Dune: Imperium – Uprising Invitational: Part Two!

January 12, 2024

Last weekend, 36 high-level Dune: Imperium – Uprising players returned to Raleigh, North Carolina for another run at an expanded $30,000(!) cash prize pool after MrBeast rolled over his winnings from the Pre-Release Invitational in October.

The field featured both new and returning faces from eight countries around the world, including the 2022 and 2023 North American Dune: Imperium Champions, the 2023 World Series of Board Games Dune: Imperium Ring Event winner and the best of the best from the online community. Special guests included friends from Legendary Entertainment, Man vs Meeple …and of course the MrBeast crew!

With a few months of Uprising games under players’ belts, competition had stiffened across the field. Rather than coming in blind, they encountered a more developed meta with a wider array of strategies on display, and more nuance going into Leader selection at the start of the game.

And there were certainly some fireworks along the way: Throughout the tournament, we saw players win with a wide variety of Leaders, take down games without Swordmasters, and even make it to the Finals without ever summoning sandworms from Maker Hooks!

Surviving the field was a test of endurance, as Day One saw four swiss rounds leading to a Top 16 cut for Day Two. There were some tremendous games played throughout the hall as players battled for a coveted seat at the Final Table. Congratulations are due to all involved, but when the sand settled there were four players ready to square off for the right to be called Champion:

The Final Table

Badger (Gary Boyer) with Lady Margot
Paul Dennen with Princess Irulan
SneakerDead (Musa Kalkan) with Muad’Dib
Cheesable (Timothy Swee) with Gurney Halleck

There were some huge plays and dramatic reversals in a final game that came down to the wire, and we’ll be releasing video coverage with commentary soon. Ultimately, it was a hard-fought victory for Badger’s Lady Margot that took down the tournament and claimed the top prize!

Note: Unlike the Thorvalds who eat their own spice, Dune: Imperium creator Paul Dennen let it flow, splitting his second-place winnings among the players who finished 5th-8th.

Destiny Arrives!

We owe a huge thank you to our friends at MrBeast for their continued support, our tremendous field of competitors and special guests, and our partners at Legendary, who even arranged for a special sneak preview of some clips of Dune: Part Two at a private theater!

No spoilers! (But we hear there may be worms…)

It’s always great to get to spend time with players, and it’s amazing to see how the community’s exploration of Uprising has progressed in a few short months! Looking forward to next time!

…and if you’re looking to get in some reps and make a name for yourself, we’ll see you online!