Wizards of the Coast has expanded on changes for the revamped Wizards Play Network (WPN) for Magic: The Gathering organized play beginning with MTG: Core Set 2020 this summer.

Wizards announced the changes earlier this Spring (see “'War of the Spark' Ignites OP Changes for 'Magic: The Gathering'” and  “WotC Revamps Wizards Play Network”). With the arrival of MTG: Core Set 2020, many projected changes come into full effect, including Friday afternoon Prerelease events, universal Promo Packs, longer scheduling windows, an event specifically for Commander, and the launch of the first Premium-store exclusive marketing kit.

The Prerelease Early Sale Promotion will allow retailers to sell advance boxes equal to the number of Buy-a-Box promos they receive. What’s more, the official “start time” for events is 3PM local time, instead of midnight. Sales blackouts for July 8 – 12 are still in effect.

The universal Promo Pack means stores will now receive an allocation based on the “Tickets and Engaged Players” the store logged between May 13, 2018 – May 13, 2019.  Each Promo Pack will include four card slots: one promo stamped rare or mythic rare from recent set, one promo-stamped rare or mythic rare from a curated list, a promo-stamped alternate art basic land card, a promo card. One in four Promo Packs will include all foil contents (marked clearly from the packaging).

Scheduling will be available for events up to the day of the Event. Retailers still need to schedule their Prerelease as soon as possible, because this is how Wizards determines allocations for future sets. It also allows retailers to appear in the Event Locator.

The first Commander-specific in-store event has been scheduled to coincide with Magic Weekend -which is when the new Commander 2019 set releases (see “'Magic: The Gathering - Core Set 2020' and 'Commander 2019'”). There will be achievement cards that can be downloaded closer to the event for stores wishing to host Commander events.

WPN Premium stores will receive their first Premium-only marketing kit materials in September. The materials will include a rotating Welcome Deck display, a large poster frame and a lighted sign.