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The Pro Tour is back!
The past two years were not kind to Magic tabletop play—or, really, the world. While we pivoted to digital play as quickly as we could, we, like you, eagerly awaited the time when tabletop play could return. That time is nearly here.
It's time to return to the Pro Tour.
Your path to the Pro Tour has never been simpler—perform well at an event, qualify for the next level. Prove yourself the best in your region, and you could be named Regional Champion. Succeed at every level, and you just might find yourself at the World Championship.
The path, starting with the 2022–2023 season, looks like this:
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 doing the very thing you're there to do—win matches of Magic. If you can game, your breakout season could be just a few tournaments away.
Additionally, players will also be able to qualify through digital play on Magic: The Gathering Arena and Magic: The Gathering Online. Those specifics will be released later as part of a separate digital play announcement.
This article will offer an overview of the new organized play system at each level. For those who want more specific details on the number of qualifications, how we plan to seed invites to the 2022–23 season, and the new adjusted match points qualification system, head to the Magic Pro Tour Details article here.
So, start brewing—your chance to claim your Regional Championship and/or invite to the Pro Tour might be just around the corner.
Let's look at your path to the World Championship and each step along the way.
Tabletop
There are four levels of tabletop play, culminating in the World Championship, and each is likely to test your mettle just that much more than the previous. Let's look at each level.
Regional Championship Qualifiers
Regional Championship Qualifiers are largely held at the WPN store level and are organized by regional tournament organizers. These teams set local qualification guidelines, work with the WPN to schedule qualifiers, and provide program information on their websites. In other words, rather than previous one-plan-fits-all approaches to qualifiers, we're giving some flexibility to regional organizers who know their players and how best to hold events in their regions. To start your journey, visit one of these organizers' websites:
- USA – Dreamhack
- Canada – Face to Face Games
- Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) – Legacy
- Australia/New Zealand – Good Games
- China – Kadou
- Japan/Korea – Big Magic
- Southeast Asia – Oracle Events
- Chinese Taipei – Game Square
- Brazil – City Class Games
- Mexico/Central America/Caribbean – Yellow Rabbit
- South America – Magicsur
Bookmark those pages. They will be your hubs of information for qualifying and finals events in each of those regions.
As a quick interlude, we will be distributing promos at the local and regional levels while supplies last. The exact breakdown differs from region-to-region. Check with your participating organizers for more info.
Regional Championship Qualifier Promo Card(s)*:
- Lava Spike: Non-foil for participating in local qualifiers. Traditional foil for participating in select large, open qualifying events and side events at Regional Finals.
- Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx: Non-foil for top finishers at local qualifying events. Traditional foil for players who earn invitations to the Regional Championship.
*While supplies last. Prize promo availability may differ by region. May change at Wizards's discretion. Check with your regional tournament organizer and hosting game store for more information.
Regional Championships
Have you already conquered your local scene? Set your sights on some pretty choice bragging rights with the Regional Championships. Imagine getting to call yourself the European or South American Champion. Imagine representing your region at the Pro Tour and doing so knowing they're back home cheering you on. Imagine winning your championship and collecting an invite directly to the World Championship.
That's right—win your Regional Championship (or finish second in the USA, EMEA, or Japanese Championship)—and you'll earn a qualification straight to the World Championship on top of your Pro Tour invite. The Regional Championships are big, big events, and we wanted accolades that matched the achievement of winning.
Each Regional Championship is a major Magic event—a focal point for play in your region. Besides the Championship itself, which will award invitations to Pro Tours in addition to the prize pool, these events will have a variety of play options for fans. Regional Championships are run by the same groups who organize the local qualifiers, so bookmark those websites above and get ready to challenge the best in your region. Note that you can only participate in one region's Regional Championship for each round of Championships.
Regional Championship Promo Card:
- Teferi, Hero of Dominaria: Non-foil for Regional Championship participants, and traditional foil for top finishers.
Pro Tours
The Pro Tour is back! Three times a year, qualifiers from the Regional Championships will gather to compete for their share of $500,000 in prizes, invites to the World Championship, and the right to claim their place among the best in the world. Perform well at a Regional Championship and earn your spot among the best in the world.
Pro Tours will be hosted by Wizards of the Coast at locations we'll announce as we get closer to the dates. While the uncertainty surrounding COVID does make our crystal ball a bit hazy, we're currently targeting our first Pro Tour for early 2023. Our priority is always for the safety of our players and staff, and we'll be adjusting plans in accordance with the latest health and safety guidelines. Our goal is to gather again to celebrate the best of the best on the Pro Tour, and we'll be sharing more information as plans solidify.
Most Pro Tour qualifications will be earned by performing well at Regional Championships or from finishing with 10 wins in a previous Pro Tour, but we're also introducing a points system called Adjusted Match Points (AMP) that will allow players to earn invites through multiple strong, but not otherwise qualifying, performances at Pro Tour tournaments. For more on how AMP works, you can read the details here.
All invite policies for the first year of this program will be more generous as we populate the tournament system. For more information, check out that details article.
World Championship
The culmination of everything a competitive Magic player may dream of, the World Championship will serve as the capstone event of each season. Around 128 players will compete for their share of $1,000,000. For the 2022–2023 season, this event will be held later in 2023 in the United States. The one and only winner will be crowned Magic: The Gathering World Champion.
Our goal is for the World Championship, the Pro Tours, the Regional Championships, and local qualifiers to be held in person and played on tabletop, though local restrictions, the fluctuating state of international travel, and the health and safety of players and staff may alter plans. We'll endeavor to share any changes or updates at the earliest date possible.
Digital Path
But wait, there's more! Even as we've leaned into digital Premier Play these past two years, there's more coming! The new digital paths through Magic: The Gathering Arena and Magic Online will both feed into the tabletop path and offer its own journey culminating in the World Championships. As the digital path plugs directly into the tabletop path, there are still a few virtual i's to dot and t's to cross. We'll unveil the full detailed digital path toward the end of April. While we're still finalizing the details, we do know the following will be true.
- Events on both platforms will feed tabletop events at nearly every level, including the World Championship.
- Magic: The Gathering Arena Qualifier Weekends will continue, with some exciting twists.
- Magic: The Gathering Online Showcase events will continue and will feed the World Championship directly!
- MTG Arena will include new ways to qualify for Qualifier Weekends besides ladder play.
- The updated MTG Arena qualification path will start with April ladder play and May qualification events! There will be some differences between how that first month plugs into the tabletop path and later months, but we'll cover those details separately.
- The digital path will have different eligibility requirements that we'll outline in April.
For more information, check out the MTG Arena April Ranked Season details.
Otherwise, check back next month for your digital path to the Pro Tour!
Start Here
The first Regional Championship Qualifiers will begin July 2 and can be run as Standard, Pioneer, Modern, or Limited. The first round of Regional Championships will be Pioneer, and the first Pro Tour will feature Pioneer and Limited! Start practicing and prepping your deck now!
We also know it's likely you have questions, and we're here to answer them. There are a few ways to get your questions answered.
- Read the full details about these programs to learn more.
- We've also prepared a FAQ for anticipated questions.
- Today (March 31) at 2:30 p.m. PT, Director of Play Programs William Jensen will be on Weekly MTG—live at twitch.tv/magic—to take your questions about all of the above.
- Following the stream today, the Play team staff will be available on the official Magic: The Gathering Discord channel taking more questions.
- Finally, we'll be manning the @PlayMTG (formerly @MagicEsports) Twitter account answering as many questions as we can.
And if you're just ready to get playing? Head to Magic.gg for the qualification page and make sure to bookmark it!
Your path to the Pro Tour starts today!