Editing Magic: The Gathering (section)

==== The Pro Tour and Pro Club (2005-2019) ====
[[File:shadowmage infiltrator.jpg|thumb|upright|By winning a yearly Invitational tournament, [[Jon Finkel]] won the right for this card to feature his design and likeness.<ref>{{cite news |last=Barth |first=Chris |date=September 21, 2011 |title=A Magic The Gathering World Champion And Blackjack Pro Tries His Hand At A Hedge Fund |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisbarth/2011/09/21/a-magic-the-gathering-world-champion-and-blackjack-pro-tries-his-hand-at-a-hedge-fund/?sh=7af0868a7445 |work=Forbes |location= |access-date=January 1, 2024 |archive-date=January 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240101215330/https://www.forbes.com/sites/chrisbarth/2011/09/21/a-magic-the-gathering-world-champion-and-blackjack-pro-tries-his-hand-at-a-hedge-fund/?sh=7af0868a7445 |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
The WPN ran the [[Magic: The Gathering Players Tour|Pro Tour]] as a series of major tournaments to attract interest.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Davis|first=Noah|date=2012-09-20|title=Do you believe in Magic... the Gathering?|url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/9/20/3326708/magic-the-gathering-players-championship|access-date=2021-09-15|website=The Verge|language=en-US|archive-date=September 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210915200728/https://www.theverge.com/2012/9/20/3326708/magic-the-gathering-players-championship|url-status=live}}</ref> 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 system tournament|Swiss format]]. On the final day, the top eight players would compete with each other in a single-elimination format to select the winner.<ref name="pt">{{cite web | title = Pro Tour | publisher = [[Wizards of the Coast]] | year = 2009 | access-date = June 14, 2009 | url = http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Events.aspx?x=mtgcom%2Fevents%2Fprotour | archive-date = May 18, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140518133711/http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Events.aspx?x=mtgcom%2Fevents%2Fprotour | url-status = dead }}</ref> At the end of the competition in a Pro Tour, players were awarded [[Magic: The Gathering Players Tour|Pro Points]] depending on their finishing place. If the player finished high enough, they would also be awarded prize money.<ref name="pt"/> 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 [[Magic: The Gathering Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] in 2005 to honor selected players.<ref name="PTHoF" />

At the end of the year the [[Magic: The Gathering World Championship|''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.<ref name="worlds2009">{{cite web | title = 2009 Magic: The Gathering Worlds Championships | publisher = [[Wizards of the Coast]] | year = 2009 | access-date = June 14, 2009 | url = http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Events.aspx?x=events%2Fmagic%2Fworlds | archive-date = March 29, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140329155235/https://wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Events.aspx?x=events%2Fmagic%2Fworlds | url-status = dead }}</ref>

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 "[[Magic: The Gathering Players Tour#Pro Player of the Year|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 "[[Magic: The Gathering Players Tour#Rookie of the Year|Rookie of the Year]]".<ref name="worlds2009"/>

Invitation to a Pro Tour, Pro Points, and prize money could also be earned in lesser tournaments called [[Grand Prix (Magic: The Gathering)|Grand Prix]] that were open to the general public and held more frequently throughout the year.<ref name="gp">{{cite web | title = Grand Prix | publisher = [[Wizards of the Coast]] | year = 2009 | access-date = June 14, 2009 | url = http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Events.aspx?x=grandprix%2Fwelcome | archive-date = April 7, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140407000158/http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/Events.aspx?x=grandprix%2Fwelcome | url-status = dead }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web | title = Oliver is the Modern Master in Las Vegas | publisher = [[Wizards of the Coast]] | date = June 23, 2013 | access-date = July 9, 2013 | url = https://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/gplv13 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160125152929/http://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/gplv13 | url-status = dead | archive-date = January 25, 2016 }}</ref>

In 2018, Wizards of the Coast announced that 2019 would be the last season for The Pro Tour and the Pro Club.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=The Next Chapter for Magic: Esports |url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/next-chapter-magic-esports-2018-12-06 |access-date=2022-09-17 |website=MAGIC: THE GATHERING |language=en |archive-date=September 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920163727/https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/news/next-chapter-magic-esports-2018-12-06 |url-status=live }}</ref> With these changes, the system eliminated Nationals, the World Magic Cup, and the Team Series.<ref name=":1" />