"Don’t forget to use the code “GameAwards” on MTG Arena to get your Esports Starter Kit!
You get 25 cards to use in your decks:
1x Cleansing Nova
1x Ghalta, Primal Hunger
1x Risk Factor
1x Search for Azcanta
1x Vraska’s Contempt
4x Conclave Tribunal
4x The Eldest Reborn
4x Lava Coil
4x Merfolk Branchwalker
4x Sinister Sabotage"
We're also introducing the Magic Pro League, creating a new level of professional play. The inaugural year of the MPL comprises 32 of Magic's top-ranked players from around the world who are each offered player and streamer contracts with a combined worth of $75,000. They'll be competing in seasonal weekly competitive match-ups on MTG Arena, and in Mythic-level tournaments in both MTG Arena and tabletop. We'll be doing player profiles of each of the 32 players in the 2019 MPL in the upcoming weeks so you can get to know the pros and follow their progress and prize winnings throughout the year.
We're kicking off Magic's new esports and competitive gaming program with a special $1 million MTG Arena Mythic Invitational event at PAX East in Boston on March 28–31. The invitational will showcase players in the new Magic Pro League battling against challengers. In January, we'll be revealing more information about the Mythic Invitational, including who snags the elusive slots—maybe one of them can be you!
You'll be able to qualify for MTG Arena Mythic Championships by playing MTG Arena at home and then testing your skills against the stars in the Magic Pro League to claim your share of prizes and glory.
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.
As we're adding MTG Arena events into 2019, we're having to make some changes to the previously announced Pro Tour calendar to fit everything in from a timing and logistics perspective. We're reverting to four flagship tabletop events like the schedule was in 2018 instead of the announced increase to six. The Pro Tours in Cleveland, London, Barcelona, and Richmond are turning into Mythic Championships on their previously announced weekends. The Pro Tours in Dallas-Fort Worth and Sydney are being canceled.
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.
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.
It's a lot of changes all at once, which is kind of scary and kind of exciting!
I'm hoping that as we move into the new year they'll quickly outline how you can move from playing Arena at your PC or slinging cardboard at a Grand Prix or whatever to having a shot at the Mythic Championships. I'd hope that they've got some system worked out that helps keep things fresh, it'd be bad for business to have the MPL be too static.
Also they haven't said it yet but MTGO is fucking dead, right?
I think it will run in perpetuity on a skeleton crew who just adds new cards, but the player population now at this point has to be a tenth of what it was before arena so depends on your definition of “dead”
+1
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PiptheFairFrequently not in boats.Registered Userregular
mtgo is the go to platform for eternal formats because fucking lmao getting those cards in paper
I think if they move Modern to Arena at some point, that'll be the true death of MTGO. It might stick around for the Vintage and Legacy players, but I'm not counting on it.
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PiptheFairFrequently not in boats.Registered Userregular
I think if they move Modern to Arena at some point, that'll be the true death of MTGO. It might stick around for the Vintage and Legacy players, but I'm not counting on it.
that would 100% completely fuck over WAY too many people that have invested into modo
"Don’t forget to use the code “GameAwards” on MTG Arena to get your Esports Starter Kit!
You get 25 cards to use in your decks:
1x Cleansing Nova
1x Ghalta, Primal Hunger
1x Risk Factor
1x Search for Azcanta
1x Vraska’s Contempt
4x Conclave Tribunal
4x The Eldest Reborn
4x Lava Coil
4x Merfolk Branchwalker
4x Sinister Sabotage"
I think if they move Modern to Arena at some point, that'll be the true death of MTGO. It might stick around for the Vintage and Legacy players, but I'm not counting on it.
MTGO is currently the best/only option for casual derivatives of Legacy/Vintage like Pauper and Commander. In fact if you like to play multiplayer at all Arena does nothing for you.
I think if they move Modern to Arena at some point, that'll be the true death of MTGO. It might stick around for the Vintage and Legacy players, but I'm not counting on it.
that would 100% completely fuck over WAY too many people that have invested into modo
They're going to put an extended format of some kind in Arena, they have to. That is going to be their solution to the rotation problem. And they're going to want that extended format to be playable in Paper and push it more heavily, which will hurt Modern. I think that there are a few ways they'll start "Arena Modern", in order of likeliness:
Start "Arena Modern" at the current standard rotation. This starts it off with a relatively weak set as a baseline so they likely won't immediately have problems with broken cards, but does leave the extended format a little middling for a bit.
