The MTG Arena Open: Everything You Need to Know

Last updated on January 22, 2026

Astral Arena | Illustration by Sam Burley

Come one, come all! Peel back the curtain on one of the first competitive MTG settings on Magic Arena that could have earned you cash. Wizards of the Coast sanctioned an online competitive event: the MTG Arena Open. It was an alternative path to a Qualifier Weekend, the Arena Open offered a unique chance to compete from your home.

Rather than climb the ranked ladder over an entire season, the MTG Arena Open was a two-day event in which players of all skill levels competed against each other for phenomenal prizes and an invitation to an upcoming Qualifier Weekend.

Get the max wins on Day 1 and part of your reward would be an entry to Day 2. On Day 2 you earned at least three wins in Draft one to move on. Then in Draft two you needed at least two match wins to earn a Qualifier Invite. The event mainly stuck with Limited formats, but hosted a bit of Constructed in which you needed six match wins to earn a Qualifier Invite. Suffer two defeats on Day 2 and you were out.

Is Wizards of the Coast Doing Arena Opens?

No, Arena Opens were replaced by the Arena Limited Championships in 2026. The last Arena Open was Edge of Eternities that started August 16, 2025.

What is the Difference Between Arena Open and the Arena Limited Championship?

There are a few key differences between the Arena Limited Championship and Arena Opens, though both had the same entry fee of 5,000 gems and set players up to win as much as $2,000 cash. The Arena Open had two separate days of competition while the Arena Limited Championship has the second event run at the same time, and top players have a chance to move on to the prestigious Magic Limited Championship.

• Slightly easier to win gems in the Arena Limited Championship Qualifiers
• Arena Limited Championship Qualifiers are only Best-of-One, with no Best-of-Three
• The Arena Open had a max. of three drafts, but the Arena Limited Championship Qualifiers have two.

What is the Difference Between Arena Direct and Arena Open?

There are a number of differences between Arena Direct and Arena Opens. The primary difference is the prize, Arena Direct offers physical cards, while Arena Open can result in a cash deposit to your account. The Arena Open could gain you entry to a Qualifier Weekend whereas Arena Direct cannot land you in the upper levels of competitive MTGA. Here are a few key differences:

• Arena Open requires an invite to Day 2 while Arena Direct is open to entries each day
• Arena Open entries can be paid by gold or slightly less gems. Arena Direct entries are gems-only.
• Best of three is available on Arena Open, not in Arena Direct

How Much Does It Cost to Play the Arena Open?

It costs 25,000 gold or 5,000 gems (about $34) each time you enter on Day 1. If making it to Day 2 sounds formidable, take solace in knowing that your entries aren't limited on Day 1.

Let’s dive into everything you need to know surrounding the event including entry requirements, rules, spicy prizes, and how WotC integrated the event into their esports scene.

How Does the Arena Open Work?

There’s a little more than the entry fee when it comes to participating in an Arena Open, so let’s go over the other stipulations for eligibility real quick:

• You must be 18 years of age or older to participate.
• You’ll need an active Wizards account to participate, as well as an active i-Payout account to receive the monetary prizes. (i-Payout accounts cannot be created in advance.)
• You’re responsible for adhering to local laws regarding participation and prize eligibility. WotC has an extensive terms and conditions article with this information ready for with the complete details.

WotC uses a variety of formats for Arena Opens on MTGA. The first Open used Standard Constructed, and the following Open used Historic Constructed. We've also seen Sealed and Draft on Arena Opens, so in the spirit of the event, you must be open to anything.

Arena Open Day 1

MTG Arena Open Day 1 (Jan. 2024)

Registration for Day 1 begins bright and early the day of the event and closes just a few hours before it officially ends. There have been a few different times among the various Arena Open events, so there's no “one size fits all” for when you can start playing and when you'll get cut off.

You do get a few hours to complete your matches once registration ends, though. This means that you’ve got a pretty big window to sign up. Even if you register at the last second, you’ll have a chance to play your games.

The games that you play on Day 1 will be best-of-one or best-of-three matches (your choice of the match length). You can also switch between the two and play both, and you can enter as many times as you can afford to. Make sure to stay up-to-date on the rules for the Arena Open you're looking to participate in to avoid any issues.

For Sealed Arena Opens, the match timers are set to 30-minutes for each player, and good luck with your card pool!

