Wizards Play Network
The Wizards Play Network (WPN) is a program maintained by Wizards of the Coast that provides support for grassroots play on a global level, a wide variety of play formats, and broad reaching local events that go beyond events such as FNM and the Pro Tour. The WPN presents itself as the official, global community of over 6,000 local game stores that host sanctioned Magic: The Gathering and other Wizards of the Coast events, offering exclusive promos and early product access.[1] It acts as the primary organizer for competitive play and provides marketing support and events to member stores.
History
The WPN was created in October 2008 as a follow-up to Gateway program. According to Wizards of the Coast, it was all about putting choices and direction in the hands of those who know it best, the retailers and game organizers.[2]
Effectively, the WPN also replaced the DCI (formerly Duelists' Convocation International), by providing game rules, tournament operating procedures, and other materials to private tournament organizers and players.
Premium Series
In 2016, WPN introduced the Premium Series, sanctioned tournaments organized by independent tournament organizer. Like Grand Prix, these tournaments allowed the organization of a Trials system.
The new WPN
Beginning with Core Set 2020 in 2019, the original four-level system of classifying the WPN shops and the support they received was replaced by a system based on Tickets and Engaged Players.[3] The first was meant to measure quantity, the second was an attempt to measure quality.
- Tickets represented the total number of entries across all of a store's events. Any format. Commander, Modern, Ranked, Casual—everything counts. And it counted the same player multiple times.
- Engaged players are the best indicator of the quality of experience a store offers. An Engaged Player was defined as a player who joins six events in either Standard, Draft, or Sealed per year—so, once every two months.
Promo packs were allocated based on Tickets, Engaged Players, and the length of a season. So, if a season were ten weeks long and a store received eight promo packs per week, they would receive a lump sum of eighty promo packs at the beginning of the season. The minimum is four promo packs per week, with five Engaged Players and 250 Tickets.
WPN Premium
"WPN Premium" was a public recognition by Wizards of the Coast of the best stores in the world. This concept was also introduced in 2019.[3]
Premium stores would get the same benefits as all WPN members, plus exclusive events, priority, and recognition in the Store and Event Locator, upgraded promo materials, MTG Arena codes for exclusive content[4], etc. Less than five percent of stores qualified for premium status. To be considered for WPN Premium, a store needed to hit these metrics:[5][6]
- 40 Engaged Players (previously 60)
- 2000 Total Tickets (previously 3000)
- 15 Activated Players (previously 20)
Activated Players were defined as new players who joined six events in their first year of in-store play.
Global Virtual WPN Retailer Summit
On November 12-13, 2024, WPN organized the first Global Virtual WPN Retailer Summit. Alongside teams from across Wizards of the Coast, their president, John Hight, will be joining to talk to the retailers. The retailers will hear about upcoming products. The play and community teams will share details about in-store play and community growth, and sales, marketing, and digital tech teams will present news tailored to the retailers. All participants have to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement.[7]
The WPN Metrics Framework
In March 2026, WPN updated their measurement of store activity, introducing a six-tiered benefits structure which integrated the WPN Premium status.[1][8] The benefits program started with Entry Tier, to unlock benefits as stores demonstrated consistent engagement over a quarter (running events, engaging players, and building a community).[9] Tier 4 provided Broadcast Messaging through MTG Arena and Tier 6 equalled the previous Premium status. However, this was no longer a "fixed" status as stores could move up and down in the tier system based on quarterly results.[10]
EventLink
Wizards EventLink is the tournament organizing tool available to WPN members. It integrates with Magic Companion, and it reports events automatically. It records the attendants, the pairing method, and the results. The tool was introduced in December 2020.[11]
Promos
WPN promo packs
From Core Set 2020 onward, WPN stores receive packs of promotional cards containing the following:[3]
- One promo-stamped rare or mythic rare from the most recent set.
- One promo-stamped rare or mythic rare from a short public list curated by Magic's design studio.
- One promo-stamped alternate-art basic land (later replaced with an MTG Arena code card).
- One special, season-specific card akin to an FNM promo, e.g., an alternate frame card
One in four of the packs the store receives contains all foil contents.
