The race for Magic World Championship XXVII and the 2020-21 postseason continues for league competitors at the July Strixhaven League Weekend. Both the Magic Pro League and Magic Rivals League face off in intraleague competition in the final League Weekend of the year.
48 competitors across the MPL and Rivals League continue streaming live and playing online through MTG Arena, and everyone can follow their favorites battling for $400,000 in season prizes and postseason playoff spots.
How Can I Follow the Event?
The July Strixhaven League Weekend will be streamed live July 3 and 4 on twitch.tv/magic, beginning at 8 a.m. PDT (11 a.m. ET/3 p.m. UTC) each day. With Swiss pools and each match determining which players will advance to the World Championship—or battle again in the postseason Gauntlets—every feature match will follow the biggest players and moments to watch.
Players will switch between Standard and Historic decks each day, when Swiss Pools are generated after every third round. Only the best showdowns and biggest victories await viewers all weekend long.
Be sure to check out our overview of the Strixhaven League Weekends for the details on Swiss pools and how players can lock in a World Championship or Gauntlet event slot each weekend.
Swiss pools are based on standings, which means we know the pools starting on Saturday morning—including those in prime position to earn an invite to Magic World Championship XXVII.
| MPL Swiss Pool 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pod A | ||
| Standings | Players | Points |
| 3 | Seth Manfield | 49 |
| 4 | Gabriel Nassif | 43 |
| 5 | Reid Duke | 43 |
| 6 | Martin Jůza | 42 |
| 7 | Javier Dominguez | 40 |
| 8 | Rei Sato | 40 |
| 9 | Brad Nelson | 39 |
| 10 | William Jensen | 38 |
| MPL Swiss Pool 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pod B | ||
| Standings | Players | Points |
| 11 | Ken Yukuhiro | 38 |
| 12 | Márcio Carvalho | 37 |
| 13 | Jean-Emmanuel Depraz | 37 |
| 14 | Andrea Mengucci | 36 |
| 15 | Carlos Romão | 36 |
| 16 | Andrew Cuneo | 36 |
| 17 | Shota Yasooka | 35 |
| 18 | Lee Shi Tian | 35 |
After a dominating performance at the Strixhaven Championship to earn his tenth career Top Finish, Seth Manfield put a commanding lead between himself and the rest of the MPL—and it’ll be his World Championship invitation to lose as Gabriel Nassif, Reid Duke, Martin Jůza and more look to secure the second (or both) of two qualifications available this weekend to the biggest event of the 2020-21 season.
Be the rest of the field can’t slow down either. The top 12 of the MPL that miss the making it to Magic World Championship XXVII this Sunday will have another shot: They’ll compete against the best of the Rivals League for three more qualifications (plus MPL invitations for the following season) at the MPL Gauntlet taking place September 2–5, 2021.
And the final four remaining MPL players from this weekend return in >the Rivals Gauntlet, also taking place taking place September 2–5, where there’s one final World Championship qualification slot up for grabs.
| Rivals League Swiss Pool 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pod A | ||
| Standings | Players | Points |
| 3 | Matt Sperling | 49 |
| 4 | Luis Scott-Vargas | 44 |
| 5 | Yuta Takahashi | 43 |
| 6 | Riku Kumagai | 42 |
| 7 | Grzegorz Kowalski | 42 |
| 8 | Austin Bursavich | 41 |
| 9 | Zachary Kiihne | 41 |
| 10 | Luis Salvatto | 41 |
| Rivals League Swiss Pool 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pod B | ||
| Standings | Players | Points |
| 11 | Mike Sigrist | 40 |
| 12 | Corey Burkhart | 39 |
| 13 | Chris Botelho | 39 |
| 14 | Bernardo Santos | 39 |
| 15 | Luca Magni | 39 |
| 16 | Shintaro Ishimura | 38 |
| 17 | Ivan Floch | 38 |
| 18 | Jakub Tóth | 38 |
| Rivals League Swiss Pool 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pod C | ||
| Standings | Players | Points |
| 19 | Thoralf Severin | 38 |
| 20 | Christian Hauck | 37 |
| 21 | Jacob Wilson | 37 |
| 22 | Théo Moutier | 37 |
| 23 | Matthieu Avignon | 36 |
| 24 | Ma Noah | 36 |
| 25 | Yoshihiko Ikawa | 36 |
| 26 | Kenta Harane | 36 |
| Rivals League Swiss Pool 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pod D | ||
| Standings | Players | Points |
| 27 | Simon Görtzen | 35 |
| 28 | Alexander Hayne | 35 |
| 29 | Kenji Egashira | 34 |
| 30 | Louis-Samuel Deltour | 34 |
| 31 | Kai Budde | 34 |
| 32 | Sebastián Pozzo | 34 |
| 33 | Frederico Bastos | 33 |
| 34 | Miguel Da Cruz Simões | 33 |
Just like Manfield in the MPL, Matt Sperling battled to the Top 8 of the Strixhaven Championship and padded his lead ahead of the pack. He, too, is in prime position to lock in a Magic World Championship XXVII qualification as a scrum of outstanding players—Hall of Famer Luis Scott-Vargas, Yuta Takahashi, Riku Kumagai, Grzegorz Kowalski and more are separated by just a handful of points in the race for another invitation at Sunday’s end.
