Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour season 2000–01 explained

Season:2000–01 Pro Tour season
Ppoty: Kai Budde
Roty: Katsuhiro Mori
Wc: Tom Van de Logt
Pts:6
Gps:27
Masters:4
Start:23 September 2000
End:12 August 2001
Prevseason:1999–00
Nextseason:2001–02

The 2000–01 Pro Tour season was the sixth season of the . On 23 September 2000 the season began with parallel Grand Prixs in Sapporo and Porto. It ended on 12 August 2001 with the conclusion of the 2001 World Championship in Toronto. The season consisted of 27 Grand Prixs and 6 Pro Tours, held in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Barcelona, and Toronto. Also special Master Series tournaments were held at four Pro Tours. These tournaments featured huge cash prizes, but were open to only 32 players. At the end of the season Kai Budde was proclaimed Pro Player of the Year, making him the only player to win the title more than once.

Grand Prixs – Sapporo, Porto

GP Porto (23–24 September)
  1. Antoine Ruel
  2. Olivier Ruel
  3. David Williams
  4. Michael Pustilnik
  5. Ryan Fuller
  6. Paco Llopis
  7. Gromko Radoslaw
  8. Ru Mariani Rodrigues
GP Sapporo (23–24 September)
  1. Satoshi Nakamura
  2. Takamasa Fukata
  3. Tomohiro Maruyama
  4. Kazuyuki Momose
  5. Kiyoshi Sasanuma
  6. John Taro Kageyama
  7. Katsuhiro Mori
  8. Yuji Otsubo

Pro Tour – New York (29 September – 1 October 2000)

New York was the second team Pro Tour. Scott Johns made his fifth final day appearance. His team, "Potato Nation", did not lose a match throughout the tournament.[1] At PT New York the master series had its debut. This was a tournament series featuring huge cash prizes, but open only to the very best players in the world. The 25 players with the most Pro Points and the 5 Players with the highest rating in the format of the Masters were invited. Additionally a gateway tournament was held on the day before the Pro Tour. In that tournament each Pro Player with at least six Pro Points could compete for one of two additional slots.

Tournament data

Prize pool: $202,200
Players: 330 (110 teams)
Format: Team Sealed (Mercadian Masques, Nemesis, Prophecy) – first day, Team Rochester Draft (Mercadian Masques-Nemesis-Prophecy) – final two days
Head Judge: Dan Gray[2]

Final standings

PlaceTeamPlayerPrizePro PointsComment
align=center rowspan=31align=center rowspan=3Potato Nation Scott Johnsalign=center rowspan=3$60,000245th Top 8 finish
Mike Turian24
Gary Wise242nd Final day
align=center rowspan=32align=center rowspan=3Car Acrobatic Team Andrew Cuneoalign=center rowspan=3$30,00012
Aaron Forsythe12
Andrew Johnson12
align=center rowspan=33align=center rowspan=3Rolled-Up Aces Dan Cleggalign=center rowspan=3$18,00010
Shawn Keller102nd Final day
Thomas Keller10
align=center rowspan=34align=center rowspan=3Draften und Spielen Christian Lührsalign=center rowspan=3$15,000103rd Final day
Patrick Mello10
Stephan Valkyser10

Pro Player of the year standings

RankPlayerPro Points
align=center rowspan=31 Scott Johns24
Mike Turian24
Gary Wise24
4 Antoine Ruel14
5 Olivier Ruel13

Grand Prixs – Manchester, Helsinki, Dallas, Kyoto, Phoenix, Sydney, Florence, Buenos Aires

