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{{For|the 2019 event|Mythic Invitational}}
[[File:Magic Invitational.jpg|right]]
[[File:Magic Invitational.jpg|right]]
The '''Magic Invitational Tournament''' is an annual [[Magic: The Gathering]] tournament where the sixteen best players of the past year are invited to duel in various formats. <ref>{{DailyRef|magic/magiconline/articlemrMI02intro|2002 Magic Invitational|[[Mark Rosewater]]|October 10, 2002}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/daily/mr249|When You Wish Upon an All-Star|[[Mark Rosewater]]|January 31, 2005}}</ref> The played formats usually are specialty formats which are never played in other officially sanctioned tournaments, e.g. [[Auction|Auction of the People]], and sometimes are experimental or specifically created for the tournament. Played formats are switched every few rounds. The tournament itself is Round Robin, meaning that every player plays each other at least once.
The '''Magic Invitational Tournament''' (initially the '''Duelist Invitational''' after [[The Duelist|The Duelist Magazine]]) was an annual ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' tournament where the sixteen best players of the past year are invited to duel in various formats, which ran from 1997 until 2007.<ref>{{DailyRef|when-you-wish-upon-all-star-2005-01-31|When You Wish Upon an All-Star|[[Mark Rosewater]]|January 31, 2005}}</ref>  


After the Round Robin portion is completed, the best two players play a finale which usually consists of an array of formats previously played in the tournament. The winner of the tournament is allowed to design a card which will see print on a later date after Research & Development had its input on it to make it feasible for a magic set. The artwork of the designed card will feature the likeness of the tournament's winner in the artwork.
==Description==
The played formats usually were specialty formats that were never played in other officially sanctioned tournaments, e.g. [[Auction|Auction of the People]], and sometimes were experimental or specifically created for the tournament.<ref>{{TwitterRef|Maro254|1593058634506055680|author=[[Mark Rosewater]]|title=I was asked last week to track down the card lists for the 1997 and 1998 Duelist Invitational Duplicate Limited events.|date=November 17, 2022}}</ref> [[Mark Rosewater]] also sometimes designed special stickered cards for these formats.<ref>{{DailyRef|feature/ask-wizards-february-2002-2002-02-01|Ask Wizards - February, 2002|[[Wizards of the Coast]]|February, 2002}}</ref> In 2000 he recosted existing cards.<ref>{{EzTumblr|https://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/708716293462818816|title=2000 Magic Invitational Duplicate Sealed Card List|February 9, 2023}}</ref> Played formats were switched every few rounds. The tournament itself was [[Wikipedia:Round Robin|Round Robin]], meaning that every player plays each other at least once, across many formats.


The tournament started in 1997 <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/daily/mr211|All-Star Studded|[[Mark Rosewater]]|May 10, 2004}}</ref> and was held until 2007, but hasn't been held since. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/daily/mr261|Twinkle, Twinkle, Little All-Star|[[Mark Rosewater]]|April 18, 2005}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/daily/mr310|Thank Your Lucky All-Stars|[[Mark Rosewater]]|January 30, 2006}}</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/daily/mr303|All-Star Trek|[[Mark Rosewater]]|October 29, 2007}}</ref> As part of the Organized Play Department's refocusing on grass roots programs, the Invitational was cut from the schedule. <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/daily/mr344|In the Mailbag|[[Mark Rosewater]]|August 11, 2008}}</ref>
After the Round Robin portion was completed, the best two players played a finale which usually consisted of an array of formats previously played in the tournament. The winner of the tournament was allowed to design a card that would see printing on a later date after [[R&D|Research & Development]] had its input on it to make it feasible for a ''Magic'' set. The artwork of the designed card featured the likeness of the tournament's winner.
 
