Hello all,

I am looking to put together a mix of fun and competitive scene for MtG Arena. Ideally this would include at least 16 players to start with, but would love and welcome more. I am just an ordinary MtG player who enjoys the game, and have always had a passion for competitive anything basically - growing up I organized and played all sorts of stupid tournaments (fastest hot wheels car, 1v1 wiffle ball w/ friends, local friends Madden tournaments, you get the idea). No I am not a professional event organizer, but I do have a passion for encouraging competition. ***NOTE: THIS IS A FEELER POST***

Starters, so why online?

• No need to check decks, have referees, opens up the players pool/access, app does all the rulings on plays for both sides, etc.

***BEFORE YOU READ FURTHER, THIS IS FIRST AND FOREMOST AIMING TO BE A F-U-N LEAGUE**\*

Inaugural 'season'

• Whoever wants to sign up, does so, and plays a round robin. You would have 1 week to play your opponent - it is up to you both to figure out a time to make a match work or you both receive a loss. Working on a reputation system in which you can rate your opponents flexibility in making times work. This in hope will help weed out the toxic players and help get a good core group of reliable players.
• The top % of players with the best records qualify for the initial 'playoff' receiving a seeding based on round robin results. So for example if there are up to 64 players, maybe 32 would make the initial playoffs.
• At the end of the playoffs, the inaugural group will be broken down into 'tiered' groups. So based on 64 teams the there would be maybe 4 groups of 16 or 2 groups of 32. In addition there would be a single possibly multiple 'open' groups in which newcomers could enter into. This would then take the winners from each group a the end of the season and scale them up or down into the next tier above or below them. If you know how the relegation works in Premier League Soccer, this is exactly how it would work. So, if you fall, you can work your way back up, and if you’re at the top you get to prove you’re worth staying!

Details (to better understand, this will be based on a 64 player format):

• 64 players join (trying to find a reputable 3rd party site that can hold money then distribute to winners).
• 64 players all play each other once
• Top 16 players are seeded 1-16 and are placed in a double elimination post-season bracket (if for say teams have same records, tie breakers would be played or additional teams would be added to the bracket with the top teams receiving a 'bye' for the first round. Entrants for the inaugural season will be unlimited.
• Once you have joined the group you will be required to provide your MtG Arena username for matchmaking purposes. All matches will be based on a coin flip app in which I will assign who goes first. I have zero friends and I myself will not be participating in this so I have zero clue who you are nor do I care or have a vested interest whatsoever. The following seasons I will do my best to ensure a 50/50 split of going first or second. I can maybe do this the first season if we don't have a terribly large group of people - just trying to keep it simple for myself.
• At some point (likely) I will need to expand for other people to help organize and setup the groups pending how popular it is to new people wanting to join. Handling 3, 4, 5 groups I can imagine will become quite busy.
• What happens if you get disconnected? Sorry, your loss. There is really nothing I can do about it nor can your opponent.

Payouts/Prizes

• I am sending out emails to several 'bigger' online companies to see if they would donate anywhere from a few packs all the way up to whatever they're willing to donate. In return I will include them and their branding on all FB/Reddit related group posts.
• Currently I am searching for a reputable 3rd party site that can grab and hold the entry fees then distribute prize money and distribute after - hoping something like this exists otherwise not sure the plan quite yet.
• I am also open to a free entry, however things can get messy. People start not caring as much about matches, they're doing bad so they don't show up towards the end of the season, etc. Which is why I am trying to come up with a system for reputation in order to kick those people out or create leagues of their own. Again, this is mostly a fun league with a little bit of competitive spice, nobody wants to deal with sore losers and I really want this group/league to have people play for pride whether they're 0-20 or 18-2 for a record. I truly believe money binds people to responsibility, isn't that why we all go to work? Bills, money, responsibility?
• Would the further down tier levels have prizes and payouts?
  • YES, just not nearly as much. For example: 64 people want to sign up for the inaugural season. The top 16 would create the ‘top tier’ league meaning it would have higher payouts/prizes. The bottom 16 teams would create the ‘second tier’ league and so on. Still offering prizes at a much lower offering level. More info on this going forward if this proposal becomes reality. Payouts, fees, etc will all be straight forward and transparent. Newcomers would be offered open spots once the ‘season’ has completed, and they would be entered into the lowest ‘tier’ and have to work their way up. This ensures those dedicated and committed to the leagues remain a step above newcomers/those who haven’t proved to be reliable in match-play and showing for matches.
• If you're interested please post or DM me what price point you would be comfortable with and what format(s) would be your top 1-2 if you were to join into a league. If you are open to play in any just let me know that. I would create a league and organize for the top 1 or 2 choices. I'm sure I left something out or missed stuff so please any concerns, let em rip!

QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, REMARKS? PLEASE DM or POST REPLY HERE!