The DCI

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The DCI (formerly, Duelists' Convocation International) is the official sanctioning body for competitive play in Magic: The Gathering and various other games produced by Wizards of the Coast and Avalon Hill. The DCI provides game rules, tournament operating procedures, and other materials to private tournament organizers and players. It also operates a judge certification program to provide consistent rules enforcement and promote fair play.

In order to play in sanctioned events, players must register for membership and receive a DCI number (PIN). The DCI maintains a global player ratings database based on a variation of the ELO rating system and members have access to their entire tournament history online. If a member commits frequent or flagrant rules infractions, his or her membership can be suspended for variable amounts of time depending on the severity, from one month to lifetime.

The DCI sanctions tournaments for a variety of games. Unlike those of many other game producers, a significant proportion of DCI events are organized and run by independent businesspeople and hobbyists, as opposed to by retailers.

[edit] Magic: The Gathering

See also: Variant Magic: The Gathering formats

The DCI maintains rules and assigns players ratings for three basic categories in Magic: Constructed, Eternal, and Limited. A fourth rating category, Composite, is the average of a player's Constructed and Limited ratings. Each category supports a number of related tournament formats. A player's tournament performance in one of the categories does not affect their rating or ranking in the others, except Composite.

A separate group of rankings is maintained for multiplayer variants. Sanctioned multiplayer currently uses teams comprised of two or three players. There are several multiplayer variants, each given its own ratings category.

[edit] Tournament Formats

[edit] Constructed

In Constructed tournaments, decks must consist of no fewer than 60 cards, and no more than four of any one card. The basic lands and (in formats where it is legal) the card Relentless Rats, however, may be used in any quantity. A Banned list of specific cards is maintained for each format.

Additionally, a 15-card sideboard is permitted, from which a player may modify his or her deck during a match to better deal with their opponent's strategy. Following the first game of a best-two-of-three match, each player is permitted to replace any number of cards in his or her deck with an equal number of cards from his or her sideboard. The original deck configuration is restored at the conclusion of the match.

Extended uses cards from the last seven blocks and the last three core sets. It currently uses cards from Seventh Edition, Invasion, and all subsequent sets.
Standard (or Type II) uses cards from the last two blocks in print and the current core set. It currently uses Tenth Edition, Coldsnap, Time Spiral, Planar Chaos, Future Sight, Lorwyn, Morningtide and Shadowmoor.
Block Constructed permits only cards from a single "block" of sets. Most tournaments use only the most recent block, but each block is potentially available, if announced ahead of time.

[edit] Eternal

Eternal formats follow the basic Constructed format rules for deck construction, but expands the available cards to include virtually all published Magic sets. The ratings are kept separate from other Constructed formats because of the barrier to the participation of new players. While ratings and rankings are maintained for this category, only Limited and Constructed format rankings are used for invitations to major tournaments, like Pro Tours or World Championships.

Vintage (formerly Type I) allows every published Magic set with the exception of the silver-bordered Unglued and Unhinged sets, as well as cards dealing with ante and any card that is "flipped" on the table, as these cards have been deemed unfit for competitive play. The Vintage format is the only format to have a Restricted list in addition to a Banned list. Each card on the Restricted list is limited to one per deck instead of the customary four. This is the only format that allows the "Power Nine".
Legacy (formerly Type 1.5) uses the same sets as Vintage, but has no Restricted list and a separate Banned list.

Vintage and Legacy were very closely related until September 1, 2004, when R&D decided that splitting the formats was a good idea. Certain cards formerly banned in Legacy were unbanned and the format was allowed to develop on its own. Legacy once had a reputation for being the "poor man's Vintage" but today has developed into a format very distinct from Vintage.

[edit] Limited

Limited tournaments are based on a pool of cards which the player receives at the time of the event. Any number of basic lands may also be added to the deck. The decks in limited tournaments need only be 40 cards minimum; all the unused cards function as the sideboard. There is no 4-of-a-kind limit per card as there is in Constructed decks.

There are three common types of limited tournaments.

Sealed deck: Players each receive a sealed tournament pack of 75 cards, 30 of which are basic lands, and two or three booster packs of 15 cards.
Booster draft: Players each receive three booster packs of 15 cards. After being seated around a table, each player simultaneously opens one booster pack, selects a single card, and then passes the rest to the next player over. After all players have drafted fifteen cards, they each open their second pack, and drafting continues. Players examine privately the cards they receive; direct communication between drafters is not allowed. A booster draft normally comprises eight players, but sometimes fewer will suffice. Once players have built their decks, they compete against the other players in the draft.
Rochester draft: Players each receive three booster packs of 15 cards. One player's first pack is opened, the cards are placed upon a table for all to see, and the players take turns selecting one card at a time until the pack is exhausted. The next player's pack is then opened, and drafting continues. A Rochester draft normally comprises eight players, but team Rochester uses two teams of three players each, who may communicate non-verbally during the draft.

