Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour season 1999–2000

The 1999–2000 Pro Tour season was the fifth season of the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour. It began on 3 September 1999 with Pro Tour Boston and ended on 6 August 2000 with the conclusion of 2000 World Championship in Brussels. The season consisted of twenty Grand Prixs, and six Pro Tours, located in Washington D.C., London, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Brussels. At the end of the season Bob Maher, Jr. was awarded the Pro Player of the year title.

1999–2000 Pro Tour season
Pro Player of the YearUnited States Bob Maher, Jr.
Rookie of the YearUnited States Brian Davis
World ChampionUnited States Jon Finkel
Pro Tours6
Grands Prix20
Start of season3 September 1999
End of season6 August 2000
← 1998–99 2000–01 →

Mode

Six Pro Tours and 20 Grand Prix were held in the 1999–2000 season. Based on final standings Pro Points were awarded as follows:[1]

Rank Pro Points awarded at
Pro Tour
(individual)		 Pro Tour
(teams)		 Grand Prix
(individual)		 Grand Prix
(teams)		 Worlds
(team)
1 32 24 6 4 5
2 24 12 5 3 4
3–4 16 10 4 2 3
5–8 12 8 3 1 2
9–12 8 6 2 1 1
13–16 8 6 2 — —
17–24 7 4 1 — —
25–32 6 3 1 — —
33–48 5 2 — — —
49–64 4 1 — — —
65–128 3 1 — — —
129+ 2 1 — — —

Pro Tour – Washington D.C. (3–5 September 1999)

Washington D.C. was the first team Pro Tour. In a high-profile Top 8 featuring six players who were later inducted into the Hall of Fame, team Your Move Games (YMG) came out on top. YMG consisted of Dave Humpherys, Rob Dougherty, and Darwin Kastle, all eventual members of the Hall of Fame.[2]

Tournament data

Players: 243 (81 teams)
Prize Pool: $100,230[3]
Format: Urza's Saga Team Sealed (Urza's Saga, Urza's Legacy, Urza's Destiny) – first day, Urza's Saga Team Rochester Draft (Urza's Saga-Urza's Legacy-Urza's Destiny) – final two days
Head Judge: Mike Guptil[4]

Top 8
Semifinals Semi-finals
      
1 Game Empire 2
4 THL
Game Empire
Your Move Games 2
2 Your Move Games 2
3 Antarctica

Final standings
Place Team Player Prize Pro Points Comment
1 Your Move Games United States Rob Dougherty $30,000 24 2nd Final day
United States Dave Humpherys 24 2nd Final day
United States Darwin Kastle 24 4th Final day
2 Game Empire United States Kurt Burgner $15,000 12 2nd Final day
United States Alan Comer 12 3rd Final day
United States Brian Selden 12 2nd Final day
3 Antarctica United States Jon Finkel $9,000 10 6th Final day
United States Steven O'Mahoney-Schwartz 10 3rd Final day
United States Daniel O'Mahoney-Schwartz 10
4 THL United States Marc Aquino $7,500 10
United States Richard Jones 10
United States Drew McLean 10

Grand Prixs – Tohoku, Memphis, Lisbon

Pro Tour – London (15–17 October 1999)

Kyle Rose won Pro Tour London, defeating Austrian Thomas Preyer in the finals.[5] Darwin Kastle's back to back Top 8 appearances in Washington and London brought him to five final day appearance in his career.[2]

Tournament data

Players: 310[6]
Prize pool: $151,635
Format: Urza's Saga Booster Draft (Urza's Saga-Urza's Legacy-Urza's Destiny)
Head Judge: Carl Crook[4]

Top 8
Quarter-finals Semi-finals Finals
         
1 Mike Bregoli 3
8 Darwin Kastle 0
Mike Bregoli 0
Kyle Rose 3
5 Kyle Rose 3
4 William Jensen 0
Kyle Rose 3
Thomas Preyer 1
3 Gunnar Refsdahl 2
6 Thomas Preyer 3
Thomas Preyer 3
Ben Rubin 2
7 Marc Hernandez 0
2 Ben Rubin 3

