Everything You Need To Know About Magic: The Gathering’s First-Ever Cash Prize Tournament

Magic: The Gathering Arena‘s first-ever cash prize tournament has been announced and it kicks off this month, no less. In its latest State of the Game update, Wizards of the Coast says that this particular competition is something of an experiment and has essentially been fast-tracked to release in order to give players an outlet to engage in high-stakes play online while current world events make traditional tabletop fixtures essentially impossible.

So, how does one go about entering the so-called Arena Open, what are the rewards and are there any restrictions? Well, let’s start with that last one first. While players of any skill level (an invite isn’t required) can participate, some rules to be aware of are as follows:

• You must be 18 years or older to participate.
• Regional eligibility restrictions apply, void where prohibited.
• Receiving monetary rewards requires having or creating Wizards, DCI, and i-Payout accounts.
• Refer to the official Terms and Conditions for complete details.

Spread across two days, the first round of matches will take place on May 30th and require an entry fee of either 20,000 Gold or 4,000 Gems. In order to reach Day 2, you’ll need to reach seven wins in best-of-one Standard Constructed matches (receive three losses before then and you’ll have to start over) to get a token granting entry. Regardless of performance, all entrants will receive five Godzilla land Card Styles for playing.

Day 1 prizes are as follows:

• 7 Wins: 2,000 Gems, Qualification for Day 2
• 6 Wins: 1,600 Gems
• 5 Wins: 1,200 Gems
• 4 Wins: 800 Gems
• 3 Wins: 400 Gems
• 0–2 Wins: No Reward

Unlike Day 1, you’ll only have one chance to hit seven wins in Day 2, with each match consisting of best-of-three Constructed. Get a full house and you’ll walk away with $2,000 for your efforts. There’s no limit to the number of 7-win prizes available for the duration of the competition, according to Wizards, so you needn’t worry about finishing in a timely manner.

Day 2 prizes are as follows:

• 7 Wins: $2,000 USD
• 6 Wins: $1,000 USD
• 5 Wins: 20,000 Gems
• 4 Wins: 10,000 Gems
• 3 Wins: 6,000 Gems
• 2 Wins: 4,000 Gems
• 1 Win: 2,000 Gems
• 0 Wins: No Reward

Think you’ve got what it takes to take the top prize? You’ve got until next week, May 30th, to fine-tune and playtest your best Magic: The Gathering Standard deck. We wish you the best of luck!