Monthly in-store play update:
Today, Wizards of the Coast has announced its monthly in-store play update, with restrictions being lifted for some regions while others will remain in place.
According to the update, suspension has already been lifted in Japan, and it will be lifted in Africa on May 1, 2021. However, there is still in-store play suspension in North America, Latin America, and Europe, and Wizards didn’t reveal when their restrictions will be lifted, but notes that the next update will be on May 12, 2021, so there’s a good chance that Wizards will also lift up the suspension for North America, Latin America, and Europe by that date. Sadly, many of us in the U.S. won’t be able to participate in an in-store Strixhaven: School of Mages Prerelease event because of the restrictions.
With more people getting the vaccines for COVID-19, it’s likely that other regions will also have their in-store suspension lifted up, and hopefully, MagicFests and other major tabletop MTG tournaments will return.
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Wizards went on to say that they will continue to monitor the situation and update WPN members on the second Wednesday of each month.
In addition to lifting suspensions in Japan and Africa, Wizards ais also lifting restrictions around organizers taking admission fees for events run on MTG Arena and Magic Online. The company has increased the maximum entry fee for both MTG Arena and Magic Online tournaments to $25.
