1996 Pro Tour Dallas
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Under construction “All will soon be made clear.”
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| Pro Tour Dallas | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Date | 22–24 November 1996 | |||
| Location | Dallas, United States | |||
| Attendance |
Masters: Juniors: Classic: 125 players | |||
| Format |
Standard (Type II) Classic (Type I) | |||
| Prize pool |
Masters: $150,000 Juniors: $60,000 (Scholarships) Classic: $40,000 | |||
| Winner |
Masters:  Paul McCabeJuniors:  Justin SchneiderClassic: Scott Johns | |||
| ||||
The second Pro Tour event in the 1996-97 season was held in Dallas, Texas, from 22–24 November 1996. It was won by Canadian Paul McCabe in his first Senior Division Pro Tour appearance; He had finished second in the Junior Division of the previous event in Columbus.
Description
Qualifying
Entry to the tournament was invitation-only[1][2]. There were three ways to qualify:
- Previous Pro Tour results:
- The Top 32 of 1996 Pro Tour Atlanta
- The Top 16 of 1996 World Championships
- The Top 16 of 1996 Pro Tour Columbus
- The Top 8 of 1996 Pro Tour Los Angeles
- The Top 4 of 1996 Pro Tour New York
- The Top 2 placed players in a qualifier tournament (Ice Age / Alliances constructed).
- The Top 25 DCI-ranked Standard players as of October 13, 1996, who weren't otherwise qualified. This was restricted to players within the Top 50.[3]
Additionally, the Top 128 DCI-ranked Classic players were invited to Friday's Classic event. Players could participate in both Classic and Standard only if they qualified for each.[4]
Format
Dallas was played using the Standard format. This consisted of the most recent Edition and all Expansions which were widely available to purchase at the time.[5] These were:
- Fallen Empires
- Fourth Edition
- Chronicles (considered an extension of Fourth)
- Ice Age
- Homelands
- Alliances
- Mirage
Additionally, the following cards were banned:
And restricted:
Meta
The three standout archetypes in Dallas were Necrodecks, Prison and Sligh.[6]
Necrodecks were, by necessity of Necropotence's 
casting cost, heavily black. They could be further categorised in three ways:
- Aggressive builds which utilised a large number of the two drop Knights in the format, as played by Brian Hacker.
- Slower, but more disruptive, builds which had a higher focus on hand disruption and board control. These typically played larger creatures such as Sengir Vampire as finishers. Champion Paul McCabe's deck is an example of this style.
- Versions that splashed red for direct damage, Shatter, and extra Sideboard options. Chris Pikula played this type of deck.
Central to Prison decks were the artifacts Icy Manipulator and Winter Orb. The one land that your opponent untapped each turn, could be tapped again with Icy. You could also tap your own Winter Orb on your opponent's turn in order to untap all of your own lands. While these two key cards were colorless, most prison decks were base white in order to play further control tools like Armageddon, Swords to Plowshares and Wrath of God.
Sligh was an innovative monored deck, originally designed by Jay Schneider, which pioneered the concept of a Mana curve. It featured cheap creatures, direct damage spells, and land destruction. Paul Sligh had brought the deck to the community's attention earlier in the year, qualifying for Los Angeles with it. However, Patrick Chapin's performance in the Junior Division, being undefeated in Swiss, really helped prove that it was a "real deck".[7][8]
Other decks which were present included Blue White Control, ErhnamGeddon, White Weenie and Turbo Stasis.
Schedule
Friday November 22
- 8am: Classic (Type I) tournament starts.
- 8pm: Player meeting
Saturday November 23
- 8am: Check-in for the Master & Junior division players.
- 9am: Standard (Type II) play begins. Six rounds of Swiss-style pairings.
