Angry Birds Friends Tournament Update Introduces The Wingman

It's a bird! It's a plane! No! It's Wingman! Wait, so it is a bird?! If you compete in the weekly Angry Birds Friends on Facebook tournaments, a significant update has landed that contains a bunch of tweaks. This update, v1.9.0, contains no new episodes, but does usher in a new tournament format, adds coins, and a new Power Up Bird called, "Wingman".

The Wingman

Foremost, we are introduced to the "Wingman", an immensely-strong helmeted Big Brother bird that can be summoned at will. We have seen similar Power-Up Birds before -- such as in the Winter Tournament -- but now it seems to be a permanent feature. The Wingman is only available from within the tournament and can only be used once per level. In addition, just like other Power-Ups, you only receive a finite number, so use him wisely or you'll be off to the store to purchase more. Lastly, be sure to send gifts to you friends, as occasionally a Wingman or two might show up (they'll also probably gift you back!).

Bird Coins

If you've played Angry Birds Star Wars on Facebook Bird Coins will be a familiar site. If not, well, let us quickly explain. Basically, Bird Coins are the new currency in Angry Birds Friends. They can be used to unlock Tournament levels, purchase Power-Ups, deck out your avatar, and more. Bird Coins can be earned, gifted, and/or purchased with real money. Below is a bit more detail, which has been transcribed from the screenshot above:

• Earn Bird Coins by playing in Tournaments, getting gifts and collecting your Daily Rewards.
• Bird Coins can be exchanged for Power-Ups, Avatars, and Avatar Items in the shop.
• Due to popular demand we've introduced Wingman to the Tournaments and you'll get some to try out right away.
• Go to the Bird Coin shop now and collect your FREE bundle of Bird Coins.

New Tournament Format

The new tournament format is bound to be what most people notice first. The most noticeable difference is that now there are now six levels instead of the normal four. I am no math genius like @amslimfordy, but that basically equates to one level per day. More levels, more fun! Similar to Angry Birds Star Wars on Facebook, it looks like you eventually have to use a certain number of Bird Coins to unlock each one. It's also unclear at this time if the levels will unlock on their own after a certain date and time.Good news! Rovio was kind enough to clarify the tournament structure. Below are the details:

• The new tournament levels are NOT unlocked one-by-one (like in Angry Birds Star Wars Facebook). In other words, each time a new tournament starts ALL the levels are unlocked and ready to play.
• It will NOT cost any Bird Coins to unlock them. The coins underneath each level simply indicate that you can win coins for competing in tournament levels. Awesome!

Why do we know so little? Well, this first week seems to be a sort of introductory period, so all the levels are unlocked. We will keep our eyes out for more info and update this section as we know more about the format.