Tournaments in Magic: The Gathering
The trading card game Magic: The Gathering is played by many thousands of players not only for fun ( casual play ), but "seriously" in tournaments . Official tournaments are sanctioned or organized by the so-called DCI (formerly standing for Duelists' Convocation International ). This organization also organizes the world championships and manages the world rankings.
Tournaments are mainly divided into official or unofficial and sanctioned or non-sanctioned tournaments. A tournament is official if it is organized by the DCI itself. A game is sanctioned if its results are included in the world rankings. Any combination is possible, because not all official tournaments are also sanctioned.
Tournament formats
There are different tournament formats in which different cards are allowed. However, these formats are also often used by amateur players. Please note that older cards that are reprinted in new editions are treated as if they were from the newer edition.
Constructed
In Constructed formats, each player puts together a deck of 60 cards or more from his own cards and a so-called sideboard of up to 15 cards before the tournament , with the number of copies of each individual card (with the exception of the 5 basic countries , which can be used as often as you like) are no more than 4 (the so-called four-card rule ). He then plays with this deck in the tournament. A distinction is made between different Constructed formats according to the editions whose cards can be used to build the deck and the sideboard.
The sideboard is used to better adjust to an opponent. After the first game of a round with an opponent, you can exchange cards from your main deck for cards from the sideboard. Likewise, after the second game you have the opportunity to swap again for a possibly outstanding third decisive game.
In the course of time, standard decks develop in the individual formats, which are played by many players in only a slightly modified form, as they have proven to be particularly strong. This phenomenon is also known as netdecking , as the players obtain the composition of their decks from the Internet. Such netdecks are almost exclusively found at important Constructed tournaments . The quality of a deck also largely depends on which other standard decks are currently established in a format, as some decks are stronger or weaker than certain deck types. Therefore, a so-called metagame is established for the individual formats , in which it is important to find and play the strongest possible deck depending on the decks to be expected. The standard decks naturally change when new editions are added to a format or old editions can no longer be played. There is a tendency for formats in which fewer editions are allowed to change faster and the addition or elimination of individual editions has a greater influence.
Vintage
At Vintage (formerly Type 1 ) cards from all editions can be played. There are a few exceptions, however: The Unglued and Unhinged editions were not designed for serious gaming from the start. These cannot be played in any format, not even in Vintage. Furthermore, Vanguard is also not tournament legal. All cards that are played for ante ( ante ) are also prohibited . However, these were recently in quite old editions and they have not been printed for a long time. Furthermore, all cards that require skill to be used ( Chaos Orb and Falling Star ) and all cards that require a sub-game to be played are prohibited (only one card is affected, namely Shahrazad ). A couple of cards may only be present once in the deck (they are restricted ), as they are disproportionately strong (e.g. Black Lotus , Time Walk , Ancestral Recall ).
Legacy
Since many players complain that vintage is too dependent on how well you pull at the beginning - after all, here and there you can see wins in the first round - there is the Legacy format (formerly type 1.5 ). The cards from all editions can also be played here, but many more cards are prohibited (banned) than in Vintage. As a result, Legacy is generally slower and the decks cheaper, as the expensive, extremely strong cards cannot be played here.
Modern
In August 2011, the new Modern format became an officially supported format. All cards from the 8th Edition and Mirrodin expansions are modern legal (except for forbidden cards, i.e. those that are on the ban list).
Extended
In the extended format (formerly type 1.X ), all cards from the last four years as well as the associated main editions were allowed. Every new edition became legal on the day of publication, while with the appearance of the annual major editions in autumn, the oldest edition block was eliminated (and possibly also the associated main edition). Since 2011, Extended is no longer sanctioned by the DCI as a format in favor of the new Modern format.
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In the standard format (formerly type 2 ), cards are allowed that are included in the current basic edition, as well as cards from the last two blocks. The standard format is most widely played in the world as the cards are more easily available in contrast to formats that allow older cards.
Block Constructed
In a block-constructed format (there is a separate block-constructed format for each block published so far), only cards from a single block are allowed. In Mirrodin Block Constructed, this would, for example, the cards of the Mirrodin block with the Editions Mirrodin , Darksteel and Fifth Dawn . Sanctioned tournaments in block format are usually played with the last published block. In contrast to the other Constructed formats, cards cannot rotate out here, cards in a block can always be played in the respective block format, unless they have been banned.
