One of the best parts about MTG Arena is that it can be played anywhere. Any computer with a Wi-Fi or network connection can log into the game. You can start playing Magic in just a few clicks.
One of the worst parts about MTG Arena is that it can be played any time on any Wi-Fi or network connection. You can log in, but it might take some time for your signal to connect. Not every wireless or mobile connection is perfect, and some Magic venues are much more notorious than others for the quality of their connections (as any Grand Prix Montreal veteran knows). A few failures to load on your online tournament software will quickly make you nostalgic for paper pairings and bulletin boards. If you're playing online, it can leave you scrambling at the most inopportune time.
That's what happened to Lorenzo Terlizzi. The Italian Magic player and up-and-comer on the international scene has firmly established himself at the competitive level over the last several years, highlighted by a Top 8 Finish at Magic World Championship XXIX in 2023. He's also added a pair of Regional Championship Top 8 appearances to his record, including a 3rd-place finish in Lille last year. He's no stranger to high-stress, high-stakes Magic and succeeding at high-stress, high-stakes Magic.
But nothing prepares you for the stress of a dropped connection in the heat of battle.
"I unexpectedly qualified [for Arena Championship 9] after trying often to qualify in prior events and not getting there," he recalled. "I was alone in Germany, staying at my grandma's childhood house, and I was using my dad's cousin's Wi-Fi. While I was 5-1 in a game against Jean-Emmanuel Depraz and about to win thanks to
There's nothing quite like racing that MTG Arena or Magic Online clock—I've been there plenty of times myself—and playing big-time Magic with that much pressure makes the game exciting for some thrill-seeking players. It becomes part of the challenge, whether you're alone on a computer with a spotty internet connection, or surrounded by thousands of other gamers at a massive convention.
For Terlizzi, it was just a blur. But he did make it back in time to win the match. Just a few months later, he was back at it for Arena Championship 9 (this time with a more stable connection).
Ready to start Arena Championship 9! Happy with the list I ended up on, wish me luck! 😎@worldlycounsel @HeavyPlayLLC pic.twitter.com/tp15LJyrDH
— Lorenzo Terlizzi (@terlollo15) August 9, 2025
Arena Championship 9 brought together 37 of the top MTG Arena players for a premier-level event that represents the apex of the competitive Arena path. Not only did the two-day event have a massive $250,000 prize pool, but it awarded the Top 16 finishers invitations to the next Pro Tour, and the winner and runner-up earned a seat at the World Championship. When the dust settled, it was Raffaele Mazza who took the title, the trophy, and the $30,000 1st-place prize by piloting the Standard's premier deck: Izzet Cauldron.
Terlizzi's career has skyrocketed over the last five years, with his current highest achievement being a World Championship Top 8 appearance. This is a player who will play any event he can to reach those World Championship-level heights. So there he was, furiously trying to connect to his phone to complete a match against a former World Champion, all while racing the clock.
When the event began a few weeks ago, Terlizzi sat down and locked in. Across the world, former Pro Tour player Jan Merkel did the same from his name family home in Mexico. The Arena Championship was a mix of old and new players. Competitors ranged from tabletop Magic heroes from a different era (like Michael Bonde) to the backbone of many high-level teams from recent years (like Derrick Davis). There were primarily tabletop players battling on MTG Arena alongside players who came up through the online ranks.
The Arena Championship is the most competitive MTG Arena event with many thousands of players across the globe participating in qualifying weekends that bring together anyone with a semi-stable connection and access to MTG Arena, pitting Hall of Famers alongside newer competitors on an equal playing field. There are not really any flukes at this level.
"Qualifying for this event was one of the achievements I was really looking forward to earning, as it's an extremely high-stakes online event. During COVID, I wasn't able to participate in competitive online tournaments because I was still under 18," Terlizzi explained.
Fast forward a few years, and Terlizzi was not just qualifying for these events, but leading the field after Day One. And while his second career Top Finish didn't quite materialize—Terlizzi finished in the dreaded 9th place—a Top 16 finish was another highlight on his quickly growing resume.
What helped Terlizzi off to the fast start that converted into a high finish? Much like Raffaele Mazza did, Terlizzi credited his teammates for helping to design a decklist and a plan for the much-anticipated Izzet Cauldron mirrors that were to come.
"I had the privilege of working with the other four strongest qualified players for the Arena Championship, and we ended up on a great Izzet Cauldron list," Terlizzi said. "We realized that
4-0 at day1 of Arena Championship 9!!
— Lorenzo Terlizzi (@terlollo15) August 9, 2025
This means that I'm locked for Top16 which will be played tomorrow! @GuI_Dukat, who I tested with for the event, is 4-0 as well with a list similar to mine! Super happy with how my testing team worked. Now bedtime and tomorrow let's win 😎 https://t.co/KdFuASAMIc
Speaking of online gauntlets, Terlizzi's teammate Daniel Goetschel went even further. He made the Top 8 cut, growing more and more nervous along the way. Even as he fought through the field, he was still looking for ways to improve after adding a third Top Finish to his resume.
"As I got closer to that sixth win, I still had the anxiety that I could lose now from a big advantage—I was 5-0 on Day Two—but when I clinched the sixth win, I was very relieved," Goetschel said. "I want to feel good about the decisions I make, and I think I could have played better if I watched more of my own replays when preparing to try and identify mistakes I make when playing live games."
It's hard to blame Goetschel for not rewatching those games; Vivi Cauldron mirrors are (in)famously complicated. But that dedication to constant self-improvement is what sets the best of the best apart; I remember covering a Limited Grand Prix in Mexico City a decade or so ago where Tomoharu Saito, then at the peak of his powers, had just lost a crushing finals match after traveling about as far around the world as he could to play in this event to chase points of some kind. And what did he do after losing that match, after two grueling days of Magic in another country? He calmly conceded, then stayed with the final gameboard for about fifteen minutes, replaying the match in his mind to figure out if he could have possibly done anything different. In that moment, he wasn't worried about the failure of losing the match or the success of finishing in the finals and earning the points he came for—he just cared about whether there was anything to learn from the game.
It's the same message that Merkel preached while on the way to his own 2nd-place finish and invitation to Magic World Championship 31 later this year.
"I don't like to think ahead in a tournament," he explained. "My main goal is to have fun, play well, and only focus on the next round. The blinders were on."
There's something to remember about wearing blinders: the lights are always brighter when they come off. And no lights are brighter than those at the Magic World Championship. Of course, all three of these Arena Championship 9 standouts have shown themselves capable of handling all that and more. Now all three turn their sights to the upcoming Pro Tour Edge of Eternities, which will be held from September 26–28 at MagicCon: Atlanta.