1996

The year 1996 was the fourth year of existence for Magic: The Gathering.

Events

Date		Event
February		First Pro Tour held in New York City.
March, 4		First publishing of the Reserved List
April, 13		Opening of the Wizards of the Coast Official Tournament Center.
May		Release of Pro Tour Collector Set.
Summer		Black Summer, dominated by Necropotence-based decks and anti-Necropotence decks like Turbo Stasis.
June		Release of Alliances, after an expansion hiatus of eight months.
July, 4		Debute of the Arena League
July		Release of the Rivals Quick Start Set, the first box set.
July		First issue of the Sideboard magazine
August, 14-18		1996 World Championships, won by Tom Chanpheng
October, 7		Release of Mirage, the first set in the new block model. Cosmetic changes to the cards, including a slightly expanded text box and border, more visible power/toughness numbers and reminder text.
November		Release of the Multiverse Gift Box, previewing Visions
End of 1996		Release of the Introductory Two-Player Set for European and Asian markets.
		Start of the Junior Pro Tour
		Player of the Year: Olle Råde