Split
A split is a schedule format implemented in some Magic: The Gathering Players Tour seasons. The name is derived from the split seasons that are featured in a variety of sports leagues. The season is divided into several parts, with the winners of all splits playing each other at the end of the overall championship. Each split consists of several months of competitive play.
History
Splits were first featured in the 2019 Magic Pro League.[1] The season was is divided into three splits, with each split being made up of four weeks and feeding into one of the three MTG Arena Mythic Championships in 2019: the Spark Split (Mythic Championship III), the Core Split (Mythic Championship V) and the Eldraine Split (Mythic Championship VII). The players were split into four pods of eight, and winners of each gained a fast-track into Day 2 for those championships. The splits were aligned differently to the set rotation, attempting to coordinate with the calendar year.
The 2020 season was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020–21 Players Tour Season was also composed of three splits, each tied to a prior set release.[2] Each split was a three-step qualification progression leading all the way to that split's Championship. These were the Zendikar Rising Split (Zendikar Rising Championship), the Kaldheim Split (Kaldheim Championship) and the the Strixhaven Split (Strixhaven Championship), aligning organised play with the rotataion schedule again. These were all League Weekends, where members played each other once (Rivals) or twice (MPL) overall. Minor bonuses were alluded to as prizes given for the splits in some form, but results were retained over the year.
For the 2021–22 Players Tour Season, the split structure with three events remained in place.[3] League play however, was abandonded. Innistrad's two sets were combined into the Innistrad Championship, with the Kamigawa and New Capenna Championships coming later.
For the 2022–23 Pro Tour Season, Magic: The Gatering returned to tabletop with the Premier Play program.[4] The digital splits were abandoned.
Championships
The championships connected to the Splits were referred to as Mythic Championship in 2019, Split Championship in 2020–21 and Set Championship in 2021–22. All counted as a PT event, similar to a Pro Tour tournament. At the end of 2022, the Pro Tour was reinstated and the other names and forms were obsoleted.[4] The new organized play system for Arena was henceforth known as the Arena Championship.
References
- ↑ David McCoy (April 28, 2019). "The Magic Pro League Begins on May 11". Hipsters of the Coast.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (July 14, 2020). "Announcing The 2020-2021 Magic Esports Season". Magic.gg.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (May 13, 2021). "Esports: Transistions And Getting Back To The Gathering". Magic.gg.
- ↑ a b Wizards of the Coast (March 31, 2022). "Return of the Pro Tour, Your Path to Playing Magic at the Highest Level". Magic.gg.