Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has announced details on the 2020-2021 Magic Esports Season.
Zendikar Rising Split
The 2020-2021 Magic Esports season is “composed of three splits, which are several months of competitive play tied to an upcoming set release. Each split is a three-step qualification progression leading all the way to that split’s Championship.”
- Monthly Ranked Play on Magic Arena earns invitation to monthly Qualifier Weekends.
- Each monthly Qualifier Weekend is a two-day event in Magic Arena, using a best-of-three Constructed format for both days. Top-finishing players from each Qualifier Weekend are invited to the Zendikar Rising Championship.
- The Zendikar Rising Championship is the culmination of the Zendikar Rising Split, featuring a $250,000 prize pool with remote play on Magic Arena.
Beyond Magic Arena success, players can also gain qualification through “previous competitive success, Magic Online Qualifiers, and events supported by partners.”
While designed to mainly support digital play, WotC has also stated that they have planned around the possibility of tabletop play returning, should it be deemed safe, and can add tabletop events as needed.
Zendikar Rising Ranked Season
Location: Online through Magic Arena
Schedule: on Magic Arena from June 1, 2020 through October 31, 2020
Zendikar Rising Qualifier Weekends
Qualifier weekends are “the second step in each split, with top-ranked players from Magic Arena and more facing off over two days to qualify for the Zendikar Rising Championship.”
Location: Online through Magic Arena in-client event
Schedule: September, October, and November TBD
Formats: TBD
Structure
- Players compete on Day One until they earn 7 match wins, or 3 match losses.
- 7 match wins on Day One are required to play on Day Two.
- Players compete on Day Two until they earn 7 match wins, or 2 match losses.
Prizes
- Players that earn 7 match wins on Day Two will be invited to the Split Championship event.
- Additional gems will be awarded to players based on the total number of match wins across both days.
Qualification
In order to compete in a Qualifier Weekend, players must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Finish in the top 1,200 Mythic ranked players in the previous month’s Ranked Season on Magic Arena. (The Top 1,200 from June, July, and August each will be invited to the September Qualifier Weekend.)
- Finish with at least 5 match wins in Day Two the previous Arena Open event.
- Finish with at least 6 match wins during Day One of the previous month’s Qualifier Weekend. (This begins with the October Qualifier Weekend.)
- Players that earned 4 or more Mythic Points—”the Top 200″—across 2Q Mythic Qualifier and Mythic Point Challenge events. (These players will be ineligible to compete in Qualifier Weekends if they have qualified for the Championship.)
- Players that earned 33 or more match points in a Players Tour Online event. (These players will be ineligible to compete in Qualifier Weekends if they have qualified for the Championship.)
- Additional invitations for Qualifier Weekends may be added at Wizards of the Coast’s discretion to support additional qualification paths, including those offered through third-party partners.
Zendikar Rising Championship
Location: Online through Magic Arena via Direct Challenge
Schedule: TBD
Format: TBD
Event Structure
- 15 rounds of Swiss
- Cut to Top 8 playoff
Prizes
- $250,000 prize pool
- The four top-finishing Challengers earn invitation to the 2020-2021 Rivals Gauntlet
- Players that finish with 30 match points or more awarded invitation to the following Split Championship
Qualification
In order to compete in the Zendikar Rising Championship, players must meet at least one of the following criteria:
- All Magic Pro League and Magic Rivals League players.
- Players that earned 7 match wins on Day Two of the Zendikar Rising Qualifier Weekend.
- Players that win a Zendikar Rising Championship Magic Online Qualifier.
- Top 2 players from each Zendikar Rising Championship Magic Online Super Qualifier.
- The 8 players qualified for the Magic Online Champions Showcase (2020 Season 2).
- Players that earn 30 or more match points in the Players Tour Finals for the 2020 Partial Season.
- Players that earn 30 or more match points in the Mythic Invitational for the 2020 Partial Season.
- Players that finished with 30 match points or more in the previous Championship. (This begins with the Championship following the Zendikar Rising Championship.)
- Additional invitations for Championships may be added at Wizards of the Coast’s discretion to support additional qualification paths, including those offered through third-party partners.
Read the original article from Wizards of the Coast.