Sunday November 24
- 8am: Check-in for the Top 8 Master and Junior players. Single elimination.[2]
Masters Division
Standings
- Round 5
After Round 5 there were four players with undefeated 5-0 records:[9]
- Brian Hacker
- Marc Hernandez
- Robert Thornburg
- Michael Sochon
A further five players were on 9 match points, with 4-0-1 records:[9]
- Bertrand Lestree
- Aziz Al-Doory
- Brian Weissman
- John Pennock
- Mark Justice
- Round 9
At the end of Swiss rounds the standings were:[10]
| Place | Player | Deck | Color(s) | Points | Record | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brian Hacker
|
Monoblack Aggro |
|
16 | 8-1 | Beat Olle Råde. |
| 2 | Jason Zila
|
Prison |  
|
15 | 7-1-1 | |
| 3 | Chris Pikula
|
Necropotence | 
|
15 | 7-1-1 | Beat Eric Tam (Necro), Kyle Rose (White Weenie) & Marc Hernandez (Necro) Beaten by Rob Dougherty (Sligh) Intentional draw with George Baxter[11] |
| 4 | Robert Thornburg
|
Monoblack Aggro |
|
15 | 7-1-1 | |
| 5 | Paul McCabe
|
Necropotence |
|
15 | 7-1-1 | Beat Jay Schneider (Sligh)[12] |
| 6 | George Baxter
|
"White Trash" |
|
15 | 7-1-1 | Intentional draw with Chris Pikula |
| 7 |  Peer Kröger
|
White Weenie |
|
15 | 7-1-1 | Was 42nd on the ladder after Round 5, with a 3-1-1 record.[9] |
| 8 |  Olle Råde
|
Counter Hammer |
|
14 | 7-2 | Beaten by Brian Hacker. |
Finishing in 9th place, due to tie-breakers, was the 1996 US Champion Dennis Bentley. Canadian Peter Radonjic also had the same record, finishing 10th.
Previous Pro Tour Champions Michael Loconto finished 28th, "Hammer" 40th, and Frank Adler was 101st with a 4-4-1 record. 1996 World Champion Tom Chanpheng managed 36th place, while Classic Champion Scott Johns fell outside the Top 64 in the Standard portion of the event.
Top 8 bracket
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||||
| 1 | Brain Hacker | 2 | |||||||||||
| 8 | Olle Råde | 0 | |||||||||||
| 1 | Brian Hacker | 0 | |||||||||||
| 5 | Paul McCabe | 3 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Robert Thornburg | 0 | |||||||||||
| 5 | Paul McCabe | 2 | |||||||||||
| 5 | Paul McCabe | 3 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Jason Zila | 0 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Chris Pikula | 2 | |||||||||||
| 6 | George Baxter | 1 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Chris Pikula | 0 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Jason Zila | 3 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Jason Zila | 2 | |||||||||||
| 7 | Peer Kröger | 0 | |||||||||||
Grand Final
Final results
| Place | Player | Prize | Pro Points | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul McCabe
|
$26,000 | 30 | First Canadian to win a Pro Tour |
| 2 | Jason Zila
|
$16,000 | 25 | |
| 3 | Brian Hacker
|
$9,000 | 20 | |
| 4 | Chris Pikula
|
$9,000 | 20 | Second Pro Tour Top 8 |
| 5 | George Baxter
|
$5,500 | 10 | Second Pro Tour Top 8 |
| 6 | Olle Råde
|
$5,500 | 10 | Third Pro Tour Top 8 |
| 7 | Robert Thornburg
|
$5,500 | 10 | |
| 8 | Peer Kröger
|
$5,500 | 10 |
Junior Division
The Junior competition ran consecutively with the Masters across days two and three.
Nate Clarke was dominant in the early rounds of Swiss, playing the same Prison deck as Shawn "Hammer" Regnier and George Baxter. He easily defeated 1996 Pro Tour New York Junior runner-up Aaron Kline, leaving him without any permanents in play at all in one game. However, after being given a game loss for arriving late to his Round 4 match, he lost his temper and started swearing at the Judges. This led to his disqualification.[13]
| “ | Nate was literally seconds late in sitting down to play his match. After finding out he would lose the first game, Nate threw a shit fit, calling the judges several profane names. While everyone was entertained, Nate was removed from the tournament. Eventual winner of the Juniors (Justin Schneider) said Nate had the best deck and would have won the Juniors if he had not been DQ'ed. | ” |
Standings
- Round 5
After Round 5 there were four Juniors with undefeated 5-0 records:[14]
- Patrick Chapin
- Jon Boyd
- Andrew Pacifico
- Jason Moungey
In fifth position was Chris Stetzer, the only player who had recorded 4 wins and a draw.
- Round 8
At the end of Swiss rounds the standings were:[15]
| Place | Player | Deck | Color(s) | Points | Record | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Patrick Chapin
|
Sligh |
|
14 | 6-0-2 | |
| 2 | Justin Schneider
|
Prison |
|
14 | 7-1 | |
| 3 | Jason Moungey
|
Midrange | 
|
14 | 7-1 | |
| 4 | Jeremy Baca
|
Prison |
|
13 | 6-1-1 | |
| 5 | Vinnie Falcone
|
Erhnam Burn'em |
|
13 | 6-1-1 | |
| 6 | Jeff Simoneau
|
Necropotence |
|
13 | 6-1-1 | |
| 7 | Yubin Tao
|
Blue White Control |
|
13 | 6-1-1 | |
| 8 | Adam Jansen
|
Midrange |
|
13 | 6-1-1 |
Ninth place was Pennsylvanian Geoffrey Anders II, in his debut event. The best finish by a player from outside of the United States was Canadian Song Ly in 14th.