Highlander
The so-called Highlander or Commander formats are not officially sanctioned by the DCI, which is why they are considered hobby formats. However, Highlander tournaments are now also being held. A characteristic of all Highlander formats is that each card can only be played once with the exception of the basic lands. The decks of the most popular Highlander formats must contain at least 100 cards. The name of this format refers to the film Highlander - There can only be one .
As a variant of this format, Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH) has spread especially among referees. This is a multiplayer variant in which the players start with 40 life points. The specialty of this format is that a legendary creature, the so-called general , is set aside at the beginning of the game and can be played at any time for its normal mana cost. However, the cost increases as the game progresses. In addition, the deck can only contain cards in the general's colors.
Pauper
The Pauper format ( English & Latin = "poor person") was first created as an online format. Only ordinary, so-called "common" cards may be played here. All cards are allowed that were printed as normal cards in any Magic set (including online set). Due to the resulting low deck prices, this format is particularly popular with hobby players. The official Pauper list of banned cards includes Cranial Plating , Empty the Warrens , Frantic Search , Grapeshot, and Invigorate cards . As of September 27, 2013, Cloudpost and Temporal Fissure were added to the list.
Peasant
Peasant ( English = "peasant") a format based on Pauper, allows five unusual cards, so-called "uncommons" to be played in addition to the usual cards. As a result, compared to Pauper, you can develop a significantly higher combination of covering strategies at a similarly low covering price. Peasant tournaments are relatively rare as this format is not DCI sanctioned. There is no official list of prohibited cards, but tournaments often use the suggested list as suggested on the largest Peasant community page.
Limited
Limited formats, unlike the other formats, are not played with previously compiled decks. Instead, each player receives cards from boosters or tournament packs in different ways. The combination of boosters and tournament packs is called a product . Since the player is so limited, he only needs to create a 40-card deck, but any number of standard lands can be added. The four-card rule does not apply to Limited formats.
The special requirement of the limited format is that normal strategies cannot be transferred to this format. So you have to put together a deck from a very limited selection of cards and you are forced to play with non-optimal cards. In addition, of course, there is no netdecking phenomenon that occurs with constructed formats. Nevertheless, even with limited decks, there are often certain archetypes that have proven to be particularly strong. However, these archetypes change depending on the exact format and the product used.
Sealed deck
In Sealed Deck tournaments, you receive six boosters at the start of the tournament (one tournament pack and two to three boosters before the release of Alara Reborn), which corresponds to a total of 84 cards (excluding tokens and basic lands). Each player creates his deck from these cards and the countries presented in the tournament. This format is considered to be the most luck-dependent, as the card selection is purely random and players have no influence on it. For this reason, this format is no longer used, for example, on the Pro Tour, the highest tournament level. It is still very popular at smaller tournaments because, in contrast to draft formats, this format can be implemented with relatively little effort.
Booster Draft
Booster drafts are played with three 15-card boosters. Usually six to eight players sit around a table. Here each player opens a booster of the same edition at the same time, selects a card and passes the remaining cards on to their left neighbor. Now you get the remaining cards from your right neighbor, choose another card and pass the rest on again. When all cards of a booster are used up, the next one is opened, which is then passed to the right, the third booster again to the left. At the end, each player has 45 cards from which he builds a 40-card deck together with the standard countries provided by the tournament organizer. Then the players play against each other according to normal tournament rules.
Rochester Draft
The Rochester Draft was named after the city of Rochester , where it was first demonstrated. It works in a similar way to a booster draft. Here the boosters are not passed on, but instead the cards of a booster of a player are spread openly on the table. The player who opened the booster chooses the first card, his left neighbor the second, etc. The last player chooses two cards and the round goes back. When the booster is used up, the next player opens his booster and it starts all over again. If the last player has also used his first booster, he opens a new booster, but here the order goes around to the right. A new booster is also opened to the right. The third booster is selected again starting with the first player to the left and opened. At the end each player has 45 cards again, from which he must build a 40-card deck with basic lands. The sophistication of this drafting process is that you know what cards each opponent has.
Although Rochester Draft was considered the most demanding Limited format, it is no longer used at the Pro-Tour and PTQ levels. The reason given was that booster drafts were more popular. At the 2006 World Championships, however, a team Rochester Draft was held for the first time in the team finals.
Team formats
All three limited formats are also available in a team version for teams consisting of three players. With Team Sealed , the team opens a total of two tournament packs and four boosters or a total of ten booster packs. A total of three decks have to be built from this, with which the individual team members compete against other teams.
