The 2020–21 Players Tour season is the twenty-sixth Players Tour season (formerly know as the Pro Tour).

Description

This season was to be the first regular season of the revamped Players Tour after the 2020 partial season. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused cancellations and rescheduling.^[1] The season was supposed to start on August 7–9, 2020 with MagicFest Colombus, USA and to culminate in the 2021 World Championship.^[2] Due to the Coronovirus induced rescheduling, the start of the season was postponed to the fall of 2020 (October 24). It was also announced that Wizards of the Coast would shift its focus to shorter length seasons with a structure that provides more flexibility so that they can quickly pivot and adapt in the current global landscape.^[1]^[3]

While the global pandemic at the start of the season closed off traditional pathways for competitive tabletop Magic, Wizards of the Coast structured it to allow the flexibility to add tabletop opportunities. Only as it becomes safe to do so, they will begin to add qualification paths starting with local game stores and building over time to larger regional events.^[4]

Esports

2020–21 Players Tour Season
Hall of Fame inductions	None
PTs	3 Split Championships
Grand Prix	undetermined

Main article: 2020-21 Magic Pro League

Main article: 2020-21 Rivals League

In this season, MPL and Rivals League players will play against other players within their leagues in recurring tournaments — League Weekends — where each match win awards one point toward their league standings.^[5] Final league standings at the end of the season, after seven total League Weekends, will place players into postseason tournaments — the MPL Gauntlet and Rivals Gauntlet — to determine the new invitees to the following season's MPL and Rivals League. The four highest-finishing Challengers — non-league players — of each split's Championship will qualify for the postseason Rivals Gauntlet for the opportunity to join the MPL or Rivals League. All competitors — MPL, Rivals League, and Challengers — who continue to succeed in their events across the entire 2020–2021 season will receive the best opportunities for league promotion and invitation to the next World Championship.

Qualification

Ranked Seasons are monthly periods for Ranked Play on MTG Arena. You can choose from several competitive Ranked Play formats to advance in rank, and finishing in the top 1,200 Mythic ranked players — the highest ranked players — for a Ranked Season unlocks invitation to a future qualifying event. Challengers are non-league players rising through the pathways of Magic Esports. Challengers earn qualification to rising levels of competition, beginning with Ranked Seasons on MTG Arena and leading all the way to invitation the MPL or Rivals League.^[4]

In addition to monthly Ranked Play on MTG Arena, qualification opportunities are offered through previous competitive success, Magic Online Qualifiers, and sponsored events (e.g. the Premier Series, Red Bull Untapped). Qualification is also possible the Arena Open or through Players Tour Online events.

Qualifier Weekend

Monthly Ranked Play on MTG Arena earns invitation to monthly Qualifier Weekends. Each monthly Qualifier Weekend is a two-day event in MTG Arena, using a best-of-three Constructed format for both days. Top-finishing players from each Qualifier Weekend are invited to the relevant Split Championship.^[4]

Splits

The 2020-2021 Magic Esports season is composed of three splits, which are several months of competitive play tied to an upcoming set release.^[4] Each split is a three-step qualification progression leading all the way to that split's Championship.

In total for all League Weekends, MPL and Rivals League players will compete in 84 matches — a maximum total of 84 points — across seven weekends. No other tournaments award points for league standings.

Split Championships

Three Split Championships each form the culmination of a Split, featuring a $250,000 prize pool with remote play on MTG Arena. Invited are the top players from Qualifier Weekends, partner events, 2020 Partial Season events, and all members of the MPL and Rivals League.^[6]

On top of League Weekends, MPL and Rivals players will earn points toward their league standings from each split's Championship:^[6]

Nine (9) wins earns 1 point toward league standings (the same as winning one match during a League Weekend).
Ten (10) wins earns 2 point toward league standings.
Eleven (11) wins earns 3 point toward league.
Making Top 8 of a split's Championship earns four (4) points toward league standings.

Additionally, the eight best-finishing Challengers (or those that finish with a record of 11-4 or better, whichever is greater) in each split's Championship are invited to the postseason Challenger Gauntlet for the opportunity to compete for MPL or Rivals League invitation and qualification to Magic World Championship XXVII.

Schedule

Zendikar Rising Split

Zendikar Rising Split features two League Weekends. The Zendikar Rising Split of competitive play was announced to be a Swiss-style, best-of-three championship.^[7]
- October 24-25 (Standard)
- November 7-8 (Standard)

Zendikar Rising Championship

The Zendikar Rising Championship will take place December 4–6, 2020 on MTG Arena.^[6]

Kaldheim Split

Kaldheim Split will feature three League Weekends.

Kaldheim Championship

TBA

Strixhaven Split

Strixhaven Split will feature three League Weekends.

Strixhaven Championship

The Strixhaven Championship will take place prior to the third Strixhaven Split League Weekend, ensuring league play determines final league standings and placement in postseason playoff events.

Mythic Invitationals

October 22–25, 2020: Mythic Invitational – Zendikar Rising (canceled^[1])

Tabletop

For the foreseeable future, there are no large tabletop events planned.

Grand Prix

As a consequence of the Coronavirus pandemic all Grand Prix of the 2020 Players Tour Season were cancelled and MagicFest Online was created.^[8] It is unclear if and how tabletop Grand Prix will return.

Feeding in the Players Tour Finals (Series 4)

July 31 -August 2, 2020: MagicFest Strasbourg, France (Pioneer) (canceled)
August 7–9, 2020: MagicFest Columbus, USA (Modern) (canceled)
August 14–16, 2020: MagicFest Kobe, Japan (canceled)
August 21–23, 2020: MagicFest Bologna, Italy (canceled)
August 27–30, 2020: MagicFest Las Vegas, USA (canceled)
September 11–13, 2020: MagicFest Montreal, Canada (canceled)
October 8-11, 2020: MagicFest Washington DC, USA (canceled)
October 15–18, 2020: MagicFest Barcelona, Spain (canceled)
October 16–18, 2020: MagicFest Sydney, Australia (canceled)
October 23–25, 2020: MagicFest Milwaukee, USA (canceled)
October 30-Nov. 1, 2020: MagicFest Budapest, Hungary (canceled)
November 6–8, 2020: MagicFest Anaheim, USA (canceled)
November 13–15, 2020: MagicFest Utrecht, Netherlands (canceled)
November 20–22, 2020: MagicFest Memphis, USA (canceled)

Feeding in the Players Tour Finals (Series 5)

November 27–29, 2020: MagicFest Nagoya, Japan (canceled)
December 4–6, 2020: MagicFest Hartford, USA (canceled)
December 11–13, 2020: MagicFest London, UK (canceled)
December 18–20, 2020: MagicFest Portland, USA (canceled)

Players Tours

Series 3

October 9-11, 2020: Players Tour Americas - Washington DC, USA (canceled^[1])
October 16–18, 2020: Players Tour Europe - Barcelona, Spain (canceled)
October 17–18, 2020: Players Tour Asia-Pacific: Sydney, Australia (canceled)
Players Tour Finals (Series 3) (canceled)

Series 4

Canceled

Series 5