Best MPL players to watch at Mythic Championship VII

The stakes are high at Mythic Championship VII for those in the Magic Pro League. 

Day one of the final Arena Mythic Championship of the 2019 season begins today. The results of the tournament will determine which MPL players are invited to the Magic World Championship and who will have a guaranteed seat in the Magic Pro League for the 2020 season. 

Magic World Championship

The top four Mythic Point ranked MPL players will earn an invitation to the Magic World Championship in February. Winners of a Mythic Championship automatically earn a seat at Worlds. With a $1 million prize pool and bragging rights on the line, several players need a solid finish at MCVII. 

Here are the MPL players already attending Magic Worlds:

• Javier Dominguez: Defending Magic World champion.
• Autumn Burchett: Mythic Championship 1 champion.
• Eli Loveman: MCVII champion.
• Matias Leveratto: MCVIII champion.
• Thoralf Severin: MCIV champion.
• Jean-Emmanuel Depraz: Second place at MCV, but earned a seat because the winner of MCV, Dominguez, already was attending Worlds as defending champion.
• Ondřej Stráský: MCVI champion.

After removing the six MPL players who are guaranteed a seat at Magic Worlds, there are eight players who are ranked in the top eight of Mythic Points. There are 67 players attending Mythic Championship VII and all of them will receive Mythic Points for competing at the tournament.

Here are the top eight Mythic Point MPL players in the race for a seat at Magic Worlds:

• Márcio Carvalho: 125 Mythic Points
• Seth Manfield: 119 Mythic Points
• Andrea Mengucci: 117 Mythic Points
• Lee Shi Tian: 114 Mythic Points
• Brian Braun-Duin: 113 Mythic Points
• Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa: 113 Mythic Points
• Reid Duke: 112 Mythic Points
• Ken Yukuhiro: 109 Mythic Points

Carvalho has an advantage over the others in the race. He earned a day-one bye to MCVII after winning his Division in the Eldraine split. Only the top 24 players will make it to day two, meaning Carvalho is guaranteed a minimum of 17 points earned at Mythic Championship VII.

MPL 2020 season

The MPL 2020 season will launch as a partial season due to recent upgrades and changes made to Magic esports. One of those changes was a reduction in the number of MPL players with the introduction of the Rivals League. Only the top 20 Magic Pro League players from the 2019 season will receive a guaranteed seat in the 2020 season. 

Here are the MPL players who are locked into the Magic Pro League for the 2020 season:

• Javier Dominguez: 164 Mythic Points
• Márcio Carvalho: 125 Mythic Points
• Seth Manfield: 119 Mythic Points
• Andrea Mengucci: 117 Mythic Points
• Lee Shi Tian: 114 Mythic Points
• Brian Braun-Duin: 113 Mythic Points
• Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa: 113 Mythic Points
• Reid Duke: 112 Mythic Points
• Ken Yukuhiro: 109 Mythic Points

Alexander Hayne is ranked 20th in Mythic Points heading into MCVII. But Christian Hauck, Carlos Romão, Martin Jůza, and Mike Sigrist are right behind him in points. Players ranked 26th to 32nd must reach the top eight at MCVII, earning 32 Mythic Points, to even stand a chance of making it into the top 20. 

Related: Magic: The Gathering overhauls tiebreaker system for 2020 season

You can watch all the action unfold at Magic’s Mythic Championship VII from Dec. 6 to 8, starting at 11am CT.