Editor's Note: this article originally stated metrics were only returning to the U.S. on July 16. It has been updated to confirm that metrics also return to China on July 16.

When in-store play was suspended last year, we paused play metrics and used a snapshot of Q1 2020 metrics to determine allocations. This allowed us to continue to provide WPN members with appropriate promo and product quantities based on their pre-pandemic metrics.

Now, as in-store play begins to return globally, events will once again begin counting towards metrics, starting with the U.S. and China on July 16. By reporting events (in-store, webcam, and at-home) in Wizards EventLink, you can maintain and grow your WPN allocations.

As a refresher, here is how play metrics work:

Tickets are the total number of player entries across all your Magic events in a rolling calendar year.

Engaged Players are players who join six or more events at your store in a rolling calendar year.

Your store’s play metrics determine allocations for Promo Packs and Buy-a-Box promos, as well as product allocations for Prerelease Early Sales and select products. The higher your Tickets and Engaged Players, the more promos and product will be allocated to your store.

Note that Prerelease Pack allocations are not based on your Tickets and Engaged Players but rather past reported Prerelease attendance.

Here’s what you need to know about metrics counting again:

Metrics will only be counted in the U.S. and China to start, but other regions will follow.

Beginning with the AFR Prerelease on July 16, metrics will count in the U.S. and China. Other regions can expect to have metrics counted again shortly after play suspension is lifted in that area. We will continue to provide updates about the status of in-store play globally as they occur.

You will have a full year to build up your metrics starting from the date metrics begin counting in your region.

During that grace period, promo and product allocations will be based on either the metric snapshot from Q1 2020 or your live metrics. After that period, only your live metrics will be used to determine allocations.

In the U.S. and China, metrics will begin counting on July 16, 2021. After metrics are turned on, we will still evaluate both your current and Q1 2020 snapshot metrics and apply whichever is higher until July 16, 2022.

All Magic events reported through Wizards EventLink will count towards your metrics.

This includes both in-store and webcam events, as well as all scheduling options for Prerelease, including At-Home events. If you are still not ready to run in-store events but want to grow your promo quantities, reporting webcam and At-Home events allow you to do just that.

All formats now count towards Engaged Players.

Previously, only Standard, Booster Draft and Sealed events counted towards Engaged Players. Moving forward, all formats will now count! Whether your community prefers Modern or Standard, Commander or Legacy, or anything in between, all forms of Magic play will now count towards both metrics.

Guest entries count towards Tickets, but not Engaged Players.

Individual guest accounts are only ever connected to a single event, meaning they will never reach the six entries required to count as an Engaged Player.

All entries in your events will count towards Tickets regardless of which type of account is used, but guest account entries will not contribute to your Engaged Player count.

We’re excited that U.S. and Chinese stores can once again grow allocations by reporting play. Be sure to capture any and all Magic play happening at your store by scheduling and reporting events in Wizards EventLink. Happy hosting!