Final standings
Place Player Prize Pro Points Comment
1 United States Kyle Rose $25,000 32 3rd Final day
2 Austria Thomas Preyer $15,000 24
3 United States Mike Bregoli $10,000 16
4 United States Ben Rubin $8,000 16 3rd Final day
5 Germany Gunnar Refsdal $6,500 12
6 United States William Jensen $5,500 12
7 France Marc Hernandez $4,800 12
8 United States Darwin Kastle $4,300 12 5th Final day

Grand Prixs – Kyushu, Sao Paulo, Milan, San Diego, Tours

Pro Tour – Chicago (3–5 December 1999)

Bob Maher, Jr. won Pro Tour Chicago playing a blue-green-white control deck. He defeated Brian Davis in the finals 3–2. First time Pro Tour attendant Davis reportedly played so horribly, that around spectators the joke went, that Davis was the first to have played 5–0 in the finals and lost, referring to their perception that he could and should have won every single game.[2]

Tournament data

Prize pool: $151,635
Players: 344
Format: Extended
Head Judge: Nat Fairbanks[4]

Top 8
Quarter-finals Semi-finals Finals
         
1 Christian Lührs 3
8 Hector Fuentes 1
Christian Lührs 1
Bob Maher, Jr. 3
5 Bob Maher, Jr. 3
4 Dirk Baberowski 0
Bob Maher, Jr. 3
Brian Davis 2
3 Brian Davis 3
6 Tony Dobson 1
Brian Davis 3
Raphaël Lévy 0
7 Raphaël Lévy 3
2 Alan Comer 0

Final standings
Place Player Prize Pro Points Comment
1 United States Bob Maher, Jr. $25,000 32
2 United States Brian Davis $15,000 24 Pro Tour debut
3 Germany Christian Lührs $10,000 16 2nd Final day
4 France Raphaël Lévy $8,000 16 2nd Final day
5 United States Alan Comer $6,500 12 4th Final day
6 Germany Dirk Baberowski $5,500 12 2nd Final day
7 England Tony Dobson $4,800 12
8 Spain Hector Fuentes $4,300 12 1st Spaniard in a Top 8

Grand Prixs – Manila, Seattle, Madrid

Pro Tour – Los Angeles (4–6 February 2000)

Trevor Blackwell defeated Chris Benafel in the finals to become Pro Tour Los Angeles champion.[2]

Tournament data

Prize pool: $151,635
Players: 337
Format: Mercadian Masques Booster Draft (Mercadian Masques)
Head Judge: Dan Gray[4]

Top 8
Quarter-finals Semi-finals Finals
         
1 Kurt Burgner 3
8 Brian Selden 0
Kurt Burgner 0
Trevor Blackwell 3
4 Trevor Blackwell 3
5 Andrew Nishioka 0
Trevor Blackwell 3
Chris Benafel 1
3 Bruce Cowley 1
6 Mike Long 3
Mike Long 2
Chris Benafel 3
2 Erno Ekebom 0
7 Chris Benafel 3

Final standings
Place Player Prize Pro Points Comment
1 United States Trevor Blackwell $25,000 32
2 United States Chris Benafel $15,000 24
3 United States Kurt Burgner $10,000 16 3rd Final day
4 United States Mike Long $8,000 16 4th Final day
5 Finland Erno Ekebom $6,500 12
6 United States Bruce Cowley $5,500 12
7 United States Andrew Nishioka $4,800 12
8 United States Brian Selden $4,300 12 3rd Final day

Grand Prix – Taipei, Philadelphia, Cannes, Kuala Lumpur, Frankfurt

Pro Tour – New York (14–16 April 2000)

Sigurd Eskeland won Pro Tour New York, defeating Warren Marsh in the finals.[2] Eskeland played a blue control-deck with the centerpiece of the deck being Rising Waters.[7] His opponent played the deck most present at this tournament, Rebels.[8] PT New York is considered to be the first time where there was a dominant deck at a Pro Tour, the deck did not win the tournament.

