Play Magic Now with The Brothers' War
Are you on Team Urza? What about Team Mishra? Or maybe you're just on Team I Really Don't Want to Destroy the World Please Stop.
Magic's journey back in time with The Brothers' War is nearly here, and there are many ways to play with the new set and a whole lot more in the coming weeks.
Prerelease: November 11–17
Prerelease events kick off for The Brothers' War start Friday, November 11—there's no better time to play with The Brothers' War than before it's official release, and what better place to play with the brand-new set than at your local game store?
Prerelease is traditionally supported with a Prerelease Pack that contains everything you need to play:
- 6 The Brothers' War Draft Boosters
- 1 Foil-stamped rare or mythic rare from the set
- 1 Code for Magic: The Gathering Arena which you can redeem for some goodies on your MTG Arena account
- 1 Spindown d20 life counter
All you need to do is sign up at your store, grab your Prerelease Pack, and begin building a 40-card deck for a few rounds of fun Sealed play. Most WPN stores offer traditional tournaments using this, but they're laid back and have some flat prize distribution typically for participants. Some retailers will also let you build and play with other folks at your store at your discretion, so check with your local store on what they offer and what you enjoy.
For even more details, Magic designer Gavin Verhey covered everything you need to know about The Brothers' War Prerelease.
New to Magic? Not sure how to build a deck using sealed Draft Boosters or not quite ready to jump in? The Brothers' War Jumpstart Boosters are a great way to jump right in and play without building a deck during Prerelease. Just shuffle up two Jumpstart Boosters, and that's it, you're ready to play!
Players who do participate at their local store may also get some very sweet promos (subject to availability) thanks to our 30th Anniversary Promos. The Brothers' War Prerelease is supported by some beautiful retro frame promos of cards originally released 1996–1999.
Additionally, we're also continuing a showcase of the languages Magic is printed in, and a Chinese Simplified Loyal Retainers is this set's very special way of commemorating that. Note that this promo is rarer than others, so check with your store on their plan to distribute theirs at their event.
Don't have time for in-store play during the weekend? No problem. Most stores also offer their Prerelease Packs to go for those looking to enjoy the new set from the comfort of their own home, or at a friend's place, or at their favorite place to hang out.
The Brothers' War is also a special Prerelease for retailers, as all WPN stores will be selling all products for the brand-new set before the official release date, and they may also be offering more ways to play during the weeknights leading up to official release. Check in with your local store for more details, what they're offering for events, and to pick up whatever you're looking for when you stop in!
Launch Party: November 18–20
You played in your Prerelease. Okay, maybe you played in five of them. Either way, you're hungry for more Magic fun. Launch Party is there for you. The new set will be out everywhere, and what better way to celebrate than by jumping into the new Booster Draft format. If 40-card formats aren't your thing, bring your Commander deck and enjoy some new games with new cards from The Brothers' War in your deck!
Game Day: December 3–11
Looking for a little local competition? Game Day is there for you. WPN stores receive promos for supporting a one-day tournament made for either Standard Constructed or The Brothers' War Sealed Deck, or even Booster Draft. They can run their event any time during early December, so check with your local store on when their event is happening.
Participants (while supplies last) will receive this alternate version of Recruitment Officer from the new set:
Finishing in the Top 8 of your local Game Day nabs you an alternative version of Braids, Arisen Nightmare:
Win your event, and (aside from local bragging rights) you'll also receive a promo Surge Engine to commemorate the occasion!
Commander Party: December 16–18
What better party than a Commander Party? This WPN Premium-exclusive event lets Premium retailers host an exciting party for Commander players to enjoy during the weekend. Stores who ran a Dominaria United Commander Party also get to continue the development of their game-altering adventure, allowing for some exciting moments to unfold that may be different from store to store. Players who participate will be able to use a faction card that will add some exciting shifts to their typical Commander game.
On top of all that, participating players will also get a Phyrexian-language Psychosis Crawler as a little party souvenir. Courtesy of
Right?
Friday Night Magic: Every Friday
Some combos just go great together. For instance, peanut butter and jelly. Pineapple and pizza. Urza and Mish—well, actually maybe that combo didn't turn out so well for Dominaria so uh, ahem
Then there's the classic combo, Friday nights and Friday Night Magic (or FNM). Stores can run their Friday Night Magic events in any format they want, typically as a few-round tournament, but each store may differ on what they offer, so check with your local retailer for what sort of event they run on Friday night.
