Planeswalker Points

~
Happy Thursday MTG peeps,

We are taking a brief respite from the flurry of Innistrad spoilers and previews to yatter about some news regarding changes to the rating system which tracks all DCI registered players. Planeswalker Points is a replacement for the system previously used by Wizards to rate and rank Magic players' participation in sanctioned Organized Play events.


The FAQ document for Planeswalker Points is here.

Announcement article on the mothershop is here.

Details on the system and log-on to see your points here.

We here at MTG Realm, being huge fans of casual rather like the new system. With the new Plansewalker Point system players are rewarded for playing Magic more often, allowing them to advance in "level." Casual Magic the Gathering events award players for participation, not game results - typically one point for each event. Several of the more old school Magic players may not care for this system arguing that the system no longer evaluates the player's skill but just how frequently you play. These nay-sayers may well be the same folks which may have 'sat' on their points instead of getting out there and playing with the old system which granted benefits to those who did not compete leaving their rating intact to achieve 'byes' or qualifications for large professional events.


In a nutsheel, each game won in a a sanctioned event netss 3 Planeswalker Points and a draw provides 1 Planeswalker Point. In the new system participants do not loose Planeswalker Points for being off their game. Additionally, each event a player competes in has a Planeswalker Participation Point value based on the number of players also competing. Special Magic: the Gathering events also provide a multiplier that rewards competitors with additional points.

8 - 15 participants : 1 point
16 - 31 participants : 2 points
32 - 63 participants : 3 points
64 - 127 participants : 4 points
128 - 255 participants : 5 points
256 - 511 participants : 6 points
512 - 1023 participants : 7 points
1024 - 2047 participants : 8 points
2048 + participants : 9 points

Planeswalker Multipliers available at events:

1 times :
Sanctioned Magic tournaments, Prerelease events, Launch Parties

2 times :
Game day events, WPN Premium Qualifiers

3 time :
Friday Night Magic, Grand Prix Trials, WPN Premium Tournaments

5 times:
Pro Tour Qualifiers, National Qualifiers

8 time:
Grand Prix, National Championships

12 time:
Pro Tour, World Championship
~

We were sad when we no longer got DCI promo mailings but this new system is an excellent replacement. Sure you don't get any special prize at the bottom of the box but you still get the bragging rights. More importantly, we think that it could also be used as a tool to pair up players on equal footing like Timmys and Johnnys rather than having Spike play the n00b who just came out for the first time (and likely won't come back unless it was an enjoyable game).

Both of us here at MTG Realm are sitting in the middle of 'Invoker' (level 31 to 35) and if anything, it will make us want to go out to the local game store more often to get to the next level. Thanks Wizards - cool idea 'Bro.

~
If you want to catch up on all the new Magic the Gathering sweetness, we have for you our constantly updated Innistrad Spoiler List HERE.
~