Start "Arena Modern" at Amonkhet. Adds a few more cards to the set and some powerful stuff, but the removal options should be pretty good so it shouldn't devolve into ScarabGod.dec
Start "Arena Modern" at Kaladesh block. This lets them kick off with a really high power level, but also with a lot of cards that were banned once that they'd need to decide if they want to ban again or not. Fortunately or unfortunately, rebans in Arena wouldn't be too big of a deal if nobody's yet playing the format in paper, so they have some room to experiment.
Start "Arena Modern" at the current rotation (or older rotations, in likelihood) with some sort of Arena Masters pack to legally add cards to the format. The issue is that if they don't make this a paper supplemental set, then suddenly Arena Modern could skyrocket in price in paper, but it'd likely be unexciting compared to Ultimate Masters or w/e.
Start "Arena Modern" with blocks further back than Kaladesh: They were never implemented into the game and I think it's unlikely they'd want to reach that far back for a format that's gonna be less popular, unless they really want to start Arena Modern at a certain point for design reasons.
blocks are basically "eh they'll be as long as we feel like"
they can be one set wonders like dominaria, or they can be the three block journey that ravnica will be
rotation basically happens the same way it always did except obviously it's not blocks anymore
when the next fall set comes out, Ixalan, Rivals of Ixalan, Dominaria, and Core 19 will rotate out because that's that "year" of magic
+1
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turtleantGunpla Dadis the best.Registered Userregular
Ah ok.
Glad Ravnica is a 3 set block still.
That sounds like a pretty good system actually. That Dominaria set is really fun but I don't think it would have had the legs for 3 sets.
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KayWhat we need...Is a little bit of PANIC.Registered Userregular
Ravnica is less a 3 block set, and more 'we needed 3 blocks to tell the story'. Wonder if the core sets are going to be mostly the same every year, or at least have core staples in them. I will not enjoy losing core spells like Lightning Strike.
I mean Lightning Strike is one of those cards that can appear in every set. It was in Ixalan!
But yeah the structure of Ravnica is gonna be
Ravnica 1: 5 guilds, start of Bolas Invasion story (we are here)
Ravnica 2: 5 other guilds, continuation of Bolas Invasion story
Ravnica 3: JUST the Bolas Invasion story - will not have a guild focus so much as a conflict focus. Still multicoloured cards ofc, but expect none of the guild mechanics
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astrobstrdSo full of mercy...Registered Userregular
Y'know who needs to show up dramatically in the middle of the story and start wrecking shit? Garruk.
I mean Lightning Strike is one of those cards that can appear in every set. It was in Ixalan!
But yeah the structure of Ravnica is gonna be
Ravnica 1: 5 guilds, start of Bolas Invasion story (we are here)
Ravnica 2: 5 other guilds, continuation of Bolas Invasion story
Ravnica 3: JUST the Bolas Invasion story - will not have a guild focus so much as a conflict focus. Still multicoloured cards ofc, but expect none of the guild mechanics
I would be disappointed if we didn't see more support for surveil in April. I would understand why, but it's a good mechanic that should be promoted to the same level as prowess.
Surveil is a good enough mechanic that you support it just by printing black and blue cards
(Also prowess may not be an amazing example given that they've very consciously moved away from supporting it - there are literally no cards with Prowess in standard now)
I needed anime to post. on
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Munkus BeaverYou don't have to attend every argument you are invited to.Philosophy: Stoicism. Politics: Democratic SocialistRegistered User, ClubPAregular
Surveil is a good enough mechanic that you support it just by printing black and blue cards
(Also prowess may not be an amazing example given that they've very consciously moved away from supporting it - there are literally no cards with Prowess in standard now)
And green! Green loves putting shit in the GY as opposed to the bottom of their library.
Surveil is an interesting option when compared to say, scry.
Munkus Beaver on
Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but dies in the process.
+1
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Dogbone33I bleed Red and Gold!State of ConfusionRegistered Userregular
Playing in an ultimate masters draft. What would you have to open in a pack to drop from the event? Double liliana?
