2020 Players Tour Season

2020 Players Tour Season
World Champion	Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa
Hall of Fame inductions	None
PTs	2 series + 1 finals
Grand Prix	7
Previous season: 2018–19 Next season: 2020–21

The partial 2020 Players Tour season is the twenty-fifth Players Tour season (formerly known as the Pro Tour).

Description

The Season started on January 10, 2020, with MagicFest Montréal, Canada and ends on July 24–26, 2020 with MagicFest San José, USA. Like the previous one, it was a transitional season. While the system originally was designed to arrange itself into the calendar year, this plan was reversed going forward, which had resulted in a 17-month season for 2018-2019 alongside a partial 7-month season in 2020. This partial season doesn't feature a World Championship. The next World Championship will take place at the culmination of the 2020–2021 season.

Starting this season, the short-lived Mythic Championships were split into the tabletop Players Tour continental series and the digital Mythic Invitationals, and the Players Tour Finals and Rivals League were introduced.

The COVID-19 outbreak in January resulted in preventative measures taken in March. A large swath of the Grand Prix event schedule was canceled, and the Players Tour Finals Houston and the May Invitational also were canceled. By April, it was clear that further events were not safely feasible to hold, and Wizards wrote off the entire season as not salvageable. It was announced that some large events later in the year would be prospectively held, but that those events would not pay out points for League positions. Current Rivals and MPL players would hold their positions, with some newer players taken from the first series.

Any events, including the scheduled Players Tour Finals and Mythic Invitational wouldn't be played for Player Points or Mythic Points, and therefore 'wouldn't impact MPL or Rivals invitations for next season.

By May, the future of in-person gatherings was uncertain and likely to remain that way for some time. A new plan was needed, one that worked within current constraints to close out a completely disrupted season while providing hundreds of competitors with existing qualifications an opportunity to compete. Wizards of the Coast therefore shifted the 2020 Partial Season competitions from in-person destinations to online events, played remotely through MTG Arena. At the same time, the end of the partial season was moved up to the fall of 2020. Later that month, all remaining Grand Prix were cancelled. Tabletop Grand Prix did not return.

World Championship XXVI

The 2019 World Championship, promoted as World Championship XXVI, was held on February 14-16 2020 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Rank	Player	Prize money
1	Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa	$ 300,000
2	Marcio Carvalho	$ 150,000
3	Seth Manfield	$ 100,000
4	Gabriel Nassif	$ 75,000
5	Sebastian Pozzo	$ 62,500
6	Eli Loveman	$ 62,500
7	Jean-Emmanuel Depraz	$ 50,000
8	Autumn Burchett	$ 50,000
9	Piotr Glogowski	$ 25,000
10	Chris Kvartek	$ 25,000
11	Raphael Levy	$ 25,000
12	Thoralf Severin	$ 25,000
13	Ondřej Stráský	$ 12,500
14	Javier Dominguez	$ 12,500
15	Andrea Mengucci	$ 12,500
16	Matias Leveratto	$ 12,500

Grand Prix

Feeding in the Players Tour Finals (Series 2)

GP Austin Date: 11–12 January 2020 Format: Modern Attendance: 801

1. Christopher Candevra 2. Marcus Luong 3. Oliver Tomajko 4. Ian Birrell 5. Evan Teachworth 6. Tad Macaraeg 7. Brendan Cohen 8. Andrew Wolbers

GP New Jersey Date: 25–26 January 2020 Format: Limited Attendance: 1434

1. Isaak Krut 2. Christian Trudel 3. Collin Rountree 4. Terrence Campo 5. Alexander Rosdahl 6. Andrew Elenbogen 7. Chas Hinkle 8. Jordan Berkowitz

GP Brussels Date: 31 January - 2 February 2020 Format: Pioneer Attendance: 1663

1. Carlos Moral 2. Claes de Graaff 3. Kiriakos Avgoustis 4. Olli Saarinen 5. Fabian Gorzgen 6. Lev Ducenko 7. Miguel Castro 8. Alexander Mertins

