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[[File:2019 MPL logo.png|300px|thumb|right]]
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The '''''Magic'' Pro League''' (or '''MPL''') is an ongoing ''[[Magic]]'' [[Esports]] competition that was introduced in 2019.<ref>{{DailyRef|news/next-chapter-magic-esports-2018-12-06|The Next Chapter for ''Magic'': Esports|[[Elaine Chase]]|December 6, 2018}}</ref>
The '''''Magic'' Pro League''' (or '''MPL''') was a short-lived ongoing ''[[Magic]]'' [[Esports]] competition that was introduced in 2019 and ended in 2022.<ref>{{DailyRef|news/next-chapter-magic-esports-2018-12-06|The Next Chapter for ''Magic'': Esports|[[Elaine Chase]]|December 6, 2018}}</ref>


The ''Magic'' Pro League consists of 32 [[List of professional players|pro players]] from around the world who are offered contracts by [[Wizards of the Coast]]. They are competing in seasonal weekly competitive match-ups on [[MTG Arena]], and in Mythic-level [[tournament]]s in both MTG Arena and [[tabletop|paper]] ''Magic''. These players are automatically qualified for each [[Mythic Championship]], where they will compete against other top players, the [[challenger]]s.<ref name="Qualifying">{{DailyRef|competitive-gaming/mythic-championship-qualification-magic-world-championship-2019-02-20|How to Become The Next ''Magic'' Champion: Qualifying for Mythic Championships and Worlds|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|February 20, 2019}}</ref>  
The ''Magic'' Pro League consisted of [[List of professional players|pro players]] from around the world who were offered contracts by [[Wizards of the Coast]]. They were competing in seasonal weekly competitive match-ups on [[MTG Arena]], and in Mythic-level [[tournament]]s in both MTG Arena and [[tabletop|paper]] ''Magic''. These players were automatically qualified for each [[Premier Event]], where they would compete against other top players, the [[challenger]]s.<ref name="Qualifying">{{DailyRef|competitive-gaming/mythic-championship-qualification-magic-world-championship-2019-02-20|How to Become The Next ''Magic'' Champion: Qualifying for Mythic Championships and Worlds|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|February 20, 2019}}</ref>  


==2019 roster==
==2019 season==
{{Main|2019 Magic Pro League season}}
{{Main|2019 Magic Pro League}}
Invites were extended to the top 32 [[player]]s in terms of [[Pro Point]]s after the [[2018–19 Pro Tour Season]]. However, two players declined to participate due to work conflict: [[Kelvin Chew]] (ranked 18th) and [[Andrew Baeckstrom]] (ranked 23rd). These invites were passed down to 33rd-ranked [[Rei Sato]] and 40th-ranked [[Lee Shi Tian]], with Shi Tian taking Chew's slot to maintain representation in the region.
Invites were extended to the top 32 [[player]]s in terms of [[Pro Points]] after the [[2018–19 Pro Tour Season]]. However, two players declined to participate due to work conflict: [[Kelvin Chew]] (ranked 18th) and [[Andrew Baeckstrom]] (ranked 23rd). These invites were passed down to 33rd-ranked [[Rei Sato]] and 40th-ranked [[Lee Shi Tian]], with Shi Tian taking Chew's slot to maintain representation in the region.


==Controversy==
Before the start of the season, there were several controversies, causing changes in the original line up.
*[[Rei Sato]] was disqualified from Grand Prix Prague 2019.<ref>{{WebRef|title=STATEMENT REGARDING REI SATO DISQUALIFICATION|url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/gppra19/statement-regarding-rei-sato-disqualification-2019-01-12|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|date=2019-01-11|accessdate=2019-01-30}}</ref> In a statement the following week, Wizards explained that due to MPL members being held to a higher standard, Sato's invitation to the Mythic Invitational event at PAX East was revoked.<ref>{{WebRef|title=STATEMENT REGARDING REI SATO'S DISQUALIFICATION AND THE MPL|url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/competitive-gaming/statement-regarding-rei-sato-2019-01-18|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|date=2019-01-18|accessdate=2019-01-30}}</ref>
 
