Eli Loveman Mythic Championship II champion in Modern

Screengrab via Wizards of the Coast Magic: The Gathering

MCII winner Eli Loveman snubbed for MTG Arena Mythic Championship III

What does a champion have to accomplish to get an invite?

Danny Forster

Published: Jun 11, 2019 11:39 am

This article is over 5 years old and may contain outdated information

The champion of the Magic: The Gathering Mythic Championship II in London, Eli Loveman, hasn’t been invited to participate with previous champions in the MTG Arena Mythic Championship III. And he’s not happy about it.

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Of the 68 total Magic Pro League (MPL) players, qualifiers from MTG Arena, and 16 invites from the MPL—Eli Loveman has been left out. On social media earlier today, Loveman vented his frustrations over why he wasn’t invited after just winning the MCII in London.

So what else do I have to win to get an invite to an arena MC?
— Eli "Hollywood" Loveman (BLM)🇵🇸 (@blackshirtman) June 10, 2019

And it’s not just Loveman. The Magic: The Gathering community is speaking up on Reddit and Twitter too. Not just about Loveman being left off the invite list, but other major MTG Arena streamers and Pros too

Snubbing an absolute constructed master (and most recent MC winner) @blackshirtman who wrote one of the best deck guides I’ve personally ever seen is suspect at best. What is this championship for if not to highlight the game’s absolute best players?
— Adam Fox (@lefoxtrott) June 10, 2019

https://twitter.com/Jonnymagic00/status/1138186942535938053

Loveman wasn’t included in the names announced in May as a previous MTG champion because he hadn’t yet won Mythic Championship II. Leaving his name off the list of those invited to the event is a huge snub towards paper Pro players. A controversy which continues to grow in the Magic: The Gathering community, and which Wizards of the Coast refuses to address.

The MPL wants to expand its base of players, including streamers and MTG Arena players. But doing it at the expense of not inviting the games previous MC champion could have a negative impact on what Wizards of the Coast is attempting to achieve in the world of esports.

The third Magic: The Gathering Mythic Championship is being held in Las Vegas, June 21-23. The tournament is being played on MTG Arena and will stream live all three days on Twitch.

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Author

Danny Forster

Danny has been writing for Dot Esports for over five years, first as a freelancer and now as a staff writer. He is the lead beat writer for Magic: The Gathering and Teamfight Tactics. Danny is also a solid Monopoly GO player, having beaten every main event without spending a dime. When Danny isn't writing or gaming, he's chilling by the water in Spacecoast Florida with his family and friends. He's always got a tan, because touching grass is important, and loves playing strategic digital and tabletop games. Past outlets Danny has written for include TheGamer and ScreenRant.