It's Mythic Championship III week... are you ready?
To get you into the mood, check out this sweet hype preview video and then dive into a few predictions from the coverage team, a first look at the metagame, and some fun notes to get you all set for the show coming this Friday.
Predictions
| Paul Cheon | Maria Bartholdi | Marshall Sutcliffe | Cedric Phillips | AliasV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Luis Scott-Vargas | Simon Görtzen | Luis Scott-Vargas | Andrew Elenbogen | Brad Nelson |
| Top 4 | Luis Scott-Vargas, Rei Sato, Brad Nelson, Simon Görtzen | Simon Görtzen, Brad Nelson, Ken Yukuhiro, Reid Duke | Luis Scott-Vargas, William Jensen, Simon Görtzen, Kentaro Yamamoto | Luis Scott-Vargas, Shota Yasooka, Autumn Burchett, Andrew Elenbogen | Brad Nelson, Luis Scott-Vargas, Reid Duke, Simon Görtzen |
| Underdog to Watch | Jason Chan | Nhi Pham | Kai Budde | Noah Walker | Emma Handy |
| Deck to Watch | Simic Nexus | Sultai Dreadhorde | Esper Hero | Boros Aggro | Sultai Dreadhorde |
| Card to Watch | |||||
| Wildcard Prediction | Me and Day9 will become best friends. | Kai Budde will have an above 50% match win rate. | If Simic Nexus players have a plan to beat |
There will be fancy hats. And someone will lose theirs. |
Metagame Breakdown
| Archetype | # | % | MPL | Challenger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Esper Control | 17 | 25.00% | 12 | 5 |
| Esper Hero | 9 | 13.24% | 6 | 3 |
| Izzet Phoenix | 9 | 13.24% | 2 | 7 |
| Bant Ramp | 8 | 11.76% | 4 | 4 |
| White Aggro Variants | 6 | 8.82% | 3 | 3 |
| Mono-Red Aggro | 5 | 7.35% | 1 | 4 |
| Gruul Midrange | 3 | 4.41% | 2 | 1 |
| Simic Nexus | 3 | 4.41% | 1 | 2 |
| Sultai Dreadhorde | 2 | 2.94% | 0 | 2 |
| Grixis Bolas | 2 | 2.94% | 1 | 1 |
| Bant Midrange | 1 | 1.47% | 0 | 1 |
| Jund Warriors | 1 | 1.47% | 0 | 1 |
| Selesnya Tokens | 1 | 1.47% | 0 | 1 |
| Simic Ramp | 1 | 1.47% | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 68 | 100.00% | 32 | 36 |
White Aggro Variants include Boros Aggro, Azorius Aggro, and Mono-White Aggro, while Grixis Bolas includes a Grixis Amass deck. Be sure to return to the Magic Esports web site on Wednesday for a full metagame analysis from Magic Hall of Famer Frank Karsten, along with all 68 decklists.
Stats Class
Players from Across the Eras: At least one competitor lists learning Magic in each year from the birth of the game until the current year EXCEPT for 2008, 2016, and 2018.
Mythic Debuts: 17 players are playing in their first Mythic Championship.
Nothing Beats Experience: 10 players have played in at least 50 Mythic Championships (this includes past Pro Tours), led by Raphaël Lévy's record 102.
Time Well Spent: If you add up time spent playing Arena, the 68 competitors have spent 1,140.5 DAYS playing the game. That's an average of 16.7 days per person. Jeffrey Brusi/sjow leads the list with 1,356 hours / 56.5 days playing Arena.
The Best Beating the Best: 11 MC III competitors have recorded 1,000 or more game wins versus Mythic-ranked players:
- MPL: Javier Dominguez, William Jensen, Brian Braun-Duin, Jean-Emmanuel Depraz, Martin Jůza, Andrew Cuneo, Christian Hauck
- Challenger: Jeffrey Brusi, Ondřej Stráský, Giana Kaplan, Wyatt Darby
Been Here, Done That: Hall of Famers Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa, Kai Budde, and Luis Scott-Vargas combine for 34 top finishes (MC/PT Top 8s, World Championship Top 4s, and Magic Online Championship Top 4s).
In Case You Forgot
Who: 68 of the best Magic players from around the world
What: Mythic Championship III
Where: Las Vegas, Nevada
When: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday starting at 8 a.m. PT/11 a.m. ET/3 p.m. UTC
Why: $750,000 in prizes and an invitation to the World Championship is on the line
How: Watch it all on twitch.tv/magic!
More Preview Links
- Survival Guide https://www.mtgesports.com/news/mythic-championship-iii-survival-guide
- Players to Watch: MPL Top Guns https://www.mtgesports.com/news/players-to-watch-mpl-top-guns
- Player to Watch: Simon Görtzen https://www.mtgesports.com/news/a-champion-returns
- Player to Watch: Amy Demicco https://www.mtgesports.com/news/a-challenger-rises