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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 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 greatest accomplishment a competitive Magic player can realistically achieve regularly. Professional players are thus often compared by the number of Pro Tour Top 8 finishes they have made throughout their career. The most successful players on the Pro Tour are Kai Budde who won seven Pro Tours out of ten Top 8 finishes and Jon Finkel who won three Pro Tours while making it to the Top 8 twelve times.
The first major Magic: The Gathering tournament was the 1994 World Championship held at Gen Con '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] The first Pro Tour season included three more Pro Tour events, culminating in the final Pro Tour, the World Championship, held in Seattle. In the following years a Pro Tour season (one year) always consisted of five and later six Pro Tours. From 2003 to 2005 Wizards of the Coast made an effort to bring the Pro Tour seasons in accordance with the calendar year instead of having the seasons last from August to August the next year. This resulted in two seasons of seven Pro Tours. Afterwards Pro Tour seasons were reduced to five and finally four Pro Tours a year.
Prize payouts have increased slowly over the years from ca. $150,000 per tournament in 1996–97 to ca. $230,000 in 2011. In the first Pro Tour season each Pro Tour awarded more prizes than the previous one, though. Afterwards prize payouts had only minor fluctuations throughout a season with the exception of the World Championships which always award some additional prizes.
Pro Tours started as single-format events in 1996, alternating between Constructed and Limited, with the exception of the World Championships which have been multi-format events since the inception of the Pro Tour. In 2010 Pro Tours were changed to always have several rounds of Constructed and Limited play.
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]
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 Tour
Chris Pikula randomly received an exemption for the Pro Tour in 2011 - no reason given.....
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.
Previously, all Pro Tours other than World Championships have been held in a single format. However, beginning with the 2009 season, Pro Tours host one constructed and one limited format. Constructed Pro Tours utilized either Block Constructed, Standard, or Extended, while Limited Pro Tours were usually 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 since 2007 no team event has been held.
Beginning with the 2009 season each Pro Tour features a constructed format as well as a booster draft format. Day one and two of each PT will 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.
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]
Traditionally the payout at the Pro Tour has been based only on the finishing place with a total of US$230,795 (US$245,145 at Worlds) 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 | $45,000 | $12,000 |
| 2 | $20,000 | $36,000 | $24,000 | $7,500 |
| 3 | $15,000 | $21,000 | $15,000 | $6,000 |
| 4 | $13,000 | $18,000 | $14,000 | $5,250 |
| 5–8 | $11,000-9,500 | $11,000-9,500 | $11,500-10,000 | $4,500-3,375 |
| 9–16 | $7,000-3,750 | $7,000-3,700 | $7,000-3,750 | $3,000 |
In individual Pro Tours the payout extends down to 65th place, and to 75th place at the World Championships,[6] 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.
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 | - | - |
*Pro points are only awarded at closed (invitation-only) Nationals.
Players are awarded Pro Players Club levels, depending on the amount of Pro Points they have collected in a given season. A player of level 4 is generally said to be "on the Gravy Train", meaning that he is qualified for all Pro Tours of the season. Club members are also awarded further benefits:[7]
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.[8]
In November 2011, it was announced that the Pro Player of the Year award as it existed would end with the 2011 season.[9] The Pro Player of the Year title will be functionally replaced by the World Championship, starting with the 2012 World Championship.[9]
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.[11]
As with the Player of the Year title, the Rookie of the Year title was retired at the end of the 2011 season.[9] Wizards claims to be looking to create a new version of the Rookie of the Year title that is not dependent on the outgoing Pro Points system.[9]
| Season | Rookie of the Year |
|---|---|
| 1995–96 | None awarded |
| 1996–97 | None awarded |
| 1997–98 | Randy Buehler |
| 1998–99 | Dirk Baberowski |
| 1999–00 | 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 |
| 2009 | Lino Burgold |
| 2010 | Andrea Giarola |
| 2011 | Matthias Hunt |
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 21 players have achieved the feat of making 5 or more Top 8s while just 7 have won more than once.[12] The following table is accurate as of Worlds 2011.
| Player | Wins | Top 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Kai Budde | 7 | 10 |
| Jon Finkel | 3 | 12 |
| Dirk Baberowski | 3 | 5 |
| Gabriel Nassif | 2 | 9 |
| Nicolai Herzog | 2 | 5 |
| Tommi Hovi | 2 | 4 |
| Marco Blume | 2 | 3 |
| Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa | 1 | 8 |
| 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 |
| Luis Scott-Vargas | 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 Worlds 2011, players from the following countries have won Pro Tours (for a more detailed country breakdown, see the list of Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour events article):
| Rank | Country | Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 33 |
| 2 | Germany | 12 |
| 3 | France | 8 |
| Japan | ||
| 5 | Canada | 4 |
| Norway | ||
| 7 | Finland | 3 |
| Netherlands | ||
| Sweden | ||
| 10 | Brazil | 2 |
| 11 | Belgium | 1 |
| Czech Republic | ||
| Israel | ||
| Italy | ||
| Portugal |
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 than $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:
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.
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, two women have made the Top 8 of a Grand Prix - Michelle Bush (second place, New Orleans, 2001) and Melissa DeTora (fourth place, Santiago, 2011). Until PT Charleston in 2006, however, a woman had never even finished in the money at a traditional-payout PT. That changed when Asami Kataoka, as part of the team "Tottori 1 6 1" (led by five-time Top 8er Masashi Oiso) finished in 18th place at the event, earning the team US$1800 in total. (Kataoka had won money at a PT before, winning $100 at the skins-game PT Philadelphia in 2005.)
The highest-profile first-place finish by a woman in the game's history belongs to Eda Bilsel of Turkey, who, in 2003, became Magic's first (and, as of July 2011, only) female national champion. Although she finished in 307th place in the individual standings at that year's 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.[13]
The highest finish for a woman at an individual PT was that of England's Carrie Oliver, who finished 32nd at PT Nagoya 2011, winning US$1350. Since it was her debut PT after only 18 months of playing the game (having learned to play via Duels of the Planeswalkers), it also marked the highest finish of a woman in her first PT appearance, earning her several mentions during the coverage of the event, including a feature article.[14]
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