Just like the MPL, the Rivals League are looking for more than just two slots for the World Championship this weekend. The Top 16 that don’t make it there will battle the rest of the best of the MPL in the MPL Gauntlet where three more await, while the final 12 of the Rivals League return for one final slot (plus league invitations) at the Rivals Gauntlet—all taking place September 2–5, 2021
In addition to feature matches at twitch.tv/magic, competitors will be sharing each of their matches on their personal streams throughout Saturday and Sunday. (Note: Some competitors in the lowest Swiss Pool may be unavailable for live broadcast. Please see the League Hub for available streams during each round.)
With 48 competitors and Swiss pools setting up new battles every three rounds, you can follow the excitement will be nonstop all weekend. You'll also find exclusive content by following @MagicEsports on Twitter and the hashtag #MTGLeagueWeekend.
Standings will be provided throughout the broadcast and shared by @MagicEsports on Twitter at the end of the League Weekend. Official standings and League Weekend match results will be updated Tuesday, July 6 on Magic.gg. A recap of the top players and performances will be published on Wednesday, July 7.
When Will League Weekend Decklists Be Published?
Decklists are available now! Check out the League Weekend hub for all the details.
Who Are the Casters?
- Marshall Sutcliffe - Play-by-Play
- Cedric Phillips – Expert
- Eilidh Lonie - Play-by-Play
- Corey Baumeister - Expert
- Maria Bartholdi - Host
Who Is Playing?
48 players are competing in the July Strixhaven League Weekend, featuring 16 players of the Magic Pro League and 32 players of the Magic Rivals League. With the Strixhaven Split, everyone plays in head-to-head Swiss pools within their league based on standings.
Learn more about Strixhaven League Weekends and the final stretch to the postseason.
How Much Money Is on The Line?
There's a $400,000 prize pool divided across three splits—Zendikar Rising Split, Kaldheim Split, and Strixhaven Split—with $50,000 each for the MPL and Rivals League, as well as an end-of-season bonus $50,000 for each league. Competitor league standings at the end of each split determine prizes.
Here's how it breaks down by league:
| MPL Standing | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1-4 | $3,500 |
| 5-12 | $2,500 |
| 13-20 | $1,500 |
| 21-24 | $1,000 |
| Total | $50,000 |
| Rivals Standing | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1-4 | $2,250 |
| 5-12 | $1,500 |
| 13-24 | $1,250 |
| 25-36 | $750 |
| 37-44 | $500 |
| 45-46 | $250 |
| Total | $49,500 |
The July Strixhaven League Weekend is the final of three League Weekends in the Strixhaven Split, which includes the Strixhaven Championship.
| Dates | Event | Format |
|---|---|---|
| April 10–11, 2021 | April Strixhaven League Weekend | Standard and Historic |
| May 15–16, 2021 | May Strixhaven League Weekend | Standard and Historic |
| June 4–6, 2021 | Strixhaven Championship | Standard and Historic |
| July 3–4, 2021 | July Strixhaven League Weekend | Standard and Historic |
Final standings for the season qualify players for 2020-21 postseason events, determining the final players for Magic World Championship XXVII.
| Dates | Event | Formats |
|---|---|---|
| August 6–8, 2021 | Challenger Gauntlet* | Standard and Historic |
| September 2–5, 2021 | Rivals Gauntlet | Standard and Historic |
| September 2–5, 2021 | MPL Gauntlet | Standard and Historic |
| October 8–10, 2021 | Magic World Championship XXVII | TBA |
(*The Challenger Gauntlet features the top non-league players from across all three Championship events of the 2020-21 season, determining four competitors for the World Championship and eight competitors in the Rivals Gauntlet.)
What Is the Format?
The July Strixhaven League Weekend will feature both Standard and Historic Constructed formats.
- Matches are Traditional Standard or Historic Constructed—best of three games—including sideboards.
- Players will have 30-minute timers in MTG Arena to complete up to three games in each match.
- Each round has 60 minutes in total to finish.
Each player will play 3 matches of Swiss pairings within their pod for each of four sets of Swiss pools. Swiss pools group ten players based on standings—beginning with the top ten players by standings, then the next ten and so on—and be placed into new pools after rounds 3, 6, and 9.
- Saturday: Rounds 1 through 6
- Sunday: Rounds 7 through 12
Each match victory is worth 1 point toward a player's league standings. The two players who finish at the top of standings at the end of Sunday, in each the MPL and Rivals League, earn invitation to Magic World Championship XXVII—and invitation to the MPL for the 2021-22 season.
Check out our >Strixhaven League Weekends explainer for even more details.
Broadcast Schedule
Saturday, July 3: 8 a.m. PDT (08:00) / 3 p.m. UTC (15:00) / Midnight JST May 16 (00:00)
- Six feature matches from across the top pods of both MPL and Rivals League Swiss pools.
Sunday, July 4: 8 a.m. PDT (08:00) / 3 p.m. UTC (15:00) / Midnight JST May 17 (00:00)
- Six feature matches from across the top-performing players and top pods of both MPL and Rivals League Swiss pools, followed by tiebreaker matches (if necessary).
You can watch every feature match for the July Strixhaven League Weekend live on twitch.tv/magic.
Looking to follow your favorite player? The League hub's Player Streams have you covered with links that show you when they're streaming live.
Can I Co-Stream the Event?
Following Twitch's Content Sharing Guidelines, you can co-stream the League Weekend broadcast from twitch.tv/magic using OBS or XSplit. This allows anyone on Twitch to cover the event in their voice and with their community. To be clear, co-streamed content is not endorsed by Wizards, and we expect anyone who participates in co-streaming to follow Wizards' Fan Content Policy.