Games
From the 28th to the 31st of March 2019 at PAX East in the USA, The first Magic: The Gathering Mythic Invitational takes place. And new South African star Eilidh 'AliasV' Lonie will be shoutcasting.
The 28-year-old Johannesburg native has been announced as part of the broadcast talent line up for this event and becomes one of only a handful of South African esports and gaming personalities to crack the international competitive scene. AliasV is a part time streamer, choosing to stream before work and on weekends, from Canada - where she now lives. She moved overseas a few years ago.
AliasV started playing MTG Arena when it was in closed beta and had never played Magic before that. A little less than a year later and she will be shoutcasting on a global stage. She says the game has also piqued her interest in paper Magic:
“I have way too many cards than I know what to do with. I love the game, I love the community and my only regret around Magic is not getting hooked sooner.”
Magic isn’t exactly the first title that comes to mind when someone thinks about esports. AliasV explains that the Mythic Invitational is the first of its kind:
“While it isn’t the first title you link to esports, I think after PAX East, Magic will be on many more radars. Wizards of the Coast have invested a tremendous amount of time and effort into Arena, to make the game sleek, fun to play and easy to watch. The Mythic Invitational is the first Magic tournament to be played on Arena, as well as the first Magic tournament with a $1 Million prize pool! The tournament itself will be double-elimination using a format called Duo Standard, wherein players submit two decks without side boards. In order to advance, the players need to win two out of three games and will play games with both of their decks. The 64 players are split into 4 groups of 16, and only 4 players will advance from each.”
She also says that this competition will showcase the best players in the community:
“This event may well be the biggest in Magic's history, and it will set the bar for all MTG Arena tournaments going forward. Being an Invitational, some of the games' top personalities are involved; from Magic Pro League players to YouTubers to Twitch Streamers. The hype is real, and I'm almost certain that after PAX East, MTG Arena will see a massive influx of new players to the game. Much like myself, those new players may branch out into paper Magic as well; growing the game on both the digital and physical fronts.”
While AliasV has casually commentated on community tournaments and casually on her streams, this will be the first time she works on an event of this magnitude. She says moving into a shoutcasting role was accidental:
“It was by no means intentional, I'll tell you that. Wizards approached me a few months ago asking if I'd be interested in the role and I jumped at it. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity and there's no way I'd say no. Who knows, maybe this could be the start of something epic! I've been talking to myself a lot more, commentating on games and running through various links to different segments. I've also been practicing with my co-commentator and taking in all the advice I can get from seasoned veterans. Knowing the players is also super important so I've been reading up on them and their deck lists, ensuring I know what to expect in each game. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes, and my respect for those who do this regularly has doubled after seeing just how much is involved.”
With our own local lady flying the South African flag for us at the Invitational it might be a good time to jump into the game. MTG Arena is a free game that can be downloaded and, who knows, you could be competing at a future Mythic Championship if you qualify through Ranked play. AliasV could even commentate on your games!
