Planeswalker Points
Planeswalker Points was a worldwide system introduced in 2012 designed to reward you for playing Magic: The Gathering in DCI-sanctioned events (where an organizer scheduled and reported the event to Wizards of the Coast). All sanctioned events, from casual-format sanctioned events to Worlds carried points. The system was retired in 2020.[1]
Playing based
Unlike previous systems that rewarded only winning, Planeswalker Points was based on playing.[2] Players earned points for every sanctioned event they joined, and they earned even more for each victory.[3] The larger the tournament, the more participation points players received, no matter where they finished. Special events carried a point multiplier.
Categories
There were three major categories:
- Lifetime: The total points obtained overall.
- Competitive: The total points obtained during the span of a Pro Tour season, excluding casual, Pro Tour, Worlds, and World Magic Cup events. It is used to determine the number of byes granted to a player in Grand Prix and eligibility for invitation to Nationals and, formerly, World Magic Cup Qualifiers.
- Until November 2014, there was also a Seasonal Award subcategory, which almost exclusively determined Grand Prix byes.
- Professional: The Pro Points obtained throughout a Pro Tour season.
- At the start of the 2018–19 season, a subcategory, where inclusion is determined by calculating the Pro Points of the top 12 finishing players of the previous four Pro Tour cycles, was introduced accompanying the new Pro Players Club system.
Website
Players could keep track of their Planeswalker Points progress on the Wizards of the Coast website planeswalkerpoints.com. At certain point totals, players leveled up in the program and improved their rank. The ranks went from Prodigy (levels 1–5) up to Archmage (levels 46–50).
The points needed to advance to the next level were as follows:[4]
| Rank | Level | Points needed |
|---|---|---|
| Prodigy | 1–5 | 5 points |
| Apprentice | 6–10 | 5 points |
| Task Mage | 11–15 | 10 points |
| Adept | 16–20 | 30 points |
| Spellshaper | 21–25 | 50 points |
| Guildmage | 26–30 | 100 points |
| Invoker | 31–35 | 400 points |
| Sorcerer | 36–40 | 1,400 points |
| Battlemage | 41–45 | 3,000 points |
| Archmage | 46–49 | 6,000 points |
Level 50 was the highest possible level players could reach, sitting at 50,000 points total. Advancing to level 50 required 7,000 additional points past level 49. Although there was a maximum level, there was no upper limit for obtainable points; for example, all-time leader Shuhei Nakamura obtained more than 100,000 points in his lifetime.
Phasing out
As of 2020, the Planeswalker Points website remained functional, allowing players to view their match history and earn rewards. However, logging in was occasionally problematic due to outdated software that had not been updated since around 2014. On May 27, 2020, Wizards of the Coast officially discontinued Planeswalker Points and DCI numbers, removing access to the Planeswalker Points website.[1] Future in-store play and esports events, as well as other play opportunities would require players to have a valid Wizards Account compatible with the Magic: The Gathering Companion app and a new event tool for local game stores.
References
- ↑ a b Wizards of the Coast (April 27, 2020). "Sunsetting Planeswalker Points". Magic.gg.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (August 05, 2013). "Twenty Things That Were Going To Kill Magic". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Monty Ashley (January 25, 2012). "Your Scorecard". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Mike Turian (September 06, 2011). "Introducing Planeswalker Points: What Level Are You?". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
External links
- Planeswalker Points information page
- Dave Guskin (August 02, 2012). "Planeswalker Points Achievements and Badges Beta Launches!". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- Trick Jarrett (April 10, 2013). "Planeswalker Points Dragon's Maze Achievements and Updates". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.