The tournament started in 1997 <ref>{{DailyRef|all-star-studded-2004-05-10|All-Star Studded|[[Mark Rosewater]]|May 10, 2004}}</ref> and was held until 2007, but hasn't been held since.<ref>{{DailyRef|twinkle-twinkle-little-all-star-2005-04-18|Twinkle, Twinkle, Little All-Star|[[Mark Rosewater]]|April 18, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|thank-your-lucky-all-stars-2006-01-30-0|Thank Your Lucky All-Stars|[[Mark Rosewater]]|January 30, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/all-star-trek-2007-10-29|All-Star Trek|[[Mark Rosewater]]|October 29, 2007}}</ref> As part of the [[Organized Play]] Department's refocusing on grassroots programs, the Invitational was cut from the schedule.<ref>{{DailyRef|making-magic/mailbag-2008-08-11|In the Mailbag|[[Mark Rosewater]]|August 11, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{EzTumblr|http://markrosewater.tumblr.com/post/170748653133/do-you-know-why-the-invitational-stopped-i-assume|title=Do you know why the invitational stopped?|February 11, 2018}}</ref>
 
Invitationals returned in another form with the 2019 [[Mythic Invitational]], but these didn't feature specially designed cards for the winner. However, 2019 also saw the introduction of [[Player Spotlight]]s in ''[[Throne of Eldraine]]''.<ref name="Booster Fun">{{DailyRef|making-magic/project-booster-fun-2019-07-20|Project Booster Fun|[[Mark Rosewater]]|July 21, 2019}}</ref> These are similar to the Invitational Cards but depict the current [[World Championship|World Champion]] instead.


==Magic Invitational winners and their cards==
==Magic Invitational winners and their cards==
 
