Wizards is hosting an open tournament on MTG Arena at this end of this month, and its a big one! The Arena Open brings cash prizes to MTG Arena with a self-play format in Standard. Read on for details.


This is a very cool idea from Wizards and has apparently been in the works prior to quarantine. Provided you're 18 and in a country that is allowed to participate, you're welcome to enter day 1 of the event as many times as you want which means if you get knocked out early, you're still able to make another run at it and go for gold to get to day 2. The most interesting part of the whole competition though is you aren't playing scheduled games. Games are played whenever you have the time to do so, provided that you play during the time frame the tournament is being held. Playing at your own pace means you can potentially become a champion while still taking care of your household tasks, which is the perfect way to get large amounts of players playing.

For day 1, you'll be eliminated as soon as you lose 3 games, gem prizing starts at 3 wins, and as mentioned before you can enter as many times as you want. If you want to get to day 2 though, you're going to need to hit 7 wins during the first day to unlock the day 2 ticket. The competition will be quite a bit more fierce on day 2 as the format switches over to best-of-three with sideboard, and you'll need to make it all the way up to at least 6 wins to earn any cash. You'll also need to make it to day 2 and get a single win if you want to break even on your investment.

According to the State of the Game update for May, Wizards plans on holding multiple Arena Opens each year, and Standard won't always be the format! How this one goes will help determine the future of the event.

Everyone who enters the event will get the Godzilla Land secret lair cards inside of MTG Arena, so if you aren't successful and reclaiming any of your gems, you can always pretend they were very expensive (though very cool) cosmetics.


Arena Open Entry Fee

You may enter the MTG Arena Open by using Gems or Gold.

  • Entering through the paid currency will cost you 4000 Gems.
  • Entering through the in-game currency will cost you 20000 Gold.

To break even on your gem investment, you'll need to get to day 2 and receive a single win.

On day 1, you may enter as many times as you'd like to provided you pay the entry fee each time. On day 2, you may only enter once provided you have an entry token from day 1.


Arena Open Entry Requirements

  • You must be 18 years of age or older.
  • Regional eligibility restrictions apply, void where prohibited.
  • Receiving monetary rewards requires having or creating Wizards, DCI, and i-Payout accounts.
  • Refer to the official Terms and Conditions for complete details. (Available at a later date)

Arena Open Schedule & Format

We've got two different formats at play here, switching from best-of-one to best-of-three with sideboard. All games will be Standard.


Day 1 - May 30, 2020

May 30, 2020 (8:00 AM PT) – May 31, 2020 (7:00 AM PT) 

Format: Standard, best of 1

Entry Options: 20000 Gold or 4000 Gems, multiple entries allowed within the time frame

Length of Event: 7 wins or 3 losses


Day 2 - May 31, 2020

May 31, 2020 (Players must join between 8 AM PT and 10 AM PT)

Format: Standard, best of 3

Entry Options: Qualification Token, at most 1 entry/player

Length of Event: 7 wins or 2 losses


Arena Open Prizing

Everyone who enters the tournament will receive the Secret Lair Godzilla Lands in MTG Arena.

 Day 1 - May 30Day 2 - May 30
0 WinsNoneNone
1 WinNone2000 Gems
2 WinsNone4000 Gems
3 Wins400 Gems6000 Gems
4 Wins800 Gems10000 Gems
5 Wins1200 Gems20000 Gems
6 Wins1600 Gems$1000 USD
7 Wins2000 Gems
Day 2 Token
$2000 USD