A look back at the UGEMS, Season 3 Regional Championship Qualifiers (RCQs)
The Regional Championship Qualifiers (RCQs) are a pivotal part of the Magic: The Gathering tabletop Premier Play system, where top players from local qualifiers come together to compete against each other. These championships are a key stepping stone, offering players the opportunity to qualify for the elite Pro Tour or even the prestigious World Championship.
Ben Short
Ben Short
Ben Short
Season 3
Season 3 of the Ultimate Guard European Magic Series saw nearly 900 RCQ events run in 393 different game stores across 38 countries in the EMEA region in the November 2024 – March 2025 period. The winners of the Season 3 RCQ events have earned their seats at the Ultimate Guard European Magic Series Regional Championship Bologna (RC) on 25-27 April 2025.
Format
For Season 3, game stores could choose to run RCQ events in either Standard or Limited format.
Standard proved to be significantly more popular with 84% of game stores opting for this format.
Season 2025/26 Round 1 is already underway with game stores being able to run RCQ events in either Modern or Limited formats.
Breakdown by Country - RCQs
Season 3 RCQ events were run in 38 different countries with Iceland running their ever RCQ event.
Italy (302), Spain (133) and the United Kingdom (82) led the way with the largest number of reported RCQ events.
Breakdown by Country - Destination Qualifiers
Working with our partners, fourteen Destination Qualifiers were hosted across eight different countries in Season 3.
You can check out our Destination Qualifiers Season 2 recap article here.
Event | Format | Slots Available |
Galactus (Italy) | 8 | |
Itaca (Spain) | 8 | |
UG Destination Qualifier (Germany) | 16 | |
JK Entertainment (Czech Republic) | 8 | |
LotusVale (Germany) | Modern | 8 |
Dungeon Street: Damnation (Italy) | Modern | 8 |
JK Entertainment (Germany) | Modern | 8 |
Pan Mysza (Poland) | 8 | |
Side Quest (Poland) | Modern, Pioneer | 5 |
Distrito Zero / Arcanis Infinity (Spain) | 8 | |
Axion Now (United Kingdom) | 4 | |
Spotlight Destination Qualifier (Netherlands) | Modern | 16 |
Dungeon Street: Paupergeddon (Italy) | 4 | |
Dutch Open Series / Kolonisten (Belgium) | 8 |
Season 2025/26 Round 1 - Rise Again!
Season 2025/26 Round 1 RCQs are underway and you still have the opportunity to qualify for the Ultimate Guard European Magic Series Regional Championship in Antwerp on 21-23 November 2025.
Full details of remaining local game store RCQ events and Destination Qualifiers can be found here.
Want to read more about previous RCQs? You can find the RCQ Season 1 recap here and the RCQ Season 2 recap here.
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