{| class="wikitable"
{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=5
!Season
|'''Season'''
!Winner
|'''Winner'''
!Card
|'''Card'''
|-  
|-  
|1996-97 <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/feature/211b|Format of Duelist Invitational|[[Mark Rosewater]]|February, 1997}}</ref>
|1996-97  
|[[Olle Råde]]
|[[Olle Råde]]
|<c title="Sylvan Safekeeper">Sylvan Safekeeper|JUD</c> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/arcana/113|Five Years in the Making|[[Magic Arcana]]|June 10, 2002}}</ref>
|{{card|Sylvan Safekeeper|Judgment}}<ref>{{DailyRef|five-years-making-2002-06-10|Five Years in the Making|[[Magic Arcana]]|June 10, 2002}}</ref>
|-
|-
|1997-98 <ref>[http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/article.asp?x=results/1998_Duelist_Invitational 1998 Duelist Invitational]</ref> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/feature/211c|Format of Duelist Invitational|[[Mark Rosewater]]|January, 1998}}</ref>
|1997-98<ref>[http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/article.asp?x=results/1998_Duelist_Invitational 1998 Duelist Invitational]</ref>  
|[[Darwin Kastle]]
|[[Darwin Kastle]]
|<c title="Avalanche Riders">Avalanche Riders|ULG</c>
|{{card|Avalanche Riders|Urza's Legacy}}
|-
|-
|1998-99 <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/feature/211d|Format of Duelist Invitational|[[Mark Rosewater]]|February, 1999}}</ref>
|1998-99  
|[[Mike Long]]
|[[Mike Long]]
|<c title="Rootwater Thief">Rootwater Thief|NEM</c>
|{{card|Rootwater Thief|Nemesis}}
|-
|-
|1999-2000 <ref>[http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/article.asp?x=INVITATIONAL9900/welcome Magic: The Gathering Invitational 2000]</ref>
|1999-2000<ref>[http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/article.asp?x=INVITATIONAL9900/welcome Magic: The Gathering Invitational 2000]</ref>
|[[Chris Pikula]]  
|[[Chris Pikula]]  
|<c title="Meddling Mage">Meddling Mage|PLS</c>
|{{card|Meddling Mage|Planeshift}}
|-
|-
|[http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/event.asp?event=MI00 2000-01]
|[http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/event.asp?event=MI00 2000-01]
|[[Jon Finkel]]  
|[[Jon Finkel]]  
|<c title="Shadowmage Infiltrator">Shadowmage Infiltrator|ODY</c>
|{{card|Shadowmage Infiltrator|Odyssey}}
|-
|-
|[http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/event.asp?event=MI01 2001-02]
|[http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/event.asp?event=MI01 2001-02]<ref>{{DailyRef|feature/format-duelist-invitational-2004-05-07|Format of Duelist Invitational|[[Mark Rosewater]]|May 7, 2004}}</ref>
|[[Kai Budde]]  
|[[Kai Budde]]  
|<c title="Voidmage Prodigy">Voidmage Prodigy|ONS</c>
|{{card|Voidmage Prodigy|Onslaught}}
|-
|-
|[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=sideboard/events/mi02 2002-03] <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/arcana/210|Thoren wins Invitational|[[Magic Arcana]]|October 21, 2002}}</ref>
|[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=sideboard/events/mi02 2002-03]<ref name=":0">{{DailyRef|arcana/thoren-wins-invitational-2002-10-21|Thoren wins Invitational|[[Magic Arcana]]|October 21, 2002}}</ref>
|[[Jens Thoren]]
|[[Jens Thoren]]
| <c title="Solemn Simulacrum">Solemn Simulacrum|MRD</c> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/daily/rb90|Post-Development Digest|[[Randy Buehler]]|September 26, 2003}}</ref>
|{{card|Solemn Simulacrum|Mirrodin}}<ref>{{DailyRef|post-development-digest-2003-09-26|Post-Development Digest|[[Randy Buehler]]|September 26, 2003}}</ref>
|-
|-
|[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Events.aspx?x=mtgevent/mi04/welcome 2003-04] <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/feature/214|The Future is Bright|[[Zvi Mowshowitz]]|May 31, 2004}}</ref>
|[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Events.aspx?x=mtgevent/mi04/welcome 2003-04]<ref name=":1">{{DailyRef|feature/future-bright-2004-05-31|The Future is Bright|[[Zvi Mowshowitz]]|May 31, 2004}}</ref>
|[[Bob Maher]]
|[[Bob Maher]]
|<c title="Dark Confidant">Dark Confidant|RAV</c>
|{{card|Dark Confidant|Ravnica: City of Guilds}}
|-
|-
|[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Events.aspx?x=mtgevent/mi05/welcome 2005]
|[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Events.aspx?x=mtgevent/mi05/welcome 2005]
|[[Terry Soh]] <ref>{{DailyRef|mtgcom/arcana/826|Terry Soh Wins Magic Invitational 2005!|[[Magic Arcana]]|May 23, 2005}}</ref>
|[[Terry Soh]]<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/terry-soh-wins-magic-invitational-2005-2005-05-23|Terry Soh Wins Magic Invitational 2005!|[[Magic Arcana]]|May 23, 2005}}</ref>
|<c title="Rakdos Augermage">Rakdos Augermage|DIS</c>
|{{card|Rakdos Augermage|Dissension}}
|-
|-
|[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Events.aspx?x=mtgevent/mi06/welcome 2006]
|[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Events.aspx?x=mtgevent/mi06/welcome 2006]
|[[Antoine Ruel]]
|[[Antoine Ruel]]
|<c title="Ranger of Eos">Ranger of Eos|ALA</c> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/stf/12|Topic Explosion|[[Doug Beyer]]|November 12, 2008}}</ref>
|{{card|Ranger of Eos|Shards of Alara}}<ref>{{DailyRef|savor-flavor/topic-explosion-2008-11-12|Topic Explosion|[[Doug Beyer]]|November 12, 2008}}</ref>
|-
|-
|[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Events.aspx?x=mtgevent/mi07/welcome 2007]
|[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Events.aspx?x=mtgevent/mi07/welcome 2007]
|[[Tiago Chan]]
|[[Tiago Chan]]
|<c title="Snapcaster Mage">Snapcaster Mage|ISD</c> <ref>{{DailyRef|mtg/daily/arcana/826|The Saga of Snapcaster Mage|[[Monty Ashley]]|October 24, 2011}}</ref>
|{{card|Snapcaster Mage|Innistrad}}<ref>{{DailyRef|arcana/saga-snapcaster-mage-2011-10-24|The Saga of Snapcaster Mage|[[Monty Ashley]]|October 24, 2011}}</ref>
|}
|}


*'''Note''': Even though Olle Rade won the first Invitational, his card is the fifth card by an Invitational winner to be published. This is due to the circumstances that Rade quit Magic rather soon after the tournament without asking for his prize. He later made a comeback and asked Wizards of the Coast if he could still get his prize for this Tournament. Wizards agreed under the condition that Rade, who had since shaven his head, would be depicted in the Art with the long blond hair he had when he won the tournament.
*'''Note''': Even though Olle Rade won the first Invitational, his card was only the fifth card by an Invitational winner to be published. This was due to the circumstances that Rade quit Magic rather soon after the tournament without asking for his prize. He later made a comeback and asked Wizards of the Coast if he could still get his prize for this Tournament. Wizards agreed under the condition that Rade, who had since shaven his head, would be depicted in the Art with the long blond hair he had when he won the tournament.


