In this week’s MTG Arena Announcements, we have more details for Historic Anthology 6 and Explorer Anthology 1, both coming on July 28, 2022! Each bundle contains 20 new cards for MTG Arena, and will be available until October 5 for 4,000 gems or 25,000 gold. We also get to preview 3 cards from each set.
We also get the details for the upcoming Arena Open (format is Alchemy Horizons limited), which has a slight twist for day 2 as players will now need to draft twice. As always, check out the full post by Wizards of the Coast below.
INTRODUCING HISTORIC ANTHOLOGY 6 AND EXPLORER ANTHOLOGY 1!
Historic and Explorer formats are getting new bundles of awesome cards with the release of Historic Anthology 6 and Explorer Anthology 1!
Available July 28 until October 5 for 4,000 gems or 25,000 gold, each bundle contains four copies of 20 powerful, iconic, and popular cards that open up new deck-building options.
For a taste of what you’ll find in each, check out these teaser cards!
HISTORIC ANTHOLOGY 6
As this is our first Historic Anthology drop since the arrival of Alchemy, we want to affirm what we stated back in December: we will not be rebalancing iconic cards that have a significant history behind them. If these cards cause issues, we will look to address them indirectly through live balancing or ban them if necessary.
EXPLORER ANTHOLOGY 1
More cards will be revealed over the coming week, so tune into our social channels for those. Then look for the full card lists coming Wednesday, July 27!
THIS WEEKEND: FINAL JULY QUALIFIER PLAY-IN AND QUALIFIER WEEKEND
This weekend is packed with Premier Play events! Starting Friday, July 22, the Qualifier Play-In event is your last chance to compete for an invitation to the July Qualifier Weekend. The format is Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate Phantom Sealed in Best-of-Three matches.
Then, it’s the main event: the July Qualifier Weekend! Kicking off on Saturday, July 23, and continuing until Sunday, July 24, this is where the best face off to determine who gets an invitation to the pinnacle of MTG Arena competitive play, the Arena Championship!
The entry window for both Qualifier Weekend days’ events is 6 a.m. PT (13:00 UTC) until 8 a.m. PT (15:00 UTC) when signup locks—so don’t be late! The format for both days is Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate Phantom Sealed in Best-of-Three matches.
ARENA OPEN WITH A TWIST
This month’s Arena Open, happening July 30–31, comes with a new twist. In past Limited Arena Opens, players who made it to Day 2 would draft a single deck, and then play up to nine full matches with it. Although Day 2 is expected to be an intense competition, this many games with a single draft deck made the experience more of a repetitive grind.
To give Day 2 players more potential variety throughout the day, we are changing the structure of this month’s Arena Open Day 2.
As before, all Day 2 players will draft at the beginning of the day. The entry period for Draft One is the usual 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. PT (13:00–15:00 UTC). Players will then have until 12 p.m. PT (19:00 UTC) to earn up to three match wins with that deck or be eliminated after a match loss.
Then, all surviving players will draft a second time. The entry period for Draft Two is from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. PT (19:00–21:00 UTC). Players will have until 6 p.m. PT (01:00 UTC, August 1) to earn up to three more match wins or be eliminated after a match loss. Earning even a single win in Draft Two will be enough for a cash prize and an invitation to the August 20–21 Qualifier Weekend!
The full prize structure for Day 2 is now:
DAY 2, DRAFT ONE: ALCHEMY HORIZONS: BALDUR’S GATE PLAYER DRAFT (BEST-OF-THREE)
3 Wins
Day 2 Draft Two invitation
2 Wins
5,000 gems
1 Win
2,500 gems
0 Wins
500 gems
DAY 2, DRAFT TWO: ALCHEMY HORIZONS: BALDUR’S GATE PLAYER DRAFT (BEST-OF-THREE)
3 Wins
$2,500 + Qualifier Weekend invitation
2 Wins
$2,000 + Qualifier Weekend invitation
1 Win
$1,000 + Qualifier Weekend invitation
0 Wins
20,000 gems
Effectively, instead of playing to eight match wins or two match losses, players will now play to six match wins or one match loss, with a new draft after the first three rounds.
This new structure puts extra emphasis on drafting ability, since a single deck will not be able to carry you through the entire day, and it gives players some variety in their decks throughout the day. It also shortens the path to the cash prizes, although with less room for missteps.
We hope that this makes for a more robust competition experience, and we look forward to hearing how it works out for players.
This is an All-Access event, so you can use cards that aren’t in your collection. Let your creativity run wild! As you plunder, you’ll receive rulebook card styles from Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate, like these:
August 12–September 1: Arena Cube (Best-of-One and Best-of-Three)
QUICK DRAFT
July 22–August 5: Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate
August 5–19: Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
August 19–September 2: Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate
September 2–15: Streets of New Capenna
ADDITIONAL PREMIER DRAFTS
July 22–28: Innistrad: Midnight Hunt
July 28–August 2: Innistrad: Crimson Vow
August 2–7: Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty
August 7–12: Streets of New Capenna
MIDWEEK MAGIC
Midweek Magic events open on Tuesdays at 8 a.m. PT and close to new entries on Thursdays at 8 a.m. PT.
July 26–28: Singleton
August 2–4: Explorer
August 9–11: Historic Artisan
August 16–18: Omniscience Dragons
PREMIER PLAY SCHEDULE
All times listed are Pacific time (UTC -7).
Note: The format for the August Qualifier Play-In and Qualifier Weekend events has been updated to Alchemy. For full details, see the event pages linked below.
QUALIFIER PLAY-IN EVENTS
Qualifier Play-In events are single-day tournaments in which players compete to earn invitations to Qualifier Weekend events.
July
Best-of-Three Qualifier Play-In July 22, 6 a.m.–July 23, 3 a.m.
Best-of-OneQualifier Play-In August 13, 6 a.m.–August 17, 6 a.m.
Format: Alchemy
Best-of-ThreeQualifier Play-In August 19, 6 a.m.–August 20, 3 a.m.
Format: Alchemy
QUALIFIER WEEKEND EVENTS
Day One and Day Two events close to new entries at 8 a.m. PT (UTC 15:00) each day.
Qualifier Weekend events are two-day events in which eligible players compete for invitations to the Arena Championship held in the fourth quarter of 2022.
July
Qualifier Weekend July 23, 6 a.m.–July 24, 4 p.m.
Format both days: Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate Phantom Sealed
August
Qualifier Weekend August 20, 6 a.m.–August 21, 4 p.m.
Format for both days: Alchemy
ARENA OPEN
Arena Open Day 1 entry window begins at 6 a.m. PT (13:00 UTC) and closes to new entries the following day at 3 a.m. PT (10:00 UTC).
Day 2 entry window is two hours only, from 6 a.m. PT (13:00 UTC) until 8 a.m. PT (15:00 UTC).
Day 1, July 30: Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate Sealed Best-of-One and Best-of-Three
Day 2, July 31: Alchemy Horizons: Baldur’s Gate Draft Best-of-Three only Note: There will be two drafts for the Day 2 Arena Open, with three wins or one loss; for details, check out the Arena Open info above.
Everyone who enters the Day 1 event will receive the Baldur's Gate Dragon sleeve featuring art by Justine Jones!
JULY 2022 RANKED SEASON
The July 2022 Ranked Season begins June 30 at 12:05 p.m. PT (19:05 UTC) and ends on July 31 at 12 p.m. PT (19:00 UTC).
