Chris InglisWizards of the Coast, in partnership with ESL Australia, have announced the return of the Magic: The Gathering (MTG) Arena ESL ANZ Champs tournament. With an improved format and simpler qualification process, along with TCG prizes for every event, this years contest is sure to be bigger and better than ever before. The Winter season of MTG Arena ESL ANZ Champs is the second series of local MTG Arena esports, beginning 7 May with four Qualifier weekends and culminating in the Champion Stage finals on 26 June.
As with the previous season held at the end of 2021 run and won by Vacant_Lot, the tournament will feature a range of monetary and physical prizes. There will also be opportunities to win TCG prizes through engaging with social content and finals livestreams. Magic: The Gathering Arena will run for two seasons this year, each season sporting four weekends of combat leading into a Champions Stage to determine who stands atop the peak of national glory.
Each Qualifier will be an open format Swiss Stage on the Saturday with all games being first to 2 wins, followed by a cut to Top 8. The Top 2 players at the end of a single elimination bracket on Sunday will qualify for the Champions Stage. If a player has already qualified for the Season Finals, their place will be passed down to the next eligible player. TCG prizes are up for grabs at each round and already qualified players are encouraged to play in multiple events! Every event finals will be broadcast live via the ESL Australia Twitch channel from 5pm AEST.
Winter Season Dates:
- 1st Open Qualifier – 7 and 8 May
- 2nd Open Qualifier – 21 and 22 May
- 3rd Open Qualifier – 4 and 5 June
- 4th Open Qualifier – 18 and 19 June
- Champion Stage – 26 June
Prizing structure for the Qualifiers is as follows:
- 1st – 2nd: 1 x Set Booster Box
- 3rd – 4th: 1 x MTG Bundle
A total of AU$2,500 will be distributed to major placements throughout the tournament. The prizing structure for tournament placements is:
- 1st: $800 + Set Booster Box + Collector Box + Uncut Sheet of cards
- 2nd: $600 + Collector Booster Box
- 3rd: $400 + Set Booster Box
- 4th: $300 + Set Booster Box
- 5th – 8th: $100 + Set Booster Box
- 9th – 16th: MTG Bundle
- 17th – 32nd: Three Set Boosters
Players can sign up to the open qualifiers via the ESL play platform here. A video explaining how to use the platform and steps for signing up can be viewed below.
Every event finals will be broadcast live via ESL Australia Twitch channel from 5pm AEST. These broadcasts will be run using TV quality broadcast equipment and operated by an expert broadcast team. ESL staff and commentators familiar with the MTG scene will host the tournaments to keep viewers entertained and informed of tournament and game progress.
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