Arena Limited Championship Qualifier | Terms and Conditions
Wizards of the Coast released the complete rulebook and operational details for the upcoming digital tournament. Competitors can read this guide to check exact draft deadlines, entry fee costs, legal eligibility, and mandatory payout rules.
- Event runs June 5 - 7, 2026, using Secrets of Strixhaven Best-of-One Drafts.
- Entry costs 25,000 gold or 5,000 gems on MTG Arena.
- Players must be 18 years old and possess a valid Wizards account.
- Cash winners must supply i-payout account details within 90 days.
Schedule and Format Overview
The competitive digital season steps up with a dedicated draft qualifier running over the first weekend of June. Action officially begins on June 5, 2026, at 8 a.m. Pacific time. Players will draft and build their decks using cards from the Secrets of Strixhaven set in a Best-of-One match structure.
Signups for the event close on June 8 at 8 a.m. Pacific time for the first phase, though active runs get three extra hours to complete their games. A second draft window closes registration at 10 a.m. Pacific time on June 8, with all final matches wrapping up by 1 p.m. Pacific time. Players are fully responsible for watching the clock and finishing their games before the servers close.
Costs and Age Requirements
To take a seat in the draft queue, competitors must pay an entry fee of either 25,000 gold or 5,000 gems. Each account purchase permits one single entry into the event. Tournament fees strictly grant access to play and do not directly scale or fund the ultimate prize pool.
Participation is restricted to players who are at least 18 years old or the legal age of majority in their home jurisdiction. Competitors must have an active, non-guest digital account in good standing without outstanding misconduct suspensions. The tournament is void in select sanctioned or restricted regions, including Russia, North Korea, Cuba, and Belarus.
Financial Rewards and Tax Obligations
Players who earn monetary prizes must possess an active i-payout account to receive their funds. Tournament organizers will reach out via the email address registered to the player's main account within 72 hours of competition. Winners must respond and claim their funds within 90 days, or the cash reward will be forfeited.
All tax responsibilities fall entirely on the winning player. United States residents will receive 1099-MISC tax forms, while international competitors will be processed under 1042-S documentation. In-game gem rewards will be delivered straight into the player's account balance and cannot be converted to physical cash.
Sportsmanship and Technical Rules
Fair play is mandatory throughout the entire weekend. Any players caught cheating, exploiting software flaws, colluding with opponents, or displaying abusive behavior face immediate disqualification without receiving a refund on their entry fees.
If an unintended software bug or server freeze happens mid-game, competitors are required to play out the match unless a tournament official steps in. Organizers reserve full rights to pause, restart, or modify event queues to protect tournament integrity. If an unforeseen technical crash forces the event to be completely canceled, entry fees will be refunded to affected players.