Yet another change made in light of the coronavirus, as Blizzard has changed what they'll be doing with the Hearthstone Masters Tour Los Angeles. The company released the info you see below about the event, switching everything to an online format for the event happening from March 20th-22nd. Originally the event was set to be held in Indonesia, until the coronavirus broke out in China and forced the company to change plans. After switching to Los Angeles, the company kept relatively quiet and monitored the situation, eventually making the tough call today. We'll see what happens to future events as the virus spreads and the months get warmer.

Upon further review of the coronavirus situation given the broad international nature of our event, with invitees from more than 40 different countries, we have made the decision to hold Masters Tour Los Angeles entirely online. After initially relocating from Indonesia, we were excited to host the Masters Tour in Los Angeles, but the safety and well-being of our community will always take precedence over hosting a live event.

Adjusting travel plans can be a difficult ask, so we will be providing up to $1,500 in reimbursement for non-refundable travel arrangements to all qualified competitors who have already booked their travel to Los Angeles. All invited players will receive an email no later than March 12 with details on required proof of documentation in order to receive travel reimbursement. We appreciate everyone's flexibility and patience in the meantime.

Each Masters Tour is a unique competitive experience, with more than 300 qualified players from over 40 different countries battling against each other onsite over three days. We understand that the vast majority of invited competitors travel to each event on their own cost without the support of a team organization, even taking time off from their jobs for a shot at becoming a Hearthstone pro. We deeply apologize for any inconvenience this decision may cause—we love this community, and moving to an online format for Masters Tour Los Angeles is for the health and safety of our players with so many of them traveling from so many different countries.

We are committed to providing a safe and competitive experience for Masters Tour players. For players qualified for Masters Tour: Jönköping and beyond, we advise booking flexible travel plans as well as obtaining travel insurance. We will continue to monitor the evolving coronavirus situation and will provide updates on future events at a later date.