Last updated on April 19, 2024
Anointer of Champions | Illustration by Anna Steinbauer
We’ve talked about all kinds of things on this blog for casual players and how to do better in or have more fun on MTG Arena. We’re going to be covering something a little different today, though, as I’m sure you can tell by the title. We’ll be taking a look at the players at the very top of MTG Arena.
In early April 2022, WotC announced an array of sweeping changes to the world of Organized play, including the return of the Pro Tour and the new MTG Arena Championship. Along with these top-tier events came new qualifiers and roads to joining, which is what I'll be breaking down for you today!
Let's get started!
What Is the Qualifier Weekend?
Strixhaven Stadium | Illustration by Piotr Dura
The Qualifier Weekend is a two-day tournament event on MTG Arena, which qualifies players for the quarterly MTG Arena Championship. It is two full days of best-of-three matches, featuring gem rewards and more. Starting in September, players who qualify for the Arena Championship by reaching seven wins on day two of the Qualifier Weekend will receive an invite to the upcoming Pro Tour!
Qualifier Weekend Structure
The Qualifier Weekend has a fairly straightforward structure. Day one presents players with the opportunity to win up to 20,000 gems as well as entry to day two. Day two instead provides the winner with 5,000 gems, as well as qualification for the next Arena Championship as well as the Pro Tour!
Each day consists of best-of-three matches, where those who qualified to play until they reach seven wins or two losses.
The Qualifier Weekend has its own qualifications that players must meet to enter, too. In order to earn an entry, players must go down one of three paths, which I'll break down for you below.
Qualifying through a Qualifier Play-In Event
There are three ways to qualify for a Qualifier Weekend Event.
- Play-In points
- Ranking
- Winning an Arena Open
What are Play-In Points?
Play-In points are a system of qualification on MTG Arena that are awarded for winning constructed events and Traditional Draft. They also come included with the pre-order “Play Bundle” for new set releases. MTG Arena has constructed events, such as “Standard Event” or “ Traditional Explorer Event”. These events are gauntlet style events, where you play a certain number of rounds or until you lose a set number of times. Play-In points are awarded for achieving the maximum number of wins in these events, which is seven for best-of-one, and five for best-of-three. The same goes for Traditional Draft, where Play-In points are awarded for reaching the maximum number of wins in the event.
Qualifying through Ranking
Players can alternatively qualify for the Qualifier Weekend by being in the top 250 players of the Mythic rank the previous season. That can be a steep hill to climb, though, but don't worry you're in luck. If you manage to place in the top 1200 players, but not the top 250, your entry fee for the Qualifier Play-In event is covered!
Qualifying through Winning an Arena Open
The last way to qualify for a Qualifier Weekend is to reach at least six wins on day two of any MTG Arena Open. Achieving this number of wins awards you with a spot in the upcoming Qualifier Weekend in addition to monetary and gem rewards, which is a pretty sweet payoff. However, due to the frequency of Qualifier Weekends, there will not always be an Arena Open beforehand as a path to entry.
What Is the Arena Championship?
The MTG Arena Championship is a 32-player $200k tournament. The championship occurs every four months and is comprised of the winners of the four previous Qualifier weekends that occurred each month as well as individual invitations. The winner and runner-up of each Arena Championship will also receive an invite to the Magic World Championship.
In order to qualify for the Arena Championship, players must win a Qualifier Weekend event.
Wrap Up
Tidy Conclusion | Illustration by Bastien L. Deharme
As for participating in the qualifiers, it’s easier than most other competitive games. If you’re an invested player with a decent collection and some talent, finishing the appropriate season in the top 1200 is just a matter of careful planning and good timing. Considering the Arena Championship has a $200,000 prize pool, it's worth giving a shot!
Did you have any other questions about the Arena Championship, the Pro Tour, or anything else we talked about that we didn’t answer here? Let us know in the comments, we want to make sure we’ve covered it all! As always, if you like our content and want to support us, check out some of our other awesome content on our blog or head over to our Patreon (if you’re so inclined).
See you next time!
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1 Comment
Does it make a difference in mythic where I land in the top1200? My point being, since 2 periods I am in drafting mythic. I landed at 240 this time, giving me quite a good rank to be sure to end up in top1200. Now I chose not to play anymore to be sure to land within 1200. My rank is now about 322 so it doesnt go low so quickly without playing that I would fall below. I wanted to draft more cause it makes fun, but the smart thing and nothing to gain convinced me not to. I heard in last days people play more to be in the 1200 so is there still a chance to fall back 900 ranks? Are there some special prizes for top 8 or 12 or whatever? Am I in for the tournament automatically when I am within top1200 or do I have to register somewhere? How much is the tournament? Do we play Kaladesh remastered? I know many questions 🙂 you have asked or it!
Thanks!
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