Wizards of the Coast, publisher of the popular collectible card game Magic: The Gathering, has announced the sudden end of the game's competitive Pro and Rivals Leagues. The card game was first released in 1993, and since then it has grown a massive and loyal base of casual and competitive players, but it's radically altering the landscape of the latter group's MTG experience.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has made playing Magic: The Gathering in-person range from difficult to impossible, Wizards of the Coast has remained committed to supporting the game. The upcoming summer season, referred to as the Summer of Legend, is said to be the franchise's biggest in its history. New releases planned for the near future include new cards, new game variants, customized rule sets, and a new video game release. The Summer of Legends is set to kick off on May 20, when weekly previews of the game's new Horizons II set begin.
A Wizards of the Coast announcement detailing the future of Magic: The Gathering's competitive structure reveals that the MTG Pro and Rivals Leagues will be discontinued after the 2021-2022 season's end. Rather than competing for another League season, this season players in both leagues will instead be competing for a spot in the Magic: The Gathering World Championship. These changes are part of a larger effort by the publisher to change the card game's competitive structure following the pandemic,. However, the announcement also states that the changes made to the 2021-2022 season should not necessarily be considered permanent.
Alongside the Summer of Legend and the new Magic: The Gathering competitive season, there are a growing number of ways for all players to enjoy the storied CCG. Magic: The Gathering Arena, a digital free-to-play version of the game, recently launched on mobile devices after after being a strictly PC title. Meanwhile, action RPG adaptation Magic: Legends also recently released and is currently in open beta. Magic: Legends's abilities and equipment reflect its card game roots, and a recent developer blog post revealed that the game's difficulty can change drastically based on player choice and ability.
Despite past decisions that have come under fire over the years, Wizards of the Coast is almost assuredly not taking decisions like the discontinuation of Magic: The Gathering's Pro and Rivals Leagues lightly. It can only be hoped that this change might result in a stronger community further down the line. However, the game's competitive scene is a big part of its appeal and lasting popularity, so this latest move has rightfully made many Pro and Rivals League athletes playing their final season wary of Magic: The Gathering's future viability.
Source: Wizards of the Coast