[edit] Major tournaments

[edit] Pro Tour

Main article: Pro Tour (Magic: The Gathering)

Multiple Pro Tours are run every year around the world. A Pro Tour season begins in January (starting with the 2006 season), with an event held roughly every two months culminating at the World Championship. In the months proceeding each Pro Tour, local qualifiers (PTQs) are held around the world, where invitations are earned. Players accumulate Pro Points by attending Pro Tour events and can receive many more by placing highly. Pro Tours are invitation-only events, and only players with either a PTQ invitation, high number of Pro Points, or high DCI ranking can attend.

Winning a Pro Tour is most competitive Magic players' ultimate goal. Currently, each Pro Tour carries a total purse of $240,245 [US], with the winner receiving $40,000 [US] (the exact payout varies by player's final standing). Other benefits to top finishers include invitations to future Pro Tours, with the highest-ranking players over the course of several Pro Tour stops receiving additional prize money for travel and participation.

[edit] World Championship

The most prestigious tournament (and Pro Tour) of all is the World Championship, where the best of the best play against each other until the world champion is crowned. World Championships are played over five days, and include both individual and team formats. A required invitation is obtained either by placing very highly in a National Championship, or having a high enough DCI Composite ranking. The World Championships are now held at the end of the year usually in November/December, most recently (2007) in New York City, United States. The 2008 World Championships will be held in Memphis, TN Dec 11-14th.

[edit] Grand Prix

Grand Prix tournaments are open to everyone, both amateurs and professionals. The payout isn't as big as for a Pro Tour and winning a Grand Prix is not as prestigious, but they still attract international competition, as Pro Points are awarded to high finishing players. Additionally, a high finish at a Grand Prix qualifies a player to attend a future Pro Tour or World Championship. Grand Prix tournaments are held both in the United States and in other countries. Recently, Grand Prix events have been held in such diverse cities as Dallas, Los Angeles, Brussels, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, and Eindhoven. Many players enjoy traveling to Grand Prix tournaments simply to travel and to see the sights around the world.

[edit] Invitational

The Magic Invitational (formerly the Duelist Invitational) is a non-sanctioned tournament held for the 16 highest performers of the year. The winner of the World Championship, the Pro Tour player of the year, and several fan-voted players are among the contestants in a who's-who of professional Magic. The prize of this tournament is not money but rather the opportunity to design a new card for an upcoming expansion. When the card is printed, its artwork traditionally depicts the victor as well.

The event was originally held in locations like Sydney and Cape Town, but in recent years, the Invitational has been held using Magic Online. Any player who has downloaded the Magic Online software can replay the completed matches.

The Magic Invitational winners to date, the cards they took part in designing, and the set they appeared in, are as follows:

1996: Olle Råde, Sylvan Safekeeper (Judgment)
1997: Darwin Kastle, Avalanche Riders (Urza's Legacy)
1998: Mike Long, Rootwater Thief (Nemesis)
1999: Chris Pikula, Meddling Mage (Planeshift)
2000: Jon Finkel, Shadowmage Infiltrator (Odyssey)
2001: Kai Budde, Voidmage Prodigy (Onslaught)
2002: Jens Thorén, Solemn Simulacrum (Mirrodin)
2004: Bob Maher, Dark Confidant (Ravnica: City of Guilds)
2005: Terry Soh, Rakdos Augermage (Dissension)
2006: Antoine Ruel, Card not yet released
2007: Tiago Chan, Card not yet released

[edit] Other tournaments

Prerelease tournaments are held in hundreds of locations around the world twelve to thirteen days before each new expansion, or set, is available for sale in stores. The prerelease provides a casual play atmosphere and provides an enjoyable atmosphere to get a preview of new cards.

Friday Night Magic (FNM) and Arena Leagues (currently defunct) are offered in many stores and clubs, allowing players to compete for special foil DCI cards and other prizes. These tournaments are mostly for amateurs and are a good place to start your Magic-playing career, but are only available at stores and clubs with Wizards of the Coast Premiere status.

Many other stores, school clubs, and community groups hold DCI-santioned events on a regular basis. Events are also held at almost all gaming conventions, such as Origins and GenCon.