Magic Online: Events FAQ

What are Swiss Pairings?

Some events in Magic Online are Single Elimination. As soon as you lose a match, you will be dropped from the tournament. The rest of the events use Swiss pairings. In a Swiss tournament, you will continue to play whether you win or lose. You get 3 points for winning and 0 points for a loss. Prizes will be awarded based on how many points you have at the end of the event. Other tournaments may award prizes based on your record after the preliminary rounds. The number of preliminary rounds is determined by the number of players that began the tournament:

I'm in a Swiss event and everyone else is playing but I'm not. Was I dropped?

You're fine! You just got a bye. This counts like a win for the round but you don't have to play anyone to get that win. In the first round, players are paired randomly, with one player receiving a bye if there are an odd number.  In subsequent rounds, you are paired based on your record - players with the same or similar records are paired together.  If there are an odd number of players in any round, a player is chosen at random from players who have the lowest score and who have not yet received a bye.  

How can I find tournaments or play in events in Magic Online?

You can find instructions on how to find events in Magic Online in our Client Help instructions.

What are the different types of events?

You can find more information about all of the different formats available in Magic by clicking here.

How should I build my deck or where can I find out how to get better at playing in tournaments?

While game support cannot offer any deck building or strategy help, you can find plenty of information about playing in tournaments Daily MTG website here. If you want to see the deck lists that have recently won Magic Online events, you can check out the Decklists page. 

How do I add lands to my Sealed or Draft deck?

Near the top of the screen click the 'Add Land' button.  This will pop up a smaller window where you click to increase/decrease lands, even a very handy Suggest button.  Once you have the lands you like select 'Done'.  You can click the same button again to add more lands if you like.

How do I know how much time I have left to pick a card in Draft? What else should I know about drafting in Magic Online?

• You will see a timer in the bottom top left hand corner of the screen. This indicates how much time you have remaining before Magic Online issues you a random card from the booster.
  • The time reduces each pack each pick. You can right click a card to highlight it. This card will be chosen for your when the timer expires. 
  • We recommend double-clicking or click-and-dragging to select a card – this reduces the chance of a miscommunication between your computer and our servers. 
  • Everyone in the event must finish picking their cards before the deck editor opens. 

I picked a card and the timer counted all the way down, but I don't see the next pack. Am I disconnected?  What gives!?

If you confirm a selection prior to the timer hitting zero, the timer may remain there for several seconds (or for Premier Top 8s, a minute or more). Players passing to you are likely taking longer to make picks. Don’t worry – when the player next to you is done with their current pack, you’ll have the normal amount of time to review it and make your pick.

How long are the inactivity timers?

If you are inactive during a game you can be given a loss and dropped from the event. The current timers vary by event type and are listed below:

• Casual Games - 5 minutes
• League/Queue/Prelims - 8 minutes
• Premier Events (all events with a Top 8 ) - 15 minutes