==Public voted Invitational cards==
==Public voted Invitational cards==
In addition, during the 2005 Tournament Wizards of the Coast held a public vote among the users of their website for the most popular card among the submissions which would also be printed after going through the usual R&D process but without featuring the winner in the art. The winning card was submitted by [[Tsuyoshi Fujita]] and was eventually turned into <c>Gemstone Caverns</c>.
==Formats Used, By Year==
As mentioned, Invitationals used a variety of usual and unusual formats. These were:
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Formats Used
|-
|February 1997<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130522093152/http://wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/feature/211b Format of Duelist Invitational 1997 via Internet Archive]</ref>
|
* Standard
* Type 1.5 Restricted [[Highlander]] - one copy maximum per card, any card banned in either major format (Type 1 = [[Legacy]], Type 2 = [[Standard]]) was banned.
* Vintage [[New York Style]] - Each deck had to contain at least 4 cards from [[Unlimited Edition|Unlimited]] and from each of the 10 expansion sets released at that point, except [[Homelands]]. "New York Style" refers to the inaugural [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic:_The_Gathering_Pro_Tour_season_1996#Pro_Tour_%E2%80%93_New_York_(17%E2%80%9318_February_1996) Pro Tour New York 1996], which, in a ham-fisted attempt to ensure ''Homelands'', the newest set, was played in the tournament, the Standard rules were amended to require 5 cards per set released to date to appear in each decklist (main deck or sideboard).
* Sealed Deck (presumably Mirage/Visions)
* [[Solomon Draft]]: Two-player draft format in the style of <c>Fact or Fiction</c>.
* Backdraft: Rather than building a deck out of the pool of cards you drafted, you build one from the cards your opponent drafted. All cards drafted must be played though the player chooses lands.
|-
|January 1998<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090604113147/https://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/feature/211c Format of Duelist Invitational 1998 via Internet Archive]</ref>
|
* Standard
* Extended New York Style - Each deck had to contain at least 4 cards from The Dark, Fallen Empires, Ice Age, Homelands, Alliances, Mirage, Visions, Weatherlight, and Tempest.
* Mystery Constructed - format announced only three weeks before the event. It was Mirage-Visions-Weatherlight-Tempest 'block' with Vanguard; <c>Squandered Resources</c> was banned.
* [[Duplicate Sealed]] - all players received the same card pool to construct their decks from.
* [[Solomon Draft]]
|-
|February 1999<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170502184424/http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/feature/format-duelist-invitational-2004-05-07-1 Format of Duelist Invitational 1999 via Internet Archive]</ref>
|
* Standard
* Vintage
* Refined Extended (New York Style-ish) - Exactly 5 cards from each set which was then in Extended - Fifth Edition, Fourth Edition, Chronicles, Urza’s Saga, Exodus, Stronghold, Tempest, Weatherlight, Visions, Mirage, Alliances, Homelands, Ice Age, Fallen Empires, and The Dark.
* Duplicate Sealed
* Urza's Block Draft - Urza's Saga/Urza's Legacy/Urza's Legacy
|-
|March 2000<ref name=":2">[http://demonictutor.ning.com/forum/topics/magic-invitational-formats-and-winners Magic Invitational Formats and Winners], Demonic Tutor forums</ref><ref>[https://www.magiclibrarities.net/699-rarities-magic-invitational-cards-english-cards-index.html Magic Invitational Cards - Magic Rarities]</ref>
|
* Standard
* Vintage
* [[Block Party]] - deck must be legal in any one block format from Ice Age, Mirage, Tempest, Urza's, and Mercadian Masques blocks
* Duplicate Sealed - card pool was intentionally low quality and contained never-printed cards<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130626142817/http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/article.asp?x=INVITATIONAL9900/duplicatepreview Magic: The Gathering Invitational 2000]