43% of the players entering the tournament had chosen rebel decks. On the second day of the tournament rebels were even more present, comprising and unprecedented 57% of the field. These numbers were again topped by the final eight where six of eight decks were rebel decks.[9] In contrast the winning Rising Waters deck comprised only 8.4% of the field on day one and 14.5% on day two. In the top eight the two non-rebel decks were both Rising Waters decks. Rising Waters on both days had the highest winning percentage of all decks played with 60% on day one and 53.8% on day two.[10]

Tournament data

Players: 310
Prize pool: $151,635
Format: Mercadian Masques Block Constructed (Mercadian Masques, Nemesis)
Location: New York State Armory
Head Judge: Cyril Grillon[4]

Top 8
Quarter-finals Semi-finals Finals
         
1 John Larkin 1
8 Mattias Kettil 3
Mattias Kettil 2
Sigurd Eskeland 3
5 Sigurd Eskeland 3
4 Travis Turning 1
Sigurd Eskeland 3
Warren Marsh 1
3 Mike Bregoli 0
6 Warren Marsh 3
Warren Marsh 3
Ben Rubin 1
7 John Hunka 1
2 Ben Rubin 3

Final standings
Place Player Prize Pro Points Comment
1 Norway Sigurd Eskeland $25,000 32 1st Norwegian to win a Pro Tour
2 England Warren Marsh $15,000 24
3 United States Ben Rubin $10,000 16 4th Final day
4 Sweden Mattias Kettil $8,000 16
5 Republic of Ireland John Larkin $6,500 12 1st Irish Player in a Top 8
6 United States Mike Bregoli $5,500 12 2nd Final day
7 United States Travis Turning $4,800 12
8 United States John Hunka $4,300 12

Winner's deck

Sigurd Eskeland played a blue control-deck with the centerpiece of the deck being Rising Waters.

Sigurd Eskeland – 1999–2000 Pro Tour New York champion
Main Deck: Sideboard:

4 Drake Hatchling
4 Stinging Barrier
4 Waterfront Bouncer
4 Eye of Ramos
3 Seal of Removal
4 Gush
4 Rising Waters
1 Brainstorm
3 Counterspell
4 Thwart
3 Daze

18 Island
4 Rishadan Port

2 Bribery
1 Counterspell
1 Hoodwink
2 Island
3 Misdirection
2 Rath's Edge
1 Seal of Removal
4 Stronghold Zeppelin

Team Challenge

The Team Challenge was a predecessor to the Masters Series events that were held from 2000 to 2003. These events were open only to the most accomplished players and awarded cash prizes even for entering the tournament. The Team Challenge at Pro Tour New York 2000 awarded $3,000 for entering the tournament, $9,000 to the runners-up team, and $15,000 to the winners. Four teams were invited to enter the tournament.[11] In a field composed of otherwise American teams the French team Black Ops defeated Game Empire and Antarctica to win the tournament.

Semi-finals Finals
      
1 Antarctica 2
4 Your Move Games 1
Antarctica 1
Black Ops 2
3 Black Ops 2
2 Game Empire 1
Team Player Team Player
Antarctica United States Daniel O'Mahoney-Schwartz Game Empire United States Brian Selden
United States Jon Finkel United States Alan Comer
United States Steven O'Mahoney-Schwartz United States Kurt Burgner
Black Ops France Florent Jeudon Your Move Games United States Rob Dougherty
France Antoine Ruel United States Dave Humpherys
France Olivier Ruel United States Darwin Kastle

Grand Prixs – Nagoya, St. Louis, Copenhagen, Pittsburgh

2000 World Championships – Brussels (2–6 August 2000)
Main article: Magic: The Gathering World Championship § 2000 World Championship

Jon Finkel won the 2000 World Championship, defeating teammate Bob Maher, Jr. in the finals. The second place allowed Maher to take the Pro Player of the year title, surpassing Darwin Kastle in the final standings. Finkel became the second player to win two Pro Tours and the first with seven Top 8 appearances. The US team won the national team competition, also with Finkel as reigning national champion at its head.[2]