*The introduction of the MPL was accompanied with cuts elsewhere. Criticism arose when Wizards during [[Grand Prix]] New Jersey (26-27 January 2019) stated that they would no longer provide round-by-round updates on Grand Prix events;<ref>{{WebRef|title=Magic Pro Tour on Twitter|url=https://twitter.com/magicprotour/status/1089361035432099840|date=2019-01-27|accessdate=2019-01-30}}</ref> in a later response to Hipsters of the Coast, Wizards clarified that this only applied to round-by-round text coverage, and that plans for video coverage was yet to be announced.<ref>{{WebRef|title=Controversy Erupts Over Lack of Coverage for GP New Jersey|url=https://www.hipstersofthecoast.com/2019/01/controversy-erupts-over-lack-of-coverage-for-gp-new-jersey-mtg/|publisher=Hipsters of the Coast|date=2019-01-28|accessdate=2019-01-30}}</ref> Additional controversy sparked when it became known that Craig Gibson, Pro Tour photographer for 21 years, had been told that he was no longer needed at events.<ref>{{WebRef|title=WotC Tells Their Longtime Photographer that Photography is No Longer Needed at Events|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/al5tk4/wotc_tells_their_longtime_photographer_that/|publisher=Reddit|date=2019-01-29|accessdate=2019-01-30}}</ref>
The season kicked off on Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 3pm [[Wikipedia:Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]] (19:00 h [[Wikipedia:Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]]) on [[Twitch.tv/magic]].
* On March 27, 2019 [[Magic Esports]] [https://twitter.com/MagicEsports/status/1110954663501656064 Twitter] suddenly announced that [[Owen Turtenwald]] wouldn't be participating in the [[Mythic Invitational]]. No reason was given. Three days later unconfirmed rumors surfaced that Turtlewald had been behaving in an inappropriate manner towards female players.<ref>Cecilia D'Anastasio (March 30, 2019) "[https://www.kotaku.com.au/2019/03/pro-removed-from-1-4-million-magic-tournament-accused-of-harassing-women/ Pro Removed From $1.4 Million Magic Tournament Accused Of Harassing Women]", Kotaku.com</ref> On April 25, 2019, it became clear that Turtenwald was removed from the ''Magic'' Pro League altogether. Without explanation, he was replaced by [[Autumn Burchett]].<ref name="Breaking">{{TwitterRef|HipstersMTG|1121494022336368640|author=[[Hipsters of the Coast]]|title=Breaking News|date=April 25, 2019}}</ref>
 
*On May 9, 2019 it was announced that [[Yuuya Watanabe]] would be removed from the league as well as the [[Hall of Fame]],<ref name="watanabe"/> due to his previous disqualification from Mythic Championship II in London for marked cards.<ref>{{WebRef|url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/2019MC2/round-16-disqualification-2019-04-27|title=Round 16 Disqualification|publisher=Wizards of the Coast|date=April 27, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{WebRef |url=https://www.hipstersofthecoast.com/2019/04/yuuya-watanabe-disqualified-from-mythic-championship-ii-london-for-marked-cards/|title=Yuuya Watanabe Disqualified from Mythic Championship II London for Marked Cards|author=David McCoy|date=April 28, 2019|publisher=[[Hipsters of the Coast]]}}</ref>
==2020 season==
* On May 13, 2019 [[Gerry Thompson]] announced his resignation from the MPL because of the lack of transparency in the organisation and the unwillingness of Wizards of the Coast to listen to feedback.<ref name="Quit">{{WebRef|url=https://thegampodcast.com/2019/05/13/why-i-quit-the-magic-pro-league/|title=Why I Quit the Magic Pro League|author=[[Gerry Thompson]]|date=May 13, 2019|publisher=Thegampodcast.com}}</ref>
{{Main|2020 Magic Pro League}}
* Also on May 13, WotC announced that the replacements for Thompson and Watanabe were to be Jessica Estephan and Janne "Savjz" Mikkonen, both T16 competitors from the Mythic Invitational.<ref>{{WebRef |url=https://www.mtgesports.com/news/mpl-adds-janne-savjz-mikkonen-and-jessica-estephan|title=MPL Adds Janne "Savjz" Mikkonen And Jessica Esthephan|author=[[Elaine Chase]]|date=May 13, 2019|publisher=[[Magic Esports]]}}</ref> The response was met poorly amongst several established pros, not helped by Janne's personal admission that he would likely not compete in any paper Mythic Championships. The largest criticism was that there was no longer any guarantee upon the future of any professional player, as neither new addition had significant pedigree on the Pro Tour circuit, so the rewards and incentives for achieving anything but the top 30 in the world were unclear.<ref>{{WebRef |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/magicTCG/comments/bo5twn/mpl_adds_janne_savjz_mikkonen_and_jessica_estephan/|title=MPL adds Janne "Savjz" Mikkonen and Jessica Estephan|date=May 14, 2019|publisher=Reddit}}</ref><ref>{{WebRef |url=https://www.mtggoldfish.com/articles/disorganized-play-and-the-magic-pro-league|title=Disorganized Play and The Magic Pro League|author= SaffronOlive|date=May 20, 2019|publisher=Mtggoldfish.com}}</ref>
Starting in August 2020, ''Magic: the Gathering’s'' [[Organized Play]] calendar moved away from seasons that follow the calendar year (the 2019 season) back to seasons that are split over multiple calendar years (the 2020–2021 season). The 2019 season ended in December 2019, so in order to fill the gap between then and the beginning of the 2020–2021 season, the Magic Pro League held a shortened seven-month season.<ref name="Future">{{WebRef|url=https://www.magic.gg/news/the-future-of-magic-esports|title=The Future of ''Magic'' Esports|author=[[Elaine Chase]]|date=August 14, 2019|publisher=[[Magic Esports]]}}</ref><ref>{{WebRef|url=https://www.hipstersofthecoast.com/2019/08/the-magic-pro-league-will-have-a-partial-8-month-season-to-start-2020/|title=The Magic Pro League Will Have a Partial 8-Month Season to Start 2020|author=David McCoy|date=August 14, 2019|publisher=[[Hipsters of the Coast]]}}</ref>
 
