Pro Tour (Magic: The Gathering)
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The Pro Tour (PT) is the highest form of competitive play for the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game. It consists of a series of payout tournaments held throughout the world, each requiring an invitation to participate. Every PT awards a total of $230,000 in cash prizes, with $40,000 going to the winner alone. Pro Tour competitors also receive Pro Points, the amount depending on their results. Pro Points award the special benefits to players, including automatic qualification and travel awards for subsequent Pro Tours.
Ranking within the Top 8 of a Pro Tour is considered to be the ideal accomplishment of most competitive Magic players. Professional players are often compared by the number of Pro Tour Top 8 finishes they have made throughout their career.
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[edit] Origins
The first major Magic: The Gathering tournament was the 1994 World Championship held at GenCon '94. It was a single-elimination 512-person Constructed event run over three days of competition.[1] The winner, Zak Dolan, received a trophy but no money. However, Dolan was also given a large number of booster packs from various expansions, Arabian Nights through Ice Age, along with a deck of poker cards with Magic: The Gathering backs on them and a t-shirt. The secondary market value of those packs today would exceed many tournament payoffs, but is still not quite equal to the cash prizes of the current Pro Tour payouts. Another World Championship was organized in 1995.
In 1995 Brand Manager Skaff Elias suggested that organized play needed to take the step to the next level. The idea was to run several tournaments each year that would gather the best players in the world and reward them with cash for their dedication to the game. Players should have something to aspire to. Elias and Mark Rosewater along with others started to work on the concept. On 16–18 February 1996 the first Pro Tour, very briefly called The Black Lotus Pro Tour, was held in New York.[2]
[edit] Qualification
Up until the second season in 1997, qualifying was based on results in high profile tournaments, or by invitation from the sponsoring company. Since 1997 the Pro Tour is a qualification-only tournament with qualifying events held throughout the world.
There are several ways to qualify, the most common being:[3]
- By finishing in the Top 50 of the previous Pro Tour.
- Through a Pro Tour Qualifier (PTQ) tournament, a tournament open to those not already qualified.
- By finishing in the Top 16 of a Grand Prix, a tournament open to all players.
- By being at least at level 3 in the Magic Pro Players Club. Players qualifying this way are said to be on the "Gravy Train."
- By having a top 100 DCI rating either in the Total category or in Category which corresponds to the format, the Pro Tour Qualifiers were held in.
There are no "wild card" invites. Very rarely, though, players can receive sponsor's exemptions, such as past pro tour participant David Williams (of 2004 World Series of Poker fame) received in his invitation to the 2005 season Pro Tour LA. Former world champion Kai Budde also received such an invitation to play participate in 2006 Worlds in Paris. Players in the Hall of Fame get permanent level 5 status in the Pro Player's Club, and therefore a permanent invite to all Pro Tours.
[edit] Location
The first season featured only Pro Tours in the United States. Beginning in 1996–97 one Pro Tour was held in Europe each season. The first Pro Tour to be held in Asia was the 1999 World Championship in Tokyo. Subsequently the amount of PTs every continent gets has varied, with the United States clearly hosting most Pro Tours, and Asia the least. Of the Asian Pro Tours all but one were held in Japan. The only other continent to ever have a Pro Tour was Australia, hosting the World Championship in 2002.
[edit] Format
All Pro Tours other than World Championships have been held in a single format, beginning with the 2009 season Pro Tours will host one constructed and one limited format, though. Constructed Pro Tours utilized either Block Constructed, Standard, or Extended, while Limited Pro Tours mostly used the Booster Draft format. Until PT Nagoya in 2005 Booster Draft and Rochester Draft had been used alternatingly, but Rochester Draft was dropped afterwards. Also for several years, beginning in 1999, every season included a team Pro Tour, but neither the 2008 nor the 2009 season has a team event on schedule.
