Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour season 2009
Pro Player of the Year | Yuuya Watanabe | ||
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Rookie of the Year | Lino Burgold | ||
World Champion | André Coimbra | ||
Pro Tours | 4 | ||
Grands Prix | 19 | ||
Hall of Fame inductions | Antoine Ruel Kamiel Cornelissen Frank Karsten | ||
Start of season | 17 January 2009 | ||
End of season | 22 November 2009 | ||
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The 2009 Pro Tour season was the fourteenth season of the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour. It began on 17 January 2009 with Grand Prix Los Angeles, and ended on 22 November 2009 with the conclusion of the 2009 World Championship in Rome. The season consisted of nineteen Grand Prixs, and four Pro Tours, located in Kyoto, Honolulu, Austin, and Rome.[1] At the end of the season, Yuuya Watanabe was awarded the Pro Player of the Year, making him the first player to win both that title and the Rookie of the Year title which he had won two years prior.[2] Frank Karsten, Kamiel Cornelissen, and Antoine Ruel were inducted into the Hall of Fame at the world championships in Rome.[3]
Mode
Four Pro Tours and nineteen Grand Prixs will be held in the 2009 season. Further Pro Points will be awarded at national championships. These Pro Points will be used mainly to determine the Pro Player club levels of players participating in these events, but also decide which player will be awarded the Pro Player of the year title at the end of the season. Based on final standings Pro Points were awarded as follows:[4]
Rank | Pro Points awarded at | |||
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Pro Tour | Grand Prix | Nationals | Worlds (Team) | |
1 | 25 | 10 | 10 | 6 |
2 | 20 | 8 | 8 | 5 |
3–4 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
5–8 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
9–12 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
13–16 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
17–24 | 7 | 2 | ||
25–32 | 6 | 2 | ||
33–64 | 5 | 1 | ||
65–100 | 4 | |||
101–200 | 3 | |||
201+ | 2 |
Grand Prix – Los Angeles, Rotterdam
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Pro Tour – Kyoto (27 February – 1 March 2009)
Pro Tour veteran Gabriel Nassif defeated Luis Scott-Vargas in the finals of Pro Tour Kyoto, giving him his first individual title in his ninth Top 8.[5]
Tournament data
Prize pool: $230,795
Players: 381
Format: Standard, Booster Draft
Head Judge: Riccardo Tessitori[6]
Top 8
Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
1 | Luis Scott-Vargas | 3 | ||||||||||||
8 | Masayasu Tanahashi | 0 | ||||||||||||
Luis Scott-Vargas | 3 | |||||||||||||
Brian Robinson | 1 | |||||||||||||
4 | Cedric Philips | 0 | ||||||||||||
5 | Brian Robinson | 3 | ||||||||||||
Luis Scott-Vargas | 2 | |||||||||||||
Gabriel Nassif | 3 | |||||||||||||
2 | Matteo Orsini Jones | 2 | ||||||||||||
7 | Gabriel Nassif | 3 | ||||||||||||
Gabriel Nassif | 3 | |||||||||||||
Akimasa Yamamoto | 1 | |||||||||||||
3 | Akimasa Yamamoto | 3 | ||||||||||||
6 | Jan Ruess | 2 |
Final standings
Place | Player | Prize | Pro Points | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Gabriel Nassif | $40,000 | 25 | 9th Final day, 2nd Pro Tour win |
2 | Luis Scott-Vargas | $20,000 | 20 | 2nd Final day |
3 | Akimasa Yamamoto | $15,000 | 16 | |
4 | Brian Robinson | $13,000 | 16 | Pro Tour debut |
5 | Matteo Orsini-Jones | $11,000 | 12 | |
6 | Cedric Philips | $10,500 | 12 | |
7 | Jan Ruess | $10,000 | 12 | 2nd Final day |
8 | Masayu Tanahashi | $9,500 | 12 |
Pro Player of the year standings
Rank | Player | Pro Points |
---|---|---|
1 | Luis Scott-Vargas | 30 |
2 | Gabriel Nassif | 29 |
3 | Brian Robinson | 16 |
Akimasa Yamamoto | 16 | |
5 | Martin Juza | 14 |
Grand Prixs – Chicago, Hanover, Singapore, Kobe, Barcelona, Seattle
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Pro Tour Honolulu (5–7 June 2009)
In his second Pro Tour finals appearance, Kazuya Mitamura defeated Pro Tour newcomer Michal Hebky.[7]
Tournament data
Prize pool: $230,795
Players: 396
Format: Booster Draft, Block Constructed
Head Judge: Toby Elliot[8]
Top 8
Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
1 | Christophe Gregoir | 1 | ||||||||||||
8 | Kazuya Mitamura | 3 | ||||||||||||
Kazuya Mitamura | 3 | |||||||||||||
