This weekend, Magic: The Gathering creators Wizards of the Coast will be holding a Mythic Invitational event. In order to qualify for the event, players must have achieved mythic status by playing Magic: The Gathering Arena and then making it into the top 8 spots in ranked constructed play during February. Players who manage this impressive feat will also receive hotel and airfare for the event, as well as a four-day pass to PAX East where the event will take place. In addition to these eight players, the rest of the tournaments 56 slots will be filled by players hand chosen by Wizards for the event. For a full list of these players check out Wizard's page on the event here.
Players who made the tournament will compete for a million dollar prize pool distributed as follows:
| Place | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st | $250,000 |
| 2nd | $125,000 |
| 3rd | $70,000 |
| 4th | $45,000 |
| 5th–16th | $12,500 |
| 17th–64th | $7,500 |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVhj9diDETE
Alongside the event Wizards also announced a number of additions and changes to the Magic: The Gathering Arena itself. Among these updates is the addition of a practice mode in which users can test and learn to play their deck before bringing it into ranked played. This mode matches the player against a creature named Sparky that will help them along the way. Playing practice matches will also let players gain experience, level up, and get ahead in the world of Arena.
This update also brings with it a new feature in the form the Mastery Tree. This new system of advancement rewards new players by giving them experience just for playing the game. By gain experience, players will level up and complete quest that teaches them about the game and the five colors themselves. Leveling will also unlock rewards, including gold, deck upgrades and more. Being made for new players to explore Magic, those who have played Arena for some time and have completed the new player quests will not be forced to do so again, and can choose to skip them. They will also earn the new rewards from the Mastery Tree without having to play through any quest.
On the cosmetic side of things, players will now be able to access upgrades that change the way their cards behave and appear during games. These include Card Styles that transform card art into a panorama of parallax art and fantastic imagery. This style of art will roll out across 100 different cards this weekend with more to come in future updates. Players can earn these visual upgrades in a variety of ways, including through play, bundles, seasonal rewards, and purchasing them from the in-game shop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjsCACaalKQ
Outside of making their cards more interesting to look at, players will also have a chance to obtain new Avatars and Card Sleeves. Avatars roll out with unique in-game icons for each of Ravnica's ten guild leaders, and Planeswalkers, such as Angrath and Huatli, that will be available for purchase from the game's shop with gold or real money. Finally, Card Sleeves also make the jump to Arena with the five card backs featuring the icons associated with the game's five different colors of magic.
Do you play Magic: The Gathering Arena and think you have what it takes to make it to the Mythic Championship? Let us know in the comments.
