First Major Magic Esports Event Draws Over Six Million Viewers
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 1, 2019 – After an intense four-day competition at PAX East, Wizards of the Coast crowned the winner of the $1 million prize pool Mythic Invitational, the first major esports event for Magic: The Gathering Arena with 64 of the game’s most skilled players competing. After 26 individual games and 18 wins across four days of high-stakes play, it was Magic Pro League (MPL) player Andrea Mengucci of Italy who rose above a field of skilled MPL members and challengers to take home the Grand Prize of $250,000. With six million viewers across the weekend overall and 154,100 peak concurrent viewers (not including China), the Mythic Invitational was the most successful competitive event in Magic history.
“The first Mythic Invitational was fast, tense, and full of dramatic moments thanks to our brand-new Duo Standard format,” said Elaine Chase, Vice President of Esports at Wizards of the Coast. “We saw strong play from some of the best players in the world as we usher in a new era of Magic esports. Thank you to all our competitors, casters, and viewers who made this an unforgettable weekend. We can’t wait for fans to get even more Magic: The Gathering Arena action on Twitch when the Magic Pro League starts competitive streaming in May.”
Challengers qualified to compete alongside members of the Magic Pro League in the Mythic Invitational by winning their way to top 8 in Mythic Constructed Ranking on Magic: The Gathering Arena, a free-to-play game available to download on PC.
In all, 64 players competed for a $1 million total prize pool with $250,000 awarded to first place, and all participating players will take home a minimum of $7,500 – payout structured as follows:
| 1st Place: Andrea Mengucci (MPL) | $250,000
| 2nd Place: Piotr Glogowski | $125,000
| 3rd Place: Savjz | $70,000
| 4th Place: Ondrej Strasky | $45,000
| 5th – 16th Place | $12,500
| 17th – 64th Place | $7,500
| 2nd Place: Piotr Glogowski | $125,000
| 3rd Place: Savjz | $70,000
| 4th Place: Ondrej Strasky | $45,000
| 5th – 16th Place | $12,500
| 17th – 64th Place | $7,500
To see the full list of competitors and more information, visit:
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About The Magic Pro League (MPL)
The MPL establishes a new level of professional play and features 32 of the top ranked Magic players from around the world. Players in the MPL are offered play and streaming contracts worth $75,000. Members of the MPL play in weekly match-ups on Magic: The Gathering Arena® that will lead to the newly introduced Mythic Championship events.
Mythic Championships are the new flagship competitions for Magic: The Gathering Arena esports and tabletop Magic competitive play. Mythic Championships will feature MPL players battling against challengers from the Magic community.
With over 35 million Magic players to date in over 70 countries around the world, Magic’s new esports structure is designed to appeal to a wide audience of card game players and offers an open platform to allow all Magic players the opportunity to compete.
