Enter the Battlefield is a 2016 documentary directed by Nathan Holt and Shawn Kornhauser. It covers the story of a little recognized expert. The Magic Pro. The game they play, Magic The Gathering is a card game created in 1993 by Richard Garfield PhD. It’s an intricate and complex game with over 16,000 unique cards and 12 million players worldwide, and it has garnered little media attention. The game, owned and operated by Hasbro

Wizards of The Coast and it’s mother company Hasbro pours huge amounts of money into quarterly events called “Pro Tours.” These events have approximately 200 slots that have to be earned across smaller tournaments call RPTQs (Regional Pro Tour Qualifiers), PPTQs (Preliminary Pro Tour Qualifiers), and GPs (Grand Prixs). The film, narrated by Wil Wheaton, covers the story of six of the game’s top competitors:

Chris Pikula has been playing since the first pro tour in NYC and is famous for winning the first invitational, a tournament where the winner gets to design a card.

Melissa DeTora: the game’s most prominent female player and multiple time top 8’er.
Owen Turtenwald, twice player of the year winner, is a member of the prestigious Peach Garden Oath team, and he is often considered the game’s current top player.

Reid Duke won multiple pro tour and grand prix top 8’s, and he is a multiple time qualifier for the world championships.

Shahar Shenhar, a prominent Israeli player, is the only pro to have ever won the world championship twice, once in 2013 and again in 2014.

William “Huey” Jensen is the record holder for most top 8’s in a single season.

The story is a sophisticated and interesting look into the unknown world of professional card game players. They are seldom respected. And this film puts their life into perspective, including the struggles they go through. It shows their true devotion to the game that has changed their lives

The documentary frames it as a game that can change lives. People are moved by the game’s powerful force. Their jobs are to play a game. They are all work, all play. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants insight an appreciation for a little recognized profession.