GP Manchester (7–8 October)
  1. Darwin Kastle
  2. John Ormerod
  3. Mark Le Pine
  4. Noah Boeken
  5. Justin Gary
  6. Marc Hernandez
  7. Neil Rigby
  8. Zvi Mowshowitz
GP Helsinki (28–29 October)
  1. Noah Boeken
  2. Erno Ekebom
  3. Arto Hiltunen
  4. Rickard Österberg
  5. Messaoud Bouchaib
  6. Dominik Hothow
  7. Erik Leander
  8. Jens Thorén
GP Dallas (28–29 October)
  1. Matthew Vienneau
  2. Chris Benafel
  3. Dan Clegg
  4. Matt Linde
  5. Dustin Stern
  6. Ben Romig
  7. Peter Leiher
  8. Trevor Blackwell
GP Kyoto (11–12 November)
  1. Tsuyoshi Fujita
  2. Yuki Murakami
  3. Katsuhiro Mori
  4. Ryan Fuller
  5. Eisaku Itadani
  6. Tsuyoshi Doyama
  7. Tomohiro Maruyama
  8. Tobey Tamber
GP Phoenix (11–12 November)
  1. Sean Fitzgerald
  2. Sean Smith
  3. Thomas Keller
  4. Scott Johns
  5. Robert Swarowski
  6. Joel Frank
  7. Terry Welty
  8. Chris Demaci
GP Sydney (18–19 November)
  1. Gordon Lin
  2. Will Copeman
  3. Satoshi Nakamura
  4. Joe Connolly
  5. Royce Chai
  6. Chris Allen
  7. Anatoli Lightfoot
  8. Kim Brebach
GP Florence (25–26 November)
  1. Benedikt Klauser
  2. Bram Snepvangers
  3. Kai Budde
  4. Martin Zürcher
  5. Ben Ronaldson
  6. Daniele Canavesi
  7. Mario Pascoli
  8. Lionel Benezech
GP Buenos Aires (25–26 November)
  1. Hugo Ariza
  2. Walter Witt
  3. Pablo Huerta
  4. Rafael Le Saux
  5. Diego Ostrovich
  6. José Barbero
  7. Emmanuel Duering
  8. Mathias Bollati

Pro Tour – Chicago (1–3 December 2000)

Chicago was the first Pro Tour featuring the Standard format since Dallas more than four years before. In a top eight which is considered to be one of the best ever,[1] Kai Budde won the title against Kamiel Cornelissen. He thus became the third player to win two Pro Tours. With the exception of Jay Elarar, every player in the top eight now has at least three Pro Tour top eights, including a win. In the Masters event Ben Rubin defeated Jon Finkel in the final.

Tournament data

Prize pool: $200,130
Players: 332
Format: Standard
Head Judge: Mike Donais[2]

Final standings

PlacePlayerPrizePro PointsComment
1 Kai Budde$30,000322nd Final day, 2nd Pro Tour win
2 Kamiel Cornelissen$20,00024
3 Brian Kibler$15,00016
4 Rob Dougherty$13,000163rd Final day
5 Jon Finkel$9,000128th Final day
6 Michael Pustilnik$8,500122nd Final day
7 Zvi Mowshowitz$8,000122nd Final day
8 Jay Elarar$7,50012

Pro Player of the year standings

RankPlayerPro Points
1 Kai Budde40
2 Scott Johns35
3 Mike Turian29
align=center rowspan=24 Kamiel Cornelissen28
Gary Wise28

Grand Prixs – Singapore, New Orleans, Amsterdam, Hiroshima

GP Singapore (9–10 December)
  1. Sam Lau
  2. Jonathan Chan
  3. Kuo Tzu-Ching
  4. Masayuki Higashino
  5. Yi Jie Vice Lin
  6. Tishem Tham
  7. Boon Tat Elvin Eng
  8. Nicholas Wong
GP New Orleans (6–7 January)
  1. Bill Stead
  2. Michelle Bush
  3. Gary Rush
  4. Steven O'Mahoney Schwartz
  5. Casey McCarrel
  6. Eric Kesselman
  7. Jamie Parke
  8. Dustin Stern
GP Amsterdam (13–14 January)
  1. Chris Benafel
  2. Xavier Curto Vives
  3. Brian Davis
  4. Daniel O'Mahoney Schwartz
  5. David Price
  6. Antoine Ruel
  7. Menno Dolstra
  8. Alexander Witt
GP Hiroshima (27–28 January)
  1. Masayuki Higashino
  2. Masaya Mori
  3. Nobuaki Shikata
  4. Masahiko Morita
  5. Katsuhiro Mori
  6. Tsuyoshi Fujita
  7. Koby Okada
  8. Toshiki Tsukamoto

