With $10 million in prize money up for grabs, and Pro players guaranteed a $75,000 pay cheque in 2019, Magic the Gathering Arena has put other collectible card games on notice. There's no doubt it intends to become the esport of choice in the genre.  

Sports betting will no doubt be available in Magic the Gathering.  You can learn more here about that aspect of esports. 

The next card set, called Ravnica Allegiance, will be released on January 17th.   

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 Magic Pro League will provide a new level of  professional play.  32 of Magic's top-ranked players from around the world will compete weekly. 

PAX East in Boston on March 28–31.will host a special $1 million MTG Arena Mythic Invitational event.

Tabletop events formerly known as Pro Tours will be called Mythic Championships, just like the signature MTG Arena competitions. Along with the name change is an increased prize pool: each tabletop Mythic Championship in 2019 will award $500,000 in prizes.

Traditional, paper events will be held in:

  • Cleveland: February 22–24
  • London: April 26–28
  • Barcelona: July 26–28
  • Richmond: November 8–10

Wizards of the Coast also posted some additional information regarding their prior tournaments. 

As we move forward with the newly reimaged esports structure, we inevitably need to leave some of our legacy programs behind:

  • Nationals – The nature of the Magic business with so many regional variations in player population and store density makes a one-size-fits-all approach to Nationals difficult to be impactful. What works for a large country doesn't work at all for a small one, and vice versa. There is no Nationals program for 2019.
  • World Magic Cup – The 2018 World Magic Cup is December 14–16 in Barcelona. There will not be a World Magic Cup in 2019.
  • Team Series – The 2018–19 Pro Tour Team Series will be the last Team Series.
  • Pro Club – The players in the MPL have already shifted over to the new model, which includes them rescinding their Pro Club benefits in favor of their new contracts, which go well above and beyond the old system. For those outside of the MPL:
    • Any earned benefits will be granted through the end of 2019.
    • The last event that will give out Pro Points will be Grand Prix Seattle. After that, Pro Points will be frozen.
    • Tabletop Mythic Championships will include qualification slots for players who did well in previous tabletop Mythic Championships.
    • For the Magic Pro Tour Hall of Fame, 2019 will be the last year of qualification and voting as you know it. When we get to voting season, we will have a new Magic Hall of Fame structure to unveil.

I know you're eager to get more details, especially on how you can get involved in the new program. Over the next few months, we'll be having a regular cadence of communication to share specifics. And, as we move forward, we will be taking every opportunity to listen to feedback and adjust to make Magic esports and competitive gaming the best it can possibly be.

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As well as about their upcoming format. 

Invitations to Cleveland and London remain as previously announced. Dates and details for 2019's MTG Arena Mythic Championships as well as details for the tabletop Mythic Championships in Barcelona and Richmond will be released as the qualifying season for each begins.

A few more important changes for 2019 tabletop Mythic Championships:

  • The increased prize pool will extend down to last place so that every player who competes will receive a prize payout.
  • Tabletop Mythic Championships after London will not offer travel awards. Cleveland and London travel will remain as previously announced.
  • The Barcelona and Richmond Mythic Championships will not have narrowly regionalized invitations as previously announced.

In addition to the Mythic Invitational and Mythic Championships, we also have a significant prize pool set aside to partner with independent organizers who want to host MTG Arena esports and tabletop competitive gaming events. The tabletop Grand Prix circuit held at MagicFests run by ChannelFireball Events alone offers a $2.5 million prize pool and dozens of events around the world in 2019. We look forward to announcing more partner events, especially esports events featuring MTG Arena.

The 2019 season will culminate in a spectacular World Championship at the end of the year, featuring the most accomplished Magic players of the year across MTG Arena and tabletop. More news on the World Championship to come!


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Magic The Gathering Arena Game Page.

Last Updated: Jan 02, 2019

About The Author

Dissecting and distilling the game industry since 1994. Lover of family time, youth hockey, eSports, and the game industry in general.

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