Rookie of the Year
Rookie of the Year is an award given at the end of a Pro Tour season to the Magic player with the highest number of Pro Points in that season that also made their debut in Pro Tour, World Championship or World Magic Cup that season. With the change to Mythic Points in 2019 and to Player Points in 2020, the award has been quietly retired. High-performing rookies are recognised informally through coverage, but as debuts are not recorded or officially tracked, the winner is harder to pinpoint.
The prize for this award was a Gold membership in the Pro Players Club for the year after their debut; in 2014, the winner also had a slot at Worlds. The competitiveness of the award varies each year; the winner may range from not having achieved Gold status to having Platinum status. Thus, it is possible to win this award without placing in the Top 8 of any Pro Tour or Grand Prix events, but rather amassing points over the season.
Rookie of the Year Winners
| Past Rookie of the Year Winners | |
|---|---|
| Year | Winner |
| 1997–98 |  Randy Buehler
|
| 1998–99 |  Dirk Baberowski
|
| 1999–00 | Brian Davis
|
| 2000–01 |  Katsuhiro Mori
|
| 2001–02 |  Farid Meraghni
|
| 2002–03 | Masashi Oiso
|
| 2003–04 |  Julien Nuijten
|
| 2005 | Pierre Canali
|
| 2006 | Sebastian Thaler
|
| 2007 | Yuuya Watanabe
|
| 2008 |  Aaron Nicastri
|
| 2009 | Lino Burgold
|
| 2010 |  Andrea Giarola
|
| 2011 | Matthias Hunt
|
| 2012 |  Alexander Hayne
|
| 2012–13 |  Felipe Tapia Becerra
|
| 2013–14 | Raymond Perez, Jr.
|
| 2014–15 | Justin Cohen
|
| 2015–16 | Oliver Tiu
|
| 2016–17 | Ben Hull
|
| 2017–18 | Samuel Ihlenfeldt
|
Trivia
- No player has won Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year in the same year.
- Randy Buehler was the closest to achieving this feat when he finished second in the 1997–98 Player of the Year race.[1]
- Only Yuuya Watanabe has won Player of the Year after becoming the Rookie of the Year.
- Although Jared Boettcher finished with more Pro Points than Raymond Perez, Jr. in 2013–14 season, subsequent investigations by DCI confirmed that Boettcher was cheating in multiple events that involved Pro Points, which resulted in a suspension and the revoking of his Rookie of the Year title.[2]
References
- ↑ 1997-1998 PLAYER OF THE YEAR STANDINGS. Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2015-09-24.
- ↑ Helene Bergeot (October 30, 2014). "2013-2014 Rookie of the Year Title Revoked". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.