Pro Tour – Los Angeles (2–4 February 2001)

The 2001 Pro Tour Los Angeles was the last Pro Tour held on the Queen Mary, were all previous Pro Tours in Los Angeles had been held. In a final eight featuring three players, who had also been amongst the last eight in Chicago, Michael Pustilnik took the title and thus the lead in the Pro Player of the year standings.[1] Kamiel Cornelissen also made his second consecutive second place Pro Tour finish, the first person to do so in Pro Tour history.[1]

Tournament data

Players: 327
Prize Pool: $200,130
Format: Rochester Draft (Invasion)
Head Judge: Collin Jackson[2]

Final standings

PlacePlayerPrizePro PointsComment
1 Michael Pustilnik$30,000323rd Final day
2 Kamiel Cornelissen$20,000242nd Final day
3 Benedikt Klauser$15,000163rd Final day
4 Jon Finkel$13,000169th Final day
5 Kyle Rose$9,000124th Final day
6 Michael Gurney$8,50012
7 Erno Ekebom$8,000122nd Final day
8 Lawrence Creech$7,50012

Pro Player of the year standings

RankPlayerPro Points
1 Michael Pustilnik55
2 Kamiel Cornelissen52
3 Kai Budde47
4 Scott Johns40
5 Gary Wise37

Grand Prixs – Kaohsiung, Valencia, Cologne, Boston, Prague, Rio de Janeiro

GP Kaohsiung (10–11 February)
  1. Tobey Tamber
  2. Kuo Tzu-Ching
  3. King Yim Kingston Tong
  4. Nick Wong
  5. Fumio Hoshino
  6. Granger Petersen
  7. Toshiki Tsukamoto
  8. Hon Ming Au Yeung
GP Valencia (10–11 February)
  1. Ricard Tuduri
  2. Olivier Ruel
  3. Noah Boeken
  4. Ryan Fuller
  5. Michael Pustilnik
  6. Manuel Ramos
  7. Raul Mestre
  8. Raul Peret
GP Cologne (24–25 February)
  1. Jim Herold
  2. Antoine Ruel
  3. Trey Van Cleave
  4. Joost Vollebregt
  5. Daniel Zink
  6. Frank Karsten
  7. Christoph Lippert
  8. Jan Doise
GP Boston (24–25 February)
  1. Tom Swan
  2. Scott Johns
  3. Alan Comer
  4. Matthew Vienneau
  5. Brian Hegstad
  6. Kurtis Hahn
  7. Kyle Rose
  8. Chris Benafel
GP Prague (10–11 March)
  1. Ryan Fuller
  2. Jens Thoren
  3. Jakub Slemr
  4. Trey Van Cleave
  5. Thomas Preyer
  6. Antoine Ruel
  7. Kristian Kockott
  8. Noah Boeken
GP Rio de Janeiro (10–11 March)
  1. Carlos Romão
  2. Alex Shvartsman
  3. Justin Schneider
  4. Rafael Alvarenga
  5. Rafael Le Saux
  6. Ernesto Mingorance
  7. Damian Brown-Santirso
  8. Daniel Brasil do Carmo

Pro Tour – Tokyo (16–18 March 2001)

The 2001 Pro Tour Tokyo saw a number of interesting firsts for the Pro Tour. Canadian player Ryan Fuller became the first player to go undefeated in the Swiss rounds of a Pro Tour, finishing with a 14–0 record.[1] Also, Tsuyoshi Fujita became the first Japanese player to make a Pro Tour Top 8.[1] Ultimately it was future Hall of Fame member Zvi Mowshowitz who would take the title, winning his first individual Pro Tour.

