Lack of MTG tabletop coverage leads to top 8 prank

A prank tweet reveals issues with tournament coverage.

MTG featured tables Mythic Championship II London
Screengrab via Wizards of the Coast Magic: The Gathering

Coverage of Magic: The Gathering tabletop tournaments has hit an all-time low.

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The co-founder of Mage Market (a website for buying and selling MTG cards) pulled a social media prank today, saying that he was in the top eight at the Minneapolis Grand Prix this weekend. 

While this was likely a PR stunt, the tweet brought to light how difficult it is for the MTG community to follow MagicFest and Grand Prix tournaments. Has viewership of tabletop dropped to all-time lows because of a lack of interest, or has the community lost interest because of a lack of coverage?

At the beginning of the 2019-2020 MTG season, WotC changed the format for competitive events. Introducing MTG Arena only tournaments with livestreaming coverage on Twitch, WotC moved away from smaller events to focus on the big ones. 

The experiment has seen successes and failures throughout the year. One such failure was the switching of weekly Grand Prix streaming coverage to ChannelFireball (CFB). Only a handful of MagicFest events have been streamed on Twitch this season, likely because of a lack of budget.

Related: Major leaks of MTG Throne of Eldraine Rowan cards foil WotC’s release schedule

Magic: The Gathering has deep foundational roots in tabletop gaming. It’s why the trading card game has survived over two decades. No one disputes that the era of digital gameplay is taking MTG to new heights. But some things aren’t meant to be forgotten. 

Author
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Danny Forster
Staff writer, lead beat writer for MTG and TFT
Danny has been writing for Dot Esports for over five years, first as a freelancer and now as a staff writer. He is the lead beat writer for Magic: The Gathering and Teamfight Tactics. Danny is also a solid Monopoly GO player, having beaten every main event without spending a dime. When Danny isn't writing or gaming, he's chilling by the water in Spacecoast Florida with his family and friends. He's always got a tan, because touching grass is important, and loves playing strategic digital and tabletop games. Past outlets Danny has written for include TheGamer and ScreenRant.