Beginning with the 2009 season each Pro Tour will feature a constructed format as well as a booster draft format. Day one and two of each PT will then each consist of constructed rounds as well as a Booster Draft rounds. The third day will use one of the previously utilized formats.
World Championships are special Pro Tours in that they always feature multiple formats. Typically the tournament will use Standard on the first day, Booster Draft on the second, and another constructed format on the third. The final eight have always been played using the Standard decks from the first day. Earlier Worlds occasionally used Rochester Drafts instead of Booster Drafts, also the fourth day of Worlds hosted a team format, for the national teams to compete in, but beginning with the 2007 Worlds, World Championships have been shortened to four days instead of five. The schedule has been altered accordingly, but no consistent pattern has emerged yet.
[edit] Tournament structure
All Pro Tours are run using a modified Swiss system. Typical Pro Tours were held over three days with 7 rounds (for Limited PTs) or 8 rounds (for Constructed PTs) of Swiss the first day. Players with fewer than 4 victories (Limited) after round 6 or 5 victories after round 8 (Constructed) were eliminated. 8 more rounds of Swiss followed on the second day after which the eight best finishing players constitute what is called the Top 8. On the third and final day, the Top 8 players play single-elimination until the winner is determined. Starting with the 2009 season this system is modified to accompany the fact, that each PT utilizes constructed and limited formats.
Team Limited Pro Tours were run the first day using the Team Sealed format, the second day using the Team Rochester Draft format. The top 4 finishing teams advanced to the last day of competition, which was also run in the Team Rochester format.
World Championships used to be held over five days with six rounds of individual play on day one though three. The fourth day featured the national team competition. On the fifth day the Top 8 returned to determine the World Champion in three rounds of single elimination. Worlds were shortened to four days in 2007, though. In 2007 the Worlds featured five rounds of Standard and Legacy on day one and two, respectively. A Booster Draft of three round was also held on both days. The team competition was held on the third day and the Top 8 on the fourth and final day.[4] Worlds 2008 will have the individual formats laid out over three days, while the team competition is added to day one and three. On the fourth and final day the team finals and the individual finals will be played.[5]
[edit] Payout
Traditionally the payout at the Pro Tour has been based only on the finishing place with a total of US$234,000 given out using the following pattern (for teams, indicated are the total winnings for teams of three):
| Place | Individual | Team | Worlds | Team Worlds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $40,000 | $75,000 | $50,000 | $30,000 |
| 2 | $22,000 | $36,000 | $25,000 | $15,000 |
| 3 | $15,000 | $21,000 | $16,000 | $9,000 |
| 4 | $14,000 | $18,000 | $15,000 | $7,500 |
| 5-8 | $11,500-10,000 | $12,900-7,500 | $11,500-10,000 | $6,000-3,750 |
| 9-16 | $7,000-3,750 | $6,300-2,400 | $7,000-3,750 | $3,000 |
In individual Pro Tours the payout extends down to 75th place, while in team Pro Tours it goes to the 25th team.
In PT:Philadelphia 2005 a new payout system was tested. The tournament was run using triple-elimination (with a draw counting as a loss for both players) and each match was run with money at stake. The amount of money earned by the winner of the match increased from $100 in round 1 to $1,500 in round 12. This system had the result of distributing the money more evenly among competitors (out of 311, only 40 failed to make money) but the top finishers earned significantly less money than they would have under the old system. This layout was largely criticized by players and internet writers and has not returned since.
[edit] Pro Points
Pro Points are awarded as follows:
| Place | Individual PT | Team PT | Worlds Team | Nationals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | 20 | 6 | 10 |
| 2 | 20 | 16 | 5 | 8 |
| 3-4 | 16 | 12 | 4 | 6 |
| 5-8 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 4 |
| 9-12 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
| 13-16 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| 17-24 | 7 | 4 | - | - |
| 25-32 | 6 | 3 | - | - |
| 33-64 | 5 | 2 | - | - |
| 65-100 | 4 | 2 | - | - |
| 101-200 | 3 | 2 | - | - |
| 201+ | 2 | 2 | - | - |
Players are awarded Pro Players Club levels, depending on the amount of Pro Points they have collected in a given season. Club members are awarded special benefits:
- Level 1 (requiring 1 point): One bye at Grand Prix tournaments.
