(Editor's Note: The format for the MPL Guantlet and Rivals Gauntlet have been updated to reflect event changes after publication.)
The final League Weekend of the season is just around the corner—July 3–4, live at twitch.tv/magic—and we'll know four more competitors for Magic World Championship XXVII! With the 2020-21 Magic postseason fast approaching we have more details to share about the upcoming Gauntlet events and World Championship.
Taking place August 6–8, the Challenger Gauntlet features the top non-league players from all three of the 2020-21 Championships—Zendikar Rising, Kaldheim, and Strixhaven—playing off for qualification to Magic World Championship XXVII, Rivals Gauntlet, and invitations to the MPL for the 2021-22 season.
These 24 players battle across Standard and Historic, with a Top 12 playoff to determine the four qualifications to Magic World Championship XXVII and set up a double-header league playoff weekend to follow.
- The Top 4 qualify for Magic World Championship XXVII, and receive invitations to the 2021-22 season of the MPL
- The next eight competitors—the rest of the Top 12 playoff—are invited to the Rivals Gauntlet which awards invitations to either the MPL or Rivals League for the 2021-22 season
One of the biggest weekends for competitive Magic this year unfolds across both the Rivals Gauntlet and MPL Gauntlet, featuring Standard Constructed play taking place September 2–5 live at twitch.tv/magic!
The Rivals Gauntlet is 24 players:
- 8 top-finishing challengers (5–12) from the Challenger Gauntlet
- 12 of the lower-ranked (21–32) remaining Rivals players from league play
- 4 of the lower-ranked (13–16) remaining MPL players from league play
These players battle for four invitations to the MPL, and the winner earning qualification to Magic World Championship XXVII. The remaining receive invitations to the Rivals League.
The MPL Gauntlet is also a 24-player tournament:
- 8 of the top-ranked (5–12) remaining MPL players from league play
- 16 of the top-ranked (5–20) remaining Rivals players from league play
These competitors battle for the final three invitations to Magic World Championship XXVII, with the top eight finishing players receiving invitations to the MPL and the rest of the field receiving Rivals League invitations.
Through the Gauntlets, the final field of Magic World Championship XXVII emerges. Taking place October 8–10 with a $250,000 prize pool, the competition will be among the best-of-the-best for Magic's most prestigious prize.
(*Updated to reflect that the World Champion also clinched Top 4 of MPL standings. Invitation passed down to the MPL Gauntlet.)
Reigning World Champion Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa will be joined by top MPL and Rivals players Ondřej Stráský, Eli Kassis, and Stanislav Cifka, plus the heroes of the Gauntlets and July Strixhaven League Weekend to see who can claim the next title of Magic World Champion and become immortalized in artwork featured on a future Magic: The Gathering card.