GP Nagoya Date: 1–2 February 2020 Format: Pioneer Attendance: 1672

1. Takuya Ishizuki 2. Yoshiro Mikami 3. Taiki Yamashita 4. Taiki Hattori 5. Yuta Inukai 6. Shinichi Ito 7. Hirotaki Kawasaki 8. Shinsuke Hayashi

GP Phoenix Date: 7-9 February 2020 Format: Pioneer Attendance: 941

1. Benjamin Weitz 2. Andrew Lopez 3. Kyle Henriksen 4. Isaac Sears 5. Joseph Artz 6. Max Milechman 7. Stephen Peters 8. Jonathan Rosum

GP Reno Date: 28 February-1 March 2020 Format: Limited Attendance: 678

1. Nathaniel Knox 2. Bradley Yoo 3. Young I Son 4. Jimmy Gorham 5. Eric Severson 6. Patric Selbey 7. Andrew Goodwin 8. Justin Porchas

GP Lyon Date: 7-8 March 2020 Format: Standard Attendance: 583

1. Biaggo Ruocco 2. Quentin Leroy 3. Alexandre Murgay 4. Matthew Garnham 5. Adriano Moscato 6. Quentin Garchery 7. Davide Tedeschi 8. Leo Carbonell

• March 13–15, 2020: MagicFest Detroit, USA (Standard) (canceled)
• March 20–22, 2020: MagicFest São Paulo, Brazil (Modern) (canceled)
• March 27–29, 2020: MagicFest Louisville, USA (Pioneer) (canceled)

Feeding in the Players Tour Finals (Series 3)

• April 3–5, 2020: MagicFest Turin, Italy (Modern) (canceled)
• April 10–12, 2020: MagicFest Palm Beach, USA (Modern) (canceled)
• April 24–26, 2020: MagicFest Houston, USA (Limited) (canceled)
• April 30-May 3, 2020: MagicFest Copenhagen, Denmark (Limited) (canceled)
• May 7-10, 2020: MagicFest Charlotte, USA (Standard) (canceled)
• May 8-10, 2020: MagicFest Kitakyushu, Japan (Standard) (canceled)
• May 22–24, 2020: MagicFest Toronto, Canada (Modern) (canceled)
• May 29–31, 2020: MagicFest Prague, Czech Republic (Standard) (canceled)
• June 5–7, 2020: MagicFest Seattle, USA (Team Limited) (canceled)
• June 12–14, 2020: MagicFest Bilbao, Spain (Modern). Moved to Valencia (canceled)
• June 19–21, 2020: MagicFest Providence, USA (Pioneer) (canceled)
• July 10–12, 2020: MagicFest Minneapolis, USA (Limited) (canceled)
• July 17–19, 2020: MagicFest Liverpool, UK (Limited) (canceled)
• July 24–26, 2020: MagicFest San Jose, USA (Standard) (canceled)

Players Tours

Series 1

• January 31-February 2, 2020: Players Tour Europe - Brussels, Belgium

Place	Player	Prize	Player Points	Deck	Comments
1	Joel Larsson	$35,000	26	Sultai Delirium	Third Top Finish
2	Piotr Glogowski	$25,000	24	Inverter Combo	MPL. Third Top Finish
3	Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa	$20,000	22	5-Color Niv to Light	MPL. 15th Top Finish
4	Brent Vos	$15,000	20	Lotus Breach
5	Juan Jose Rodriguez Lopez	$12,000	18	Mono-Red Aggro	Second Top Finish
6	Mattia Rizzi	$10,000	18	Bant Spirits
7	Zhang Zhiyang	$8,000	18	Mono-Black Aggro	Second Top Finish
8	Valerio Luminati	$6,000	18	Bant Spirits

