Is Magic: The Gathering dead? This is a question that crops up a lot in the eSports community, and the answer may finally be yes. The Wizards of the Coast game designed by Richard Garfield has been going strong since 1993, and it is still hugely popular as a pastime. However, whether it can exist as a competitive sport in today’s landscape is up for debate. Many professionals have already flocked elsewhere, and it appears that it is getting harder to justify solely sticking to MTG as a career.
Magic: The Gathering Could be Done as an eSport
In early 2021, it was announced that the professional play system for MTG was finishing, and Wizards of the Coast failed to provide any details about future competitions. The game has been a regular feature of the competitive gaming scene for some time, originally hosting Mythic Championships and then later, the Split Championship. However, the game has always been divided between online and in-person play, and there has recently been a shift back to having a greater focus on the live tabletop version.
This means that there’s no longer a league season, and players are unable to compete for League Weekends and Gauntlets. There’s still prize money up for grabs in the World Championship, but gamers are unlikely to see this as a viable career path when they were previously in with a chance of earning money through the league system. This means that many of the top players will move on to pursue other games that have more regular and consistent prize funds available.
Wizards of the Coast Game Gives Players Skills for Other Games
Luckily for expert MTG players, the title from Wizards of the Coast helps them hone skills that are highly applicable in other eSports as well as titles outside of the competitive gaming world. This means that pro players shouldn’t be worried about their revenue streams just yet. Indeed, they may be encouraged by the success of some players who started playing Magic and then applied their talents elsewhere. The evidence of this is apparent in that the top two poker players in the all-time money list both started as MTG players before moving to the felt.
Justin Bonomo and Bryn Kenney are the two highest-earning poker players ever, with accumulated winnings of just over $57 million each. Before switching to the card game shortly after the poker boom, Bonomo and Kenney spent most of their time in MTG circles. There are numerous other poker stars, like Brock Parker who also developed their skills in MTG, and was influenced to transition to poker by Bonomo.
These players are now high rollers in the world of poker, but it’s not the only path they could have chosen with their MTG skills. Another option would have been to play other card games like blackjack at online casinos. Players of this caliber would most certainly opt to play at high roller bonus casinos, where there are VIP bonuses on offer. These include deposit matches, where the funds can be used to play any game at one of the sites, and free spins bonuses, which must be used on a specific title. MTG players may not have much of an affinity towards games of luck like slots, but they could play live table games and use the strategy skills they have learned from the fantasy game.
What Other Fantasy Card Games Should Players Flock to?
Aside from following in the footsteps of Bonomo and Kenney into the realms of traditional card games, Magic players could also choose to transfer to other fantasy options in the eSports sector. There are plenty to choose from, with Hearthstone still being the most thriving title. Aside from the Blizzard Entertainment offering, there’s also Gwent: The Witcher Card Game from CD Projekt Red, and Legends of Runeterra from Riot Games. The strategy skills honed from MTG could also be applied in StarCraft II and WarCraft III.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=CodP4SAQiKY
Magic: The Gathering may bounce back as an eSports in the future, but right now it seems as though the experts are choosing to migrate elsewhere. Luckily for MTG professionals, the tactical knowledge and other attributes picked up in the game can be used in other titles.