MTG MagicFest Grinder Tania Russell Shares Her Take on MC3 Invites & Direction of Organized Play

Wizards of the Coast

Mythic Championship III, the first-ever Magic: The Gathering Arena Mythic Championship, is happening in Las Vegas later this month. Wizards of the Coast has already announced the coverage details and the 68 participants of the upcoming tournament but some players are venting their frustrations over not getting an invite for the tournament with $750,000 prize pool. One of them is a MagicFest grinder, Tania Russell, who has taken it to Twitter to express her views on Magic's direction of organized play.

"I appreciate efforts to diversify the game but I say with painful sincerity that the changes taking place have alienated me as a player aspiring to climb levels of the game," Tania wrote. "I may be a woman in magic but I'm a grinder and aspiring pro-level player too and I don't feel seen at all."

Some players say that Wizards of the Coast has been inviting players who are "marketable" (either because of following, diversity, etc) instead of just using tournament results for players to qualify for events. The move upsets people who want to value skill first and foremost because these special invites come at the cost of other dedicated players not getting invites. While it's probably a good business move for Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro, it's hard for some grinders who take the game seriously, since they usually invested a significant amount of time and money to travel and participate in high-level competitions like MagicFests (formerly called "Grand Prix").

Tania was not the only player who vented her frustrations recently. Mythic Championship II winner Eli Loveman was also not happy that he didn't get invited to Mythic Championship III.

Mythic Championship III will be held on June 21 to 23 in the Mandalay Convention Center in Las Vegas, and fans can watch the event online at Twitch.tv/Magic. The broadcast schedule is from 8 a.m. PDT/ 11 a.m. EDT/ 3 p.m. UTC.

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