• February 1–2, 2020: Players Tour Asia-Pacific - Nagoya, Japan

Place	Player	Prize	Player Points	Deck	Comments
1	Kenta Harane	$35,000	26	White-Blue Spirits
2	Ken Yukuhiro	$21,000	24	Orzhov Sram	MPL. Sixth Top Finish
3	Yuuta Takahashi	$15,000	22	Inverter Combo	Third Top Finish
4	Shintaro Ishimura	$12,000	20	Blue Devotion Inverter	Second Top Finish
5	Shota Yasooka	$10,000	18	Inverter Combo	MPL. Fifth Top Finish
6	Akira Asahara	$8,000	18	Inverter Combo	Third Top Finish
7	Lee Shi Tian	$6,000	18	Inverter Combo	MPL. Seventh Top Finish
8	Dmitri Butakov	$4,000	18	Mono-Black Vampires

• February 7–9, 2020: Players Tour Americas - Phoenix, USA

Place	Player	Prize	Player Points	Deck	Comments
1	Corey Burkhart	$35,000	26	Inverter Combo
2	William Jensen	$30,000	24	Lotus Breach Combo	MPL. Seventh Top Finish
3	Jacob Wilson	$20,000	22	Sultai Delirium	Third Top Finish
4	Zachary Kiihne	$15,000	20	Mono-Red Aggro
5	Allen Wu	$12,000	18	Lotus Breach Combo	Second Top Finish
6	Austin Bursavich	$10,000	18	UW Control	Second Top Finish
7	Peter Ingram	$8,000	18	Inverter Combo
8	Thomas Ashton	$6,000	18	Bant Spirits

• April 24–26, 2020: Players Tour Finals (Series 1) - Houston, USA (canceled)

Series 2

• May 1–3, 2020: Players Tour Europe - Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Rescheduled: May 29–31 - Prague, Czech Republic (canceled)
• May 8-10, 2020: Players Tour Americas - Charlotte, USA
  • Rescheduled: June 5–7, Seattle, USA (cancelled)
• May 9-10, 2020: Players Tour Asia-Pacific - Kitakyushu, Japan (canceled)
• July 10–12, 2020: Players Tour Finals (Series 2) - Minneapolis, USA (canceled)

Series 2 (rescheduled on MTG Arena)

There were four tournaments. Qualified players could play in only one of their choosing:

• June 13–14, 2020: Players Tour 1

Place	Player	Prize	Player Points	Deck	Comments
1	Elias Watsfeldt	$8,000	None awarded	Temur Reclamation
2	Dominik Görtzen	$7,000		Temur Reclamation
3	Joonas Eloranta	$6,000		Temur Reclamation
4	Louis-Samuel Deltour	$5,000		Bant Ramp	Rivals League
5	Simon Görtzen	$4,500		Temur Reclamation	Rivals League
6	Shinsuke Hayashi	$4,500		Bant Ramp
7	Jeong Woo Cho	$4,000		Temur Reclamation
8	Kazuhiro Noine	$4,000		Temur Reclamation

• June 13–14, 2020: Players Tour 2

Place	Player	Prize	Player Points	Deck	Comments
1	Ryuji Murae	$8,000	None awarded	Temur Reclamation
2	Jean-Emmanuel Depraz	$7,000		Temur Reclamation	MPL
3	Allison Warfield	$6,000		Temur Reclamation	Rivals League
4	Christoffer Larsen	$5,000		Jund Sacrifice
5	Eduardo Sajgalik	$4,500		Jund Sacrifice
6	Eli Loveman	$4,500		Rakdos Sacrifice	Rivals League
7	Kevin Antonio Perez	$4,000		Sultai Ramp	First Guatemalan/Central American Top Finish
8	Abe Corrigan	$4,000		Temur Reclamation

• June 19–20, 2020: Players Tour 3

Place	Player	Prize	Player Points	Deck	Comments
1	William Craddock	$8,000	None awarded	Jund Sacrifice
2	Rei Hirayama	$7,000		Temur Reclamation
3	Iurii Babych	$6,000		Sultai Ramp
4	Dennis Chan	$5,000		Bant Ramp
5	Isaac Egan	$4,500		Jund Sacrifice
6	Logan Nettles	$4,500		Temur Reclamation
7	Ben Stark	$4,000		Yorion Orzhov Blink	Rivals League
8	Joshua Chan	$4,000		Rakdos Sacrifice

