Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has revealed its plans for the future of Magic: The Gathering Premier Play, including a focus on tabletop and return of the Pro Tour.
Structure
Spearheaded by Magic Hall of Famer turned Director of Play Programs, William “Huey” Jensen, the revamped Premier Play system breaks things down into four simple steps, leading up to the World Championship.
- Regional Championship Qualifiers
- Regional Championships
- Pro Tour
- World Championship
Regional Championship Qualifiers
These qualifying events will take place at the local game store level, where anyone can compete for a ticket to the Regional Championship. WPN locations will receive kit support for these events, including a Lava Spike promotional card for all participants, a non-foil Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx promotional card for top finishers, and a foil version for those who receive the Regional Championship invitation for the first cycle of 2022-2023.
Additional ways to qualify for Regional Championships will include paths through MTG Arena, Magic Online, and other ancillary events. Players already qualified for the Pro Tour are qualified for and can play in Regional Championships. Details for the individual paths for MTG Arena and Magic Online will be announced at a later date.
Regional Championships
There will be three Regional Championships per region and will align with the three Pro Tours in each given season. Each Regional Championship will be managed by individual organizers and will have their own event and qualifying structures. The list of Regional organizers can be viewed below.
- Brazil – City Class
- United States – DreamHack
- Mexico/Central America/Caribbean – Yellow Rabbit
- Australia/New Zealand – Good Games
- Canada – Face to Face
- South America – Magicsur
- Europe, Middle East, Africa – Legacy
- Japan/Korea – Big Magic
- Taiwan – Game Square
- China – Kadou
- Southeast Asia – Oracle Events
Additionally, all 2021-2022 Magic Pro League and Rivals League Members, all challengers that competed in the 2022 World Championship, and the Top 16 Challengers from the 2021-2022 World Championship point standings that were not invited to the 2022 World Championship will receive invites to one Regional Championship per qualifying round in the 2022-2023 season only.
While some specifics may differ by region, the following details will remain consistent for each:
- Regional Championship tournaments will be 1 or 2 days in length based on event size.
- Tournaments will be part of an event experience that caters to different sized audiences and will be 3 total days in length.
- Fridays will typically feature last chance qualifiers for the Regional Championship while Sundays will feature open qualifiers for the next cycle’s Regional Championship.
- The winner of each Regional Championship (Top 2 finishers in USA/EMEA/JP) qualify for World Championship XXIX
Promotional Support
All participants at each Regional Championship will receive an exclusive promotional card. Top finishers at the event will also get a foil version.
Return of the Pro Tour
The Magic Pro Tour will return in 2022-2023 with three events per season, the first taking place in early 2023. Each Pro Tour is expected to have approximately 300 competitors and a $500,000 prize pool.
The structure for the Pro Tour will be the same as it was prior to the Magic Esports overhaul.
- Three days
- 16 rounds, cut to Top 8
- Split format (Booster Draft + Constructed Format)
- Pioneer for first Pro Tour of 2023, Standard, and Modern to follow
Invitations
The Top 4 competitors from World Championship XXVIII will be invited to all three Pro Tour events in 2023 while the Top 8 from World Championship XXIX will be invited for all in 2023-2024. Other invitees include:
- Players who earn 10+ match wins in previous Pro Tours.
- For the first two Pro Tours, players will only need to go 9-7 to qualify for the next Pro Tour.
- Players who go 9-6 or better from the Streets of New Capenna Championship this May will qualify for Pro Tour 1.
- Top finishers from Regional Championships
- 64 Bonus invites for Regional Championships in 2022-2023.
- Magic Hall of Fame
- One invite per season.
- Will be invited to Regional Championship in same round as Pro Tour invite.
- Cannot compete in qualifiers while invitation is active.
- All Eight Magic Online Champions Showcase Competitors
- MTG Arena
- To be announced
Adjusted Match Points
Adjusted Match Points (AMPs) reward good performances at the Pro Tour with future invitations. The Top 8 players will receive 12 additional AMPs, effectively guaranteeing qualification for next three Pro Tours.
- Tracked on rolling basis, looking at last three Pro Tours, not on a yearly system.
- Players who have total of 39 or more AMPs from previous Pro Tours qualify for next Pro Tour. AMPs are calculated by total match points (3 per win) subtracted by nine. Total AMPs can’t be below zero.
- Example: Pro Tour 1, 9-7 awards 18 AMP; Pro Tour 2, 10-6 awards 21 AMP; Pro Tour 3, 3-3 drop awards 0 AMP. Total = 39 AMP and qualification for next Pro Tour.
World Championship XXIX
World Championship XXIX will take place in the second half of 2023 and will have a $1M prize pool. It will also be played on tabletop.
The event will feature approximately 128 competitors, sourced from the following:
- Four competitors from World Championship XXVIII.
- ~10 per Pro Tour in 2022-2023.
- 32 via Pro Tour’s AMP at the end of 2022-2023 season.
- Anyone tied for 32 AMPs will be invited as well.
- Magic Online and MTG Arena paths TBA.
- 2 from each USA/EMEA/JP Regional Championships per cycle.
- 1 from each other Regional Championship.
Read the original article from Wizards of the Coast.