Magic League

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A league is a group of Magic: the Gathering players who take part in competitions against each other, resulting in a their ranking according to performance in a particular season. Magic League play is almost as old as the game itself.[1]

The Magic League

The seasonal Magic League was an official ongoing tournament that played out over the course of days or weeks rather than hours. The League had two main goals: reduce the amount of time it takes to play competitive Magic and allow players to play on their own schedules. this league used to be organized by the DCI. The organisation was later transferred to individual shops.

Magic 2013 and further

This ongoing, five-week tournament was played in local game and hobby stores around the world, a month after each a new card set was released. This sealed deck tournament followed up on Game Day events and uses the Standard format.

Each participant should play three matches per week, for a total of fifteen over the course of the league. Players joining the league late could play extra matches to catch up to the current match cap of three times the current total of weeks of the league. Over the course of the league, players were able to add more boosters to their league deck. There were optional achievements that players could complete to earn a Planeswalker Points badge and achievement.

The first league was July / August 2012, in commemoration of the release of Magic 2013. Because League play wasn't making the returns on investment, and most stores would run leagues anyways, Magic 2014 marked the last physical League kit to be offered to stores. Starting with Theros, stores were able to download a digital asset kit, which didn't include special prizes anymore.[2] However, for subsequent sets the promos apparently were available again.

Prizes

The base prize for the Top 10 finishers in the league was an exclusive token card.

Kaladesh onwards

With Kaladesh, WotC launched a playtest version of a new, easy-entry Magic league system, with the goal of collecting feedback from stores for a full launch with Amonkhet.[4][5]

The goal of the league was to foster league-style play with a low barrier to entry for newer players that can still be just as enjoyable for long-time fans of Limited. The start date is the Monday after the release of a new set.

The Magic League worked as such:

  • Players opened three booster packs and used those boosters to build a 30-card deck.
  • The league lasted four successive weeks.
  • Match cards were used to track wins and losses.
  • Every week, players added a booster pack to their pool, rebuilding as often as they liked.
  • Players could also add a booster after three losses, once per week.
  • Matches consisted of a single game. Each player got one free mulligan at the start of the game.
  • Players played against each other, earning Planeswalker Points.
  • Players could join the Magic League at any time during the four-week period. In addition to their initial booster pool, they were allowed to purchase boosters for the weeks they missed.

Prizes

Expansion Deck box Promo Notes
Kaladesh {C} 1/1 Servo // 1/1 Thopter foil double-faced token[6]
Aether Revolt {R} 2/2 Gremlin // Energy counter foil double-faced token[7]
Amonkhet {Tick} Reward for 10+ games was a lazotep colored, pyramid-shaped die.[8]
Hour of Devastation[9] {Tick}
Ixalan {Tick} Unclaimed Territory[10][11][12]
Rivals of Ixalan Evolving Wilds[13]
Dominaria {Tick} Zhalfirin Void
Core Set 2019 {Tick} Reliquary Tower
Guilds of Ravnica Necrotic Wound[14]
Ravnica Allegiance Gate Colossus[15]

Termination

The Magic League was retired after Ravnica Allegiance. According to WPN, because they demanded a lot of resources from stores and Tournament Organizers (TOs) and did little to drive play.[16]

Magic online Leagues room

In Magic Online the Leagues room is where people can play matches against other players for prizes without affecting their Magic Online ratings. It is a good place to start for players who want to get used to competitive Magic play in a more casual environment.[17][18][19][20][21]

Each Magic online league runs for a minimum of four weeks, though some leagues may run longer. Each week, participants can play up to five matches that count towards their league rating. Additional league matches played during that week count only towards players' tiebreaker points. Each match is best two out of three games, with a 90-minute time limit.

League play is a form of sealed deck. Players begin the league with one tournament pack and two boosters to build their deck. Each following week, they can purchase an additional booster.

Other official leagues

Storyline

Within the storyline, League may also refer to:

In these cases, a league has the meaning of a collection of people, countries, or groups that combine for mutual protection or cooperation.

References

  1. ↑ Chris Page (1993), League Play, Duelist #0
  2. ↑ Gateway to Core and League
  3. ↑ Trick Jarrett (June 05, 2012). "League Token!". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (October 7, 2016). "Leagues Playtest Coming with Kaladesh". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  5. ↑ Elaine Chase (February 13, 2017). "What's in Store for In-Store Play". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. ↑ Wizards of the Coast. (October 7, 2016.) "Playtest League and Earn Foil Tokens", Wizards Play Network.
  7. ↑ Wizards of the Coast. (January 18, 2017.) "the Aether Revolt League Preview", Wizards Play Network.
  8. ↑ Wizards of the Coast. (May 1, 2017.) "Magic League: Amonkhet", Wizards Play Network.
  9. ↑ Wizards of the Coast. (July 17, 2017.) "Magic League: Hour of Devastation", Wizards Play Network.
  10. ↑ Chris Tulach (July 16, 2017). "In-Store Play Evolves". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  11. ↑ Wizards of the Coast. (October 2, 2017.) "Magic League: Ixalan", Wizards Play Network.
  12. ↑ Blake Rasmussen (September 1, 2017). "Ixalan Promos, Planeswalker Decks, Packaging, and FNM Tokens!". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  13. ↑ Blake Rasmussen (December 11, 2017). "Rivals of Ixalan Promos, Packaging, and More!". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  14. ↑ Blake Rasmussen (September 4, 2018). "Guilds of Ravnica Packaging, Promos, and More". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  15. ↑ Blake Rasmussen (December 17, 2018). "Ravnica Allegiance Promos and Packaging". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  16. ↑ Wizards of the Coast. (February 15, 2019.) "Before You Schedule War of the Spark...", Wizards Play Network.
  17. ↑ Chris Kiritz. (August 17, 2015.) "Magic Online Leagues Update", magicthegathering.com, Wizards of the Coast.
  18. ↑ Lee Sharpe. (August 31, 2015.) "League Event Structures", magicthegathering.com, Wizards of the Coast.
  19. ↑ Chris Kiritz (November 10, 2015). "The Future of Leagues". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  20. ↑ Lee Sharpe (November 12, 2015). "State of Magic Online Events". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  21. ↑ Lee Sharpe (August 24, 2016). "Magic Online Leagues: The Circle Is Complete". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
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