Mythic Championship VII is on the horizon, with $750,000 in prizes—plus a 2019 Magic World Championship seat—up for grabs. In addition to the 32 members of the MPL, 35 Challengers from around the world are set to battle in Long Beach, California.
Get to know more about each of the Challengers below, and follow along for more from Mythic Championship VII.
whispahs (Mimi Arthur, @Eldrazimimi), an Australian standout consistently Mythic ranked on MTG Arena, is a top-ranked player on the Mogul.gg ladder. Her passion for board games and control deck strategies—and 7 Point Highlander—puts success at Mythic Championship VII square in her sights.
Baxtox (Frederico Bastos) is a longtime competitive player from Portugal. With two Mythic Championship Top 8s almost twenty years ago—Pro Tour San Diego 2002 and Pro Tour Tokyo 2001—this "Competitive Johnny" is ready to set aside his dislike of flying to jet out for the showdown in Long Beach, California.
Spiritmonger (Dmitriy Butakov, @butakov_mtg) is a Russian pro who is the only two-time Magic Online Championship Series winner. A jetsetter that's traveled to 30 countries over the past two years for Magic, returning to the United States to take home the Mythic Championship VII trophy is next on his world tour.
Heisenb3rg (Jordan Cairns) is a Canadian stock trader who learned Magic at a Dungeons & Dragons summer camp 24 years ago. In between managing a competitive cube league and a strategy content website, his years of dedication to Magic and, now, MTG Arena earned him MCQW success—and he's ready to make a move in the Mythic Championship VII field.
StanCifka (Stanislav Cifka, @StanCifka) needs little introduction. The Pro Tour Return to Ravnica champion and longtime professional esports competitor is one half of "the Czech house" MTG Arena testing team with Ondřej Stráský (the new Mythic Championship VI winner). Now he has another chance to bring another trophy home for his side of the living room.
crokeyz (Stephen Croke, @crokeyz) is a full-time streamer with a passion for MTG Arena. Eager to show his love for aggressive and midrange strategies, anyone who followed his MCQW streaming adventure knows he'll be just as ready for the showdown in Long Beach.
Antonino (Antonino De Rosa) is a four-time Grand Prix winner and former US Nationals champion. With a professional pedigree dating back to 2001, his hard work in Magic paid off with success in the MCQW for Mythic Championship VII. Now he's ready to chase the trophy again on one of Magic's biggest stages.
Nummy (Kenji Egashira, @NumotTheNummy) returns from Mythic Championship V where he turned in an incredible performance despite falling shy of a Top 8 appearance. The Team Solo Mid streamer is ready to try again at the last MTG Arena Mythic Championship of the year.
gazfergan (Marcelino Freeman, @gazfergan) is a Mexican two-time Grand Prix champion looking to level up his trophy collection. As one of the top competitors from Latin America, Freeman is both familiar with what it takes to make it to a Mythic Championship—and how much work it takes to win one.
Yawgmoth87 (Andrea Gereon, @Yawgmoth87) is a former Vintage player that streams full-time from Italy. A prolific content creator who streamed their entire MCQW experience, they are traveling to Long Beach to battle against the game's best and convert being Mythic ranked No. 1 into Mythic Championship VII first place.
dftleonidas (John Girardot) is a French player with a love for old school Draw-Go control decks. After losing a win-and-in to the Top 8 Pro Tour Guilds of Ravnica, Girardot continued battling for Magic success. The MCQW for Mythic Championship VII earned him another shot at a Top Finish.
AliaDeschain (Beatriz Grancha, @AliaDeschain), hailing from the true home of paella of Valencia, Spain, is a Mythic Invitational competitor and Parchís champion making a return to one of MTG Arena's biggest events. With impressive runs on the Mythic rankings on MTG Arena, earning the trophy at Mythic Championship VII is the clear next step to take.
Mogwai (Miguel Guerrero Leon, @MegaMogwai) is a Spanish player, MTG Arena streamer. and content producer that battled throughout the MCQW for Mythic Championship VII. With MMA bout experience and a love for Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the showdown in Long Beach is where he'll have a chance to prove himself again.
witch (Teruya Kakumae, @fushiginokunin5) is a three-time Grand Prix champion from Japan making his MTG Arena Mythic Championship debut in Long Beach. A fan of the color red and aggressive decks, watch for him to come out swinging at Mythic Championship VII.
IsaakKrut (Isaak Krut, @IsaakKrut) is an aspiring software developer in Toronto, Ontario. Originally from Russia, and a huge fan of the English Premier League, he picked up Magic in 2012 with a friend. Now, thanks to his success in the MCQW, he'll have a chance to earn a Magic trophy at Mythic Championship VII.
Kavartech (Chris Kvartek, @Kavartech) is a familiar face for the Mythic Championship audience. With a Mythic Championship Top 8 (Plus a narrow miss at the next one!) earlier this year, Kvartek earned qualification to back-to-back MTG Arena championships through back-to-back MCQW performances. Now it's all on him at one last event to earn enough points for both invitation to the 2020 partial season MPL and 2019 Magic World Championship qualification.