Play Diablo 3 RoS with me. PSN-Dogbone19
Play Fanduel. One Day Fantasy Leagues use my referral
At least once a day, when I'm playing with Selesnya Tokens on Arena, I have an opponent cast a Viashino Pyromancer while I have a Shalai in play. There's a pause, Shalai is highlighted, Pyromancer is highlighted, and then my opponent concedes.
Y'know who needs to show up dramatically in the middle of the story and start wrecking shit? Garruk.
I want my meaty planeswalker-hunter boy back.
I would lose my mind if like, right in the middle of the next big fight between our core 5 walkers and Bolas, Garruk shows up, grabs Liliana and 'walks away and the gang is just like, "Oh, well, fuck us, then."
Posts
Joke's on them, my friends and I all played with proxies!
https://magic.wizards.com/en/competitive-magic
"Don’t forget to use the code “GameAwards” on MTG Arena to get your Esports Starter Kit!
You get 25 cards to use in your decks:
1x Cleansing Nova
1x Ghalta, Primal Hunger
1x Risk Factor
1x Search for Azcanta
1x Vraska’s Contempt
4x Conclave Tribunal
4x The Eldest Reborn
4x Lava Coil
4x Merfolk Branchwalker
4x Sinister Sabotage"
it registered successfully but didnt actually tell me what was in there
https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/next-chapter-magic-esports-2018-12-06?source=twitter
Some highlights:
I hope there’s a reliable way for new players to break in and we’re not watching, fuckin, I dunno, lsv vs Seth Mansfield for the rest of time
I'm hoping that as we move into the new year they'll quickly outline how you can move from playing Arena at your PC or slinging cardboard at a Grand Prix or whatever to having a shot at the Mythic Championships. I'd hope that they've got some system worked out that helps keep things fresh, it'd be bad for business to have the MPL be too static.
Steam: YOU FACE JARAXXUS| Twitch.tv: CainLoveless
I think it will run in perpetuity on a skeleton crew who just adds new cards, but the player population now at this point has to be a tenth of what it was before arena so depends on your definition of “dead”
that would 100% completely fuck over WAY too many people that have invested into modo
MTGO is currently the best/only option for casual derivatives of Legacy/Vintage like Pauper and Commander. In fact if you like to play multiplayer at all Arena does nothing for you.
Raises the question: do they need a new historian?
Steam ID: Obos Vent: Obos
this is often very true even if you draft against other players
ineedmayo.com Eidolon Journal Updated
They're going to put an extended format of some kind in Arena, they have to. That is going to be their solution to the rotation problem. And they're going to want that extended format to be playable in Paper and push it more heavily, which will hurt Modern. I think that there are a few ways they'll start "Arena Modern", in order of likeliness:
burn modo down until nothing but ashes remain.
I don't understand how blocks work anymore either, honestly.
they can be one set wonders like dominaria, or they can be the three block journey that ravnica will be
rotation basically happens the same way it always did except obviously it's not blocks anymore
when the next fall set comes out, Ixalan, Rivals of Ixalan, Dominaria, and Core 19 will rotate out because that's that "year" of magic
Glad Ravnica is a 3 set block still.
That sounds like a pretty good system actually. That Dominaria set is really fun but I don't think it would have had the legs for 3 sets.
3DS FCode: 1993-7512-8991
But yeah the structure of Ravnica is gonna be
Ravnica 1: 5 guilds, start of Bolas Invasion story (we are here)
Ravnica 2: 5 other guilds, continuation of Bolas Invasion story
Ravnica 3: JUST the Bolas Invasion story - will not have a guild focus so much as a conflict focus. Still multicoloured cards ofc, but expect none of the guild mechanics
I want my meaty planeswalker-hunter boy back.
I would be disappointed if we didn't see more support for surveil in April. I would understand why, but it's a good mechanic that should be promoted to the same level as prowess.
(Also prowess may not be an amazing example given that they've very consciously moved away from supporting it - there are literally no cards with Prowess in standard now)
And green! Green loves putting shit in the GY as opposed to the bottom of their library.
Surveil is an interesting option when compared to say, scry.
Play Fanduel. One Day Fantasy Leagues use my referral
Be my friend on Magic Online! Dogbone19 is me.
I would lose my mind if like, right in the middle of the next big fight between our core 5 walkers and Bolas, Garruk shows up, grabs Liliana and 'walks away and the gang is just like, "Oh, well, fuck us, then."