In addition, during the 2005 Tournament Wizards of the Coast held a public vote among the users of their website for the most popular card among the submissions which would also be printed after going through the usual R&D process but without featuring the winner in the art. The winning card was submitted by [[Tsuyoshi Fujita]] and was eventually turned into <c>Gemstone Caverns</c>.  
[https://web.archive.org/web/20130626142817/http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/article.asp?x=INVITATIONAL9900/duplicatepreview Duplicate Sealed Preview] - [[Randy Buehler]]</ref>
* Solomon Draft
|-
|November 2000<ref name=":2" />
|
* Vintage
* [[Bring Your Own Block]]
* [[Auction|Auction of Champions]] - players bid starting life and hand size for the decks which had won each World Championship and Pro Tour to date
* Duplicate Sealed - cards modified from printed costs
* Solomon Draft
|-
|October 2001<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20011031210943/http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/event.asp?event=MI01 2001 Magic Invitational]</ref>
|
* Standard
* [[5-Color (Format)|5-Color]] Ante - 300-card decks, at least 25 cards of each color, played with ante rules. Winner of the round was highest monetary value of ante cards won.
* [[Auction|Auction of the People]] - 17 decks were auctioned from 3732 entries to the prompt "decks themed around creature types"<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20011201060930/http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/article.asp?x=sb20010924d Auction of the People Decks] - [[Mark Rosewater]]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130626132753/http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/article.asp?x=MI01%5C829auctionintro Auction of the People: Introduction]</ref>
* Duplicate Sealed - all cards in the pool had a converted mana cost of 1. Never-printed cards were again added to the sealed pool.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20020223145353/http://www.wizards.com/sideboard/article.asp?x=MI01%5c898duplimintro Duplicate Limited Intro] - [[Mark Rosewater]]</ref>
* [[Odyssey]] [[Rotisserie Draft]]
|-
|October 2002<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20021203020336/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=sideboard/events/mi02 Live Coverage of 2002 Magic Invitational]</ref>
|
This was the first year of the Invitational being played in [[Magic Online]], and strange formats were therefore limited.
* Standard
* [[Extended]]
* Auction of the People - All deck submissions had to be alphabet-themed; had to have at least one word per card name starting with a chosen letter<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20021213120008/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=sideboard/feature/20020911c Auction of the People 2002]</ref>
* [[Two-Headed Giant]] Draft
* [[Onslaught]] [[Rochester Draft]]
|-
|May 2004<ref name=":3">[https://web.archive.org/web/20150912135102/http://archive.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/feature/mi04 Formats for the 2004 Magic Invitational]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081011012914/http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Events.aspx?x=mtgevent/mi04/welcome Live Coverage of the 2004 Magic Invitational]</ref>
|
* [[Mirrodin]] [[Block Constructed]]
* [[Online Extended]] - This allowed cards from [[Seventh Edition|7th Edition]] and [[Invasion block]] forward to the most recent set ([[Darksteel]]). While [[Tempest block]], [[Urza's block]], [[Masques block]], and [[Sixth Edition]] were legal in Extended, they were excluded due to their absence in Magic Online.
* Auction of the People - All deck submissions had to use the same artist for all cards beyond basic lands.<ref name=":3" />
* [[Eighth Edition]] Rochester Draft
* Pack Draft - sixteen-player [[Rochester Draft]] where the picks are not cards, but ''packs''; each player then opened their five packs and constructed a deck via [[Sealed Deck]] rules. The 80 packs were 6 each of the 13 sets of Online Extended, plus a 7th pack from[[Seventh Edition|7th]] and [[Eighth Edition|8th]] Editions.
|-
|May 2005<ref>[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Events.aspx?x=mtgevent/mi05/welcome Invitational 2005 Coverage]</ref>
|
* [[Vanguard (format)|Vanguard]] Sealed Deck - [[Champions of Kamigawa|Champions]]/[[Betrayers of Kamigawa|Betrayers]] of Kamigawa
* Online Extended
* Standard
* Auction of the People - Each deck had to have a certain word appear on every card, whether as rules text, reminder text, flavor text, name, or typeline.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090322213535/http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mg172 Up for Auction (2005 Auction of the People Decklists)]</ref> This year's bidding began at 8 cards and 25 life, rather than 7/20 like past years.
* [[Invasion block|Invasion Block]] Draft - (while listed as 'IPA Draft', this did not have anything to do with beers on tap)
|-
|May 2006<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090602200321/https://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/bd221 The Field is Set (2006)] - [[Brian David-Marshall]] - summary of formats and invites</ref>
|
* Duplicate Sealed - themed around an abundance of card drawing and cards which punished card draw<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090602200522/https://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Events.aspx?x=mtgevent/mi06/duplicatecardpool Building the Duplicate Sealed Card Pool] - [[Aaron Forsythe]]</ref>
* Auction of the Geniuses - [[Classic (format)|Classic]] with [[Vanguard (format)|Vanguard]]; each of 18 famous deck designers was given a Vanguard Avatar and told to design a deck.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090119131922/http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Events.aspx?x=mtgevent/mi06/auctiondecks 2006 Magic Invitational Auction of the Geniuses]</ref>
* [[Mirage]]/[[Visions]] Draft - these were newly available on Magic Online at the time
* [[Block Party]] returned, with considerably more block options than in 2000; Invasion (Domain), Odyssey (UG Madness), and Onslaught (Goblins) featured heavily; Affinity (Mirrodin) did not, as it followed the final ban list for the block.
|-
|October 2007<ref name=":4">[https://web.archive.org/web/20080514021111/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=mtgcom/daily/bd297 Auctions, Cubes, and Winstons... Oh My!] (Formats and Invites, 2007) - [[Brian David-Marshall]]</ref><ref>[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Events.aspx?x=mtgevent/mi07/welcome Event Coverage Magic Invitational 2007]</ref>
|This year, the Invitational returned to paper Magic
 
