| 2022–23 Pro Tour Season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Champion | TBA | |||
| Hall of Fame inductions | TBA | |||
| PTs | 3 Pro Tours and 3 Arena Championships | |||
| Grand Prix | None | |||
| ||||
Premier Play pyramid
The 2022–23 Pro Tour season is the twenty-eighth Pro Tour season for Magic: The Gathering. The first Qualifier Play-In event on MTG Arena happens on May 21, 2022. The first round of Regional Championship Qualifiers will start July 2, 2022. The first Regional Championship will take place in late 2022. The first Pro Tour will be featured in early 2023.
Description[]
In May 2021, the Magic Esports website announced a return to in-person tabletop play post COVID-19 for this season.[1] Although digital play was considered to be a lasting element of Organized Play, it is supposed to be only part of the equation going forward. As a result, the 2022–23 Players Tour Season doesn't feature either the MPL or the Rivals League.
According to Wizards of the Coast, Organized Play is not explicitly designed anymore to support competitive Magic as a career path. Guaranteed salaries and appearance fees are abandoned.[2] However, it was announced that there still would be Grand Prix, PTQ, and Pro Tour – like events.[3] The company's focus will be the amount of play and the prize money, and less focus on the lifestyle or it being economically self-sustaining. The idea was to focus on bottom up growth from the LGS level vs a top down approach (MPL), and thus opening competitive play to more players.[4]
Premier Play[]
Premier Play for Magic: The Gathering was a concept introduced in March, 2022.[5] It signified a return to tabletop, while the concept of Magic esports was abandoned. Premier Play represents the four highest levels of Organized Play, a competitive road towards the World Championship.
Everyone with any level of experience can try their hand at this qualification path. Local qualifiers are open to everyone (subject to eligibility requirements), and you advance to the next level by winning matches of Magic. As yet, there is no place in Premier Play for the return of Grand Prix.
Tabletop[]
There are four levels of tabletop play, culminating in the World Championship.
- Regional Championship Qualifiers — largely held at the WPN store level and are organized by regional tournament organizers.
- Regional Championships — big events in (inter)national regions. Run by the same groups who organize the local qualifiers.
- Pro Tours — Three times a year, qualifiers from the Regional Championships will gather to compete for their share of $500,000 in prizes and invites to the World Championship. Hosted by Wizards of the Coast
- World Championship — Around 128 players will compete for their share of $1,000,000.
Digital play[]
MTG Arena Premier Play pyramid
Additionally, players are also able to qualify through digital play. Events on both platforms feed tabletop events at nearly every level, including the World Championship.
- Magic: The Gathering Arena Qualifier Weekends continue.[6][7] Access is provided by:
- Ranked Play
- Qualifier Play-In events
- Qualifier Weekends in turn provide access to Arena Championships
- Magic: The Gathering Online Showcase (MOCS) events continue and feed the World Championship directly.[8]
Pro Tours and Arena Championships[]
There will be three Pro Tours with $500,000 in prizes in this season. To seed the 2022–23 season only, Wizards of the Coast awards bonus invitations.[9] These bonus invites seek to aid in the start-up of the new system by better populating the Pro Tour and trying to achieve the target number of roughly 300 competitors per Pro Tour.
Arena Championships mark the pinnacle of competition within MTG Arena. They happen three times per year, just like the Pro Tours. Each Championship features 32 top players, determined by four months' worth of competitive ladder and event play on MTG Arena. They compete for a $200,000 prize pool. Each of the three winners and three runners-up of Arena Championships will also earn a seat at the 2023 World Championship.
Pro Tour Charlotte[]
The first Pro Tour will take place in February 2023, at Charlotte, USA. Bonus invitations go to:
- The 32 players from the 2022 World Championship
- All players who finish 9–6 or better from the New Capenna Championship
- Extra players at each Regional Championship (additional invites varying by region, but each region will have approximately 50% or more bonus invitations)
Pro Tour 2[]
Bonus invitations go to:
- Players who finished 9–7 at Pro Tour 1
- Extra players at each Regional Championship
Pro Tour 3[]
Bonus invitations go to:
- Players who finished 9–7 at Pro Tour 2
- Extra players at each Regional Championship
2023 World Championship[]
References[]
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (May 13, 2021). "Esports: Transistions And Getting Back To The Gathering". Magic.gg.
- ↑ The new ORGANIZED PLAY announcement and how it affects competitive players (Video). Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa. YouTube (May 14, 2021).
- ↑ Magic Esports (May 13, 2021). "OP will not be explicitly designed to support competitive Magic as a career path.". Twitter.
- ↑ Magic Esports (May 13, 2021). "Competitive Magic is not going away.". Twitter.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (March 31, 2022). "Return of the Pro Tour, Your Path to Playing Magic at the Highest Level". Magic.gg.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (April 21, 2022). "MTG Arena Premier Play in 2022". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (April 21, 2022). "MTG Arena Premier Play in 2022 FAQ". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (April 21, 2022). "Magic Online Paths to the Pro Tour". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (March 31, 2022). "Return of the Pro Tour: Details". Magic.gg.
