Decipher has released additional information concerning the new Expanded Format tournaments that will include cards from all The Lord of the Rings Trading Card Game releases.  As was announced last week (see 'Decipher Levels the Playing Field'), starting in March 2005 Decipher plans to eliminate certain early LOTR TCG releases from Standard Play tournaments in order to allow younger players, who may not have been collecting when the first few series of LOTR cards were released, a fair chance to compete.  However, Decipher has created the new Expanded Format tournaments to allow longtime LOTR players to utilize cards from all the various LOTR TCG releases.  Although Standard Tournaments will still be the default championship format for the LOTR game, Decipher has announced that some championship level events will take place with the Expanded Format.  Exact details about the new Expanded Format events will be released over the next few months.

But even in the Expanded Format certain cards will be 'outlawed' or 'restricted' (players will be allowed to have only one copy of the card in their decks) for the sake of better game play.  Players however will have a voice in choosing which cards from the 'X-List' (of cards that cannot be played in the Standard Format) will be placed on the Expanded Format 'X-List' -- and Expanded Format players will also be able to vote for cards to be placed on the Restricted List.

Voting for the Expanded X-List and Restricted List will take place on the Decipher message boards through February 13, 2005.  The lists will be announced on February 28, 2005 and sanctioned Expanded Format tournaments may be run starting on March 25, 2005.  Voting will be divided into three, evenly weighted groups: the player community, winners of Decipher championships, and Decipher playtesters.