Showdown Series Orlando: the complete guide
From October 30 to November 1 the Hyatt Regency Orlando hosts CoolStuffCon, and inside it sits the richest Riftbound tournament before Stuttgart: a $25,000 Showdown Series paying $7,500 to the winner. All 512 seats are gone, as are those for Friday's Riftbound $5K, but the side events are still open to anyone. Schedule, format, prizing and Prize Wall, all in one place.
Where and whenThree days at the Hyatt Regency
CoolStuffCon runs in the Windermere Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Orlando, 9801 International Drive. Entry to the convention is free and no badge is required: you only pay to enter tournaments. The hall opens at 10:00 on Friday and at 9:00 on Saturday and Sunday, Florida time.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Thursday, October 29, 11:59 PM ET | Last call for CoolStuffInc orders with free pickup at the show |
| Friday, October 30, 10:45 AM (15:45) | Riftbound $5K, 128 seats — sold out |
| Saturday, October 31, 9:30 AM (14:30) | Showdown Series $25K, day one |
| Sunday, November 1 | Showdown Series day two and Top 8 — start time not published yet |
Main eventSeven rounds Saturday, Top 8 Sunday
It is Swiss across two days: seven rounds are scheduled for Saturday, with the final rounds and the Top 8 single-elimination cut on Sunday. One honest caveat: the organizer's page gives two different numbers for Sunday — two rounds in one spot, four a few lines below — and it does not publish a start time for day two. The money, at least, is unambiguous, and it reaches down to 32nd place.
The 512-player cap has been reached. At that number the official Showdown Series ladder puts the event in Tier I, the top bracket: four Regional Championship invites and sixteen passes to a Regional Qualifier of the player's choosing.
RulesNo experimental rules here
Radiance, out since October 23, is legal, and the core rules updated on October 16 apply. The experimental start-of-game rules — the ones handing the player on the draw a point, an extra card or a Predict — are not in play in Orlando: Riot stated they are being tested only at the Chinese City Tournaments and at the Friday and Sunday Standard Challenges in Stuttgart, and that "Skirmishes, Showdowns and other high OPL events should not playtest these rules" without direct word to tournament organizers. We covered them here.
Prizing$25,000 down to 32nd
| Finish | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st | $7,500 |
| 2nd | $4,000 |
| 3rd-4th | $2,000 each |
| 5th-8th | $1,000 each |
| 9th-16th | $500 each |
| 17th-32nd | $100 each |
Beyond the cash there are Jayce, Man of Progress participation promos, Regional Championship invitations, Standard Competitor badges for a Regional Qualifier, and Plated Legends — the plated cards that go to whoever finishes first with a given Legend from the three most recent sets.
Side eventsStill room at these tables
The side events — the open tournaments running alongside the main event — are not sold out and are booked on site at Event Signup. They pay in Prize Wall tickets rather than cash.
| When | Event | Entry |
|---|---|---|
| All weekend | Riftbound Constructed, eight-player single-elimination pods | $20 |
| Friday 3:00 PM | Constructed Swiss, 3 rounds, uncapped | $25 |
| Saturday 1:00 PM | Sealed: 6 packs, 25-card minimum deck, up to 3 domains | $45 |
| Saturday 4:30 PM | Constructed Swiss, 3 rounds | $25 |
| Sunday 10:00 AM | Triple Prize Constructed Swiss: triple payout, up to 1,440 tickets | $25 |
| Sunday 12:00 PM | Sealed, 32 seats | $45 |
Prize WallTickets and what they buy
Every tournament pays in tickets to spend at the Prize Wall: 600 for a 3-0 in Constructed Swiss, 1,440 for a 3-0 in Sunday's Triple Prize, 1,200 for winning a pod. The wall also hands out the CoolStuffCon autograph playmat and, with a Mystery Playmat voucher, a mat of your choice from an exclusive selection. Taking part in selected events earns the Halloween "Trick or Treat" metal token, while supplies last.
On the floorA $60,000 weekend
Riftbound is one slice of a weekend worth $60,000 in prizes: alongside it sit a $5,000 Magic Standard RCQ, a $13,000 cEDH, a $5,000 Duel Commander, a $3,000 Pokemon League Cup and the Cyberpunk TCG prerelease. The hall also holds vendors, guest artists and creators, a free Halloween cosplay contest on Saturday and a scavenger hunt. Ticket packages run from Traveler at $49.99 to Warrior at $69.99 and Challenger at $99.99.
How to follow itSocial only, for now
No official stream has been announced. Riftbound Organized Play points to @RiftboundOP on X for live updates and results, while CoolStuffCon uses the #CSCON tag. If broadcast plans appear, we will update this page.
ItaliansNo public entry list
There is no public list of entrants and the organizer has not released one: if Italian players are in the field, the weekend's standings will tell us. We have no source on Italian participants.
Why it matters for us. Orlando is the last big official tournament with Radiance legal before the Stuttgart Regional Championship on November 6-8. Five hundred-plus players and eleven rounds of play will produce the widest picture we will get of the new metagame, and it lands exactly one week before the Italian contingent sits down in Germany: for anyone heading to Stuttgart, this is the last free dress rehearsal.
The short version
- A $25,000 Showdown Series on Saturday, October 31 at 9:30 AM local (14:30 Italian), 512 seats sold out, $7,500 to the winner and money down to 32nd.
- Seven rounds Saturday and a Top 8 on Sunday; the organizer has not published a day-two start time and lists two different round counts.
- Riftbound side events are still open, pay in Prize Wall tickets, and the experimental start-of-game rules do not apply here.
Sources: CoolStuffEvents and Riftbound Organized Play. Images: Riftbound Organized Play.
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