Tournament data

Players: 270
Prize Pool: $200,130
Format: Invasion Block Constructed (Invasion, Planeshift)
Head Judge: Chris Zantides[2]

Final standings

PlacePlayerPrizePro PointsComment
1 Zvi Mowshowitz$30,000323rd Final day
2 Tsuyoshi Fujita$20,000241st Asian Player in a Top 8, 1st Japanese Player in a Top 8
3 Lucas Hager$15,00016
4 Chris Benafel$13,000162nd Final day
5 Ryan Fuller$9,000122nd Final day
6 Philip Freneau$8,50012
7 David Williams$8,00012
8 Frederico Bastos$7,500121st Portuguese Player in a Top 8

Masters – Team Rochester Draft

TeamPlayerTeamPlayer
AlphaBetaUnlimited.com Ryan FullerPanzer Hunter Momose Kazuyuki
Noah Boeken Itaru Ishida
Chris Benafel Reiji Ando
Black-Ops Florent JeudonPotato Nation Scott Johns
Antoine Ruel Gary Wise
Olivier Ruel Mike Turian
Car Acrobatic Team Andrew JohnsonTeam Outland Nicolai Herzog
Andrew Cuneo Eivind Nitter
Aaron Forsythe Bjorn Jocumsen
Game Empire Kurt BurgnerYour Move Games Rob Dougherty
Alan Comer Dave Humpherys
Brian Selden Darwin Kastle

Pro Player of the year standings

RankPlayerPro Points
1 Michael Pustilnik60
2 Kamiel Cornelissen58
3 Kai Budde50
align=center rowspan=24 Scott Johns49
Zvi Mowshowitz49

Grand Prixs – Gothenburg, Detroit, Moscow

GP Gothenburg (24–25 March)
  1. Jan Schreurs
  2. Josper Manne Thranne
  3. Raphaël Lévy
  4. Scott Willis
  5. Eivind Nitter
  6. Marcus Angelin
  7. Sondre Ellingvåg
  8. Jimmy Öman
GP Detroit (31 March – 1 April)
  1. Matthew Vienneau
  2. Brock Parker
  3. Bob Maher, Jr.
  4. Dan Clegg
  5. William Jensen
  6. Adam Prokopin
  7. Aaron Breider
  8. Louis Boileau
GP Moscow (21–22 April)
  1. Ryan Fuller
  2. Iwan Tan
  3. Yuri Markin
  4. Antoine Ruel
  5. Eugene Okin
  6. David Williams
  7. Sergey Norin
  8. Rustam Bakirov

Pro Tour – Barcelona (4–6 May 2001)

In Barcelona Kai Budde became the first player to win three Pro Tours overall and also the first to win two Pro Tours in a single season.[1] Ben Rubin won the Masters and thus became the only player to win two Masters tournaments.

Tournament data

Players: 335
Prize Pool: $200,130
Format: Booster Draft (Invasion-Planeshift)
Head Judge: Thomas Bisballe[2]

Final standings

PlacePlayerPrizePro PointsComment
1 Kai Budde$30,000323rd Final day, 3rd Pro Tour win
2 Alan Comer$20,000245th Final day
3 Dan Clegg$15,000162nd Final day
4 Patrick Mello$13,000162nd Final day
5 Brad Swan$9,00012
6 Albertus Law$8,500121st Singaporean in a Top 8
7 Yuri Kolomeyko$8,000121st Ukrainian in a Top 8
8 Chad Ellis$7,50012

Pro Player of the year standings

RankPlayerPro Points
1 Kai Budde83
2 Michael Pustilnik66
3 Kamiel Cornelissen64
align=center rowspan=24 Ryan Fuller55
Scott Johns55