In the team draft formats ( Team Booster Draft and Team Rochester Draft ), the three team members sit next to each other and the opposing team sits opposite them. It is then drafted normally, whereby - as with the individual drafts - no verbal communication is allowed to take place. This often leads to a wild arm waving when team members try to give signals by means of previously agreed hand movements. It has since been announced that Team Drafts will no longer be offered on the Pro Tour.
Team Constructed formats are played like normal Constructed games, with each team member having their own deck. In many tournaments one of the players has to play a block-constructed deck, one a standard deck and the last player an extended deck. Team-Constructed has so far mainly been played in the German Magic Bundesliga, but is otherwise of little importance.
For the 2006 season, Wizards of the Coast introduced the Team Constructed format on the Pro Tour . There all three players on a team play in the same format, but the additional restriction applies that all three decks of the team together may not exceed the four-card rule. This means that a certain card may not be played more than four times by all three players together. As a result, the three players have to play practically different decks, since functionally identical cards with different names in the same format rarely exist of high-quality cards.
In all team formats, each player plays against exactly one player from the opposing team. The winner is the team that can first win two individual matches.
Multiplayer formats
The first official multiplayer format has existed since October 2005 . In contrast to the other formats, more than two players take part in a game. There are currently sanctioned two-headed tournaments. Two teams with two players each play against each other. Each team has a common move. Two-Headed Tournaments can be played as either Constructed or Sealed Deck tournaments. A fundamental difference in the Constructed Two-Headed Format is that the four-card rule is not applied to each deck individually, but to each team (i.e. there may not be more than four copies of a card in both decks of a team) .
Tournament rules
The official Wizards of the Coast tournament rules apply to most tournaments. These include, among other things, the rules of the game, current card rules, lists of forbidden or restricted cards as well as rules of conduct at tournaments.
Ranking list
There is an international ranking of Magic players. Each player is classified according to his rating . This rating is divided into three categories: Constructed, Eternal and Limited. The first category includes all sanctioned tournaments in the Constructed formats Block, Standard and Extended, the second category the Constructed tournaments in Vintage and Legacy and the last category all Limited tournaments. Each player starts with 1600 rating points. This number increases when you win against other players and decreases when you lose, both depending on the rating of the opponent. This system was borrowed from the Elo system of tournament chess.
Successful players
Kai Budde from Cologne is considered to be the best and most successful professional player to date . Budde is the only player to have won the so-called Magic “ Pro Tour ” seven times (no other player has won it more than three times). This earned him the nickname "The German Juggernaut". He achieved two of the seven victories in a team with Dirk Baberowski and Marco Blume. His greatest success was the Magic World Champion title in 1999 in Tokyo . Overall, he has more than 300,000 in about six years, the US dollar gained, making it one of the most financially successful players. In 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2003 he was named best player of the year. He won the German championship once in 2002.
Special tournaments
Aside from the many open tournaments that every player can participate in, there are also tournaments such as championships and the Pro Tour events . A player must first qualify for such events, be it via the world rankings or through qualifying games.
Prerelease (PR)
The latest editions are presented for the first time at Prerelease tournaments. These tournaments usually take place one to two weeks before a new edition is released. They are played in the sealed deck format and are open to all players.
Friday Night Magic (FNM)
These are tournaments that always take place on Fridays. They are held weekly in numerous game shops and there are special prize cards (foil cards) that can only be won in this form at these tournaments. Possible formats are Modern, Standard, Block Constructed, Booster Draft and Sealed Deck. They are also open to all players and should be played in a more relaxed atmosphere.
Regionals / National Qualifiers
The Regionals were regional championships that were held every year. The regional championships differed significantly internationally, but were generally played in the standard format. In Germany, the Regionals were also known as the state championships. Every year such a tournament took place in every federal state, where the best placed could qualify directly for the German championship. They have now been replaced by so-called National Qualifiers .
Nationals
The Nationals are the respective national championships. In most countries, players must first qualify for the Nationals, for example through the Regionals or through a good rating. Other countries, especially smaller countries like Iceland , host open nationals. The four best players in each country qualify for the world championships ( Worlds ). Nationals last two or three days, depending on the country, and are played half in the standard format, the other half in the draft format.
Worlds
The world championships ( Worlds ) will award over 300,000 US dollars in prize money. Only qualified players are allowed to play. Each country sends four players who have qualified through the respective Nationals, plus the best players in the worldwide ranking, as well as successful Pro Tour players.
