Everything you need to know about the 2019 Magic World Championship

Only one player can be the best in the world.
MTG 2019 World Championship Competitors
Screengrab via WotC Magic: The Gathering Twitch channel

With a total prize pool of $1 million, 16 of the best Magic: The Gathering players from the 2019 season will compete at the World Championship this month, rewriting history with matches being played on MTG Arena.

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Showcasing the highest levels of competitive play, the Magic World Championship will run from Feb. 14 to 17. Booster Draft and Standard Constructed rounds will be played on MTG Arena for the first time. The winner of Magic World Championship will earn $300,000 and have their face published on an MTG card sometime in 2020. 

Who’s playing at the Magic World Championship?

Sixteen of the best Magic players from the 2019 season are competing this year at Worlds. Those who obtained seats at this prestigious tournament earned them by winning a 2019 Mythic Championship, ranking in the top four with Mythic Points at the end of the 2019 season as either an MPL member or as a Challenger, or by being the defending world champion. 

  • Javier Dominguez: 2018 defending Magic Worlds champion
  • Autumn Burchett: Mythic Championship I champion (tabletop)
  • Eli Loveman: Mythic Championship II champion (tabletop)
  • Matias Leveratto: Mythic Championship III champion (Arena)
  • Thoralf Severin: Mythic Championship IV champion (tabletop)
  • Jean-Emmanuel Depraz: Mythic Championship V champion (Arena)
  • Ondřej Stráský: Mythic Championship VI champion (tabletop)
  • Piotr “Kanister” Głogowski: Mythic Championship VII champion (Arena)
  • Chris Kvartek: Top-ranked Challenger
  • Raphaël Lévy: Second-ranked Challenger
  • Gabriel “Yellowhat” Nassif: Third-ranked Challenger
  • Sebastián Pozzo: Fourth-ranked Challenger
  • Andrea Mengucci: Top-ranked MPL player
  • Seth Manfield: Second-ranked MPL player
  • Márcio Carvalho: Third-ranked MPL player
  • Paulo Vitor Damo “PVDDR” da Rosa: Fourth-ranked MPL player

Is there streaming coverage?

Coverage of the 2019 Magic World Championship begins on Feb. 14 at 1pm CT. The tournament lasts for three days and is livestreamed on the Magic Twitch channel, with coverage beginning at 1pm CT each day. 

Eight casters, ranging from top streamers like Sean “Day9” Plott and Brian Kibler to MTG experts such as Paul Cheon and Cedric Phillips, will be covering the Magic World Championship via Twitch.

  • Sean “Day9 Plott: Host
  • Maria Bartholdi: Desk host
  • Becca Scott: Reporter
  • Marshall Sutcliffe: Play-by-play commentary
  • AliasV: Play-by-play commentary
  • Cedric Phillips: Expert
  • Paul Cheon: Expert
  • Brain Kibler: Expert

Are there open decklists?

Decklists are open to each of the players for the Standard Constructed rounds and THB Booster Draft. Standard decklists will be available to the public on Feb. 13 at 12pm CT. It’s unknown at this time whether decklists for THB Booster Draft will also be available to the public during the livestream. 

How much money can players earn?

There’s a total prize pool of $1 million at stake, with each player taking home a minimum of $12,500.

StandingsMoney earned
First$300,000
Second$150,000
Third$100,000
Fourth$75,000
Fifth and sixth$62,500
Seventh and eighth$50,000
Ninth to 12th$25,000
13th to 16th$12,500

What are the formats at Magic Worlds?

The formats for the 2019 Magic World Championship are Theros: Beyond Death Booster Draft and Standard Constructed. Day one will showcase both formats, but days two and three will only be played in Standard.

Here’s a full breakdown of each day and how players progress through rounds at Magic Worlds.


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Author
Danny Forster
Lead Magic: The Gathering/Teamfight Tactics scribe and staff writer for Dot Esports. Danny is a gamer beach bum residing in Spacecoast Florida and has been a journalist for seven years, of which five have been at Dot Esports. Prior media outllets Danny wrote for were Screen Rant and TheGamer. You can typically catch Danny playing TCGs and a variety of strategic games. He also hangs out on Twitter @Dannyspacecoast.