• June 20–21, 2020: Players Tour 4

Place	Player	Prize	Player Points	Deck	Comments
1	Akira Asahara	$8,000	None awarded	Temur Reclamation
2	Thomas White	$7,000		Azorius Control
3	Gabriel Nassif	$6,000		Azorius Control	MPL
4	Arne Huschenbeth	$5,000		Temur Reclamation
5	Thomas Hendriks	$4,500		Bant Flash
6	Tomasz Sodomirski	$4,500		Temur Reclamation
7	Pesach Israeli	$4,000		Bant Ramp
8	Alexander Hayne	$4,000		Temur Reclamation	Rivals League

The finals were divided over two weekends:

• July 25–26, 2020: Players Tour Finals (Series 2)
• August 1, 2020: Players Tour Finals, Top 8 Playoffs (Series 2)

Place	Player	Prize	Player Points	Deck	Comments
1	Kristof Prinz	$10,000	None awarded	4C Reclamation
2	Riku Kumagai	$8,000		Mono-Black Aggro
3	Michael Jacob	$7,000		Mardu Winota
4	Allen Wu	$6,000		Temur Reclamation
5	Patrick Fernandes	$5,000		Temur Reclamation
6	Christoffer Larsen	$5,000		Jund Sacrifice
7	Ben Weitz	$5,000		4C Reclamation
8	Raphael Levy	$5,000		Azorius Control	MPL

Mythic Invitationals

• May 14–17, 2020: Mythic Invitational – Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths (canceled)
• July 23–26, 2020: Mythic Invitational – Core 2021 (canceled)

Mythic Invitationals rescheduled

August 28–30, 2020: Mythic Invitational 2020.

Place	Player	Prize	Player Points	Deck	Comments
1	Seth Manfield	$10,000	None awarded	Sultai Ramp	MPL
2	Gabriel Nassif	$8,000		Jund Sacrifice	MPL
3	Luis Salvatto	$7,000		Rakdos Arcanist	Rival
4	Grzegorz Kowalski	$6,000		Jund Citadel	Rival
5	David Steinberg	$5,000		Jund Sacrifice
6	Luis Scott-Vargas	$5,000		Jund Sacrifice	Rival
7	Matt Nass	$5,000		Mono-Black Gift	Rival
8	Ken Yukuhiro	$5,000		Mono-Red Goblins	MPL

Grand Finals

With the rescheduling, an entirely new event, the 2020 Season Grand Finals, was added. This took place on October 9-11, 2020, with the Top 16 from both the Players Tour Finals and Mythic Invitational qualifying for this exclusive $250,000 prize pool event.

Invitees

• Top 16 competitors from the Players Tour Series 2 Finals

• Allen Wu
• Kristof Prinz
• Riku Kumagai
• Raphael Levy (MPL)
• Michael Jacob
• Patrick Fernandes
• Christoffer Larsen
• Ben Weitz
• Autumn Burchett (MPL)
• Austin Bursavich
• Ivan Floch
• Piotr Głogowski (MPL)
• Seth Manfield (MPL)
• Eetu Perttula
• Sam Sherman
• Alvaro Fernandez Torres

Top 17 competitors from the Mythic Invitational 2020

• Luis Salvatto (RL)
• Grzegorz Kowalski (RL)
• David Steinberg
• Gabriel Nassif (MPL)
• Matt Nass (RL)
• Ken Yukuhiro (MPL)
• Luis Scott-Vargas (RL)
• Seth Manfield (MPL)
• Emma Handy (RL)
• Toni Ramis Pascual
• Christopher Leonard
• Luca Magni (RL)
• Chris Palmiotti
• Brad Nelson (MPL)
• Montserrat Ayensa
• Aaron Gertler
• Jun'ya Iyanaga

Jun'ya Iyanaga received his invitation as a pass down from Seth Manfield, who was already qualified through the Players Tour Series 2 Finals.

Structure

The 2020 Season Grand Finals used both Standard and Historic Constructed formats on MTG Arena.

