The biggest Magic event of the year, Magic World Championship XXVI, returns to Honolulu, Hawaii this February. With $1,000,000 in prizes, including the largest single event prize in Magic history at $300,000 for the champion, the best players in the world are ready to battle for the right to be called the greatest player in the world: the Magic World Champion.
These are the sixteen players competing in Magic World Championship XXVI.
Javier Dominguez
A Mythic Championship, a World Championship finalist, and the reigning World Champion: What can be written about Dominguez that hasn't been already? He's one of the best Magic players alive, and will look to make an unprecedented third straight Magic World Championship finals appearance and take a shot to become the second back-to-back Magic World Champion.
Autumn Burchett
They are the first Mythic Champion. Long before they were the winner of Mythic Championship I and a member of the Magic Pro League, Burchett was England's two-time national champion. They have been a consistent force on the professional scene throughout the 2019 season, and now Burchett will bring their famous mismatched lands and skill to Hawaii.
Eli Loveman
Loveman earned his title at Mythic Championship II in London earlier this year, battling to an exciting victory in the finals. But Loveman may not be your typical Mythic Champion, seeing his opportunity to compete in Magic World Championship XXVI as a bonus. Supporting a non-profit in southern California, the World Championship isn't a stepping stone to a professional Magic career but another chance to earn a trophy defeating Magic's greatest players.
Matias Leveratto
Leveratto's underdog victory at Mythic Championship III is the stuff of Magic legend. A competitor for years, he wrote a storybook ending in Las Vegas by earning qualification to the tournament then defeating MPL player Brad Nelson in a spectacularly close finals. His decorated history stretching back a decade ensures he isn't intimidated by the massive stakes in Hawaii.
Thoralf Severin
Thoralf "Toffel" Severin is not a man who enjoys the spotlight. He may be an "Arena Boy" that enjoys being out of the direct camera, but it was impossible for him to avoid during his incredible tabletop Magic run to the Mythic Championship IV title in Barcelona that qualified him to compete in Honolulu. He's proven himself capable of beating the best in the biggest moments once before, and underestimating him to do it again would be a mistake.
Jean-Emmanuel Depraz
Without a doubt, Depraz has taken the most unique road to the World Championship. While others have hoisted trophies or won races to qualify, Depraz snagged his spot with a runner-up finish at Mythic Championship V, securing the automatic berth that passed down when Dominguez won the event. But don't let a rules quirk fool you: Depraz has been one of the most consistent players in the MPL, and he'll have another chance during the World Championship to finish with a trophy in hand.
Ondřej Stráský
Stráský will un-retire just long enough to play in Magic World Championship XXVI. More seriously, Stráský made a triumphant return to professional Magic in the 2019 season winning Mythic Championship VI after nearly falling out of the scene just a year ago. Along with the rest of the "Czech House" packed with fearsome Magic competitors, he's been on the forefront of breaking Standard decks and stayed one step ahead of the format all year long.
Piotr Głogowski
While "Kanister" may enjoy playing with his opponents as he plays against them, his rise through the ranks of the MPL throughout the 2019 season put him squarely into Magic World Championship XXVI. Picking up a division win during Eldraine Split, Kanister turned in a textbook performance with a perfect march to and through the Top 8 and take home the Mythic Championship VII trophy. Without dropping a match, he put his name down into Magic history and picked up his qualification to compete for Magic's greatest title in Hawaii.
Raphaël Lévy
Lévy has been around competitive Magic longer than almost anyone else. The Magic Hall of Famer holds the record for most-consecutive Pro Tours attended, a streak that was only broken when he "skipped" one for the birth of his son. After coming through under pressure at the biggest tournament of his life, Lévy locked in the Mythic Points we needed to take his talent to Hawaii and the Magic Pro League in 2020.
Chris Kvartek
The rising star of the season, Kvartek exploded onto the scene in 2019 stringing together consistent performances across MTG Arena and tabletop tournaments around the world. He made two Mythic Championship fields this year via qualifying tournaments, a feat nearly no one else pulled off. His consistency throughout the 2019 season, including two Mythic Championship Top 8s, earned him enough Mythic Points to finish as one of the Top 4 Challengers and claim a spot at the Magic World Championship.
Sebastián Pozzo
Hailing from Argentina, Pozzo already has Magic World Championship experience. He has long been one of the best Constructed players in the game, which earned a spot at the 2017 Magic World Championship. With another standout season in 2019, Pozzo finished among the Top 4 Challengers by Mythic Points thanks to strong tabletop performances, a Day Two finish at Mythic Championship V, and a Top 8 at Mythic Championship VI. That was more than enough to go back to the Magic World Championship again.
Márcio Carvalho
Carvalho returns to the Magic World Championship on the back of yet another strong season. His nine Top Finishes is among the best in professional Magic, and he's demonstrated his mastery this season across both tabletop Magic and MTG Arena play at Mythic Championships. With a Top 4 finish by Mythic Points across the Magic Pro League this year, his success among the game's greatest players put him in Honolulu this February.
Gabriel Nassif
Nassif is one of the game's most storied players, playing at the professional level for 20 years and earning a Magic Hall of Fame induction. But he's proven in 2019 that he can compete new-school, as well. Nassif transitioned to full time streaming, and he made his way to the World Championship via a string of consistent strong performances at MTG Arena events, including a Magic World Championship XXVI-clinching Day Two run to finish in 16th place at Mythic Championship VII.
Seth Manfield
The former Magic World Champion joined the Magic Hall of Fame last year, but if earning two of Magic's most prestigious titles is cause to slow down then Manfield didn't get the message. He continued to put up results from there, stringing together strong finishes across Mythic Championships and MPL weekly play. His 2019 season was highlighted by a Top 8 finish at Mythic Championship VII, and now he's in a position to earn a second Magic World Championship trophy.
Andrea Mengucci
Mengucci kicked off 2019 in style by winning the Mythic Invitational, becoming the face of MTG Arena and welcoming in a new era of professional Magic play as he won the previous largest single Magic prize in the game's history at $250,000. He bookended the year with a Top 8 at Mythic Championship VII, and will now head to Hawaii with a chance to earn the new largest single prize in Magic at Magic World Championship XXVI.
Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa
Late in the 2019 professional season, Magic World Championship XXVI wasn't even a consideration for the Hall of Famer. In fact, he was more interested in fighting to earn another invitation to the Magic Pro League for 2020. With his season on the line, Damo da Rosa made the finals of Mythic Championship VI in Richmond and immediately followed that with another Top 8 appearance in Long Beach at Mythic Championship VII. Now he's flipped the script, securing the invitation he wanted and qualification to the prestigious Magic World Championship XXVI where he can earn the only title in Magic he has yet to claim.