Top 8 bracket
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||||
| 1 | Patrick Chapin | 2 | |||||||||||
| 8 | Adam Jansen | 1 | |||||||||||
| 1 | Patrick Chapin | 0 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Jeremy Baca | 3 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Jeremy Baca | 2 | |||||||||||
| 5 | Vinnie Falcone | 1 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Jeremy Baca | 2 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Justin Schneider | 3 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Jason Moungey | 0 | |||||||||||
| 6 | Jeff Simoneau | 2 | |||||||||||
| 6 | Jeff Simoneau | 1 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Justin Schneider | 3 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Justin Schneider | 2 | |||||||||||
| 7 | Yubin Tao | 1 | |||||||||||
Final results
| Place | Player | Prize | Pro Points | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Justin Schneider
|
$16,000 | ||
| 2 | Jeremy Baca
|
$10,000 | ||
| 3 | Patrick Chapin
|
$5,400 | ||
| 4 | Jeff Simoneau
|
$5,400 | ||
| 5 | Jason Moungey
|
$3,200 | ||
| 6 | Vinnie Falcone
|
$3,200 | ||
| 7 | Yubin Tao
|
$3,200 | ||
| 8 | Adam Jansen
|
$3,200 |
Classic (Type I) competition
Due to issues with the DCI-rating database, many players who weren't on the posted invitation list[16] were able to participate in Friday's Classic Competition.[17] These included both finalists Scott Johns and Huei-Saint Shwe, as well as Brian Weissman who had apparently fallen from 107th place the month prior to 404th. An explanation, given in a Usenet post[18], was that a tournament which Brian had swept all 8 rounds had instead been incorrectly entered as him having lost all his matches. The number of invitations for the event may have been as high as 144 players, although only 95 would end up participating.
Round 7: Top 6 players ID'd—Kuta vs Justice as a win and in. Kuta wins, then he and Justice's teammate Johns (both with 11 match points) have to wait for the results of the Kastle vs Mike Dove match. That went to time, leaving Kastle on only 10 match points and in 10th place.[19]
Standings
At the end of Swiss rounds the following players had a 5-2 record or better:[20]
| Place | Player | Deck | Color(s) | Points | Record | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Guevin
|
Necropotence |
|
13 | 6-0-1 | Beat Rudy Edwards (9th)[21] Intentional draw Round 7. |
| 2 | Sean Fleischman
|
Djinn and Juice |
|
12 | 5-0-2 | |
| 3 | Paul Ferker
|
Djinn and Juice |
|
12 | 5-0-2 | Beat Jeffrey Kuta.[19] |
| 4 | Steven O'Mahoney-Schwartz
|
Djinn and Juice |
|
12 | 5-0-2 | |
| 5 | Shane Cargilo
|
11 | 5-1-1 | |||
| 6 | Huei-Saint Shwe
|
Zoo |
|
11 | 5-1-1 | Intentional draw with Scott Johns |
| 7 | Jeffrey Kuta
|
Necropotence |
|
11 | 5-1-1 | Beat Johan Disenborg (18th) & Mark Justice Lost to Paul Ferker[19] |
| 8 | Scott Johns
|
Turbo Zoo |
|
11 | 5-1-1 | Intentional draw with Huei-Saint Shwe |
9 Rudy Edwards 10 Darwin Kastle 11 Matt Place 12 Mark Chalice 17 Thomas Andersson
(23) Dove, Michael 9 48.98 22 49.48
Top 8 bracket
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||||
| 1 | Thomas Guevin | 1 | |||||||||||
| 8 | Scott Johns | 2 | |||||||||||
| 8 | Scott Johns | 2 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Steven O'Mahoney-Schwartz | 1 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Steven O'Mahoney-Schwartz | 2 | |||||||||||
| 5 | Shane Cargilo | 0 | |||||||||||
| 8 | Scott Johns | 2 | |||||||||||
| 6 | Huei-Saint Shwe | 1 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Paul Ferker | 0 | |||||||||||
| 6 | Huei-Saint Shwe | 2 | |||||||||||
| 6 | Huei-Saint Shwe | 2 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Sean Fleischman | 0 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Sean Fleischman | 2 | |||||||||||
| 7 | Jeffrey Kuta | 1 | |||||||||||
Grand Final
Final placings
| Place | Player | Prize | Pro Points | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scott Johns
|
$11,200 | ||
| 2 | Huei-Saint Shwe
|
$6,900 | ||
| 3 | Sean Fleischman
|
$3,850 | ||
| 4 | Steven O'Mahoney-Schwartz
|
$3,850 | ||
| 5 | Tom Guevin
|
$2,250 | ||
| 6 | Paul Ferker
|
$2,250 | ||
| 7 | Shane Cargilo
|
$2,250 | ||
| 8 | Jeffrey Kuta
|
$2,250 |
References
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (1996). "Pro TourTM Tournament Formats (website)". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on December 19, 1996. Retrieved on September 9, 2025.
