Magic Pro League: Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
>Hunterofsalvation No edit summary |
>Hunterofsalvation |
||
| Line 5: | Line 5: | ||
==2019 roster== | ==2019 roster== | ||
[[Main|2019 Magic Pro League season]] | |||
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. | |||
| | |||
==Controversy== | ==Controversy== | ||
Revision as of 10:30, 15 June 2019
The Magic Pro League (or MPL) is an ongoing Magic Esports competition that was introduced in 2019.[1]
The Magic Pro League consists of 32 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 tournaments in both MTG Arena and paper Magic. These players are automatically qualified for each Mythic Championship, where they will compete against other top players, the challengers.[2]
2019 roster
2019 Magic Pro League season 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.
Controversy
- Rei Sato was disqualified from Grand Prix Prague 2019.[3] 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that due to MPL members being held to a higher standard, Sato's invitation to the Mythic Invitational event at PAX East was revoked.[4]
- 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;[5] 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.[6] 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.[7]
- On March 27, 2019 Magic Esports 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.[8] 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.[9]
- On May 9, 2019 it was announced that Yuuya Watanabe would be removed from the league as well as the Hall of Fame,[10] due to his previous disqualification from Mythic Championship II in London for marked cards.[11][12]
- 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.[13]
- 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.[14] 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.[15][16]
References
- ↑ Elaine Chase (December 6, 2018). "The Next Chapter for Magic: Esports". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ STATEMENT REGARDING REI SATO DISQUALIFICATION. Wizards of the Coast (2019-01-11). Retrieved on 2019-01-30.
- ↑ STATEMENT REGARDING REI SATO'S DISQUALIFICATION AND THE MPL. Wizards of the Coast (2019-01-18). Retrieved on 2019-01-30.
- ↑ Magic Pro Tour on Twitter (2019-01-27). Retrieved on 2019-01-30.
- ↑ Controversy Erupts Over Lack of Coverage for GP New Jersey. Hipsters of the Coast (2019-01-28). Retrieved on 2019-01-30.
- ↑ WotC Tells Their Longtime Photographer that Photography is No Longer Needed at Events. Reddit (2019-01-29). Retrieved on 2019-01-30.
- ↑ Cecilia D'Anastasio (March 30, 2019) "Pro Removed From $1.4 Million Magic Tournament Accused Of Harassing Women", Kotaku.com
- ↑ Hipsters of the Coast (April 25, 2019). "Breaking News". Twitter.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedwatanabe - ↑ Round 16 Disqualification. Wizards of the Coast (April 27, 2019).
- ↑ David McCoy (April 28, 2019). "Yuuya Watanabe Disqualified from Mythic Championship II London for Marked Cards". Hipsters of the Coast.
- ↑ Gerry Thompson (May 13, 2019). "Why I Quit the Magic Pro League". Thegampodcast.com.
- ↑ Elaine Chase (May 13, 2019). "MPL Adds Janne "Savjz" Mikkonen And Jessica Esthephan". Magic Esports.
- ↑ MPL adds Janne "Savjz" Mikkonen and Jessica Estephan. Reddit (May 14, 2019).
- ↑ SaffronOlive (May 20, 2019). "Disorganized Play and The Magic Pro League". Mtggoldfish.com.