Starting with the second set to feature promo packs, Throne of Eldraine, the basic land was replaced by a MTG Arena code card, good for a booster pack on Magic: The Gathering Arena.[12] The alternate art slot started to contain one of five dark frame cards.
WPN Premium promos
Starting in 2021, several special promos became available for WPN Premium stores to be used as participation prizes or sales promos.
- Ampersand cards: two copies of every Rare and Mythic Rare in Adventures in the Forgotten Realms with an all-new treatment not found elsewhere in the set: the iconic D&D ampersand in a glossy, transparent overlay on the front of each card.[13]
- The "Moonlit Lands". Given out at Innistrad: Double Feature events.[14]
- The Yellow Neon Ink Hidetsugu, Devouring Chaos. Given out at Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty events.[15]
- The Yellow Neon Ink Cavern of Souls. Given out at The Lost Caverns of Ixalan events.[16]
Quarterly rotating promos
As announced at the 2023 GAMA EXPO, WPN Premium shops will receive 20 exclusive promos for submitting Point of Sale (POS) data every quarter. Each quarter, WPN Premium stores receive promos depicting a different character playing in a game store.[17]
| Quarter | Promo |
|---|---|
| 2023, Q4 | Serra Angel[17] |
| 2024, Q1 | Lord of Atlantis[17] |
| 2024, Q2 | Zombie Master[16] |
| 2024, Q3 | Goblin King[16] |
| 2024, Q4 | Gaea's Liege[16] |
Annually rotating Showcase promos
Starting in 2023, in addition to the quarterly character promos, Wizards of the Coast will be sending a special promo to stores that submit their POS data on time and accurately, featuring one of their Showcase treatments. Stores will receive 7 copies of this promo each quarter. The design on this promo will rotate once a year.[17]
- 2023 — Ice Out and Pyroblast (anime borderless cards illustrated by Takuma Ebisu.)[18]
Gallery
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Lighted Magic sign, available in WPN Premium Marketing Kits.
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Booster dispenser (2021 WPN Premium benefit)
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Land Station (2021 WPN Premium benefit)
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2022 recycling box for booster wrappers
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2024 Premium-exclusive Sales Promo: Enamel Mabel Keychain
References
- ↑ a b WPN (March 4, 2026). "The Wizards Play Network Is Evolving". Wizards Play Network.
- ↑ Magicthegathering.com Staff (April 21, 2008). "The Wizards Play Network". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2019-07-11.
- ↑ a b c Nelson Brown (March 12, 2019). "Introducing the New Wizards Play Network". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2019-03-13.
- ↑ Wizards Play Network. (October 11, 2019) "This Subtle Premium Perk Is Growing In-Store Play"
- ↑ Wizards Play Network. (March 12, 2019) "Your New Stats Explained"
- ↑ Wizards Play Network. (October 23, 2019) "WPN Premium: New Metric Requirements—Hundreds More Stores Eligible"
- ↑ WPN (October 9, 2024). "Join Us for the Global Virtual WPN Retailer Summit!". Wizards Play Network.
- ↑ WPN (March 4, 2026). "New WPN Framework FAQ". Wizards Play Network.
- ↑ WPN (March 5, 2026). "Overview of the WPN Benefits Program". Wizards Play Network.
- ↑ WPN (March 4, 2026). "The Evolution of WPN Premium". Wizards Play Network.
- ↑ WPN (December 1, 2020). "How to Get Started with Wizards EventLink". Wizards Play Network.
- ↑ Mark Rosewater (July 21, 2019). "Project Booster Fun". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ WPN (June 21, 2021). "Love Your Local Game Store Promotion Continues July 23 in the U.S."
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (December 13, 2021). "The Moonlit Lands Innistrad: Crimson Vow Promos". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13.
- ↑ WPN (December 21, 2021). "Maximize Your Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty Marketing Kit"
- ↑ a b c d Wizards of the Coast (October 2, 2023). "Chack Out WPN Premium Store Promos Throughout 2024". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b c d WPN (April 25, 2023). "Submit Point of Sale Data, Receive Promos!"
- ↑ Jubilee Finnegan (August 15, 2023). "Celebrate Tour Local Gamestore with Wilds of Eldraine". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
External links
- Wizards Play Network
- Dan Barrett (May 19, 2016). "Addressing concerns about WPN stores in Europe". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2019-07-11.