In 2020 the [[Rivals League]] was introduced, and the MPL was reduced from 32 to a 24-player league with players able to earn up to $50,000 in appearance fees in addition to prizes earned at tournaments.<ref name="Future"/> MPL players will also be invited to [[Mythic Invitational]]s and all [[Tabletop]] [[Players Tour]] events.
 
For the shortened 2020 season, the 24 players were made up of the Top 20 members of the Magic Pro League at the end of the 2019 season and the Top 4 [[Challenger]]s (non-Magic Pro League [[Mythic Points]] leaders). Because the 2020 partial season had fewer events, both MPL and Rivals players would make less than a full season. Members of the MPL could earn up to $35,000 in appearance fees, in addition to any prize money earned.
 
The [[Wikipedia:2019–20 coronavirus pandemic|COVID-19 outbreak]] in January resulted in preventative measures taken in March. A large swath of the [[Grand Prix]] event schedule was canceled, and the Players Tour Finals Houston and the May Invitational were also canceled.<ref>{{DailyRef|news/changes-magics-competitive-season-and-event-schedule-2020-03-12|Changes to ''Magic'''s Competitive Season and Event Schedule.|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|March 12, 2020}}</ref> By April, it was clear that further events were not safely feasible to hold, and Wizards wrote off the entire season as not salvageable.<ref>{{WebRef|url=https://www.magic.gg/news/esports-update-mpl-rivals-and-competitor-2020-partial-season-changes|title=Esports Update: MPL, Rivals, and Competitor 2020 Partial Season Changes|author=[[Wizards of the Coast]]|date=April 1, 2020|publisher=[[Magic.gg]]}}</ref>
 
==2020-21 season==
{{Main|2020-21 Magic Pro League}}
After the proposed [[MPL Gauntlet]] 2020, the MPL was to consist of:<ref name="Future"/>
* The Top 16 MPL players from the previous MPL season.
* The Top 3 performers in the [[MPL Gauntlet]].<ref name="Changes"/>
* The [[2019 World Championship|2019 World Champion]].<ref name="Changes"/>
* The Top [[Rival]] from the previous season in [[Player Points]].<ref name="Changes"/>
* The Top Rival from the previous season in [[Mythic Points]].<ref name="Changes"/>
* The Top non-Rival from the previous season in Player Points.<ref name="Changes">{{WebRef|url=https://www.hipstersofthecoast.com/2020/02/wizards-confirms-changes-to-invitation-criteria-for-the-mpls-2020-21-season/|title=Wizards Confirms Changes to Invitation Criteria for the MPL’s 2020-21 Season|author=David McCoy|date=February 7, 2020|publisher=[[Hipsters of the Coast]]}}</ref>
* The Top non-Rival from the previous season in Mythic Points.<ref name="Changes"/>
 
However, due to the [[Wikipedia:2019–20 coronavirus pandemic|COVID-19 pandemic]] the MPL Gauntlet was cancelled and the 2020 roster of the MPL was completely carried over to the 2020-21 season.<ref>{{WebRef|url=https://www.magic.gg/news/esports-update-mpl-rivals-and-competitor-2020-partial-season-changes|title=Esports Update: MPL, Rivals, and Competitor 2020 Partial Season Changes|author=[[Wizards of the Coast]]|date=April 1, 2020|publisher=[[Magic.gg]]}}</ref>
 
