Yesterday, in the popular WeeklyMTG livestream, Billy Jensen, Director of Play Programs at Wizards of the Coast, officially announced the arrival of the Magic Spotlight Series in 2025. The Magic Spotlight Series is centered around eight large events appearing in various areas of the world. The goal behind this structure is to give players access to big events over the weekend that they can attend with huge stakes, with no previous qualification or invite needed.
In this way, there are some similarities between these events and Grand Prix tournaments of old. This announcement has a lot of players excited. While it’s certainly not the same as the Grand Prix formula, this series is sure to bring about a nostalgic feel. There will even be coverage once again!
Unfortunately, though, not everyone was overwhelmed with joy from the announcement. The locations of the eight Spotlight Series tournaments left a lot to be desired for players in certain parts of the world. Most notably, many players in Latin America felt left behind.
Tournament Structure and Player Reaction
Right now, the eight scheduled events that make up the Magic Spotlight Series appear in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Five of the eight are showcased in the United States, two more in Europe (first European location is Utrecht in The Netherlands), and one more in Japan.
While it isn’t too surprising to see the United States and Europe get the bulk of the events, it’s a bit strange for Latin America to not be represented in any way considering how big the game is in certain areas, such as Brazil. Many players have begun voicing their frustration regarding how few events have been available in Latin America period.
One player from Brazil feels like the country has largely been “ignored” by Wizards of the Coast. He states that the issue isn’t a lack of tournament organizers, but rather the lack of opportunities to organize events in the first place. There seems to be a resounding wish for the Magic Spotlight Series to bring a Pauper event to Brazil. Some believe that this style of tournament could be “the biggest of the year,” and they just need the support.
Notably, Latin America isn’t the only area where players want to see more tournaments run. People from Australia and South Africa have made their feelings known, too. The Magic Spotlight Series has a lot to offer, but the narrow range of regions that get to make use of it is certainly upsetting.
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A Small Glimmer of Hope
The only thing that may can bring hope on an otherwise gloomy situation is the fact that there’s potential for more of these tournaments to be run in the future. A little over 18 minutes into the WeeklyMTG livestream, Billy Jensen acknowledged that if these events were successful, more could be run in 2026.
That being said, he stated that we shouldn’t take this “as a proclamation.” None of us, including Billy himself, know what’s to come beyond what’s been revealed already. Hopefully Wizards of the Coast reconsiders their approach, as the disappointment among the player base has been made abundantly clear.
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