Last week, Wizards of the Coast announced that it will implement a new organized play system after the Magic: The Gathering World Championship XXVI in October, and that the 2022 season will reduce the events for the Magic Pro League (MPL) and Rivals League players by eliminating League Weekends and the postseason Gauntlet tournaments. At the end of next season, the MPL and Rivals League will be removed, and next year, players will compete for a spot at Worlds, not another invitation to the league system.
Wizards’ decision prompted high-profile MTG players to share their thoughts about the future of organized play, and the reigning Magic World Champion, Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa (PVDDR), has spoken.
Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa on the future of competitive Magic
In a new YouTube video, Damo da Rosa shared his thoughts about the big announcement, and discusses what it takes to be a professional Magic player. He says that being a professional Magic player is going to be incredibly hard, and explains that you can still be competitive without being a professional.
In a new Tolarian Community College video, the Damo da Rosa also talked to the Professor about the changes in organized play. The World Champion compares the new MPL system to the old Pro Tour system, and explains the pros and cons of each. He said that Magic is a “game for the players, first and foremost”, then compares it to Riot’s League of Legends. In the past couple of years, Damo da Rosa said that Wizards “sacrificed a lot” to make Magic more about the viewers instead of the players, but realized that this is not what they’re supposed to do, and that they will embrace the player-focused aspects of Magic more moving forward.
Watch the video here:
Recently, Magic head designer Mark Rosewater said that organized play for Magic isn’t going away.
Related: Magic: The Gathering Hall of Famer Brian Kibler on The MPL Shutdown and Restructuring of Organized Play
