In August of 1999 the Magic World Championship was held in Yokohama, Japan. Two years later, in 2001, the Pro Tour came to Tokyo. The highest levels of competitive Magic came to Japan every year until 2008 when instead the Pro Tour visited Kuala Lumpur. 2009, 2010, and 2011 saw more events in Japan but then there was a break until Pro Tour Hour of Devastation in 2017 and then in 2020 the Players Tour APAC series 1, held just a few weeks before the onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic became the last premiere Magic competitive event held in Japan.
Until now.
The Pro Tour, and the highest levels not just of competitive Magic but of convention Magic return to Japan from May 14 to 16 for MagicCon Tokyo. This is one of the strongest indicators we’ve seen for the health of Magic and MagicCon as well as the investment that Wizards is making into MagicCon.
And look, I understand that Wizards, and by extension Hasbro, aren’t always operating with the best interest of competitive players, or consumers, in mind. We know what it means to be a publicly traded company and no matter how much Mark Rosewater tells us he cares, the corporate overlords still have to answer to a Board of Directors and HAS stock shareholders.
But, the announcement last weekend had some positive indicators of increased investment by Wizards of the Coast into the marquee community event that is MagicCon. There’s also some negatives. Let’s break them down.
Negative – Returning to the Midwest in the Dead of Winter
I get it. It’s cheap as heck to go to Chicago, or Philly, or Detroit, in February. The flights are cheap. The hotels are cheap. The venue is (probably) cheap. But I have to be honest, it’s a bit of a pain to have to pack snow boots, rain coats, and all kinds of weather gear as well as my laptop and Commander decks to get to these places every year. That’s not to say there shouldn’t be MagicCon in Detroit. It’s a great city and the event will be great. But can we go somewhere like Sydney or Kuala Lumpur in February, or even San Diego if it has to be domestic?
Kudos for going to Detroit (though I do love Chicago) but the average temperature of Detroit in February is 38 degrees. They couldn’t even pick a weekend where the Red Wings had a home game. SMH.
Positive – Four Events
We used to get a Pro Tour for every single Standard release, which was four a year, plus a World Championship that wasn’t tied to a set release. When MagicCon debuted in 2023 we had four events, but then in 2024, 2025, and 2026 it was reduced to three. Now we are back to four events which is great news for the game and for Magic fans as well.
It’s no small feat to put on one of these events and if you’ve ever talked to any of the folks involved in logistics you know just how much blood and sweat has gone into making MagicCon work. Say what you want about the C-Suite executives but it’s undeniable that the team responsible for planning and executing these events has really done some incredible work and improved the quality of MagicCon immensely.
The fact that Wizards/Hasbro has the faith in this team to put on a fourth event is unsurprising in that we know the team is talented, but surprising in that we didn’t expect them to increase the MagicCon budget presumably by 25%.
Negative – Amsterdam is the Only City in Europe
I know MagicCon went to Barcelona in 2023, but 2027 will now be the third time that MagicCon is going to Amsterdam with visits in 2024, 2026, and now 2027. Has Amsterdam become the Las Vegas of Europe? Is it just the cheapest place Wizards can go to? Is it operational expenses? What’s the concern? What about some of the other European staples of the pre-Covid Pro Tour? Brussels? Madrid? I’d even be happy for a return to Barcelona. The first European Pro Tour was in Paris in 1997. There’s nothing wrong with Amsterdam, but Europe’s a big place. The US has Vegas every year, but we also have Chicago, Atlanta, and now Detroit.
Wizards, get your act together in 2028, and find another city in Europe to go to.
Positive – Returning to Japan
The biggest positive for me is the return to Japan. The game’s competitive roots in Japan go back almost to the beginning of Magic. The Pro Tour Hall of Fame (which is also returning in 2027) is full of incredibly skilled players who call Japan their home. From 2011 to 2026 we’ve only had two major events in Japan, over a span of 15 years, and both of them were before the pandemic. Returning to Japan now, and to Tokyo of all places (no offense Kobe or Osaka but there’s something special about bringing the game to Tokyo) is the strongest sign of growth for MagicCon I think we’ve seen since the expansion of MC Chicago.
And perhaps most importantly, expansion to Japan paves the way, I hope, for a return to Latin America, and one of Magic’s most under-served communities. MagicCon. The last Pro Tour in Latin America? San Juan in 2010. Do the right thing Wizards. Bring MagicCon to these fans!
Rich Stein (He/Him) has been writing about Magic the Gathering for almost 15 years and playing it for almost twice as long. The 2027 MagicCon event he’s most excited for would have been Detroit, but he really wants to reiterate how absurd it is that it isn’t a weekend with a Red Wings home game. The Blackhawks have a home game that weekend. The Flyers have a home game that weekend. This isn’t difficult Wizards. If you’re going to have a North American event in the middle of winter in a hockey city, pick a weekend with a hockey game. Maybe the PWHL Detroit team will have a game that weekend. Fingers crossed.