- Level 2 (10): Two byes at Grand Prix tournaments; invitation to nationals.
- Level 3 (15): Level 2 benefits; invitation to one PT or Worlds of the player's choice.
- Level 4 (20): Three byes at Grand Prix tournaments; invitation to nationals; invitation to all Pro Tours.
- Level 5 (25): Level 4 benefits; player receives $250 for appearance at any Pro Tour.
- Level 6 (30): Level 4 benefits; player receives $1250 for appearance at any Pro Tour; free travel ticket to one Pro Tour of the player's choice.
- Level 7 (40): Level 4 benefits; player receives $1750 for appearance at any Pro Tour; player receives $250 appearance fee at any Grand Prix; free travel ticket to all Pro Tours.
- Level 8 (50): Level 4 benefits; player receives $2250 for appearance at any Pro Tour; player receives $500 appearance fee at any Grand Prix; free travel ticket to all Pro Tours; free accommodation at all Pro Tours.
[edit] Pro Player of the Year
The Pro Player of the Year title is awarded to the individual who has accumulated the most pro points over the course of a season. This person receives invitations to several high-level tournaments throughout the following year, as well as travel and other accommodations to each of the following season's Pro Tours, including the World Championship.[6]
| Season | Player of the Year |
|---|---|
| 1996 |  Olle Råde |
| 1996–97 |  Paul McCabe |
| 1997–98 |  Jon Finkel |
| 1998–99 |  Kai Budde |
| 1999–2000 | Bob Maher, Jr. |
| 2000–01 | Kai Budde |
| 2001–02 | Kai Budde |
| 2002–03 | Kai Budde |
| 2003–04 |  Gabriel Nassif |
| 2005 |  Kenji Tsumura |
| 2006 | Shouta Yasooka |
| 2007 | Tomoharu Saitou |
| 2008 | Shuhei Nakamura |
[edit] Rookie of the Year
The Rookie of the Year title is awarded to the player who has accumulated the most pro points over the course of a season and has not participated in a Pro Tour or World Championship before that season. This person receives travel and accommodations to one Pro Tour event (including the World Championship) during the next season, though that player must obtain an invitation to that event on his or her own.[7]
| Season | Rookie of the Year |
|---|---|
| 1995–96 | None awarded |
| 1996–97 | None awarded |
| 1997–98 | Randy Buehler |
| 1998–99 | Dirk Baberowski |
| 1999–2000 | Brian Davis |
| 2000–01 | Katsuhiro Mori |
| 2001–02 | Farid Meraghni |
| 2002–03 | Masashi Oiso |
| 2003–04 |  Julien Nuijten |
| 2005 | Pierre Canali |
| 2006 | Sebastian Thaler |
| 2007 | Yuuya Watanabe |
| 2008 |  Aaron Nicastri |
[edit] Best performers
Players who have reached the final day of the Pro Tour several times are recognized for their skill and dedication to the game. The following table shows all players who either achieved five Pro Tour Top 8s or two wins. Only 19 players have achieved the feat of making 5 or more Top 8s while just 7 have won more than once.[8]
| Player | Wins | Top 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Kai Budde |
7 | 9 |
| Jon Finkel |
3 | 12 |
| Dirk Baberowski |
3 | 5 |
| Gabriel Nassif |
2 | 9 |
 Nicolai Herzog |
2 | 5 |
 Tommi Hovi |
2 | 4 |
| Marco Blume |
2 | 2 |
| Darwin Kastle |
1 | 8 |
| Kamiel Cornelissen |
1 | 5 |
| Rob Dougherty |
1 | 5 |
| Dave Humpherys |
1 | 5 |
| Scott Johns |
1 | 5 |
| Olle Råde |
1 | 5 |
| Tomoharu Saitou |
1 | 5 |
| Mike Turian |
1 | 5 |
| Masashi Oiso |
0 | 6 |
| Kenji Tsumura |
0 | 6 |
| Alan Comer |
0 | 5 |
| Anton Jonsson |
0 | 5 |
| Shuhei Nakamura |
0 | 5 |
| Olivier Ruel |
0 | 5 |
As of 19 March 2009[update]
See also: List of Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour events
[edit] Most successful countries
The countries with the most Pro Tour wins are
- United States with 29
- Germany with 11
- France with 7
- Japan with 6
- Canada and Norway are tied with 4
As of 19 March 2009[update]
[edit] Making a living
Very few players can claim to earn enough money for a living by playing on the Pro Tour alone. Several players have won more than $100,000 playing Magic, the most successful even more $250,000, but spread over several years, and the figures do not take into account the cost of travel.
