Wizards of the Coast is ending the year on a high note with a huge tournament, the Magic: The Gathering Zendikar Rising Championship. The three-day event will be held on Magic: The Gathering Arena, with players competing in both Standard and Historic formats.
One hundred eighty of the best Magic players of the year who have qualified for the tournament will be competing for a $250,000 prize pool. Players will compete in 15 rounds of Swiss, with 8 rounds of Standard Constructed and 7 rounds of Historic Constructed. The Top 8 players after 15 rounds will enter a double elimination playoff with Historic Constructed decks.
It's almost time for the Zendikar Rising Championship, the first major event of the 2020-21 Season!
Historic and Standard Constructed, $250k on the line, all happening this weekend.
Learn more here: https://t.co/ki4gLdrmdG pic.twitter.com/vF0j19VJxD
— MTG Arena (@MTG_Arena) December 1, 2020
Each round is a best-of-three, with both players receiving a 30-minute time bank to spend across all three matches. Players who can earn 12 wins across both tournaments will make it to the Top 8. As players hit the 12 win threshold, they will be removed from the tournament and placed into the Top 8 bracket.
No more intentional draws in Magic: The Gathering
In an interesting departure from previous tournaments, the Zendikar Rising Championship will not allow draws. Intentional or not, players will have to play out matches until there is a clear winner, at least during the Swiss rounds portion of the tournament. Players will not be able to concede a match either. During Swiss rounds, players will have to play out rounds until a “natural conclusion” of the match.
Players will have access to accounts loaded with every Standard card and enough resources to craft any Historic deck they like. Historic recently had a huge influx of powerful cards thanks to the Kaladesh Remastered set release
The Magic: The Gathering Zendikar Rising Championship is scheduled to start on December 4 at 12 PM ET. Fans can watch the tournament live on the Magic: The Gathering Twitch. Stay tuned to Daily Esports for more Magic news, updates, and more.