Cyberpunk TCG Welcome to Night City prereleases run on the weekend of 30 October 2026, a week before the game's retail release on 6 November. You turn up at an approved store, buy a Pre-release Kit, build a deck from it on the day and play best-of-three rounds. Here's exactly what's in the kit, how to build your deck, and what to bring.
In this article
01 · The basics
What is a Cyberpunk TCG prerelease?
A prerelease is an in-store tournament for the new set, played before the cards go on general sale. WeirdCo runs them in the "sealed deck" format, so you don't need to own a single Cyberpunk card. Everything you play with comes out of the kit you buy on the day, and you can't add other cards to it until the event is over.
If you played a Beta Event in September, it's the same structure. The differences are the boosters (Retail packs instead of Beta packs) and the promos in the kit. And there are a lot more of them: any approved Organized Play store can run one that weekend.
02 · The kit
What's in the Cyberpunk TCG Pre-release Kit?
Images: WeirdCo / CD PROJEKT RED
- Six Welcome to Night City Retail booster packs.
- A pack of three random Legend cards from a pool of ten, to make sure you can field a full crew.
- A Gorilla Arms promo. It's a Nova Rare in the kit, and you can play it in your deck.
- A full set of polyhedral dice: d4, d6, d8, d10, d12 and d20. These are your six Gig dice.
Gorilla Arms is a strong card to be handed for free. It's a 4-cost Yellow Gear that adds 3 power, and the first time the equipped Unit steals one or more Gigs each turn, it steals another rival Gig too, as long as its value isn't one you already hold.
03 · Legends
The ten Legends you can open in the kit
The Legend pack holds three of these ten, at random. Three of them (Adam Smasher, Royce and Rogue) have a cost and Go Solo, so you can pay for them and send them in as a Unit. The other seven stay in your Legends area and work as support.
Images: WeirdCo / CD PROJEKT RED
| Legend | Colour | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Adam Smasher: Ender of Legends | Red | Go Solo for 9 (9 power). When played, defeat a rival Unit |
| Dexter DeShawn: Off the Grid | Red | Call: give a friendly Unit +2 power or draw 1. Spend: increase a Gig by up to 2 |
| Royce: Psycho on the Edge | Red | Go Solo for 6. +2 power on your turn for each Gear equipped to him |
| Dum Dum: Maelstrom Triggerman | Yellow | Call: defeat a friendly Gear to draw 2, or draw 1. Quick: +1 power per equipped Gear |
| Muamar Reyes: El Capitán | Yellow | Call: a friendly Unit can't be defeated in a fight, or draw 1. Spend: adjust a Gig by 1 |
| Rogue Amendiares: Preem Solo | Yellow | Go Solo for 7. When a friendly Legend steals a Gig: even value, draw 1; odd, a Rival discards 1 |
| Goro Takemura: Vengeful Bodyguard | Green | Quick: give a cost-4-or-less Unit Blocker. Loot when your Units block |
| Padre: Man of the Cross | Green | Call: spend a rival Unit, or draw 1. Spend: copy one Gig's value onto another |
| Alt Cunningham: Soulkiller Architect | Blue | Cheaper Programs, and replay a Program from your trash |
| Wakako Okada: Peace and Harmony | Blue | Call: a rival Unit gets -2 power, or draw 1. Spend: decrease a Gig by up to 2 |
For sealed, the Go Solo Legends are the ones to hope for. Adam Smasher removes a rival Unit and leaves a 9-power body behind, which is a huge swing in a format where nobody has many answers.
04 · Deck building
How to build a Cyberpunk TCG sealed deck
Sealed decks have looser rules than constructed. RAM numbers don't matter at all, and your Legends don't decide your colours.
05 · Strategy
Tips for a winning prerelease deck
- Stats over synergy. Six packs won't give you a full faction deck. Judge each card on its own and play the ones with strong numbers.
- Play enough sellables. You want to sell a card every turn, which means plenty of Gear and Programs. WeirdCo's starting point is a 55/45 split in favour of sellable cards: 14 Units and 16 sellable Programs and Gear in a 30-card deck.
- Let your pulls choose your colours. Then go back to your Legends and pick the three that make your best Units, Gear and Programs shine.
06 · On the day
What to bring to a Cyberpunk TCG prerelease
- ✓A phone for Melee, where you see pairings and report results
- ✓A Cyberpunk TCG account linked to Melee, set up before you arrive
- ✓Sleeves and a playmat, if you have them
- ✕Your own cards: you can't add them to a sealed deck
- ✕Dice: a full set is in the kit
- ✕A deck list: you build on the day
Each round is a best-of-three match against a new opponent. You record the score in Melee, and when everyone's finished (or the round timer runs out) the next round is paired.
07 · Find an event
Where can I play a Cyberpunk TCG prerelease in the UK?
Only approved Cyberpunk TCG Organized Play stores can run prereleases, and they schedule them in Melee. The official store locator on cyberpunktcg.com now shows each store's events: find a store near you, click it, and register through Melee. Register early.
08 · What's next
What happens after the prerelease?
From 6 November, approved stores can run weekly Night City Brawls: constructed, best of three, with packs of full-art foil promos as participation prizes. Then Night City Showdowns run between 13 November and 6 December, with alt-art Sandevistan and Adam Smasher: Metal Over Meat promos as prizes.
For constructed you need your own deck, so most players turn their prerelease pool into a deck by adding a Starter Deck and a few boosters. The two Starter Decks, Embracing Power and The Heist, are each a legal 40-card deck with three Legends and a set of dice.
The first European Edgerunner Open Regional, the big competitive event, is in Warsaw on 30 and 31 January 2027.
09 · Our take
Is a Cyberpunk TCG prerelease worth it?
Our take
Yes, especially if you're new. Sealed is the friendliest way into a card game: everyone starts with the same kit, nobody has a tuned deck, and you get time to read every card before round one.
The kit is also good value as a product. Six packs, a guaranteed set of three Legends with a stamp you can't get anywhere else, a playable Gorilla Arms and a set of dice is a full starter pack in one box. Our tip: build for stats, sell a card every turn, and don't be afraid to cut your weakest colour.
10 · FAQ
Cyberpunk TCG prerelease FAQ
When is the Cyberpunk TCG prerelease?
When does Cyberpunk TCG Welcome to Night City come out?
What's in the Cyberpunk TCG Pre-release Kit?
How many cards is a Cyberpunk TCG sealed deck?
Do I need to bring my own cards or dice?
Are the WTNC 2026 stamped cards exclusive?
Sources
- WeirdCo, Welcome to Night City Pre-release Preview: What's in the kit?, 23 September 2026
- WeirdCo, Cyberpunk TCG Beta Event and Pre-release Primer, 19 August 2026
- WeirdCo, Production Diary: Cyberpunk TCG ships to backers starting September 2026, 19 June 2026
- WeirdCo, Night City Brawl Weekly Play Preview, 11 September 2026
- WeirdCo, Night City Showdown Preview, 16 September 2026
- WeirdCo, Edgerunner Open Regionals: All the news from our Digital Beta Celebration Stream, 4 September 2026
- WeirdCo, Cyberpunk TCG card database
Card images and kit render: WeirdCo, licensed by CD PROJEKT RED. Card text and stats from the official card database.