* Auction of the People - each deck had to have at least one card starting with each letter of the alphabet
* Vintage
* [[Cube Draft|Cube]] - designed by Aaron Forsythe<ref name=":4" />; its contents at the time are visible [https://web.archive.org/web/20081002194440/http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Events.aspx?x=mtgevent/mi07/cubelist here]
* Make Your Own Standard - any two blocks plus any core set from [[Fifth Edition]] forward
* [[Winston Draft]] -  [[Lorwyn]]
|}


==References==
==References==

Latest revision as of 05:50, 22 April 2024

For the 2019 event, see Mythic Invitational.

The Magic Invitational Tournament (initially the Duelist Invitational after The Duelist Magazine) was an annual Magic: The Gathering tournament where the sixteen best players of the past year are invited to duel in various formats, which ran from 1997 until 2007.[1]

Description

The played formats usually were specialty formats that were never played in other officially sanctioned tournaments, e.g. Auction of the People, and sometimes were experimental or specifically created for the tournament.[2] Mark Rosewater also sometimes designed special stickered cards for these formats.[3] In 2000 he recosted existing cards.[4] Played formats were switched every few rounds. The tournament itself was Round Robin, meaning that every player plays each other at least once, across many formats.

After the Round Robin portion was completed, the best two players played a finale which usually consisted of an array of formats previously played in the tournament. The winner of the tournament was allowed to design a card that would see printing on a later date after Research & Development had its input on it to make it feasible for a Magic set. The artwork of the designed card featured the likeness of the tournament's winner.

The tournament started in 1997 [5] and was held until 2007, but hasn't been held since.[6][7][8] As part of the Organized Play Department's refocusing on grassroots programs, the Invitational was cut from the schedule.[9][10]

Invitationals returned in another form with the 2019 Mythic Invitational, but these didn't feature specially designed cards for the winner. However, 2019 also saw the introduction of Player Spotlights in Throne of Eldraine.[11] These are similar to the Invitational Cards but depict the current World Champion instead.

Magic Invitational winners and their cards

Season Winner Card
1996-97 Olle Råde Sylvan Safekeeper (Judgment)[12]
1997-98[13] Darwin Kastle Avalanche Riders (Urza's Legacy)
1998-99 Mike Long Rootwater Thief (Nemesis)
1999-2000[14] Chris Pikula Meddling Mage (Planeshift)
2000-01 Jon Finkel Shadowmage Infiltrator (Odyssey)
2001-02[15] Kai Budde Voidmage Prodigy (Onslaught)
2002-03[16] Jens Thoren Solemn Simulacrum (Mirrodin)[17]
2003-04[18] Bob Maher Dark Confidant (Ravnica: City of Guilds)
2005 Terry Soh[19] Rakdos Augermage (Dissension)
2006 Antoine Ruel Ranger of Eos (Shards of Alara)[20]
2007 Tiago Chan Snapcaster Mage (Innistrad)[21]
  • Note: Even though Olle Rade won the first Invitational, his card was only the fifth card by an Invitational winner to be published. This was due to the circumstances that Rade quit Magic rather soon after the tournament without asking for his prize. He later made a comeback and asked Wizards of the Coast if he could still get his prize for this Tournament. Wizards agreed under the condition that Rade, who had since shaven his head, would be depicted in the Art with the long blond hair he had when he won the tournament.