• Day One: 6 Swiss rounds
  • Rounds 1-3: Historic Constructed
  • Rounds 4-6: Standard Constructed

All players returned for Day Two. Records and tiebreakers earned on Day One carried over to Day Two.

• Day Two: 6 Swiss rounds
  • Round 7-9: Standard Constructed
  • Rounds 10-12: Historic Constructed

Players for Top 8 are determined and seeded by earning 8 match wins or standings at the end of Round 12.

Prizes

• $250,000 prize pool (first place: $25,000)

Play

Day 1

Prior to the tournament, a short panel was held with R&D member Andrew Brown and MPL members and weekend commentators Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa and Reid Duke, going over the statistics of the metagames.

Consensus entering the tournament was that Omnath Adventures – which combined Omnath, Locus of Creation with the power of Lucky Clover and Adventure spells like Bonecrusher Giant or Fae of Wishes – was the best deck against the field, while the Lotus Cobra-powered Omnath Ramp deck had the edge in the head-to-head matchup. The result was what many expected: 19 decks of the 32 played Omnath Adventures and another four played Omnath Ramp. Four players took Rakdos Midrange in to the field and suffered abysmal results. Seth Manfield was the odd man out with Dimir Rogue - with Soaring Thought-Thief and Thieves' Guild Enforcer - while Autumn Burchett successfully chose Gruul Adventures.

In the Historic portion, the metagame shifted far from the Goblins-centric meta during the Invitational into one where Omnath made up a third of the field. Whether from expected hate (that Reid Duke suggested) or the inevitable end of an unreliable deck (that Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa posited), only one player registered it. This change in metagame meant that the second most popular deck - Jund Sacrifice - was without prey. With Sultai picking up Yasharn, Implacable Earth as a powerful hate card, both commentators found that the deck was overrepresented for the metagame - despite this, Seth Manfield made an early sweep. A newcomer deck powered by Sea Gate Stormcaller was the Neoform combo deck, one that can win with .

On the day of competition, Autumn lead the pack undefeated, while Seth's only loss was to Autumn in round five. Austin Bursavich made for the only other 5-1 player, whose only loss was also to Autumn, but in the Historic portion. He wielded Omnath in both formats, Adventures in Standard and Ramp in Historic.

Day 2

Austin Bursavich quickly took over the lead from Autumn at 8-1 and qualified. The way the tournament was set up, players at 8 wins are removed from the Swiss as having qualified. Manfield (over Burchett) and Burchett (over Patrick Fernandes) followed at rounds 10 and 11, leaving five players to fight in round 12. At the low end of the 7-4s, Emma Handy defeated Ken Yukuhiro and Aaron Gertler defeated Kristof Prinz. The pairings of Fernandes/Wu and Nassif/Levy drew; while Wu had higher breakers than Levy, the field broke down in that Wu had both Yukuhiro and Prinz twice in his record, and both of them losing shifted his breakers down 1.4%. Wu ended up on 9th.

Top 8 play-offs

The Top 8 players faced one more day to earn the Grand Finals trophy. In the final match, Austin Bursavich bested Aaron Gertler to become Grand Finals Champion.

Place	Player	Prize	Points	Standard deck	Historic deck	League
1	Austin Bursavich	$25,000	33	Omnath Adventures	Omnath Ramp
2	Aaron Gertler	$20,000	24	Omnath Adventures	Omnath Ramp
3	Gabriel Nassif	$14,000	22	Omnath Adventures	Four-Color Midrange	MPL
4	Raphaël Lévy	$12,000	22	Omnath Adventures	Four-Color Midrange	MPL
5	Autumn Burchett	$11,500	27	Gruul Adventures	Omnath Ramp	MPL
6	Patrick Fernandes	$11,500	22	Omnath Adventures	Omnath Ramp
7	Seth Manfield	$9,000	30	Dimir Rogues	Jund Sacrifice	MPL
8	Emma Handy	$9,000	24	Gruul Adventures	Omnath Ramp	RL