The Worlds take place in a different location each year, with locations alternating in the US , Europe, and the Pacific region . The tournament will be played over five days, one day each with Extended or Block Constructed, Standard and Draft. The team world championship is played on the fourth day, on the last day the eight best-placed players (the top 8 ) play for the world championship title.
Pro Tour Qualifier (PTQ)
PTQs are qualifying tournaments for the Pro Tour. Usually the winner qualifies and receives a travel expense reimbursement for the Pro Tour. Pro Tour Qualifiers take place in different formats, depending on the format of the Pro Tour to which the qualification applies.
Grand Prix (GP)
Grands Prix are large tournaments with around 30,000 US dollars in prize money, 3,500 of which are for the winner. The first 16 players in the two-day tournaments also qualify for the Pro Tour. Since grands prix are open tournaments, they are also generally the largest tournaments, often attended by players from other countries or even from other continents.
The biggest Grand Prix to date took place in Las Vegas in 2015 . 7,551 players took part in the tournament.
Pro Tour (PT)
The Pro Tour is the highest tournament series. Each tournament will award $ 250,000 in prize money, of which $ 40,000 goes to the winner. There are currently three such tournaments per year, spread across the USA, Europe and Asia. Then there is the World Championship, which is the fourth Pro Tour. Only qualified players can participate. The best players on the worldwide ranking list, successful Pro Tour players and all players who have qualified through a Pro Tour Qualifier or a Grand Prix are qualified.
The formats Extended, Block Constructed, Booster Draft, Rochester Draft and Team Rochester Draft used to be played once a year at the regular Pro Tour tournaments. Since the 2006 season, however, the selection of the venues as well as the formats of the Pro Tour have been changed in order to offer a greater incentive for tournament magic. For example, in March 2006, the first Standard Pro Tour for five years was held in Hawaii . The new Team Constructed mentioned above was also played in a Pro Tour this season. In return, however, the number of Pro Tour tournaments was reduced from five per year to four. Another Pro Tour was canceled in the 2008 season. An expansion to 6 Pro Tour tournaments has been announced for 2019.
Individual evidence
- ↑ 2011 Pro Tour Philadelphia changed to modern. Wizards of the Coast , August 12, 2011, accessed January 17, 2011 .
- ↑ March 1 2008 DCI Banned and Restricted List Announcement - Magic: The Gathering. Wizards of the Coast , March 1, 2008, accessed July 14, 2008 .
- ↑ Devin Low: A More Consistent Extended Rotation. Wizards of the Coast , March 7, 2008, accessed July 14, 2008 .
- ↑ 2011 Pro Tour Philadelphia changed to modern. Wizards of the Coast , August 12, 2011, accessed January 17, 2011 .
- ^ Official Elder Dragon Highlander (EDH) Rules
- ^ Pauper Banned List. Wizards of the Coast , accessed December 28, 2012 .
- ↑ Peasant Banned List. Retrieved November 22, 2011 .
- ↑ Rcohester Draft Primer - January, 2005. Wizards of the Coast , January 21, 2005, accessed November 29, 2019 .
- ^ Brian David-Marshall: Nagoya Nuggets. Wizards of the Coast , February 3, 2005, accessed July 14, 2008 .
- ^ Ask Wizards - May, 2005. Wizards of the Coast , May 9, 2005, accessed July 14, 2008 .
- ^ Brian David-Marshall: Delving into Year Two. Wizards of the Coast , August 18, 2006, accessed July 14, 2008 .
- ↑ Lifetime Pro Tour Top 8s. Wizards of the Coast , May 27, 2008, accessed July 14, 2008 .
- ↑ Lifetime Winning Leaders. Wizards of the Coast , April 4, 2006, accessed July 14, 2008 .
- ^ Player and Rookie of the Year Winners. Wizards of the Coast , accessed July 14, 2008 .
- ^ Peer Kröger: Final: Budde against Ziegner. PlanetMTG, May 12, 2002, accessed on July 14, 2008 (report from the final of the German championship 2002).
- ↑ Oliver is the Modern Master in Las Vegas. June 23, 2013, accessed April 27, 2014 .
- ↑ Samatha Neöson: "What's it like to be a top Magic: The Gathering player?" games.avclub.com on July 30, 2015, accessed April 21, 2020
- ↑ 2019 to Feature Six Pro Tours! November 29, 2019, accessed April 27, 2014 .