However, some professional players do make a living entirely through Magic by supplementing Pro Tour winnings with Magic-related activities such as:
- writing (strategy articles for websites or books)
- selling Magic Online tickets (by winning online tournaments, pros receive packs which they trade online for tickets which they then sell via e-commerce websites such as eBay and PayPal)
Other players are professional gamers who supplement their Magic income with income from other games. Some play poker professionally, either live or on the internet; others are game store owners.
[edit] Gender gap
Magic is seen as a game overwhelmingly dominated by males, both on the Pro Tour and off. A woman has never made the Top 8 of a PT; however, Michelle Bush did get 2nd place at Grand Prix New Orleans in 2001. Until PT Charleston in 2006, though, a woman had never even finished in the money at a traditional-payout PT. That changed when Asami Kataoka and team Tottori 1 6 1 (led by 5-time Top 8er Masashi Oiso) finished in 18th place, earning the team US$1800 in total (Asami did win money at a PT before, winning $100 at the skins-game PT Philadelphia in 2005).
Yet the only largest accomplishment a woman has ever made at such a high level came from Eda Bilsel of Turkey back in 2003 when she became the first female National Champion in the history of the game. Although she placed 307th place in the individual standings at Worlds with her national team taking 35th in the Team standings, she caught the attention of many players and coverage reporters who attended the event during the flag ceremony that year. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=sideboard/worlds03/fm5)
Additionally, Melissa deTora is quickly establishing herself on the Pro Tour. DeTora made money at PT Valencia 2007 (54th place), PT Kuala Lumpur 2008 (62nd place), and the 2008 United States National Championship (18th place).
[edit] References
- ^ Rosewater, Mark (1994). "An M:TGer At GENCON". The Duelist (Wizards of the Coast) (3): 39-42. http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/feature/226gencon.
- ^ Rosewater, Mark (2004-07-26). "On Tour, Part 1". Wizards of the Coast. http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr134. Retrieved on 2008-12-04.
- ^ Magic Premier Event Invitation Policy, available at The DCI Document Center. Retrieved on 25 May 2007.
- ^ "2007 Magic World Championships Tournament Format". Wizards of the Coast. 2007. http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=events/magic/worlds-07format. Retrieved on 2008-12-04.
- ^ "2008 Magic World Championships Tournament Format". Wizards of the Coast. 2008. http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Events.aspx?x=events/magic/worlds08-format. Retrieved on 2008-12-04.
- ^ "2006 Pro Player of the Year Race". http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=protour/standings/poy06. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
- ^ "2006 Rookie of the Year Race". http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=protour/standings/roy06. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
- ^ "Lifetime Pro Tour Top 8s". http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=protour/standings/top8byplayer. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
[edit] See also
- List of Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour events
- Magic: The Gathering World Championship
- Duelists' Convocation International
[edit] External links
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