Paul Rietzl | 0 | |||||||||||||
4 | Paul Rietzl | 3 | ||||||||||||
5 | Tom Ross | 2 | ||||||||||||
Kazuya Mitamura | 3 | |||||||||||||
Michal Hebky | 2 | |||||||||||||
2 | Brian Kibler | 1 | ||||||||||||
7 | Conley Woods | 3 | ||||||||||||
Conley Woods | 2 | |||||||||||||
Michal Hebky | 3 | |||||||||||||
3 | Zac Hill | 2 | ||||||||||||
6 | Michal Hebky | 3 |
Final standings
Place | Player | Prize | Pro Points | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kazuya Mitamura | $40,000 | 25 | 3rd Final day |
2 | Michael Hebky | $20,000 | 20 | |
3 | Paul Rietzl | $15,000 | 16 | |
4 | Conley Woods | $13,000 | 16 | |
5 | Christophe Gregoir | $11,000 | 12 | |
6 | Zac Hill | $10,500 | 12 | |
7 | Brian Kibler | $10,000 | 12 | 2nd Final day |
8 | Tom Ross | $9,500 | 12 |
Pro Player of the year standings
Rank | Player | Pro Points |
---|---|---|
1 | Luis Scott-Vargas | 45 |
2 | Gabriel Nassif | 44 |
3 | Tomoharu Saitou | 36 |
4 | Kazuya Mitamura | 32 |
5 | Michal Hebky | 27 |
Grand Prixs – Sao Paulo, Boston, Brighton, Bangkok, Niigata, Prague, Melbourne
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Pro Tour Austin (16–18 October 2009)
Both enjoying a comeback to the top level of Magic, Brian Kibler and Tsuyoshi Ikeda met in the finals, with Kibler winning in his second top eight in 2009.[9]
Tournament data
Prize pool: $230,795
Players: 416[10]
Format: Extended, Booster Draft
Head Judge: Riccardo Tessitori[10]
Top 8
Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
1 | Tsuyoshi Ikeda | 3 | ||||||||||||
8 | Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa | 2 | ||||||||||||
Tsuyoshi Ikeda | 3 | |||||||||||||
Naoki Shimizu | 1 | |||||||||||||
4 | Martin Juza | 2 | ||||||||||||
5 | Naoki Shimizu | 3 | ||||||||||||
Tsuyoshi Ikeda | 0 | |||||||||||||
Brian Kibler | 3 | |||||||||||||
2 | Evangelos Papatrarouchas | 2 | ||||||||||||
7 | Brian Kibler | 3 | ||||||||||||
Brian Kibler | 3 | |||||||||||||
Hunter Burton | 2 | |||||||||||||
3 | Yuuya Watanabe | 2 | ||||||||||||
6 | Hunter Burton | 3 |
Final standings
Place | Player | Prize | Pro Points | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brian Kibler | $40,000 | 25 | 3rd Final day |
2 | Tsuyoshi Ikeda | $20,000 | 20 | 4th Final day |
3 | Naoki Shimizu | $15,000 | 16 | |
4 | Hunter Burton | $13,000 | 16 | |
5 | Evangelos Papatrarouchas | $11,000 | 12 | |
6 | Yuuya Watanabe | $10,500 | 12 | |
7 | Martin Juza | $10,000 | 12 | 2nd Final day |
8 | Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa | $9,500 | 12 | 5th Final day |
Pro Player of the year standings
Rank | Player | Pro Points |
---|---|---|
1 | Yuuya Watanabe | 62 |
2 | Martin Juza | 54 |
3 | Tomoharu Saitou | 51 |
4 | Gabriel Nassif | 50 |
5 | Shuhei Nakamura | 48 |
Luis Scott-Vargas | 48 |
Grand Prixs – Tampa, Kitakyushu, Paris, Minneapolis
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2009 World Championships – Rome (19–22 November 2009)
The 2009 World Championship marked several firsts in Pro Tour history. For the first time ever, eight different countries were represented in the quarterfinals, and there were no American or Japanese players in the top eight. Playing in his second Worlds top eight, André Coimbra of Portugal defeated Austrian David Reitbauer to become World Champion. In the team event, Austria finished second as well, losing to the Chinese team in the final.[11]
Tournament data
Prize pool: $245,245 (individual) + $192,425 (teams)
Players: 409 (55 National teams)
Formats: Standard, Booster Draft, Extended
Team Formats: Standard, Extended, Legacy
Head Judge: Sheldon Menery[12]
Top 8
Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | ||||||||||||
1 | David Reitbauer | 3 | ||||||||||||
8 | Florian Pils | 0 | ||||||||||||
David Reitbauer | 3 | |||||||||||||
Terry Soh | 2 | |||||||||||||
4 | Terry Soh | 3 | ||||||||||||
5 | Manuel Bucher | 2 | ||||||||||||
David Reitbauer | 0 | |||||||||||||
André Coimbra | 3 | |||||||||||||
2 | William Cavaglieri | 2 | ||||||||||||
7 | Bram Snepvangers | 3 | ||||||||||||
Bram Snepvangers | 2 | |||||||||||||
André Coimbra | 3 | |||||||||||||
3 | André Coimbra | 3 | ||||||||||||
6 | Marijn Lybaert | 1 |
Final standings
Place | Player | Prize | Pro Points | Comment |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | André Coimbra | $45,000 | 25 | 2nd Final day, first Portuguese player to win a Pro Tour |
