Wizards of the Coast has changed the invitation criteria for three of the 24 slots in the upcoming 2020-21 season of the Magic Pro League. The changes mean that two Rivals (down from four) are guaranteed invites to the Magic Pro League’s next season and the MPL Gauntlet at the end of the 2020 partial season will award three invites rather than four.
In the original invitation criteria announced last August, the top two members of the Magic Rivals League in Player Points and the top two in Mythic Points (four players total) would earn invites directly into the Magic Pro League. However, two of those slots were removed when the official Magic Pro League rules were released last week. Now, only the top Rival in Player Points and the top Rival in Mythic Points (two players total) will earn invites to the MPL. The other two invites will be given to the top Player Point and the top Mythic Point earners in the 2020 partial season who are not in either the Magic Pro League or Magic Rivals League during that season.
The other change in the invitation criteria affects the MPL Gauntlet that will take place at the end of the partial 2020 season. The top three, rather than four, players from the MPL Gauntlet will receive invites, with the fourth invitation instead being awarded to the next World Champion, who will be determined in Honolulu, Hawaii from February 14-16, 2020.
The modified invitation criteria for the 2020-21 season of the Magic Pro League
These changes were first noticed when Wizards released the official Magic Pro League rules last week. They weren’t accompanied by an official announcement and contradict the invitation criteria that is still listed in “The Future of Magic Esports” article from August, leading to confusion in the pro community.
When Hipsters of the Coast reached out to ask which set of rules would take precedence, Wizards confirmed that the criteria listed in the Magic Pro League rules would be used for the invites to the league’s 2020-21 season.
“This change was actually made back in December after discussion and input with members of the MPL,” Blake Rasmussen told Hipsters. “We regularly work with them on tournament policy to help best inform our decisions, and this set of changes came after one such focused session with the MPL. However, due to an internal miscommunication, the change wasn’t formally announced in our December esports update, which resulted in it looking like it dropped out of nowhere.”
“Something this significant should not have slipped through the cracks,” Rasmussen continued, “but our intention wasn’t to sneak it out the door. We do believe this set of requirements for the MPL better fits the vision of the league, the spirit of competitive Magic, and the system as a whole.”