- ↑ a b Wizards of the Coast (1996). "1996-97 Magic: The Gathering® Pro Tour--Dallas Frequently Asked Questions (website)". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on December 19, 1996. Retrieved on September 9, 2025.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (1996). "Pro Tour--Dallas Invitation List Type II (website)". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on December 19, 1996. Retrieved on September 9, 2025.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (1996). "Pro Tour--Dallas Invitation List Type I (website)". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on December 19, 1996. Retrieved on September 9, 2025.
- ↑ Stephen DAngelo (15 November 1995). "Rulings Summary: General (11/13/95) (Usenet post)". Newsgroup: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.rules. Usenet. Retrieved on September 22, 2025.
- ↑ Mike Flores (26 February 1997). "November Type II Metagame (long) (Usenet post)". Newgroup: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.strategy. Usenet. Retrieved on September 22, 2025.
- ↑ Patrick Chapin (December 1, 2014). "Ancient History: My First Year On The Pro Tour (website)". Star City Games. Retrieved on September 25, 2025.
- ↑ Patrick Chapin (October 30, 2006). "Ten Games of Magic I’ve Lost, and How They’ll Help You Win (website)". Star City Games. Retrieved on September 25, 2025.
- ↑ a b c Charles Keith-Stanley (November 23, 1996). "[WotC] PT Dallas Masters Interim Results (Round 5 of 9) (Usenet post)". Newsgroup: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.misc. Usenet. Retrieved on September 27, 2025.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (1996). "Pro Tour Dallas Day 2 Results (website)". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on December 19, 1996. Retrieved on September 10, 2025.
- ↑ Chris Pikula (December 3, 1996). "Dallas PT Report- Better Late than Never (Usenet post)". Newsgroup: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.misc. Usenet. Retrieved on September 30, 2025.
- ↑ Jay Schneider (November 26, 1996). "Dallas report (fwd) (Usenet post)". The Dojo. Retrieved on September 13, 2025.
- ↑ a b Tom Guevin (November 17, 1996). "Dallas Pro Tour Report (Usenet post)". Newsgroup: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.misc/. Usenet. Retrieved on September 17, 2025.
- ↑ Charles Keith-Stanley (November 23, 2025). "[WotC] PT Dallas Junior Interim Results (Round 5 of 8) (Usenet post)". Newsgroup:rec.games.trading-cards.magic.misc. Usenet. Retrieved on October 1, 2025.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (1996). "Pro Tour Dallas Day 2 Results (website)". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on December 19, 1996. Retrieved on September 11, 2025.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (1996). "Pro Tour Invitation Lists - Type 1 (website)". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on December 19, 1996. Retrieved on September 15, 2025.
- ↑ Rose Francis (November 23, 1996). "Dallas Invitation List (Usenet post)". Newsgroup: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.misc. Usenet. Retrieved on September 15, 2025.
- ↑ Dan Gray (November 26, 1996). "Ininvited guests steal $18,100 from Magic pro players! (Usenet post)". Newsgroup: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.misc. Usenet. Retrieved on September 15, 2025.
- ↑ a b c Jeffrey Kuta (November 25, 1996). "[Report] PT Dallas Type I Tournament (Usenet post)". The Dojo. Retrieved on September 11.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (1996). "Pro Tour Dallas Day 1 Results (website)". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on December 19, 1996. Retrieved on September 10, 2025.
- ↑ Rudy Edwards (November 27, 1996). "TurboDallas: a tourney report pt. 1 (Usenet post)". The Dojo. Retrieved on September 11.