The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth™ arrives in MTG Arena on June 20, and you'll have a week and a half to learn the cards, play with them (try them out in Midweek Magic's Phantom Sealed event, June 27–29), and develop your strategies before the Arena Open: The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Limited kicks off! Compete July 1–2 to win up to $2,000 and an invitation to the August Qualifier Weekend!

Aragorn holding his magic sword with the phrase, reforge your position, across from him

Before you embark on your epic journey, here are few important details about the Arena Open we need to cover:

  • 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.)
  • Refer to the official Terms and Conditions for complete details.

Arena Open – Day 1

The Arena Open begins on Saturday, July 1, with both Best-of-One and Best-of-Three The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth 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.

Everyone who enters will receive the Dragon Hoard sleeve:

Dragon Hoard sleeve entry reward in Arena Open

Day 1 Event Details

  • Event open: July 1 at 6 a.m. PT (13:00 UTC)
  • Signup close: July 2 at 3 a.m. PT (10:00 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: July 2 at 6 a.m. PT (13:00 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-Three Sealed The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth
  • Structure:
    • Best-of-One: 7 wins or 3 losses
    • Best-of-Three: 4 wins or 1 loss
  • Rewards:
  • Entry reward: Dragon Hoard sleeve
Day 1
The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth
Sealed (Best-of-One)
Wins Gems Invitations
7 5,000 Day 2 invitation token
6 2,500 -
5 1,000 -
0–4 - -
 
Day 1
The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth
Sealed (Best-of-Three)
Wins Gems Invitations
4 6,000 Day 2 invitation token
3 5,000 -
2 3,000 -
1 1,500 -
0 - -

Arena Open – Day 2

Players who qualify during Day 1 events may enter 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 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 (13:00–15:00 UTC).
  • Players will have until 12 p.m. PT (19:00 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 four 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.

Day 2, Draft One Event Details

  • Draft One entry window: July 2, 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. PT (13:00–15:00 UTC)
    You must join during this 2-hour window. You'll have until 12 p.m. PT (19:00 UTC) to earn up to three match wins or one loss.
  • Draft One end: Must complete matches by July 2 at 12 p.m. PT (19:00 UTC)
  • Entry fee: Day 2 invitation token (earned on Day 1)
  • Format: The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Player Draft (Best-of-Three)
  • Structure: Fixed four matches
  • Rewards:
Day 2, Draft One
The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth
Player Draft (Best-of-Three)
Wins Gems Invitations
4 - Draft Two invitation token
(double elimination)
3 - Draft Two invitation token
(single elimination)
2 2,500 -
1 1,500 -
0 500 -

Draft Two

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 (19:00–21:00 UTC).
  • Players will have until 6 p.m. PT (01:00 UTC May 1) to earn up to four match wins or be eliminated after either one match loss—or two match losses for those players with an undefeated record in Draft One record.

Day 2, Draft Two Event Details

  • Draft Two entry window: May 21, 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. PT (19:00–21:00 UTC)
  • You must join during this 2-hour window. You'll have until 6 p.m. PT (01:00 UTC July 3) to earn up to three match wins or one loss.
  • Draft Two end: Must complete matches by July 2 at 6 p.m. PT (01:00 UTC July 3)
  • Entry fee: Day 2 invitation token (earned on Day 1)
  • Format: The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth Player Draft (Best-of-Three)
  • Structure: Best-of-Three matches until four wins or one loss for players with a 3–1 record in Draft One, or two losses for players with a 4–0 record in Draft One
  • Rewards:
Day 2, Draft Two
The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth
Player Draft (Best-of-Three)
Wins Cash Prize Gems Invitations
4 $2,000 - August Qualifier Weekend invitation
3 $1,000 - August Qualifier Weekend invitation
2 $500 - August Qualifier Weekend invitation
1 - 15,000 -
0 - 5,000 -

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 to ask for your DCI account and to provide instructions for activating 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 72 hours 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.