Pro Tour Oath of the Gatewatch
Pro Tour Oath of the Gatewatch is the second Pro Tour of the 2015–16 Pro Tour season. It will take place on 5–7 February 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It will feature Modern Constructed and Oath of the Gatewatch-Oath of the Gatewatch-Battle for Zendikar Booster draft. It is the event that marks the 20th anniversary of the Magic Pro Tour, with the very first having taken place in February 1996.
It is the first Pro Tour since PT Theros that will feature a top eight playoff where all the matches are best-of-five.[1]
Format
Preceding the Pro Tour were the controversial bans of Summer Bloom and Splinter Twin, each integral parts of the two finalists' decks from the previous Modern Pro Tour: PT Fate Reforged.[2][3] This essentially invalidated the established archetypes Amulet Bloom and Splinter Twin. This was the third Modern Pro Tour in a row immediately following a major shift in the metagame due to bannings and/or unbannings; in 2015, Dig Through Time, Treasure Cruise, and Birthing Pod were banned, and in 2014, Deathrite Shaman was banned, while Bitterblossom and Wild Nacatl were unbanned.
Additionally, the release of Battle for Zendikar had introduced a new deck to the format: Mono-Black Eldrazi, focusing on the Processor mechanic. Oath of the Gatewatch brought additional cards expected to play a role in the deck, among these Thought-Knot Seer, and was as such anticipated to make an impact on the Modern format.[4]