Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Dutch Pauper League?

The Dutch Pauper League (DPL) is a non-profit organised group of Magic: The Gathering players focused on the Pauper format. The DPL was founded on January 28, 2024 in Amsterdam and welcomes players from all the Netherlands.

The DPL is part of the international community of Pauper leagues coordinated by Lega Pauper Italia (LPI), the Italian community of Pauper players. Among the other duties, LPI is responsible for defining a common set of guidelines for international leagues and for organising three times a year the Paupergeddon, the largest Pauper tournaments in the world.

The DPL follows the guidelines of LPI, with the goal of providing the Dutch players with a more professional, fun and rewarding game experience.

How do I join the DPL?

There is no special requirement to join the DPL: any player participating in any tournament organised by the DPL is considered a member of the league and is eligible to win tournament prizes.

What is the DPL responsible for?

According to the LPI guidelines, the DPL is responsible for organising:

1. a series of Pauper tournaments across the year, known as legs;
2. a final Pauper tournament at the end of the year, known as knockout.

The DPL is also responsible for:

1. publishing and keeping up to date the yearly league standings on this website;
2. assigning prizes to tournament winners (both legs and knockout).

What is a leg?

A leg is a Pauper swiss-system paid tournament with Regular Rules Enforcement Levels played in the Netherlands.

How do legs and standings work?

During a leg, players will score points that will add up into the yearly league standings. The yearly league standings define which players join the final knockout tournament.

According to the LPI guidelines, each swiss round of a leg awards:

• 3 points for a victory;
• 1 point for a draw;
• 0 points for a loss.

Every leg offers prizes to the winners. The number and value of prizes are proportional to the subscription fee and the number of players joining the leg.

What is the final knockout tournament?

At the end of the year, according to the LPI guidelines, a final knockout tournament is played by the top players of the league. A knockout is a Pauper single-elimination free tournament with Regular Rules Enforcement Levels played in the Netherlands.

Who qualifies for the final knockout tournament?

Top8 players of the yearly league standings are invited to play the knockout. If multiple people are tied, all the potential Top8 qualifiers will play instead a swiss-system tournament with Top4 to determine the winner.

During the knockout, players will not score points for the yearly league standings.

How are the knockout prizes determined?

The knockout prizes partially depend on the number of legs played during the year and the average number of leg players.

What does the winner of the knockout receive?

The winner of the knockout is declared the DPL Champion of the year and will represent the Netherlands in one of the most exciting and competitive Pauper tournaments in the world! The player will receive a travel allowance to play the Paupergeddon held every year in Milan.

Additionally, if at least 9 legs were played during the year with an average of 16+ players, the DPL Champion will also receive a bye for the Paupergeddon.

What is the travel allowance?

The DPL is committed to make it possible for the travel allowance to entirely cover the cost for the round-trip flight tickets.

Is there a prize for the yearly league standings winner?

If the budget allows, the winner of the yearly league standings (i.e. the #1 in the ranking after all the legs have been played, before the final knockout tournament) will receive a travel allowance to play in the Paupergeddon in Milan.

This prize is not guaranteed upfront and depends on player participation throughout the year. The DPL will provide budget updates regurlarly.

However, if at least 9 legs are played with an average of 26+ players, this prize and a bye for the Paupergeddon is guaranteed.

What happens if the yearly league standings winner also wins the knockout?

If the winner of the yearly league standings also wins the final knockout tournament, the prize(s) will be granted instead to the second player in the knockout tournament (the other finalist).

How can I get a Paupergeddon ticket?

If you want to join a Paupergeddon, the DPL can help you get a highly sought-after ticket.

As a member of the league, you are entitled to buy one pre-sale ticket directly from LPI. By doing so, you are guaranteed to have access to the tournament.

Please, contact the DPL if you are interested in buying a ticket.

What happens after the final knockout tournament?

After the knockout is played, the yearly league standings is reset.

What is the DPL's goal?

The ambitious goal of the DPL of organising 9 legs during the year with at least 26+ players is rooted in the genuine hope to offer to 2 great players the combination of tickets and byes for the Paupergeddon. The DPL feels this would be a strong incentive to step up the competitive landscape of Pauper in the Netherlands and a tangible support for experienced players with budget constraints.