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- Turner’s ELEAGUE will produce a weekly Magic: The Gathering Arena competition presented by Intel Gamer Days.
- The series will run until Dec. 18 featuring a mix of influencers and top competitors.
- Wizards continues to follow Fortnite’s lead by combining high-level competition with influencer-driven content.
Wizards of the Coast has teamed up with Turner and IMG’s esports brand ELEAGUE for a new weekly Magic: The Gathering Arena competition. THE ELEAGUE SHOWDOWN: MTG Arena presented by Intel Gamer Days (a U.S.-exclusive promotional event for Intel products) will broadcast on Twitch beginning Sept. 4 and run until Dec. 18.
Players will be selected through a mix of invitations and applications, with the winner of each weekly tournament earning prize money (amount to be announced at a later date). Each week will consist of a single-elimination bracket, and the winner will be declared the “player to defeat” for the next event. Additional details will be released “in the coming days,” according to a release.
Often, ELEAGUE’s livestreamed events will later be packaged into a highlight show to be broadcast on TBS, but a source familiar with the deal told The Esports Observer that there are currently no such plans for the Magic competition.
Although Wizards of the Coast recently announced plans for its 2020 competitive format, which are designed to provide a clearer path to top-level competition, the company has also placed a significant emphasis on including streamers and prominent community members in its events where possible.
The launch of Arena has been a boon to the decades-old card game, which parent company Hasbro announced led its second quarter revenue increase of 9% year-over-year. Arena is still currently in its beta phase, and the company intends to launch the game officially within the next few months, according to its Q2 earnings call.
