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Blizzard Reveals 2021 Plans For Multiple Warcraft Esports

Published Sat, 19 Dec 2020 18:20:48 -0600

by Gavin Sheehan

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Blizzard dropped their plans for the 2021 esports season for Warcraft in Arena World Championship and Mythic Dungeon International 2021. The company seems to have learned a lot from a pandemic era of gaming, and while they are planning ahead for a season without interaction, it does look like there may be wiggle room in there if the world somehow gets back to normal in 2021. We have the full details below for the plans on both World Of Warcraft esports systems as they will progress this coming year, highlighting the changes that will be made to the competition.

World Of Warcraft: Arnea World Championship

With the launch of the fourteenth year of the Arena World Championship (AWC), we are expanding to two seasons of epic PvP competition. In 2021, the AWC will consist of two seasons culminating in the AWC: Shadowlands 2021 Grand Finals next Fall, with a $900,000 (USD) total prize pool up for grabs for the year!

SEASON 1

Beginning today, teams in North America and Europe can sign up on GameBattles for the Season 1 open Cups. In addition to a $10,000 (USD) prize pool per cup, teams will be competing for points. The top eight point-earning teams from both North America and Europe will advance to the Circuit following the conclusion of all four cups. The Circuit will consist of a four-week round robin and total prize pool of $160,000 (USD). Following the Circuit, the top four teams from each region will earn their spots in the Season 1 Finals and a shot at the $200,000 prize pool (USD)!

RELEGATION & SEASON 2

Once the Season 1 champions have been crowned, it'll be time to set the stage for Season 2. Instead of another series of open cups, the top six regional teams from the Season 1 Circuit will automatically advance to the Season 2 Circuit, while the remaining spots will be filled through an open Relegation Cup. The Relegation Cup will consist of the bottom two teams from the North American and European Season 1 Circuit, battling against an open field of competitors looking to secure a shot in Season 2. The top two teams from each region at the end of the cup will advance to the Season 2 Circuit. Like in Season 1, the remaining teams in North America and Europe will be fighting for their share of the $160,000 (USD) total prize pool and one of the four regional slots in the finals. The final teams to advance will not only be fighting for the expanded $300,000 (USD) prize pool, but to cement their names as the AWC: Shadowlands 2021 Grand Finals Champions!

World Of Warcraft: Mythic Dungeon International

Following the continued success of the Mythic Dungeon International (MDI), and with new dungeons in Shadowlands to challenge players, we are removing regional distinctions to create a truly global competition by removing regional distinctions. The MDI in 2021 will consist of two standalone seasons—each concluding in an epic Global Finals—and one-off tournaments, providing players from around the world multiple chances to take home their share of over $750,000 (USD) in prizing!

MDI GOES GLOBAL

In 2021, we are separating China into it's own program while players from across the rest of the world will now compete in a distinct global MDI region across two seasons. Each season will consist of four Cups, culminating in a Global Finals. To compete, teams will register for Time Trials, from which the top eight global teams each week advance to an MDI Cup. Teams will earn points based on how well they do, in addition to competing for a share of each Cup's $20,000 (USD) prize pool. At the end of four Cups, the six teams with the most points will advance to the Global Finals. In addition to the top six Global teams, two more will join the Global Finals from a dedicated China MDI season. These eight teams will battle it out for their share of the $300,000 (USD) prize pool and title of MDI Global Champion! The first MDI 2021 season begins on January 14, and sign-ups are now open, so head over to GameBattles to register!