Fact or Fiction: The Return of the MTG Hall of Fame

At MagicCon Amsterdam, Wizards of the Coast announced the return of its Hall of Fame. Once a mainstay of the competitive scene, the Hall was suspended during the pandemic, and finally making a return for 2026. To help our readers understand the new Hall of Fame and the new rules for getting in, we’ve put together this helpful guide to help prepare you for the incoming class:

CLAIM: The New Hall of Fame will show the rich history of its Pro Tour scene.

FACT – The pre-pandemic MTG Hall of Fame is one of the greatest collections of pre-pandemic rich white men, including rare specimens from before they were all corrupted by Cryptocurrency, Podcasting, and Power Slap.

CLAIM: The Hall of Fame is just and Old Boys Club for long-entrenched players.

FICTION – WotC was sure to include 4 women as part of the selection committee. 10% of the group, just like the global population.

CLAIM: The members of the Hall of Fame embodies WotC’s ideal sense of integrity and honesty.

FACT – Wizards of the Coast takes cheating and dishonesty in its game with the utmost seriousness. This is why names like Mike Long and Tomoharu Saito were never elected, and why Yuuya Watanabe was removed following his cheating scandal.

CLAIM: They’re forgetting about someone….

FICTION – No they aren’t, they don’t know what you’re talking about. Nothing happened in 2016, there was no Hall of Fame class that year, stop asking questions that we need to get Legal involved in.

CLAIM: The qualification rules are set up to ensure only the players most relevant across the whole of the game’s history are included.

FICTION – The inclusion of a post-pandemic result requirements and other “No Politics” policies could have been made more concise if they simply read “No Chris Pikulas Allowed.”

CLAIM: The Hall of Fame will be more than just a list of names on a website.

FACT – A travelling physical version of the Hall of Fame will be available at upcoming MagicCons and related events. In addition to plaques memorializing the members, you can see other fine artifacts from the game’s history. I mean, who doesn’t want to line up and see Frank Karsten’s puke bucket from Pro Tour Yokohama?

CLAIM: WotC takes the selection process of their Hall of Fame members with the utmost integrity.

FACT – In addition to guidelines against bribery and politicing, Wizards of the Coast has also taken the extra step of sending Pinkertons to Dan LeBatard’s house to “ensure there was no funny business.”

CLAIM: The returning Hall of Fame is a sign Wizards once again cares about its competitive scene.

FICTION – Ask a Pioneer player if you don’t believe me.