2 | David Reitbauer | $24,000 | 20 | |
3 | Terry Soh | $15,000 | 16 | 3rd Final day |
4 | Bram Snepvangers | $14,000 | 16 | 4th Final day |
5 | William Cavaglieri | $11,000 | 12 | |
6 | Manuel Bucher | $10,500 | 12 | |
7 | Marijn Lybaert | $10,000 | 12 | 3rd Final day |
8 | Florian Pils | $9,500 | 12 |
National team competition
- China (Wu Tong, Bo Li, Zhiyang Zhang)
- Austria (Benedikt Klauser, Benjamin Rozhon, Bernhard Lehner)
- Czech Republic (Lukas Jaklovsky, Lukas Blohon, Jan Kotrla)
- Netherlands (Kevin Grove, Niels Noorlander, Tom van Lamoen)
Pro Player of the year final standings
After the World Championship, Yuuya Watanabe was awarded the Pro Player of the year title, making him the fifth consecutive Japanese player to win the award.[2]
Rank | Player | Pro Points |
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1 | Yuuya Watanabe | 78 |
2 | Tomoharu Saitou | 66 |
3 | Martin Juza | 64 |
4 | Gabriel Nassif | 60 |
5 | Shuhei Nakamura | 56 |
Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa | 56 | |
7 | Luis Scott-Vargas | 52 |
8 | Kazuya Mitamura | 50 |
Performance by country
The United States had the most Top 8 appearances at ten, but they also had by far the most players playing in the Pro Tour. With Japan at 17 they share the highest number of level 4+ professional Magic players, too.
Country | T8 | Q | Q/T8 | M | GT | Best Player (PPts) |
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United States | 10 | 426 | 43 | 208 | 17 | Luis Scott-Vargas (52) |
Japan | 6 | 175 | 29 | 149 | 17 | Yuuya Watanabe (78) |
Germany | 2 | 73 | 37 | 168 | 5 | Lino Burgold (32) |
Belgium | 2 | 34 | 17 | 191 | 4 | Marijn Lybaert (25) |
Czech Republic | 2 | 35 | 18 | 113 | 3 | Martin Juza (64) |
France | 1 | 81 | 81 | 198 | 5 | Gabriel Nassif (60) |
Brazil | 1 | 39 | 39 | 196 | 2 | Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa (56) |
Italy | 1 | 73 | 73 | 248 | 2 | Riccardo Neri (24) |
T8 = Number of players from that country appearing in a Pro Tour Top 8; Q = Number of players from that country participating in Pro Tours; M = Median finish over all PTs; GT = Gravy Trainers (aka players with a Pro Players Club level of 4 or more) from that country created in the 2009 season; Best Player (PPts) = Player with the most Pro Points from that country, Pro Points of that player in brackets.
References
- ^ "Tournaments and Events Schedule". Wizards of the Coast. 2009. Archived from the original on 4 September 2008. Retrieved 31 March 2009.
- ^ a b "2009 Pro Tour Player of the Year Standings". Wizards of the Coast. 25 November 2009. Archived from the original on 2 April 2009. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
- ^ David-Marshall, Brian (7 August 2009). "2009 Pro Tour Hall of Fame Class". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 10 August 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
- ^ "Magic: The Gathering Pro Points Structure". Wizards of the Coast. 2009. Archived from the original on 19 January 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
- ^ "Nassif: The Greater Power". Wizards of the Coast. 1 March 2009. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2009.
- ^ "Photo Essay: The View from Kyoto". Wizards of the Coast. 27 February 2009. Archived from the original on 2 March 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
- ^ "Mitamura Finds Gold in Paradise". Wizards of the Coast. 5 June 2009. Archived from the original on 11 June 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
- ^ "Friday, June 5, 5:38 pm – What Makes a Judge Dance?". Wizards of the Coast. 5 June 2009. Archived from the original on 11 June 2009. Retrieved 21 July 2009.
- ^ "Kibler Completes Comeback with Austin Victory". Wizards of the Coast. 18 October 2009. Archived from the original on 19 October 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
- ^ a b Hagon, Rich (16 October 2009). "Pro Tour–Austin Feature: Anatomy of a Round". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 19 October 2009. Retrieved 17 October 2009.
- ^ "All Roads Lead to Victory for Coimbra, China". Wizards of the Coast. 22 November 2009. Archived from the original on 22 November 2009. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
- ^ "Head Judges of Pro Tours and World Championships". XS4ALL. 30 October 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2009.