In this season, MPL players played against each other in recurring tournaments — [[League Weekend]]s — where each match win awarded one point toward their league standings.<ref>{{WebRef|url=https://www.magic.gg/news/the-2020-2021-magic-pro-league-season-overview|title=The 2020-2021 Magic Pro League Season Overview|author=[[Wizards of the Coast]]|date=July 14|publisher=[[Magic.gg]]}}</ref> Final league standings at the end of the season, after seven total League Weekends, will place players into the [[MPL Gauntlet]] and [[Rivals Gauntlet]] to determine the new invitees to the following season's MPL and Rivals League. All competitors who continue to succeed in their events across the entire 2020-2021 season will receive the best opportunities for an invitation to the next [[World Championship]].
 
In May 2021, [[Magic Esports]] announced a return to in-person play post COVID-19 for the [[2022–23 Players Tour Season]]. Although digital play was considered a lasting feature of play it is supposed to be only part of the equation going forward. As a result, the 2021–22 Players Tour Season would be the last season recognizing the [[MPL]] and the Rivals League.<ref name="The End">{{WebRef|url=https://magic.gg/news/esports-transitions-and-getting-back-to-gathering|title=Esports: Transistions And Getting Back To The Gathering|author=[[Wizards of the Coast]]|date=May 13, 2021|publisher=[[Magic.gg]]}}</ref> As such, the Rivals and MPL Gauntlets became less about status and more about Worlds invitations, as both groups had a full year of qualifications.
 
==2021-22 season==
{{Main|2021–22 Magic Pro League}}
 
The final season of MPL would consist of the following players:
 
*The Top 4 [[MPL]] players from [[2020-21 Magic Pro League|season standings]].<ref name="STX">{{WebRef|url=https://www.magic.gg/news/what-are-strixhaven-split-league-weekends|title=What are ''Strixhaven'' League Weekends?|author=[[Wizards of the Coast]]|date=April 7, 2021|publisher=[[Magic.gg]]}}</ref>
*The Top 4 [[Rivals League]] players from [[2020-21 Rivals League|season standings]].<ref name="STX" />
*The Top 8 from the [[2020–21 Players Tour Season#2020%E2%80%9321 MPL Gauntlet|MPL Gauntlet]].
*The Top 4 from the [[2020–21 Players Tour Season#2020%E2%80%9321 Rivals Gauntlet|Rivals Gauntlet]].
*The top 4 [[Challenger]]s from the [[2020–21 Players Tour Season#2020%E2%80%9321 Challenger Gauntlet|Challenger Gauntlet]].
 
League members had no additional obligations or advantages in this season aside from qualifications for all Set Championships, but in exchange they competed for five instead of the eight Worlds invitation slots the challengers received. No special League-only events were run. As any overlapping invites went to the overall leaderboard, League members were overwhelming favored to achieve them, though ultimately no players obtained a double invite.
 
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:2019 MPL logo.png|2019 logo
</gallery>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


[[Category:Magic tournaments]]
==External links==
[[Category:Magic Arena]]
* [https://assets.ctfassets.net/ryplwhabvmmk/12m291gTDMMG74j9TCEBis/4236ed3b2066c00b5aa30a0587b51499/2020_Magic_Pro_League_Rules_20200129.pdf 2020 Magic Pro League Rules (Last Updated: January 21, 2020)]
 
[[Category:MPL| ]]

Latest revision as of 04:41, 28 December 2022

The Magic Pro League (or MPL) was a short-lived ongoing Magic Esports competition that was introduced in 2019 and ended in 2022.[1]

The Magic Pro League consisted of pro players from around the world who were offered contracts by Wizards of the Coast. They were competing in seasonal weekly competitive match-ups on MTG Arena, and in Mythic-level tournaments in both MTG Arena and paper Magic. These players were automatically qualified for each Premier Event, where they would compete against other top players, the challengers.[2]

2019 season

Main article: 2019 Magic Pro League

Invites were extended to the top 32 players in terms of Pro Points after the 2018–19 Pro Tour Season. However, two players declined to participate due to work conflict: Kelvin Chew (ranked 18th) and Andrew Baeckstrom (ranked 23rd). These invites were passed down to 33rd-ranked Rei Sato and 40th-ranked Lee Shi Tian, with Shi Tian taking Chew's slot to maintain representation in the region.

Before the start of the season, there were several controversies, causing changes in the original line up.

