Magic esports is returning with the primary event of the 2021-22 season, the Innistrad Championship, on Dec. 3 to five. All three days start at 11am CT on the Magic Twitch channel.
Coming off a World Championship that noticed Japanese standout Yuta Takahashi win the title, Magic enters the ultimate season of the Magic Professional League and Rivals League experiment.
The 2021-22 season is the ultimate 12 months of competitors earlier than the league system is dissolved and Magic begins a brand new period most definitely centered round digital and in-person occasions. Whereas the Rivals League and MPL are nonetheless intact, inter-league play gained’t be occurring because of the elimination of League Weekends from the schedule.
League gamers will obtain invitations to every set championship, earn a contracted wage, and compete to qualify for subsequent 12 months’s World Championship. They gained’t be competing for invites to a future league season, nonetheless.
Regardless of the marginally lowered stakes, there’s nonetheless a $450,000 prize pool on the road for the over 250 gamers who’re certified for the Innistrad Championship. Gamers who earn 12 match wins are mechanically certified into the day-three prime eight. The remaining top-eight placements will likely be decided by tiebreakers.
The highest-six finishers will earn invites to subsequent 12 months’s Magic World Championship XXVIII. All different gamers will earn qualifying factors decided by their end.
The primary two days will encompass 15 swiss rounds. Every day begins with Historic rounds and ends with Normal play. Rounds one to 3 and eight to 11 will likely be Historic. Rounds 4 to seven and 12 to fifteen are going to be Normal.
The Innistrad Championship is the primary main event to focus on Historic after the discharge of Jumpstart: Historic Horizons. The MPL and Rivals Gauntlet in September had been supposed to indicate off the brand new Historic, the format was switched to completely Normal however resulting from technical points with Magic Area.
Historic hasn’t been seen since August on the Challenger Gauntlet. The format is wildly totally different with a number of impactful bans and a whole bunch of latest playing cards being thrust into the format.
For the reason that bans of Brainstorm and Reminiscence Lapse, Historic has turn out to be a extra numerous format. Whereas Blue decks weren’t the one viable decks, Brainstorm and Reminiscence Lapse had been highly effective, format-warping spells that gave Blue methods an edge.
The Crimson Bull Untapped event sequence supplied a glimpse into what Historic will appear to be when the format lastly hits the large stage on the Innistrad Championship.
Through the Japan qualifier on Oct. 22, the highest eight was a various subject with quite a lot of aggro, management, and midrange decks. The winner, Takumi Utsunomiya, performed Izzet Phoenix, a standout Historic deck all through 2021.
Different decks within the prime eight included Golgari Stompy, Rakdos Arcanist, Selesnya People, Jund Meals, and Simic Merfolk. Every of those decks needs to be anticipated to make an look on the Innistrad Championship.
The event had some appearances from league gamers that can play within the Innistrad Championship. Whereas deck selections could change, preliminary selections are good indications of a participant’s mindset coming into the format.
4 league gamers introduced very totally different decks that ought to make an look. Rei Sato had essentially the most success piloting Selesnya People to a 6-4 end. Selesnya People acquired a number of new playing cards from Crimson Vow and creature decks centered round Collected Firm will all the time be highly effective in Historic.
Yoshihiko Ikawa piloted Azorius Auras to a 4-3 end. Azorius Auras competes with Orzhov Auras to find out the perfect shell for the superb Voltron deck. Keisuke Sato and Ken Yukuhiro introduced two previous dependable decks in Jund Meals and Izzet Phoenix.
Innistrad: Crimson Vow Normal may also be showcased for the primary time at a significant Magic esports occasion. Mono-White Aggro, Mono-Inexperienced Aggro, and Izzet Epiphany are nonetheless the three pillars of the format, however a number of different archetypes are beginning to put up respectable outcomes.
Associated: Week one MTG Crimson Vow tournaments show Izzet Epiphany’s weaknesses
Earlier than the Innistrad Championship, there will likely be another Crimson Bull Untapped qualifier on Nov. 27 that can characteristic most of the European gamers who will present up, like Arne Huschenbeth and Tomas Pokorny. The occasion will likely be indication of what to anticipate on Dec. 3 as a result of it’s just one week earlier than.
You possibly can watch the Innistrad Championship on Dec. 3 to five to see how Historic and Normal are evolving and who will earn an invite to the Magic World Championship XXVIII.
