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Revision as of 23:31, 15 May 2004 by 217.230.223.239 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Duelists' Convocation International (or DCI) is the body that organizes competitive play for the card game Magic: The Gathering. All official Magic tournaments are run and sactioned by the DCI.
The DCI is also responsible for keeping track of how well players are doing compared to all the other Magic players in the world using the Elo rating system. A high DCI rating is the most reliable sign of an excellent Magic player. In addition, the DCI provides the materials for the training of competent judges to interpret the rules and ensure fair play at events.
Major tournaments
World Championship
The most prestigious tournament of all is the World Championship, where the best of the best play against each other until the world champion is crowned. World Championships are played over five days, and an invitation is required to be eligible for play. An invitation is obtained either by placing very highly in a National Championship, or having a high enough DCI ranking. The World Championships are normally held in late summer.
Pro Tour
Multiple Pro Tours are run every year around the world. A typical Pro Tour season begins in early autumn, with an event held roughly every six weeks until the end of spring. The locations vary each year, and these are large events with myriad side tournaments. They are also invitation-only events. Before the Pro Tour, a large number of Pro Tour Qualifiers (PTQs) are held, where invitations are handed out to the winners; players who have played in enough previous Pro Tour events also receive invitations. Winning a Pro Tour is every competitive Magic player's dream. Currently, each Pro Tour carries a total purse of US$200,000, with the winner receiving $30,000. Beginning with the 2003-2004 Pro Tour season, the 50 top-ranked Pro players at the conclusion of the season will receive additional cash prizes totaling $635,000.
Grand Prix
Grand Prix tournaments are open to everyone, both amateurs and professionals. The payout isn't as big as for a Pro Tour and winning a Grand Prix is not as prestigious, but they still attract international competition. Grand Prix tournaments are also held both in the United States and in other countries. Some recent Grand Prix events have been in: New Orleans, Los Angeles, Brussels, Yokohama, Taipei, Utrecht, and other diverse cities. Many players enjoy traveling to Grand Prix tournaments simply to travel and to see the sights around the world.
Invitational
The Invitational is a tournament held for the 16 highest performers of the year. The winner of the World Championship, the Pro Tour player of the year, and several fan-voted players are among the contestants in a who's-who of professional Magic play. The prize of this tournament is not money but rather the opportunity to design a new card for an upcoming expansion. When the card is printed, it typically bears a likeness of the victor as well. Often the Invitational is held at a exotic location.
The Invitational winners and the cards they took part in designing so far is:
- 1996 Olle Råde, Sylvan Safekeeper
- 1997 Darwin Kastle, Avalanche Riders
- 1998 Mike Long, Rootwater Thief
- 1999 Chris Pikula, Meddling Mage
- 2000 Jon Finkel, Shadowmage Infiltrator
- 2001 Kai Budde, Voidmage Prodigy
- 2002 Jens Thorén, Solemn Simulacrum
Other tournaments
Many stores that sell Magic hold at least a tournament once every week; large ones may hold as many as twelve. These tournaments are mostly for amateurs and are a good place to start your Magic-playing career.
Friday Night Magic is offered in many stores, allowing players to compete for a special foil DCI card, which changes every week.
The largest tournaments that a player not willing or able to travel can attend are Pre-Release tournaments, where a new expansion, or set, is released to the public (before it is available in stores) in the best way possible: by playing it. This provides the most level playing field, as the cards have not been seen before by any of the players and the prizes are often very large, such as boxes of cards for the winners.
Apart from creating a new game genre, Magic also has many websites devoted to strategy, a number of local, state, regional, national and international championships, and line of fiction novels set in Magic's world.