Pro Tour
From MTG Salvation Wiki
The Pro Tour, abbreviated PT, is a series of major yearly invitation-only DCI sanctioned Magic: The Gathering tournaments.
The first Pro Tour was held in New York City in Febuary 1996.
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[edit] Pro Tour Season
The Pro Tour Season currently consists of 4 Pro Tour events spread through the calendar year and concludes with the Magic World Championships in December.
Prior to 2004, the season ran roughly August to August, culminating with Worlds in August or early September. The 2003-2004 season was extended through the end of 2004 with Worlds in December. 2005 began the current season setup.
The number of Pro Tours (not including Worlds) has varied in past seasons:
- 1995-1996: 3 PTs
- 1996-1997: 5 PTs
- 1997-1998: 4 PTs
- 1998-1999: 4 PTs
- 1999-2000: 5 PTs
- 2000-2001: 5 PTs
- 2001-2002: 5 PTs
- 2002-2003: 5 PTs
- 2003-2004: 6 PTs
- 2005: 6 PTs
- 2006: 4 PTs
- 2007: 4 PTs
[edit] Qualifying for the Pro Tour
Pro Tours are invitation only. There several ways to qualify and complete list can be found in the Magic: The Gathering Premier Event Invitation Policy. The most common ways are:
- winning a Pro Tour Qualifier (PTQ) that feeds that PT event
- finishing high enough at a Grand Prix that feeds that PT event
- having Level 3 or higher in the Pro Players Club (aka "being on the gravy train")
- being reigning World Champ or Player of the Year
- having a high enough DCI Rating in the format of the PT
[edit] Most Pro Tour Top 8s
As of July 2007, 5 players have ever made Top 8 at more than 5 Pro Tours (including Worlds):
- Jon Finkel - 11
- Kai Budde - 9
- Darwin Kastle - 8
- Gabriel Nassif - 7
- Masashi Oiso - 6
Of those five, only Oiso has not yet won a Pro Tour.
[edit] Winners of Multiple Pro Tours
As of August 2009, only 6 players have ever won multiple Pro Tours (including Worlds):
- Kai Budde - 7 (including 1 Worlds and 2 team events)
- Dirk Baberowski - 3 (including 2 team events)
- Jon Finkel - 3 (including 1 Worlds)
- Nicolai Herzog - 2
- Tommi Hovi - 2
- Marco Blume - 2 (both team events)
- Gabriel Nassif - 2 (including 1 team event)
The only players to win multiple team Pro Tours are Budde, Baberowski, and Blume who won them in consecutive years as The Phoenix Foundation.
[edit] Other Noteable Pro Tour Performances
Raphael Levy has played in over 50 consecutive Pro Tours (including Worlds).
[edit] Pro Points
Pro Points are are won acquired by participating in a Pro Tour or Magic World Championships or finishing high enough at a Grand Prix. The amount of Pro Points a player wins at an event depends on how well they do.
Pro Points are used to determine a player's level in the Pro Players Club and to determine the winner of the Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards. Having 100 lifetime Pro Points is also a requirements to be eligible for the Magic Pro Tour Hall of Fame.
As of July 2007, Kai Budde has the most lifetime Pro Points with 472. The only other players with 300 or more lifetime Pro Points are Jon Finkel (384), Olivier Ruel (332), and Darwin Kastle (329).
[edit] Amateur Status
A player that has never played in a Pro Tour event or Worlds (excluding side events) is considered to have Amateur Status.
Prior to September 2006, Amateur Status only applied to players who did not have any lifetime Pro Points. Since Pro Points can be won by a high enough finish at a Grand Prix, it was previously possible to lose your Amateur Status without ever playing at a Pro Tour.
[edit] See Also
- Magic World Championships
- Magic Pro Tour Hall of Fame
- Pro Players Club
- Player of the Year
- Rookie of the Year
- Pro Tour Player Cards
- DCI
- Pro Tour Qualifier
- Grand Prix
[edit] References
- The Week That Was - You're Invited
- Pro Tour Top 8s - By Event
- Pro Tour Top 8s - By Player
- Lifetime Pro Points
- Magic: The Gathering Premier Event Invitation Policy
