Details for Extended Qualifier and Spring Invitational

The semester is approaching its conclusion, and it will soon be time to finish it off with some very exciting events. Some of the logistics and scheduling are fairly detailed and perhaps a little confusing, so I'm going to walk you through everything one step at a time. When you're done reading this, hopefully everything will make sense, but if not you can always contact me with any questions.

This Sunday, April 10, will be the Uber Draft - the last event for Spring League Points. After the Uber draft, I will post the final spring standings, and the top 7 players in the standings will qualify for the Spring Top 8 Invitational (and will get to draft with me during the Qualifier), which will take place on Saturday, April 23. I know what you're thinking..."but Dom, how come only 7 people qualify for the Top 8 Invitational? It is, after all, called the Top 8 Invitational. Why don't you just call it the Top 7 Invitational, then?"

Despite what popular rumors might claim, being able to count is a prerequisite for entry into the chemical engineering program. What I've decided to do is have one last tournament with the final spot in the Invitational on the line - primarily because there are about 14-17 people that are really close to the top 7-8, and they've all worked very hard for their points this semester. So, I want to give the people that fall just short one last chance to qualify.

To reward them further for their diligence throughout the semester, the players near the top of the standings will be awarded byes for the early rounds of the Qualifier, which will be an Extended tournament on Sunday, April 17. Players in the Qualifier with more than 35 League Points will be awarded two byes in the Swiss rounds, while players between 25 and 35 League Points will receive one bye. Players with fewer than 25 League Points will receive no byes, but may enter the event and can still win it the "old-fashioned way" by starting at the beginning. This event will include 5 Swiss rounds followed by a cut to the top 8. All participants must pay the full entry fee ($2 for entry or $5 for an entry plus a pack) regardless of the number of byes awarded to them.

As mentioned before, the winner of the Qualifier will receive the last spot in the Invitational (and there will be the usual set of prizes just like there would be for any other event). The top 8 will then face off in their own separate event on Saturday, April 23. It will consist of 2 rounds of Standard and 3 rounds of MBS-SOM-SOM draft, followed by a cut to Top 4. The Top 4 will then play two rounds of single-elimination Standard to determine the Spring Invitational champion. There will be a $12 Invitational Fee assessed to each player to cover product and prize costs.

Those who do not qualify for the Invitational, however, will still have plenty of Magic to play. While the Invitational is going on, I will be running side events much like I did last year. This time, the side events will include a Standard event, a draft, and 4-man chaos Commander (EDH) pods. All of these will have different entry fees and prizes that will be announced by the time the Qualifier rolls around.

Check the Upcoming Events in the upper right section of the screen for more detailed scheduling and other details. Thanks for reading and I'll see you guys at the Uber Draft on Sunday!

- Dom