What does a champion have to accomplish to get an invite?

The champion of the Magic: The Gathering Mythic Championship II in London, Eli Loveman, hasn’t been invited to participate with previous champions in the MTG Arena Mythic Championship III. And he’s not happy about it.



Of the 68 total Magic Pro League (MPL) players, qualifiers from MTG Arena, and 16 invites from the MPL—Eli Loveman has been left out. On social media earlier today, Loveman vented his frustrations over why he wasn’t invited after just winning the MCII in London.



So what else do I have to win to get an invite to an arena MC? — Eli Heller Loveman (BLM) (@blackshirtman) June 10, 2019

And it’s not just Loveman. The Magic: The Gathering community is speaking up on Reddit and Twitter too. Not just about Loveman being left off the invite list, but other major MTG Arena streamers and Pros too



Snubbing an absolute constructed master (and most recent MC winner) @blackshirtman who wrote one of the best deck guides I’ve personally ever seen is suspect at best. What is this championship for if not to highlight the game’s absolute best players? — Adam Fox (@lefoxtrott) June 10, 2019

It's a sad sad day when this is an earnest conversation about qualifying for a major event 🙁 https://t.co/BLFCOIY6GQ — Jon Finkel (@Jonnymagic00) June 10, 2019

Loveman wasn’t included in the names announced in May as a previous MTG champion because he hadn’t yet won Mythic Championship II. Leaving his name off the list of those invited to the event is a huge snub towards paper Pro players. A controversy which continues to grow in the Magic: The Gathering community, and which Wizards of the Coast refuses to address.



Related: Here’s everything you need to know about MTG Mythic Championship III

The MPL wants to expand its base of players, including streamers and MTG Arena players. But doing it at the expense of not inviting the games previous MC champion could have a negative impact on what Wizards of the Coast is attempting to achieve in the world of esports.



The third Magic: The Gathering Mythic Championship is being held in Las Vegas, June 21-23. The tournament is being played on MTG Arena and will stream live all three days on Twitch.

