Gambling
The original set of rules prescribed that all games were to be played for ante. Garfield was partly
inspired by the game of marbles and added this rule because he wanted the players to play with
the cards rather than simply collect them.[56] The ante rule stated that each player must remove a
card at random from the deck they wished to play with before the game began, and the two cards
would be set aside together as the ante. At the end of the match, the winner would take and keep
both cards. Early sets included a few cards with rules designed to interact with this gambling
aspect, allowing replacements of cards up for ante, adding more cards to the ante, or even
permanently trading ownership of cards in play. The ante concept became controversial because
many regions had restrictions on games of chance. The ante rule was soon made optional
because of these restrictions and because of players' reluctance to possibly lose a card that they
owned. The gambling rule was also forbidden at sanctioned events. The last card to mention ante
was printed in the 1995 expansion set Homelands.[57][58][59]
Organized play
Main articles: Magic: The Gathering Organized Play, Wizards Play Network, and Friday Night Magic
Officially sanctioned Magic tournaments attract participants of all ages and are held around the world.
These players in Rostock, Germany competed for an invitation to a professional tournament in Nagoya,
Japan.
The Wizards Play Network (WPN), formerly the Duelists' Convocation International (DCI), is
the organizing body for sanctioned Magic events; it is owned and operated by Wizards of the
Coast. The WPN establishes the set allowances and card restrictions for the Constructed and
Limited formats for regulation play for tournaments as well as for other events.[60]
"Thousands of games shops" participate in Friday Night Magic (FNM),[61] an event sponsored by
the WPN; it is advertised as "the event where new players can approach the game, and start
building their community".[62] FNM offers both sanctioned tournament formats and all casual
formats.[60][63] In 2018, The New Yorker reported that "even as it has grown in popularity and
size, Magic flies low to the ground. It thrives on the people who gather at lunch tables, in
apartments, or in one of the six thousand stores worldwide that Wizards has licensed to put on
weekly tournaments dubbed Friday Night Magic".[64] FNM tournaments can act as a stepping-
stone to more competitive play.[65]
Tournaments
Magic tournaments regularly occur in gaming stores and other venues. Larger tournaments with
hundreds of competitors from around the globe sponsored by Wizards of the Coast are arranged
many times every year, with substantial cash prizes for the top finishers.[66] A number of
websites report on tournament news, give complete lists for the most currently popular decks,
and feature articles on current issues of debate about the game.[citation needed] Additionally, the
WPN maintains a set of rules for being able to sanction tournaments, as well as runs its own
circuit.[65]
The Pro Tour and Pro Club (2005-2019)
By winning a yearly Invitational tournament, Jon Finkel won the right for this card to feature his design
and likeness.
The WPN ran the Pro Tour as a series of major tournaments to attract interest.[67] The right to
compete in a Pro Tour had to be earned by either winning a Pro Tour Qualifier Tournament or
being successful in a previous tournament on a similar level. The Pro Tour would take place over
the course of three days. The first two days were usually structured in a Swiss format. On the
final day, the top eight players would compete with each other in a single-elimination format to
select the winner.[68] At the end of the competition in a Pro Tour, players were awarded Pro
Points depending on their finishing place. If the player finished high enough, they would also be
awarded prize money.[68] Frequent winners of these events made names for themselves in the
Magic community, such as Luis Scott-Vargas, Gabriel Nassif, Kai Budde and Jon Finkel. As a
promotional tool, the DCI launched the Hall of Fame in 2005 to honor selected players.[69]
At the end of the year the Magic World Championship would be held. The World Championship
functioned like a Pro Tour, except that competitors had to present their skill in three different
formats (usually Standard, booster draft, and a second constructed format) rather than one.
Another difference was that invitations to the World Championship could not be gained through
Pro Tour Qualifiers. They could only be earned via the national championship of a country. Most
countries sent their top four players of the tournament as representatives, though nations with
minor Magic playing communities would sometimes only send one player. The World
Championship also has a team-based competition, where the national teams compete with each
other.[70]
At the beginning of the World Championship, new members were inducted into the Hall of
Fame. The tournament also concluded the current season of tournament play and at the end of
the event, the player who earned the most Pro Points during the year was awarded the title "Pro
Player of the Year". The player who earned the most Pro Points and did not compete in any
previous season was awarded the title "Rookie of the Year".[70]
Invitation to a Pro Tour, Pro Points, and prize money could also be earned in lesser tournaments
called Grand Prix that were open to the general public and held more frequently throughout the
year.[71] Grand Prix events were usually the largest Magic tournaments, sometimes drawing more
than 2,000 players. The largest Magic tournament ever held was Grand Prix: Las Vegas in June
2013 with a total of 4,500 players.[72]
In 2018, Wizards of the Coast announced that 2019 would be the last season for The Pro Tour
and the Pro Club. [73] With these changes, the system eliminated Nationals, the World Magic
Cup, and the Team Series.[73]