PJ the Crusher (Pierson Laughlin, @piersonlaughlin) is a MCQW success story from the United States, ready to put his competitive chops to the test against the world at Mythic Championship VII. After carrying an old CRT TV several blocks—and up five flights of stairs—just to defeat his buddy in a fighting video game, the tenacity to take home the trophy from Long Beach is easy to see.
HellKatMTG (Kat Light, @HellKatMTG) is a multiple SCG Tour Top 8 competitor and content creator passionate about Magic and tournament coverage. As a social media manager and contact point for her tabletop team—Team PHX—her access to information and Magic skill make her a formidable contender for the Mythic Championship VII trophy.
Skybilz (Allison Maino, @Skybilz) is a Mythic ranked MTG Arena streamer looking to rise higher than her first foray into MTG Arena competition at the Mythic Invitational earlier this year. As a member of Team Genji, she switches between playing Magic and speedrunning for her content. Adding the Mythic Championship VII trophy is her next goal.
Swifth (Théo Moutier, @moutier_theo) is a returning competitor for Mythic Championship V. From his MCQW success for a first trip to Long Beach, his excellent finish as a Challenger there means he's back for Mythic Championship VII and another run at the trophy.
Predi- (Ronald Müller, @PrediMTG) is a full-time MTG Arena streamer from Germany looking forward to taking his first flight to attend Mythic Championship VII. After streaming several runs to Mythic rank No. 1, making a live push to another No. 1 finish in Long Beach is the obvious next move.
upumpa89 (Tian Fa Mun, @TianMun) decided to make 2019 the year of Magic. Going full-time with content creation and streaming, and playing in as many events as possible, makes putting Mythic Championship experience to work at Long Beach the exclamation on their year of dedication.
Yellowhat (Gabriel Nassif, @gabnassif) needs little introduction. The Magic Hall of Fame member has multiple Mythic Championship finishes under his belt, and streams Magic full-time from his home in Paris, France. After a stellar performance in Long Beach during Mythic Championship V, Nassif looks to add a new trophy and 2019 Magic World Championship seat to his resume now.
Even_Jesus_Would (Raymond Nevison, @EvenJesusWould) is a MCQW victor who loves to use Islands to tell opponents "No." He looks forward to showing his family—and proving to the world—he has what it takes to win on the Mythic Championship VII stage.
Pikula (Chris Pikula, @meddlingmage) is a long-time Magic competitor with three Top Finishes across his over 20-year career. A perennial part of annual Magic Hall of Fame discussions—and acclaimed as a driving force in Magic's emerging tournament community—adding a fourth Top Finish at Mythic Championship VII could be exactly the change in stats that keeps him in conversations among the game's greatest players.
Elioftheveil (Elizabeth Rice, @elioftheveil) is a Magic streamer and podcast editor from the United States. A long-time rugby player and Grand Prix competitor, her competitive goal to defeat Javier Dominguez and take home the Mythic Championship trophy is something she'll pursue relentlessly.
DicroismoCircolare (Simone Rocutto, @SR_MTG) is an Italian MTG Arena player making their first trip to the United States to compete in Mythic Championship VII. Taking a path through the MCQW for Long Beach, there's one opponent Rocutto wants to face again: Antonino De Rosa, who dished out a loss to them during that MCQW.
edmvyrus (Miguel da Cruz Simões) is a computer engineer from Portugal returning from Mythic Championship V. His standout success as a Challenger there earned his trip back to Long Beach for another shot at a Mythic Championship title.
Zvavok (Andrew Smith) is a graduate student in mathematics at University of California, Los Angeles. As a local player to the Long Beach-Los Angeles area, Mythic Championship VII is where Smith looks to prove his online work can pay off in person against the best players in the world.
Sorquixe (Alexander Steyer, @sorquixe) is a German streamer and MTG Arena player who took a run to finish as Mythic rank No. 1 at the end of Core Set 2020 Season 2. Converting the MCQW into a trip to Mythic Championship VII, battling in Long Beach is his chance to make a move into a professional Magic career.
SliverQueen (Esther Trujillo, @EstherTrujilloR) was a member of the Grand Prix Ghent 2019 winning team, and spends her time not playing Magic managing a game store in Madrid, Spain. Traveling with friends in the past to events, and representing her store and community now, Trujillo looks to put her 25 years of Magic experience to work bringing the Mythic Championship VII trophy home.
dav3m (Daniel Vega, @dav3m) is a software engineer from Chile who earned a Top 8 appearance at Grand Prix Santiago 2017. Playing alongside others in the South American Magic community, he earned an invitation to Mythic Championship VII through the MCQW—and is ready to continue defeating great players.
Wargate (Pierre Violleau) earned his law degree before focusing on Magic with MTG Arena. Notching a trip to Long Beach through the MCQW, battling the best players in the game at Mythic Championship VII is his proudest achievement to date.
meebo (Ally Warfield, @arcticmeebo) is a Top 4 competitor from Grand Prix Indianapolis 2019 and Magic streamer on Twitch. Fresh from her Day Two appearance at Mythic Championship VI, earning success at Mythic Championship VII is just the breakthrough she's been battling for.
kiteon (Kohei Yoshino, @kiteon0611) is a university student from Japan who earned invitation to Mythic Championship VII through the MCQW. With friends from home supporting him along the way, he's looking forward to chaining the MCQW performance into a Top 4 (Or better!) in Long Beach.