For Constructed Arena Opens, deck submission guidelines for Day 1 are:

• You'll submit one deck for the designated format with an optional sideboard. Even if you opt for BO1, you may have cards that fish other cards out of your sideboard such as Fae of Wishes or Vivien, Arkbow Ranger.
• You can't change your deck between matches, but you can swap decks between event entries.
• Your Day 1 deck will have no say on what you choose for Day 2, meaning that you can use a completely different deck on Day 2 than you had used during Day 1.

If you max out your wins on Day 1, you’ve got yourself a ticket to Day 2. Keep in mind that these don't stack. Don't bother wasting your hard-earned gold or gems trying to get multiple entries to Day 2.

Arena Open Day 2

MTG Arena Open Day 2 Draft 2 (Jan. 2024)

Day 2 varies only slightly from Day 1. While you can enter infinitely into Day 1, you can only enter into Day 2 once. No redos this time, I'm afraid. Your max losses are also capped at two this time, but you're fighting for at least three match wins in event one and at least two match wins in event two to earn an invite to the next qualifier.

Same as with Day 1, the start and end times for Day 2 vary with each Arena Open. Make sure you keep an eye on the current rules and details so that you don't miss your window of opportunity to play. It's also important to note that, unlike Day 1, you only have a 2-hour entry window on Day 2 to get registered. Once you're registered, though, you'll have plenty of time to complete your matches.

On Day 2 you might play Draft to follow up Day 1's Sealed, but generally, your matches will be conducted exclusively in a best-of-three style.

For Constructed formats, a sideboard is still optional for your deck submission, we highly recommend having one this time around. Beyond that, deck requirements are the same as Day 1 except that the deck you submit is used for all your matches during Day 2.

How Much Can You Win in Arena Open?

You can win as much as $2,000 cash and a Qualifier Weekend invitation for winning four matches through two BO3 events on Day 2 of the Arena Open. Now let's feast our eyes on all the prizes! The prizes for the latest Arena Open differ based on which road you took on Day 1.

You also get a cosmetic as an entry reward for Day 1. Keep an eye on Wizard's announcements for Arena Opens to see if you're interested in what's offered.

Day 1, BO1 gives you 1,000 gems after winning five games and for seven wins, you earn 5,000 gems + an invite to Day 2. If you opt for BO3, you'll be looking to get four wins without a single loss to continue to Day 2, and you will earn 1,500 gems after winning your first match. Take a look:

The invitation to a Qualifier Weekend is a huge prize since those weekends are the last step in securing a seat on the Pro Tour or in the quarterly MTG Arena Championship!

Was the Arena Open Always a Standard Set?

Next of Kin | Illustration by Andreas Zafiratos

No, though the Arena Open is consistently a recent set, it is not always part of Standard. Sometimes Wizards of the Coast hosts the major event with non-Standard sets like Pioneer Masters and Modern Horizons 3. The Edge of Eternities Arena Open so happened to fall on a fresh Standard rotation. Keep an eye on the Standard metagame to have a sense of what you'll be up against. You need to work with the event schedule to give yourself ample time to play your matches.

Is it Worth it to Play the Arena Open?

In short, the cost of entry easily outweighed the rewards if you were not confident in your skills. How much do you need to win before you started making a profit on your entry fee?

You needed to win seven BO1 games or three BO3 matches on Day 1 to get more than you paid to enter. Anything above that was profit on your MTG Arena account.

This was based on a single entry into Day 1. Multiple entries into Day 1 may give you another chance to earn an invite to a Qualifier Weekend, but would be very difficult to become profitable in terms of gems.

How Competitive is the Arena Open?

Arena Opens were highly competitive events and best left to those at mythic rank when it came to Limited on Arena. That's not to say others shouldn't attempt it, but know that there was a lot of skill and some luck across the board too.

Wrap Up

Open the Way | Illustration by Livia Prima

Now you're fully equipped with all the knowledge you need on the Arena Open. If you think you’ve got what it takes to reach the top, then I fully encourage you to take a crack at an upcoming event. We'll see if the Limited events continue or if they turn to Alchemy, Historic, or Standard again. I’d honestly enjoy seeing a Pauper, Brawl, or Singleton format event pop up down the line, but I feel like those are unlikely.

Want to improve your gameplay in Arena? The Arena Tutor is a no-cost way to get stats, draft suggestions, see card ratings, easily build decks and test them with sample hands.

Do you have any questions about the Arena Open that didn’t get answered, or maybe an experience you just have to share about? Discussion is always welcome in the comments, and the Draftsim Discord, so feel free to drop in and chat!