These events are also supported with WPN Promo Packs as prizes, and here's a few of the cards you may find in them for The Brothers' War:
Commander Nights: Weeknights
Want to battle with other players in some Commander games? Want to go for some achievements through an achievement sheet your retailer has? Commander Nights is a great fit then! Play on weeknights with your local buddies at your store. Achievement sheets give you some objectives to go after for a little added change to typical gameplay, and just like with Friday Night Magic, WPN Promo Packs are the typical potential reward for participating, but check with your retailer on specifics for how they may be handed out.
That's a whole lot of excitement at your local game store. For the more competitively minded, there's a few big things to keep in mind following the release of The Brothers' War.
Regional Championships: November and December
The very first round of Regional Championships since we announced the return of the Pro Tour take place starting the release weekend of The Brothers' War November 18 and continue until the weekend of December 18–19.
These events qualify top finishers from each region to the first Pro Tour of 2023, taking place February 17–19 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of the United States. Winners in each Regional Championship also qualify for the Magic: The Gathering World Championship, which is also kind of a big deal I hear, so there's that, too.
Pro Tours are big, global, invitation-only tournaments. Not only will participants at the Pro Tour compete for their share of $500,000, but they'll also get this sweet Jace, the Mind Sculptor Secret Lair promo in non-foil just for registering and playing. Top 16 competitors also get a traditional foil copy.
This promo will be available at Pro Tours in 2023, so qualifying and playing has never been more rewarding. And your best shot at qualifying for the Pro Tour? Do well at your Regional Championship. Even though the qualifying round for these first Regional Championships has technically come and gone, most organizers will be running Last Chance Qualifiers, so you still have a shot if you want to compete in this first round!
When your region's championship event takes place will differ from region to region, so here's a handy-dandy list based on region in the world, organizer, and weekend!
- USA Regional Championship Hosted by Dreamhack – November 18–20 in Atlanta
- Europe, Middle East, and Africa Regional Championship Hosted by Legacy – November 18–20 in Sofia
- Brazil Regional Championship Hosted by City Class Games – November 18–20 in São Paulo
- Canada Regional Championships Hosted by Face to Face Games – November 25–27 in Toronto, December 9–11 in Calgary
- Australia, New Zealand Regional Championship Hosted by Good Games – November 25–27 in Sydney
- South East Asia Regional Championship Hosted by Oracle Events – November 25–27 in Singapore
- Japan and South Korea Regional Championship Hosted by BIG MAGIC – November 26–27 in Aichi
- South America Regional Championship Hosted by Magicsur – December 2–4 in Santiago
- China Regional Championship Hosted by Kadou Events – December 3–4 in Beijing
- Chinese Taipei Regional Championship Hosted by Gamesquare – December 3–4 in Taipei City
- Mexico, Central America, and Caribbean Regional Championship Hosted by Yellow Rabbit – December 16–18 in Mexico City
Participants in the Regional Championship for this round will receive a non-foil Teferi, Hero of Dominaria promo card.
Top finishers in the Regional Championship will receive a traditional foil copy of the Teferi as well!
These events also have additional prizes and, yes, that also includes prize money. The prize pool for each Regional Championship will differ in each region, so check your region's organizer website for more info on the prize schedule.
Even if you aren't qualified for the main event, organizers will typically offer plenty of things to do if you want to watch, support friends, battle in side events, including for Commander players who just want to play. While the Regional Championship is primarily focused on the big competitive tournament qualifying for the Pro Tour and the Magic World Championship, there's still plenty to do at these things, so if you're interested in attending, check out your region's organizer website for more info!
Regional Championship Qualifiers for Pro Tour 2 in 2023: Running Until December 18
Speaking of qualifying for Regional Championships, you can do that right now. Well, not right now, but rather on weekends. Regional Championship Qualifiers that feed the next round of Regional Championships (not the ones above) run until December 18.
Participants in qualifiers right now get a sweet Thraben Inspector promo.
Top finishers in qualifiers right now get an awesome Selfless Spirit promo. Players who earn a qualification to their Regional Championship get a traditional foil version!
WPN retailers can run these competitive events, and they may be running one near you. Visit your region's organizer website (links all above, in the Regional Championship section) for more info.
Regional Championship Qualifiers for Pro Tour 3 in 2023: Starts January 7
And finally, after the new year, Regional Championship Qualifiers for Pro Tour 3 in 2023 will start on January 7. This news is recent so I'll just point you to the big article on Magic.gg announcing all the info you need to know, including how you can get one of the following promos (in either traditional foil or non-foil).
These are rad. If you want a shot at that Snapcaster Mage with art from the recent Secret Lair drop featuring artist Jack Hughes, then click that link above and learn more.
*Exhales*
Wow, that's a lot of ways to play with The Brothers' War. It's like the gatherings are back or something. As always, play with new sets starts at your local game store, so check with them on all the info you need for local play, both friendly and competitive.