Grand Prix (Magic: The Gathering)

Grands Prix (GPs) are professional Magic: The Gathering tournaments, awarding cash prizes, Pro Points and invitations to Pro Tours. They are open to all players and are usually the biggest Magic tournaments. The first Grand Prix was held on 22–23 March 1997 in Amsterdam (Netherlands). More than 450 Grands Prix have been held since, the biggest being GP Las Vegas 2015 with 7,551 competitors, making it the biggest trading card game tournament ever held.

History

File:Grand Prix Players.jpg

Grand Prix Rotterdam 2009

The Grand Prix was introduced in 1997. In contrast to the Pro Tour, which requires the players to qualify before the event, GPs have always been open to all players. The first Grand Prix was held in Amsterdam and was also the first professional Magic tournament held outside the United States, although awarding comparatively small cash prizes — $30,000 in total compared to $250,000 at Pro Tour Paris a few weeks later. Grands Prix have since been held in such diverse places as Tokyo, Moscow, Rio de Janeiro, Toronto and Cape Town. Approximately 20–30 Grands Prix are held each year throughout the world.^[1] In 2015 GP Las Vegas marked the biggest Magic tournament ever held with 7,551 competitors, which had to split into two independent Grand Prix event sharing the same venue.

Tournament structure

All Grands Prix are two day tournaments, taking place on weekends. They are run using a modified Swiss system. On Saturday nine rounds of Swiss are played, however the exact amount formerly depended on the number of participants. Competitors may be awarded up to three byes for earned Pro Points, having a certain rating (later replaced by Planeswalker points), and winning special tournaments, called Grand Prix Trials. All players achieving a record of 7−2 or better at the end of first day are qualified for the second day of the tournament. If less than 64 players achieve such a record the best 64 players are qualified for the second day instead. On the second day six rounds of Swiss are played, before a cut to the final eight is made. These competitors determine the winner of the tournament by playing an additional three rounds of single elimination. Team Grand Prix are using similar rules, the only differences are teams with a record 7-2 or best 40 teams advance to day 2, and only the best 4 teams after Swiss will enter the two round single elimination.

For Grands Prix played in a Constructed format all rounds are played with the same decks. Limited Grands Prix have a Sealed Deck portion on day one. On the second day Booster Drafts of eight players are held. The Booster Drafts are followed by three rounds of Swiss, with competitors only playing other competitors in their draft. The same procedure is once repeated afterwards. Before the single elimination begins, the final eight players draft for a last time.

Prizes

Grands Prix awards cash prizes, Pro Points, and invitations to a Pro Tour. The best eight competitors (or best four teams for team Grand Prix) - or all players with at least 39 match points at the end of the tournament, whichever is greater - receive an invitation to a previously determined Pro Tour. Cash prizes have varied considerably, ranging from $10,000 to $75,000. From December 7, 2013 prize payout depends on the number of competitors. Currently Grand Prix top finishers at an individual Grand Prix will receive:^[2]^[3]

Place	<3,000 Players	≥3,000 Players	Pro Points
1st	10,000		8
2nd	5,000		6
3rd–4th	2,500		5
5th–8th	1,500		4
9th–16th	1,000		see below
17th–32rd	500		see below
33rd–64th	250		see below
65th–100th	−	250	see below
101st–180th	−	200	see below

Top 8 players receive Pro Points based on rank. All other players receive Pro Points based on their match point total at the end of the event.

Match Points	Pro Points
39+	4
36-38	3
33-35	2
30-32	1
0-29	0

All amounts in US Dollars.

Most successful players

The following players have won at least three Grands Prix.^[4]

Name	Wins	Top 8
Shuhei Nakamura	7	27
Yuuya Watanabe	7	23
Kai Budde	7	15
Olivier Ruel	5	28
Raphaël Lévy	5	20
Luis Scott-Vargas	5	14
Martin Jůza	4	23
Tomoharu Saitou	4	22
Alex Shvartsman	4	21
William Jensen	4	19
Reid Duke	4	16
Masahiko Morita	4	16
Katsuhiro Mori	4	14
Antonino De Rosa	4	11
Steven O'Mahoney-Schwartz	4	10
Alexander Hayne	4	8
Owen Turtenwald	3	18
Brian Kibler	3	13
Bob Maher, Jr.	3	10
David Williams	3	10
Paul Cheon	3	9
Gerard Fabiano	3	9
Jon Finkel	3	9
Ryan Fuller	3	9
Chris Benafel	3	8
Tom Martell	3	8
Yuuta Takahashi	3	8
Gaudenis Vidugiris	3	8
Richard Hoaen	4	8
Carlos Romão	3	7
Trey Van Cleave	3	7
Fabrizio Anteri	3	6
Matthew Nass	3	6
Shahar Shenhar	3	8
Jacob Wilson	3	6
Seth Manfield	3	5
Jim Herold	3	3