Magic: The Gathering shows its hand, details 2019 esports plans

Magic is promising even more esports in 2019, with more prize money, more ways to qualify and more ways to play. This year will be split into two key paths. The first is the path that each player will take to qualify for individual Mythic Championships and the second is the path to the $1m (£765,000) 2019 Magic World Championship.

Over the course of the year, Magic will run qualifying events for Mythic Championships through local WPM stores, tournament organisers, MagicFest, Magic Online and MTG Arena. Events will include both Magic online and tabletop, with some tabletop events (London and Cleveland) having already concluded or starting soon. Tabletop players can still participate in Barcelona and Richmond events, which take place on July 26-28th and November 8th-10th respectively.

With regards to the Mythic Championship Qualification: seven events will take place in 2019, with the first tabletop event getting underway on Friday 22nd February in Cleveland, Ohio. This event will be followed by:

• London, England – April 26-28th – Tabletop – $500,000 (£400,000)
• MTG Arena – June/July – $750,000 (£575,000)
• Barcelona, Spain – July 26–28th – Tabletop – $500,000 (£400,000)
• MTG Arena – August/September – $750,000 (£575,000)
• Richmond, Virginia – November 8-10th – Tabletop – $500,000 (£400,000)
• MTG Arena – November/December – $750,000 (£575,000)

The Magic World Championship will come to a climax in December 2019, with 16 players concluding a monster year of Magic esports. The 16 will be made up of last years winner, Javier Dominquez as well as the winners of the seven Mythic Championships (four tabletop and three MTG Arena) plus the top four Magic Pro League players and the top four Challengers players based on Mythic Points.

In the event that a top points earner receives an automatic qualification, the next highest points earner receive an invite. A separate $1m (£765,000) prize pool is also on offer at the World Championship, meaning nearly $5m (£3.826m) is up for grabs over the course of 2019 across multiple events.

Esports Insider says: Magic is going big in 2019. In a year that has seen Valve’s card game, Artifact, fall seemingly flat on its face, it’s good to see a CCG push forward strongly – especially with the scenes unique take on esports with both physical and digital events coexisting. 

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