Tournament data

Prize pool: $201,620 (individual) + $50,000 (national teams)[12]
Players: 273
Individual formats: Formats: Mercadian Masques Booster Draft (Mercadian Masques-Nemesis-Prophecy), Mercadian Masques Block Constructed (Mercadian Masques, Nemesis, Prophecy), Standard
Team Format: Standard
Head Judge: Cyril Grillon[4]

Top 8
Quarter-finals Semi-finals Finals
         
1 Dominik Hothow 3
8 Nicolas Labarre 1
Dominik Hothow 0
Bob Maher, Jr. 3
5 Helmut Summersberger 2
4 Bob Maher, Jr. 3
Bob Maher, Jr. 2
Jon Finkel 3
3 Tom van de Logt 2
6 Benedikt Klauser 3
Benedikt Klauser 1
Jon Finkel 3
7 Janosch Kühn 1
2 Jon Finkel 3

Final standings
Place Player Prize Pro Points Comment
1 United States Jon Finkel $34,000 32 7th Final day, 2nd Pro Tour win
2 United States Bob Maher, Jr. $22,000 24 2nd Final day
3 Germany Dominik Hothow $16,000 16
4 Austria Benedikt Klauser $13,000 16 2nd Final day
5 Netherlands Tom van de Logt $11,000 12
6 Austria Helmut Summersberger $9,500 12
7 Germany Janosch Kühn $8,250 12 2nd Final day
8 France Nicolas Labarre $7,250 12 3rd Final day

National team competition
  1. United States United States (Jon Finkel, Chris Benafel, Frank Hernandez, Aaron Forsythe)
  2. Canada Canada (Ryan Fuller, Murray Evans, Gabriel Tsang, Sam Lau)

Pro Player of the year final standings

After the World Championship Bob Maher, Jr. was awarded the Pro Player of the year title.[13]

Rank Player Pro Points
1 United States Bob Maher, Jr. 72
2 United States Darwin Kastle 69
3 United States Jon Finkel 68
4 United States Alex Shvartsman 58
5 United States Trevor Blackwell 50
United States Ben Rubin 50

References
  1. "DCI Invitation Policy For Magic: The Gathering Tournaments 1999 – 2000 Professional Season". Wizards of the Coast. 2000. Archived from the original on 18 August 2000. Retrieved 29 April 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. Rosewater, Mark (26 July 2004). "On Tour, Part 1". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 19 October 2008. Retrieved 1 December 2008.
  3. "Pro Tour Results Archive Pro Tour – Washington DC, 1999". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 11 February 2001. Retrieved 29 April 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. "Head Judges of Pro Tours and World Championships". XS4ALL. 30 October 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
  5. "Online Coverage Pro Tour London". Wizards of the Coast. 17 October 1999. Archived from the original on 18 June 2000. Retrieved 29 April 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. "Online Coverage Pro Tour London Round 1 Standings". Wizards of the Coast. 15 October 1999. Archived from the original on 3 March 2001. Retrieved 29 April 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. "Top 8 Decks". 15 April 2000. Archived from the original on 2 May 2001. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
  8. "Day 1 Deck Breakdown". 14 April 2000. Archived from the original on 6 November 2001. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
  9. Buehler, Randy (June 2000). "Pro Tour–New York Back to the Armory". The Sideboard. 5 (2): 4–7.
  10. "Hard Data". The Sideboard. 5 (2): 18. June 2000.
  11. Buehler, Randy (16 April 2000). "Magic: The Gathering Team Challenge 2000 Semifinals". The Sideboard (online). Archived from the original on 3 November 2001. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
  12. "DCI Invitation Policy For Magic: The Gathering Tournaments 1999 – 2000 Professional Season". Wizards of the Coast. 2000. Appendix B: Prize Schedules. Archived from the original on 18 August 2000. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  13. "1999–2000 Player of the Year Standings". Wizards of the Coast. 2000. Archived from the original on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
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