My Story of EC2025 Aarhus

By Jesper Bøje, Event Organizer. Photos by Niels Steinmeier (Instagram.com/steinmeier) and Marko Saari.

About 15 months ago, I was asked if I’d be interested in hosting EC 2025. I spent the summer thinking about it, doing some research, and eventually came back with a pitch: an EC in Aarhus. Black Chantry Productions accepted it – and the rest, as they say, is history.

Looking back now, I’m filled with gratitude. I’m thankful for everyone who joined, for all the positive feedback I received, and for the sight of smiling faces everywhere I turned. My own experience of the week – and the weekend – was truly unique. I can’t fully speak for how it felt to attend, but for me, it was an absolute blast. Seeing over a year of planning and teamwork come together was incredible. Watching players be surprised at how smooth registration went, or seeing the first social media posts just minutes after the doors opened saying things like “wow” and “this has real Succubus Club vibes” – that made every hour of preparation worth it.

Of course, in the lead-up to the event there were some debates:
“Can you really host an EC in a city without a major airport?”
“Why have a V5 contest fest?”
“Why bring back the multi-deck format?”

Well, it turns out, you can have an EC in Aarhus, and a pretty great one at that. Everyone I spoke with on-site seemed puzzled about the supposed travel problems. With direct trains and buses from Denmark’s two largest airports, it didn’t seem to be an issue for anyone who actually made the trip.

As for the V5 “contest fest”? I didn’t get to watch much of the tournament myself, but from what I heard, the finals featured five different decks and clans. Sounds diverse to me!

And regarding the multi-deck tournament: my goal for Sunday was to create a more relaxed event. By that point, some players had already competed in six tournaments, maybe missed out on Day 2, and just wanted to play something lighter. Some stuck with one deck, some swapped around – but everyone seemed to enjoy a more easygoing atmosphere. It was my tournament, after all. 😉

But to be honest, there was a deeper reason behind many of these decisions. I wanted to push BCP, VEKN, and the community a bit – to highlight things I personally cared about. Maybe the V5 format or the updated multi-deck rules would have arrived eventually, but I’m quite sure it wouldn’t have happened as early as it did without EC Aarhus putting a spotlight on them. The positive reactions I’ve heard since make me confident it was the right call.

All of this is just a small part of what EC 2025 Aarhus meant to me. While everyone else was focused on cards, games, and the meta, here’s a glimpse into my week:
•    Getting (almost) all tournaments started on time.
•    Improvising when 14 players didn’t show up.
•    Finding cables for the stream 30 minutes before going live.
•    Handling and delivering 135 individual webshop orders.
•    Seeing old friends after more than 10 years – and having no time to talk (sorry!).
•    Being first on-site and last to leave.
•    Welcoming everyone from players, bartenders, streaming crew and illustrators to my family and even my boss.
•    Buying food for the helpers and sandwiches for everyone on Thursday so we could make our dinner.
•    Having tears in my eyes when my kids took the stage on Sunday – and again on Monday, when I had to write reports about cheating.
•    And, of course, trying to keep everyone on schedule (finalists are still terrible at following simple directions!).

All those little moments made the experience unforgettable. I honestly don’t know what it was like to attend EC2025 – but for me, organizing it was something I’ll never forget.

My hope now is that people will keep sharing their own stories from Aarhus, so that next year, even more players will be inspired to join us in Vilnius.

Tournament results:

 
Friday V5
Number of players: 26
Finalists:
Tero Aaltp (1 VP) Tzimisce toolbox
Henrik Klippström (1 VP) Tremere stealth-bleed
Pasi Karjalainen (1 VP) Toreador bleed
Jan Etzel Malkavian stealth-bleed
Jeroen van Oort (2 VP) Lasombra vote Tournament winning deck

Friday Standard Constructed
Number of players: 112
Finalists:
Martin Weinmayer (1 VP winner – Life Boon) Barons Chameleon
Marius Iscru (0.5 VP) Brujah rush
Mårten Cederholm (0.5 VP) Juliet Parr Cavalier bleed/vote
Gerhard Range (0.5 VP) Samedi Reanimated Corpses
Mikhail Klokov (0 VP) Hecata Shroud allies

Saturday EC Day 1
Number of players: 142
Finalists:
Ruben Feldman (2 VP winner by highest seed) Kiasyd stealth-bleed
Jeroen Evenepoel Juliet Parr vote
Kalle Blomgren (1 VP) Lasombra G3-4 stealth-bleed
Martin Weinmayer Barons Protean wall
Lech Ivanov (2 VP) Ministry Barons breed-vote
Video

Sunday rebound tournament (Multi-deck)
Number of players: 76
Finalists:
Tamás Glied (0.5 VP)
Erica Ferreira de Souza (1.5 VP)
Ferenc László Kósa (0.5 VP)
Miguel Andrés Ripoll Ramis (0.5 VP)
Nikica Novaković (0.5 VP)

Sunday EC Day 2
Number of players: 50
Finalists:
Ruben Feldman (0.5 VP DQ) Tupdogs & Rock Cats
Nerijus Mikalajūnas (3.5 VP) Shalmath rush Tournament winning deck
Peitsa Suominen Banu Haqim Kalinda bleed
Michael Holmström Barons Gehenna wall
Otto Kallokoski Hecata zombie toolbox

Congratulations to Nerijus! (Photo of him above by Marcus Berg.) Thanks to the sponsors Ultrapro, Black Chantry Production and Black Chantry Distribution, and thanks to Jesper and his whole crew and all players who attended!