Public voted Invitational cards

In addition, during the 2005 Tournament Wizards of the Coast held a public vote among the users of their website for the most popular card among the submissions which would also be printed after going through the usual R&D process but without featuring the winner in the art. The winning card was submitted by Tsuyoshi Fujita and was eventually turned into Gemstone Caverns.

Formats Used, By Year

As mentioned, Invitationals used a variety of usual and unusual formats. These were:

Year Formats Used
February 1997[22]
  • Standard
  • Type 1.5 Restricted Highlander - one copy maximum per card, any card banned in either major format (Type 1 = Legacy, Type 2 = Standard) was banned.
  • Vintage New York Style - Each deck had to contain at least 4 cards from Unlimited and from each of the 10 expansion sets released at that point, except Homelands. "New York Style" refers to the inaugural Pro Tour New York 1996, which, in a ham-fisted attempt to ensure Homelands, the newest set, was played in the tournament, the Standard rules were amended to require 5 cards per set released to date to appear in each decklist (main deck or sideboard).
  • Sealed Deck (presumably Mirage/Visions)
  • Solomon Draft: Two-player draft format in the style of Fact or Fiction.
  • Backdraft: Rather than building a deck out of the pool of cards you drafted, you build one from the cards your opponent drafted. All cards drafted must be played though the player chooses lands.
January 1998[23]
  • Standard
  • Extended New York Style - Each deck had to contain at least 4 cards from The Dark, Fallen Empires, Ice Age, Homelands, Alliances, Mirage, Visions, Weatherlight, and Tempest.
  • Mystery Constructed - format announced only three weeks before the event. It was Mirage-Visions-Weatherlight-Tempest 'block' with Vanguard; Squandered Resources was banned.
  • Duplicate Sealed - all players received the same card pool to construct their decks from.
  • Solomon Draft
February 1999[24]
  • Standard
  • Vintage
  • Refined Extended (New York Style-ish) - Exactly 5 cards from each set which was then in Extended - Fifth Edition, Fourth Edition, Chronicles, Urza’s Saga, Exodus, Stronghold, Tempest, Weatherlight, Visions, Mirage, Alliances, Homelands, Ice Age, Fallen Empires, and The Dark.
  • Duplicate Sealed
  • Urza's Block Draft - Urza's Saga/Urza's Legacy/Urza's Legacy
March 2000[25][26]
  • Standard
  • Vintage
  • Block Party - deck must be legal in any one block format from Ice Age, Mirage, Tempest, Urza's, and Mercadian Masques blocks
  • Duplicate Sealed - card pool was intentionally low quality and contained never-printed cards[27]
  • Solomon Draft
November 2000[25]
  • Vintage
  • Bring Your Own Block
  • Auction of Champions - players bid starting life and hand size for the decks which had won each World Championship and Pro Tour to date
  • Duplicate Sealed - cards modified from printed costs
  • Solomon Draft
October 2001[28]
  • Standard
  • 5-Color Ante - 300-card decks, at least 25 cards of each color, played with ante rules. Winner of the round was highest monetary value of ante cards won.
  • Auction of the People - 17 decks were auctioned from 3732 entries to the prompt "decks themed around creature types"[29][30]
  • Duplicate Sealed - all cards in the pool had a converted mana cost of 1. Never-printed cards were again added to the sealed pool.[31]
  • Odyssey Rotisserie Draft
October 2002[32]

This was the first year of the Invitational being played in Magic Online, and strange formats were therefore limited.