Grand Prixs – Yokohama, Turin, Taipei, Columbus

GP Yokohama (12–13 May)
  • 1. AlphaBetaUnlimited.com
  • Chris Benafel
  • Ryan Fuller
  • David Williams
  • 2. Poor Shark
  • Masashiro Kuroda
  • Tomomi Otsuka
  • Masahiko Morita
  • 3. Voice of Soul
  • Tsuyoshi Douyama
  • Tadayoshi Komiya
  • Takao Higaki
  • 4. Fire Beat
  • Tsuyoshi Ikeda
  • Toshiki Tsukamoto
  • Jun Nobushita
    GP Turin (26–27 May)
  • 1. Team Clegg
  • Peter Szigeti
  • Brock Parker
  • Daniel Clegg
  • 2. AlphaBetaUnlimited.com
  • Ryan Fuller
  • Chris Benafel
  • Noah Boeken
  • 3. Angstschreeuw
  • Menno Dolstra
  • Jan Schreurs
  • Bram Snepvangers
  • 4. One Day Fly
  • Tom Van de Logt
  • Kamiel Cornelissen
  • Jelger Wiegersma
    GP Taipei (21–22 July)
  • 1. www.alphabetaunlimited.com/
  • David Williams
  • Chris Benafel
  • Daniel Clegg
  • 2. Anchans
  • Osamu Fujita
  • Itaru Ishida
  • Katsuhiro Mori
  • 3. Team T.T.T.
  • Kuo Tzu-Ching
  • Chen Yu Wang
  • Dell Sun
  • 4. Dr. no-right
  • Jack Ho
  • Yen Chang Lee
  • Yang Bo Wang
    GP Columbus (28–29 July)
  • 1. Your Move Games
  • Darwin Kastle
  • Dave Humpherys
  • Rob Dougherty
  • 2. The Ken Ho All-Stars
  • Daniel Clegg
  • Ken Ho
  • Lan D. Ho
  • 3. Dynasty
  • Gabriel Tsang
  • Brian Hacker
  • Ben Rubin
  • 4. The Ancient Kavus
  • Gary Krakower
  • Matthew Vienneau
  • Michael Pustilnik

    2001 World Championships – Toronto (8–12 August 2001)

    Tom Van de Logt won the World Championship while the United States took the team title. The final eight featured amongst several rather unknown players Antoine Ruel, Tommi Hovi, Mike Turian and David Williams, who had the dubious honour of becoming the first player to be disqualified from a Top 8.

    Tournament data

    Prize pool: $210,200 (individual) + $189,000 (national teams)
    Players: 296
    Formats: Standard, Rochester Draft (Invasion-Planeshift-Apocalypse), Extended
    Head Judge: Mike Donais[2]

    Final standings

    PlacePlayerPrizePro PointsComment
    1 Tom Van de Logt$35,000322nd Final day, 1st Dutch Player to win a Pro Tour
    2 Alex Borteh$23,00024
    3 Antoine Ruel$15,00016
    4 Andrea Santin$13,00016
    5 Mike Turian$9,000122nd Final day
    6 Jan Tomcani$8,500121st Slovakian in a Top 8
    7 Tommi Hovi$8,000124th Final day
    8 John Ormerod$7,500122nd Final day*

    National team competition

    1. United States (Trevor Blackwell, Brian Hegstad, Eugene Harvey)
    2. Norway (Nicolai Herzog, Oyvind Odegaard, Jan Pieter Groenhof)

    Pro Player of the year final standings

    After the World Championship Kai Budde was awarded the Pro Player of the year title. He thus became the first player to win the title more than once.

    RankPlayerPro Points
    1 Kai Budde88
    2 Kamiel Cornelissen75
    3 Michael Pustilnik71
    4 Chris Benafel65
    align=center rowspan=25 Ryan Fuller64
    Zvi Mowshowitz64

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Mark . Rosewater . On Tour, Part 2 . Wizards of the Coast . 9 August 2004 . 1 December 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090302090404/http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr136. dead. 2 March 2009.
    2. Web site: Head Judges of Pro Tours and World Championships . XS4ALL . 16 November 2009 . 30 October 2009 .