The best Magic: The Gathering players from around the globe will compete at the New Capenna Championship for six direct invites to the 2022 Magic World Championship and leaderboard points.
Scheduled to take place from May 20 to 22, the MTG New Capenna Championship is the final championship tournament prior to the 2022 Magic World Championship. All players will compete in the Traditional Standard and Traditional Historic Constructed best-of-three formats during the Swiss rounds on May 20 and 21, with the top eight competing in the Standard format only on May 22. In addition to qualifying for the Magic World Championship, players will compete for a total prize pool of $450,000.
Who’s competing at the MTG New Capenna Championship?
Each MTG player competing at the New Capenna Championship earned a direct invite via qualifiers, being a member of the Magic Pro League/Rivals League, and top tournament finishes, according to WotC. A total of 223 players will compete in the tournament.
- All Magic Pro League and Rivals League players.
- Players who had 10 or more wins at the Neon Dynasty Championship.
- All players who earned a total of seven match wins during day two of the New Capenna Qualifier Weekend events that took place in February, March, and April.
- Players who finished first at a New Capenna Championship Magic Online Qualifier event.
- The top two players from each New Capenna Magic Online Super Qualifier.
- The winners from the 2021 season three Magic Online Champions Showcase.
- The eight competitors in the 2022 season one Magic Online Champions Showcase.
- The second-place finisher in each of the 2022 season one MOCS Showcase Open events.
A full list of every MTG player competing at the New Capenna Championship can be found here.
What is the structure of the MTG New Capenna Championship?
Gameplay will take place over the course of three days, with only the top eight MTG players advancing to the third day of the New Capenna Championship. A total of 15 Swiss rounds will get played during the first two days, showcasing the formats Historic and Standard. All games are played on MTG Arena.
Day one (May 20)
- Rounds one to three are played in the Standard Constructed best-of-three format
- Rounds four to seven are played in the Historic Constructed best-of-three format
- Players who earn four or more wins during the first day automatically advance to day two
- Records and tie-breakers carry over to the second day of the competition
Day two (May 21)
- Rounds eight to 11 are played in the Standard Constructed best-of-three format
- Rounds 12 to 15 are played in the Historic Constructed best-of-three format
- Players who earn a total of 12 match wins between days one and two advance to the top eight
- The top eight is determined by 12 match wins or overall standings at the end of round 15
- Players who achieve 12 match wins prior to round 15 no longer need to compete during day two
Day three (May 22)
The top eight at the MTG New Capenna Championship will get played via a double elimination playoff bracket, featuring the Standard format. Seeding for the top eight is determined by the round in which a player earned 12 match wins, OMW, GW, and OGW percentages. The title match will get played in a best-of-two matches Standard format.
- The winner of the upper bracket chooses whether to Play or Draw at the start of the title match
- The second and third matches are chosen by the player who lost the previous match
How to watch the MTG New Capenna Championship?
The broadcast for the MTG New Capenna Championship will start at 11am CT from May 20 to 22 via the Magic Twitch channel. Casters for the tournament are Maria Bartholdi, Corey Baumeister, Marshall Sutcliffe, Paul Cheon, Eilidh Lonie, Riley Knight, and Cedric Phillips.
Update May 9 at 5:30pm: The official casters for the New Capenna Championship were added following a WotC announcement.
