MTG App Update Reveals Alleged Widespread LGS Fraud

Last updated on February 20, 2026

Black Market | Illustration by Jeff Easley

An update for the Companion app that went live on February 17 let players access their event history and exposed some local game stores (LGS) of alleged event fraud: signing players up for events they did not participate in.

The story began with X user @_mRichi_, who tweeted at their LGS to stop adding them to Commander events, and encouraged others to check their Companion apps to see if they were added to events without their knowledge.

Companion App Update

Lurrus of the Dream-Den | Illustration by Slawomir Maniak

The Magic: the Gathering Companion app is run by Wizards of the Coast and used by local game stores to help organize events, among other functions. The most recent update, announced on Feb. 11, included a Player Profile feature. The Player Profile includes information such as how many events a player has signed up for, how many matches they’ve won, and their most played format. It also includes the event history, as pictured below:

Source: magic.wizards.com

It was through this feature that _mRici_ found that their LGS allegedly added them to Commander events they never attended, presumably to bolster their attendance numbers.

Why Would Stores Inflate Attendance Numbers?

Lord of Atlantis | Illustration by Billy Christian

Wizards of the Coast runs a program called the Wizards Play Network, commonly just called the WPN. Game stores register with the WPN to receive certain privileges, such as access to promos, products, and the ability to run official MTG and D&D events, plus exclusive events like prereleases, Buy-a-Box sales, and Friday Night Magic. WPN membership is crucial for local game stores.

This overlaps with attendance because the WPN uses the number of attendees to determine how many “promo packs, cards, and special products” an LGS receives, per their support page:

Source: wpn.wizards.com

Community Reaction

Officious Interrogation | Illustration by Borja Pindado

After sharing their story, _mRichi_’s tweet was shared by larger content creators like @fireshoes and @SaffronOlive, giving the community on X space to weigh their opinions on LGSs inflating their numbers.

Some players confirmed this happened to them. @IcedYoshi alleged they were added to events “800 miles away,” saying “I have never heard of this place nor have I ever been to TX.” In addition to casual Commander events, the screenshots include entries into multiple Dominaria United prereleases. While stores inflating their numbers sounds surprising, some players indicated it’s been happening for years, even before the Companion app.

@GamingMVL recalled a similar situation under the old DCI system, when “organizers would say ‘they couldn’t find me’ even though I gave them my DCI card. So they’d sign me up for a new one.” For newer players, the DCI was the sanctioning body for MTG’s organized and competitive play; players received a card with a DCI number used to enter events. The Companion app replaced it in 2020.

Other players echoed the sentiment of this being commonplace, with @MTGCal noting “I don’t know if I’ve encountered a store that isn’t uber-successful that ISN’T doing this for the last… 10+ years.”

Players actually have had mixed feelings about this controversy Some players are vehemently against this, including @_mRichi_, who wrote the original post as an open letter to their LGS, and @yotopo, who opened tickets with Wizards Customer Service over “more than 30 ghost” events.

Others don’t mind being signed up for events, with @CephalexinA saying “if it’s what it takes for my LGS to get their hands on what little wizards sends them then I’m all for it,” and @drackoex noting “as companion play has zero impact on the user itself and no reward. It really doesn’t matter. The win is your local store gets better prize support.”

Though a serious matter, there appear to be no consequences for the players signed up for their events; they have not been charged for any purchases (the Companion app has no means of doing so) and responsibility for anything uncouth falls on the LGSs themselves. Ultimately this will be Wizards' choice in how to deal with and settle with the game stores.