Inside the Unprecedented Growth of Hasbro’s Magic: The Gathering and Trading Card Game’s High-Stakes Pro Competition

MagicCon 2026 in Las Vegas attracted 25,000 attendees for a three-day event focused on Hasbro’s trading card game, Magic: The Gathering.

The convention featured a variety of activities, according to Variety’s “Strictly Business” podcast. Among the highlights was a headliner panel featuring actor Paul Bettany, known for his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, who unveiled a first look at a new “Marvel Super Heroes” collaboration with the game.

Beyond gaming and corporate partnerships, the event included a “Cat Lair” adoption activity organized in partnership with a kitten rescue based in Las Vegas.

The Pro Tour Competition

A central element of the convention was the pro tour, a high-stakes competition limited to an elite group of Magic: The Gathering players from across the globe. The competition featured a prize pool totaling $500,000.

The pro tour has been a fixture of the game’s competitive landscape since 1994, having launched shortly after the trading card game was first released.

While the pro tour has operated for over three decades, the larger MagicCon convention format is a more recent development, having been established in 2023.