May 2004[34][35]
May 2005[36]
  • Vanguard Sealed Deck - Champions/Betrayers of Kamigawa
  • Online Extended
  • Standard
  • Auction of the People - Each deck had to have a certain word appear on every card, whether as rules text, reminder text, flavor text, name, or typeline.[37] This year's bidding began at 8 cards and 25 life, rather than 7/20 like past years.
  • Invasion Block Draft - (while listed as 'IPA Draft', this did not have anything to do with beers on tap)
May 2006[38]
  • Duplicate Sealed - themed around an abundance of card drawing and cards which punished card draw[39]
  • Auction of the Geniuses - Classic with Vanguard; each of 18 famous deck designers was given a Vanguard Avatar and told to design a deck.[40]
  • Mirage/Visions Draft - these were newly available on Magic Online at the time
  • Block Party returned, with considerably more block options than in 2000; Invasion (Domain), Odyssey (UG Madness), and Onslaught (Goblins) featured heavily; Affinity (Mirrodin) did not, as it followed the final ban list for the block.
October 2007[41][42] This year, the Invitational returned to paper Magic
  • Auction of the People - each deck had to have at least one card starting with each letter of the alphabet
  • Vintage
  • Cube - designed by Aaron Forsythe[41]; its contents at the time are visible here
  • Make Your Own Standard - any two blocks plus any core set from Fifth Edition forward
  • Winston Draft - Lorwyn

References

  1. ↑ Mark Rosewater (January 31, 2005). "When You Wish Upon an All-Star". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  2. ↑ Mark Rosewater (November 17, 2022). "I was asked last week to track down the card lists for the 1997 and 1998 Duelist Invitational Duplicate Limited events.". Twitter.
  3. ↑ Wizards of the Coast (February, 2002). "Ask Wizards - February, 2002". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  4. ↑ Mark Rosewater (February 9, 2023). "2000 Magic Invitational Duplicate Sealed Card List". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  5. ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 10, 2004). "All-Star Studded". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  6. ↑ Mark Rosewater (April 18, 2005). "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little All-Star". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  7. ↑ Mark Rosewater (January 30, 2006). "Thank Your Lucky All-Stars". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  8. ↑ Mark Rosewater (October 29, 2007). "All-Star Trek". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  9. ↑ Mark Rosewater (August 11, 2008). "In the Mailbag". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  10. ↑ Mark Rosewater (February 11, 2018). "Do you know why the invitational stopped?". Blogatog. Tumblr.
  11. ↑ Mark Rosewater (July 21, 2019). "Project Booster Fun". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  12. ↑ Magic Arcana (June 10, 2002). "Five Years in the Making". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  13. ↑ 1998 Duelist Invitational
  14. ↑ Magic: The Gathering Invitational 2000
  15. ↑ Mark Rosewater (May 7, 2004). "Format of Duelist Invitational". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  16. ↑ Magic Arcana (October 21, 2002). "Thoren wins Invitational". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  17. ↑ Randy Buehler (September 26, 2003). "Post-Development Digest". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  18. ↑ Zvi Mowshowitz (May 31, 2004). "The Future is Bright". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  19. ↑ Magic Arcana (May 23, 2005). "Terry Soh Wins Magic Invitational 2005!". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  20. ↑ Doug Beyer (November 12, 2008). "Topic Explosion". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  21. ↑ Monty Ashley (October 24, 2011). "The Saga of Snapcaster Mage". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
  22. ↑ Format of Duelist Invitational 1997 via Internet Archive
  23. ↑ Format of Duelist Invitational 1998 via Internet Archive
  24. ↑ Format of Duelist Invitational 1999 via Internet Archive
  25. ↑ a b Magic Invitational Formats and Winners, Demonic Tutor forums
  26. ↑ Magic Invitational Cards - Magic Rarities
  27. ↑ Magic: The Gathering Invitational 2000 Duplicate Sealed Preview - Randy Buehler
  28. ↑ 2001 Magic Invitational
  29. ↑ Auction of the People Decks - Mark Rosewater
  30. ↑ Auction of the People: Introduction
  31. ↑ Duplicate Limited Intro - Mark Rosewater
  32. ↑ Live Coverage of 2002 Magic Invitational
  33. ↑ Auction of the People 2002
  34. ↑ a b Formats for the 2004 Magic Invitational
  35. ↑ Live Coverage of the 2004 Magic Invitational
  36. ↑ Invitational 2005 Coverage
  37. ↑ Up for Auction (2005 Auction of the People Decklists)
  38. ↑ The Field is Set (2006) - Brian David-Marshall - summary of formats and invites
  39. ↑ Building the Duplicate Sealed Card Pool - Aaron Forsythe
  40. ↑ 2006 Magic Invitational Auction of the Geniuses
  41. ↑ a b Auctions, Cubes, and Winstons... Oh My! (Formats and Invites, 2007) - Brian David-Marshall
  42. ↑ Event Coverage Magic Invitational 2007
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