:30 AM PT, on the official Azuki TCG stream channels.
The broadcast team includes:
- AtrociousJake
- Marredplatypus
Follow @AzukiTCG for pairings, results, deck coverage, player interviews, and updates throughout the day.
What Comes Next
The next Garden Arena stop will be the Midwest Regional in Q4 2026.
Date, venue, registration, and prizing details will be announced soon.
Come early, submit your decklist before check-in, and bring a tournament-ready deck.
We'll see you in Pasadena.