The season kicked off on Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 3pm Eastern (19:00 h GMT) on Twitch.tv/magic.

2020 season

Main article: 2020 Magic Pro League

Starting in August 2020, Magic: the Gathering’s Organized Play calendar moved away from seasons that follow the calendar year (the 2019 season) back to seasons that are split over multiple calendar years (the 2020–2021 season). The 2019 season ended in December 2019, so in order to fill the gap between then and the beginning of the 2020–2021 season, the Magic Pro League held a shortened seven-month season.[3][4]

In 2020 the Rivals League was introduced, and the MPL was reduced from 32 to a 24-player league with players able to earn up to $50,000 in appearance fees in addition to prizes earned at tournaments.[3] MPL players will also be invited to Mythic Invitationals and all Tabletop Players Tour events.

For the shortened 2020 season, the 24 players were made up of the Top 20 members of the Magic Pro League at the end of the 2019 season and the Top 4 Challengers (non-Magic Pro League Mythic Points leaders). Because the 2020 partial season had fewer events, both MPL and Rivals players would make less than a full season. Members of the MPL could earn up to $35,000 in appearance fees, in addition to any prize money earned.

The COVID-19 outbreak in January resulted in preventative measures taken in March. A large swath of the Grand Prix event schedule was canceled, and the Players Tour Finals Houston and the May Invitational were also canceled.[5] By April, it was clear that further events were not safely feasible to hold, and Wizards wrote off the entire season as not salvageable.[6]

2020-21 season

Main article: 2020-21 Magic Pro League

After the proposed MPL Gauntlet 2020, the MPL was to consist of:[3]

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the MPL Gauntlet was cancelled and the 2020 roster of the MPL was completely carried over to the 2020-21 season.[8]

In this season, MPL players played against each other in recurring tournaments — League Weekends — where each match win awarded one point toward their league standings.[9] Final league standings at the end of the season, after seven total League Weekends, will place players into the MPL Gauntlet and Rivals Gauntlet to determine the new invitees to the following season's MPL and Rivals League. All competitors who continue to succeed in their events across the entire 2020-2021 season will receive the best opportunities for an invitation to the next World Championship.

In May 2021, Magic Esports announced a return to in-person play post COVID-19 for the 2022–23 Players Tour Season. Although digital play was considered a lasting feature of play it is supposed to be only part of the equation going forward. As a result, the 2021–22 Players Tour Season would be the last season recognizing the MPL and the Rivals League.[10] As such, the Rivals and MPL Gauntlets became less about status and more about Worlds invitations, as both groups had a full year of qualifications.

2021-22 season

Main article: 2021–22 Magic Pro League

The final season of MPL would consist of the following players:

League members had no additional obligations or advantages in this season aside from qualifications for all Set Championships, but in exchange they competed for five instead of the eight Worlds invitation slots the challengers received. No special League-only events were run. As any overlapping invites went to the overall leaderboard, League members were overwhelming favored to achieve them, though ultimately no players obtained a double invite.

Gallery

  • 2019 logo

    2019 logo

References

  1. ↑ Elaine Chase (December 6, 2018). "The Next Chapter for Magic: Esports". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (February 20, 2019). "How to Become The Next Magic Champion: Qualifying for Mythic Championships and Worlds". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  3. ↑ a b c Elaine Chase (August 14, 2019). "The Future of Magic Esports". Magic Esports.
  4. ↑ David McCoy (August 14, 2019). "The Magic Pro League Will Have a Partial 8-Month Season to Start 2020". Hipsters of the Coast.
  5. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (March 12, 2020). "Changes to Magic's Competitive Season and Event Schedule.". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (April 1, 2020). "Esports Update: MPL, Rivals, and Competitor 2020 Partial Season Changes". Magic.gg.
  7. ↑ a b c d e f David McCoy (February 7, 2020). "Wizards Confirms Changes to Invitation Criteria for the MPL’s 2020-21 Season". Hipsters of the Coast.
  8. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (April 1, 2020). "Esports Update: MPL, Rivals, and Competitor 2020 Partial Season Changes". Magic.gg.
  9. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (July 14). "The 2020-2021 Magic Pro League Season Overview". Magic.gg.
  10. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (May 13, 2021). "Esports: Transistions And Getting Back To The Gathering". Magic.gg.
  11. ↑ a b Wizards of the Coast (April 7, 2021). "What are Strixhaven League Weekends?". Magic.gg.

External links

Retrieved from "https://mtg.wiki/index.php?title=Magic_Pro_League&oldid=314744"