Arena Open | Pioneer Masters January 11–12

It's a new year, and Arena Open returns January 11–12, featuring Sealed and Draft matches with a new set! Pioneer Masters has been out for a few weeks—you've seen the cards and maybe you've played in Pioneer Masters events. Now it's time to show what you can do with the set, and possibly even win $2,000 plus an invitation to the February 1 Qualifier Weekend in the process!

Rotating Bonus Sheet: Devotion

This isn't your average Arena Open this time, though. This one falls during the special rotating bonus sheets period for Pioneer Masters, so you'll also be playing with cards from the Devotion bonus sheet. These will appear in Limited Packs in the scheduled bonus sheet card slot, making competition just a little more surprising and interesting. You can read up on exactly what's in packs in the Collecting Pioneer Masters article.

Before we get into the details of Arena Open: Pioneer Masters, let's cover a few important requirements for participation:

• You must be 18 years or older to participate.  
• Regional eligibility restrictions apply, void where prohibited.  
• Receiving monetary rewards requires having or creating Wizards, DCI, and i-payout accounts (i-payout accounts cannot be created in advance).  
• The official Terms and Conditions have complete details on the Arena Open.

Arena Open – Day 1

The Arena Open begins on Saturday, January 11, with both Best-of-One and Best-of-Three Pioneer Masters Sealed matches using 30-minute match timers for each player.

Best-of-One matches: Seven wins earn you an invitation token for the Day 2 competition.

Best-of-Three matches: Four wins earn you an invitation token for the Day 2 competition.

You may enter Day 1 events as many times as you like, but you can only claim one Day 2 invitation—multiple invitations count as a single Day 2 entry.

Day 1 Event Details

• Event open: January 11 at 6 a.m. PT (14:00 UTC)
• Signup close: January 12 at 3 a.m. PT (11:00 UTC)
• You'll have 3 hours to complete your current run, but you won't be able to join after this deadline. Matches in progress will be allowed to finish.
• Day 1 end: January 12 at 6 a.m. PT (14:00 UTC)
• No new matches begin after this time. Matches in progress will be allowed to finish.
• Entry fee: 25,000 gold or 5,000 gems (for both Best-of-One and Best-of-Three)
• Format: Best-of-One or Best-of-ThreePioneer Masters Sealed
• Structure:
• Best-of-One: 7 wins or 3 losses
• Best-of-Three: 4 wins or 1 loss
• Reward:
• Iroas, God of Victory sleeve

Arena Open – Day 2

Players who qualify during Day 1 events may enter the Day 2 competition. You may only enter once on Day 2, even if you qualify multiple times on Day 1.

There will be two Best-of-Three Player Draft competitions on Day 2 using 30-minute match timers for each player.

Draft One (Day 2)

• Day 2 players entered in Draft One will draft at the beginning of the day. The entry period for Draft One is from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. PT (14:00–16:00 UTC).
• Players will have until 12 p.m. PT (20:00 UTC) to complete four matches.
• Draft One features four guaranteed matches.
• Achieving a record of 3-1 or 4-0 in Draft One will earn you a Draft Two entry token.
• Players with 4 wins will carry forward an extra loss pip, making their Draft Two a double-elimination event (players with three wins in Draft One will have a single-elimination Draft Two event).

Players with an undefeated 4-0 record from Draft One will carry forward an unused loss pip to Draft Two. That means Draft Two for those players will be a double elimination, allowing them to suffer one loss and stay in the running.

Draft One Event Details

• Draft One entry window: January 12, 6 a.m.–8 a.m. PT (14:00–16:00 UTC)
  • You must join during this 2-hour window. You'll have until 12 p.m. PT (20:00 UTC) to earn up to 3 match wins or one loss.
• Draft One end: Must complete matches by January 12 at 12 p.m. PT (20:00 UTC)
• Entry fee: Day 2 invitation token (earned on Day 1)
• Format: Pioneer Masters Draft (Best-of-Three)
• Structure: Fixed four matches
• Rewards:

Draft Two (Day 2)

All Draft Two players will draft and matchmake in the same queues.

• Players draft a second time in Draft Two. The entry period for Draft Two is from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. PT (20:00–22:00 UTC).
• Players will have until January 12 at 6 p.m. PT (02:00 UTC January 13) to earn up to 4 match wins or be eliminated after either 1 match loss—or 2 match losses for those players with an undefeated record in Draft One record. 

Draft Two Event Details

• Draft Two entry window: January 12, 12 p.m.–2 p.m. PT (20:00–22:00 UTC)
  • You must join during this 2-hour window. You'll have until January 12 at 6 p.m. PT (02:00 UTC January 13) to earn up to 3 match wins or 1 loss.
• Draft Two end: Must complete matches by January 12 at 6 p.m. PT (02:00 UTC January 13)
• Entry fee: Day 2 invitation token (earned on Day 1)
• Format: Pioneer Masters Draft (Best-of-Three)
• Structure: Best-of-Three matches until 4 wins or 1 loss for players with a 3–1 record in Draft One, or 2 losses for players with a 4–0 record in Draft One
• Rewards:

Arena Open FAQ

How many players can earn monetary rewards on Day 2?

Day 2 players who earn two, three, or four wins in Draft Two are eligible to receive monetary rewards.

Can I qualify for Day 2 multiple times?

No, qualifying multiple times will not grant you additional invitation tokens for Day 2 participation. Players qualify for Day 2 by earning enough wins in Day 1 Best-of-One or Best-of-Three events.

What should I do if I encounter an issue during the Arena Open?

Contact Customer Service if you need assistance during the Arena Open. We are unable to provide support for in-game issues over social media (other than telling you to submit a ticket).

Please ensure you select "Qualifier Weekend/Arena Open Issues" as the reason you are contacting our support team.

I earned a monetary reward on Day 2 … now what?

If you receive a monetary reward, we will contact you at the email address listed in your Wizards account and provide instructions for setting up your eWallet account with our partner i-payout. If you already have an i-payout account, we'll notify you of your prize.

Please check your email regularly after the Arena Open to ensure that you respond to our inquiry in a timely manner.

If you win a monetary reward and do not receive a reward email within two weeks of completion of the Arena Open, please contact Customer Service.

For more information on reward fulfilments, please refer to the full Terms and Conditions and our general Event Prize Support FAQ.