Magic: The Gathering Continues as Remote Play While In-Store Events are Suspended

Kay TurnerJul 11, 2020

Wizards of the Coast announced the suspension of in-store competitions, pre-release events and other fixtures on July 9th. The decision wasn’t taken lightly, the company says. “We realize that this decision has important implications across the entire ‘Magic’ ecosystem.” Players in New Jersey are particularly disappointed, as the state is rich of tabletop games’ clubs and venues.

MGT world champion, John Finkel, started his career as a kid with TTG groups in New Jersey. Now, remote play will help the community stay alive. NJ is fertile territory for gaming of all sorts. Providers of online entertainment are using a promo code strategy to make life easier for their patrons. While real-life events suffer from the restrictions caused by the pandemic, the virtual level thrives.

Luckily, the Arena on the MGT site allows both PC and Mac users to play for free. Events are planned for the Arena and Online format in July and August. The Magic Online Weekly Announcements Blog offers a round up of all the biggest Magic Online news every Tuesday. Players can check in weekly and find the latest updates.

A chance to prove themselves is open to players through the Showcase Challenge Weekend on July 11-12. The requirement to enter the Magic Online Champions Showcase (MOCS) events is 40 Qps. MOCS events are designed to highlight the best players on Magic Online each season. They lead to a grand finale with a prize pool of $70,000 and a Players Tour Finals invitation.

On Saturday, July 11th, the scheduled Showcase Challenges are Standard (6 a.m. PT), Modern (8 a.m. PT), and Vintage (10 a.m. PT). On Sunday, July 12th, the program includes the Pioneer (6 a.m. PT), Legacy (8 a.m. PT), and Core Set 2021 Sealed (9 a.m. PT) Showcase Challenges. Entry to each of the events requires 40 QPs. The Top 8 finishers from each event will earn a qualification token to enter the appropriate Showcase Qualifier in August.

Here are the details provided by the organizer:

Start Times: As listed in the Premier Play Schedule
Format: As listed in the Premier Play Schedule
Product: A deck that matches the event’s format or 6 boosters of a recent Magic set, with 3 extra boosters for players in the Top 8 draft
Location: The Constructed lobby that matches the format or the Limited lobby under Premier Events
Entry: 40 QPs
Size: 33-672 players
Play Style: Swiss, with a single-elimination Top 8
Duration: A number of rounds determined by entries, Swiss pairings, each round up to 50 minutes, followed by a single elimination Top 8

The Top 8 players will earn entry into the Showcase Qualifier and an invitation to the Champions Showcase. Magic Online will offer a qualifier for formats that have a Showcase Challenge: Standard, Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Pauper (Season 1) or Vintage (Season 2), and Limited.

These challenges will be distributed over several weeks during the following season. The schedule will be available on MGT’s site. All unused Format Tokens will be erased from players’ accounts after the end of the season’s Showcase Qualifiers. Each event is organized in Swiss-style with a Top 8 playoff.

The winner of each Showcase Qualifier earns a spot in the final Showcase event and a chance to earn their share of $70,000 and a tabletop Players Tour Finals invitation.