The Role of Destination Qualifiers in the Ultimate Guard European Magic Series
Discover how Destination Qualifiers seamlessly integrate into the Ultimate Guard European Magic Series, and learn what Magic: The Gathering players can expect from these exciting tournaments!
What is the UG EU Magic Series?
The Ultimate Guard European Magic Series (UGEMS) is the Regional event series in the EMEA region for Magic: The Gathering. With Regional Championship Qualifiers (RCQ) run in Wizards Play Network (WPN) stores in eligible countries, players can win promotional cards and invites to Regional Championships (RC). Every Season’s RCQ winners will be given a seat at the corresponding RC and compete for a spot at a Pro Tour.
Regional Championship Qualifiers (RCQ) are Premier Play events hosted by WPN stores. These events award invites to Regional Championships which feed into the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour! Eligible WPN stores can register an account, purchase their kits and submit their event information and results here.
Then what are Destination Qualifiers?
Destination Qualifiers are larger events organised by trusted partners, in venues that are not necessarily WPN stores. They usually award more than one invite (up to eight) and can be run in any Constructed format the organiser chooses. A Destination Qualifier can also be run as a Limited event. These events are often held at conventions or during weekend-long/multiple day events that attract hundreds of players. Typically, the organisers will run other tournaments apart from the Destination Qualifiers, which means there is more to do!
They are called Destination Qualifiers because they are larger Magic: The Gathering events that players will want to travel further for, be it for the shiny cards, multiple chances to qualify for the RC, or the various other activities the organisers have in store for you!
Prizing is slightly different for Destination Qualifiers, the Top promo is not only limited to Top16, so players have a better chance to get one! Another notable difference is the participation promo. It is a foil version of the RCQ participation promo. For Season 2, this means players taking part in a Destination Qualifier will get a foil Sleight of Hand, whereas those participating in store run RCQ will get a non-foil Sleight of Hand.
You can find a list of Destination Qualifiers events on this article.
Final Word
The team at Fanfinity works with organisers to achieve the best possible geographical spread and thus make it as easy as possible for players to attend them. We are continuously reaching out to new partners and are already working on the list of events for Season 3 and Season 4!
If you are a WPN Store and are interested in running one, please contact us at magic@fanfinity.gg
We are still working on finalising the events for Season 2, but our current list can be found here.
Interested in learning more about the UGEMS? Check out this article which is all about the UGEMS Regional Championship.