Magic World Championship Guide
Magic World Championship Guide
What is the Magic World Championship 30 at MagicCon Vegas?
While thousands of Magic enthusiasts sleeve up their favorite decks, choose cards to get signed by artists, and sort out which panels they want to see at MagicCon Vegas, there are over one hundred competitive players doing a very different kind of preparation. They’re drafting up a storm, honing their Standard decks, and debating their sideboard cards. Those players are getting ready for Magic World Championship 30, a three-day tournament taking place Friday through Sunday.
If you’re at MagicCon: Las Vegas, you’ll have a chance to meet some legendary Magic players, see the event live, and even watch the finals on screen at the Mana Stage with special guest commentators. But if you’re going to enjoy the action, you’re going to need all the details! In the interest of your enjoyment, we’ve answered some questions about the Magic World Championship below.
What’s at stake?
Players competing in the Magic World Championship are vying for their share of a million-dollar prize pool. First place takes home $100,000!
The World Champion will also get their likeness on a Magic card in a future set, along the lines of Javier Dominguez, the 2018 World Champion portrayed in Fervent Champion, Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa, portrayed in Elite Spellbinder, Yuta Takahashi, shown in Faerie Mastermind, or Nathan Steuer, depicted in Duelist of the Mind.
Who is competing and how did they qualify?
Just over 110 players from around the world are competing in the Magic World Championship. They include Hall of Fame members like Reid Duke, Willy Edel, and previous World Champions like Jean-Emmanuel Depraz, Javier Dominguez and Pro Tour Champions Simon Nielsen and Yoshihiko Ikawa, and so many more!
There are many roads to competing at Worlds, and all of them include facing off against some of the best Magic players out there. Some players qualified by making the Top 8 of last year’s World Championship or one of this past season’s three Pro Tours. Others won one of the three cycles of Regional Championships that led up to those Pro Tours. Still others accrued enough points by doing well across the entire season to earn their entry. This means that the competitors at Worlds represent the best of the best from the world over.
What are they playing?
Day 1 of the tournament begins with a Duskmourn draft. After drafting, players will play three best-of-three matches within their draft pod. The World Championship is a great place to watch the draft and see how experts are navigating the format. In preparation for the event, teams will often have long, in-depth limited meetings where they discuss the strength of different cards and archetypes within the draft set. In the past, pro events have also been places where as-yet-undiscovered niche draft strategies find a moment in the spotlight.
After the draft, players will finish Day 1 with four rounds of best-of-three Standard Constructed. With the introduction of Duskmourn just a few weeks behind us, the World Championship sets the stage for new Standard decks to take the spotlight, and the teams that players test together in are already hard at work looking for a breakout deck or best strategy.
Will a team or player discover a breakout strategy that hasn’t been found yet? Find out!
Competitors will need at least 12 match points to advance to Day 2 (most often this means four wins, as a win awards three match points). Day 2 includes another draft, followed by four more rounds of Standard. At the end of Day 2 the top eight players will advance to Sunday, where they’ll play for the trophy in a Standard best-of-five-matches Top 8 bracket.
How can I watch?
If you’re attending MagicCon: Las Vegas, you can see the Magic World Championship LIVE! The Worlds stage is on the first floor, and while you can’t wander between the tables, there’s room for you to stand and watch matches, as well as a feature area where the top tables are playing. It’s a unique opportunity to see the very best players in the world competing at the pinnacle of Magic competitive play. You can also tune into twitch.tv/Magic to see the live broadcast, complete with commentary.
On Sunday, you can watch the Magic World Championship presented by Destroy All Humans. They Can’t Be Regenerated. A Magic: The Gathering Manga at the Mana Stage, where the top 8 players will battle for glory. We’ll be streaming the broadcast with additional live guest commentators, somake sure to show up and cheer on your favorite player to victory!
How can I compete in a future Magic World Championship?
The road to the Magic World Championship begins at your local game store! You can start your competitive journey by finding a Regional Championship Qualifier near you, often hosted by local game stores. The format is different each cycle and can be either Limited or Constructed. You can also participate in the Magic Spotlight Series events that kick off in 2025. Check out events near you, and maybe next year we’ll see you on the Worlds stage!