For many players, this is going to feel like the end of an era. Comparing four-digit DCI numbers at events was something of a badge of honor—a way to show how long you’ve been a part of the community. We’re feeling a bit nostalgic over here as well, which is part of the reason we’re giving you 30-days to check out your history and rave about your winning record against your friends (or that one time you beat Luis Scott-Vargas at a MagicFest side event).
Wizards of the Coast, “Sunsetting Planeswalker Points“
A little piece of Magic history is going away—but the future is bright and more connected across platforms.
Future in-store play and esports events, as well as other play opportunities, will require players to have a valid Wizards Account which works with the Magic: The Gathering Companion app and the upcoming new event tool for local game stores. If you already play Magic: The Gathering Arena, you already have a Wizards Account. Some Magic esports events, including events such as Grand Prix at MagicFests, will continue to use your DCI number through 2021.
I haven’t played organized Magic: The Gathering in over twenty years, but this is definitely the end of an era. Your DCI number was your identity in competitive Magic.
My number’s so old that Wizards support couldn’t help me retrieve it—they needed an exact date and location where I would have played in a sanctioned event, and I can’t remember what I did last week, so I certainly can’t remember when I played over two decades ago.
They’re apparently switching to using app-based checkin, utilizing the web accounts you now use for logging in to MTG Arena, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see rankings start to use ranked play information on Arena as well down the line.
I’ve started playing MTG Arena with the most recent set release, and should talk more about that soon. It’s been a lot of fun, and fascinating to see the changes that have been made to the game since I’ve been away.