The 2009 Pro Tour season was the fourteenth season of the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour. It began on 17 January 2009 with Grand Prix

Grand Prix (Magic: The Gathering)

Grands Prix are professional Magic: The Gathering tournaments, awarding cash prizes, Pro Points and invitations to Pro Tours. They are open to all players and are usually the biggest Magic tournaments. The first Grand Prix was held on 22–23 March 1997 in Amsterdam...

 Los Angeles, and ended on 22 November 2009 with the conclusion of the 2009 World Championship in Rome. The season consisted of nineteen Grand Prixs, and four Pro Tours, located in Kyoto

Kyoto

is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...

, Honolulu, Austin

Austin

Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...

, and Rome. At the end of the season, Yuuya Watanabe

Yuuya Watanabe

Yuuya Watanabe is a Japanese Magic: The Gathering player. With one Pro Tour top eight, and 13 Grand Prix top eights , Watanabe is best known for his Rookie of the Year title in 2007, and his Player of the Year title two years later....

 was awarded the Pro Player of the Year, making him the first player to win both that title and the Rookie of the Year title which he had won two years prior. Frank Karsten

Frank Karsten (Magic: The Gathering player)

Frank Karsten is a Dutch Magic: The Gathering player. He is known for his methodical thought process, having played one of the longest single games to be played on camera. His achievements include three pro tour top eight appearances, including a second place finish at the 2005 World...

, Kamiel Cornelissen

Kamiel Cornelissen

Kamiel Cornelissen is a Dutch Magic: The Gathering player. Once a Pro Tour mainstay, he is now considered retired, despite playing the odd event. He is one of eighteen players with five or more Pro Tour top eights, including back to back second place finishes, and a win with teammates Jelger...

, and Antoine Ruel

Antoine Ruel

Antoine Ruel is a professional Magic: The Gathering player. He has reached the top eight at the Pro Tour four times, including a win in Los Angeles in 2005...

 were be inducted into the Hall of Fame

Magic: The Gathering Hall of Fame

The Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour Hall of Fame was started in 2005 to honor the most successful Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour players. The first inductions came on the tenth anniversary of the first Pro Tour event, and new Hall of Famers will be determined annually...

 at the world championships in Rome.

Mode

Four Pro Tours and nineteen Grand Prixs will be held in the 2009 season. Further Pro Points will be awarded at national championships. These Pro Points will be used mainly to determine the Pro Player club levels of players participating in these events, but also decide which player will be awarded the Pro Player of the year title at the end of the season. Based on final standings Pro Points were awarded as follows:

Rank	Pro Points awarded at
	Pro Tour	Grand Prix	Nationals	Worlds (Team)
1	25	10	10	6
2	20	8	8	5
3–4	16	6	6	4
5–8	12	5	4	3
9–12	8	4	2	2
13–16	8	3	1	1
17–24	7	2
25–32	6	2
33–64	5	1
65–100	4
101–200	3
201+	2

Grand Prix – Los Angeles, Rotterdam

GP Los Angeles (17–18 January)

• Attendance: 834
• Format: Extended

1.   Luis Scott-Vargas
   Luis Scott-Vargas
   Luis Scott-Vargas is a professional Magic: the Gathering player from Oakland, CA, USA. His accomplishments include 7 Grand Prix top 8's , and 5 Pro Tour top 8's . As well as being a prominent player of the game, Luis is also known for writing about the game...
   
   
2.   Brett Piazza
3.   Saul Alvarado
4.   Mat Marr
5.   Michael Jacob
6.   Carl Hendrix
7.   Mark Herberholz
8.   Asher Hecht

GP Rotterdam (21–22 February)

• Attendance: 1227
• Format: Limited

1.   Arjan van Leeuwen
2.   Robert van Meedevort
3.   Shuhei Nakamura
4.   Alex Fanghänel
5.   Aaron Brackmann
6.   Michal Hebky
7.   Tomas Langer
8.   Reinhold Kohl

Pro Tour – Kyoto (27 February – 1 March 2009)

Pro Tour veteran Gabriel Nassif

Gabriel Nassif

Gabriel Nassif is a French professional card player. He is known for his continuous success on the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour and was the 2004 Pro Tour Player of the Year. He also enjoys playing poker, having moderate success at the World Series of Poker in recent years...

 defeated Luis Scott-Vargas

Luis Scott-Vargas

Luis Scott-Vargas is a professional Magic: the Gathering player from Oakland, CA, USA. His accomplishments include 7 Grand Prix top 8's , and 5 Pro Tour top 8's . As well as being a prominent player of the game, Luis is also known for writing about the game...

 in the finals of Pro Tour Kyoto, giving him his first individual title in his ninth Top 8.

Tournament data

Prize pool: $230,795

Players: 381

Format: Standard, Booster Draft

Head Judge: Riccardo Tessitori

Top 8

Final standings

Place	Player	Prize	Pro Points	Comment
1	Gabriel Nassif Gabriel Nassif Gabriel Nassif is a French professional card player. He is known for his continuous success on the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour and was the 2004 Pro Tour Player of the Year. He also enjoys playing poker, having moderate success at the World Series of Poker in recent years...	$40,000	25	9th Final day, 2nd Pro Tour win
2	Luis Scott-Vargas Luis Scott-Vargas Luis Scott-Vargas is a professional Magic: the Gathering player from Oakland, CA, USA. His accomplishments include 7 Grand Prix top 8's , and 5 Pro Tour top 8's . As well as being a prominent player of the game, Luis is also known for writing about the game...	$20,000	20	2nd Final day
3	Akimasa Yamamoto	$15,000	16
4	Brian Robinson	$13,000	16	Pro Tour debut
5	Matteo Orsini-Jones	$11,000	12
6	Cedric Philips	$10,500	12
7	Jan Ruess	$10,000	12	2nd Final day
8	Masayu Tanahashi	$9,500	12

Pro Player of the year standings

Rank	Player	Pro Points
1	Luis Scott-Vargas Luis Scott-Vargas Luis Scott-Vargas is a professional Magic: the Gathering player from Oakland, CA, USA. His accomplishments include 7 Grand Prix top 8's , and 5 Pro Tour top 8's . As well as being a prominent player of the game, Luis is also known for writing about the game...	30
2	Gabriel Nassif Gabriel Nassif Gabriel Nassif is a French professional card player. He is known for his continuous success on the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour and was the 2004 Pro Tour Player of the Year. He also enjoys playing poker, having moderate success at the World Series of Poker in recent years...	29
3	Brian Robinson	16
	Akimasa Yamamoto	16
5	Martin Juza Martin Juza Martin Juza is a Czech Magic: The Gathering player. Over the course of his career, Juza has won the Czech national championship, made the top eight of a Pro Tour twice, and won two Grand Prix that were only six weeks apart.- Career :...	14

Grand Prixs – Chicago, Hanover, Singapore, Kobe, Barcelona, Seattle

GP Chicago (7–8 March)

• Attendance: 1230
• Format: Legacy

1.   Gabriel Nassif
   Gabriel Nassif
   Gabriel Nassif is a French professional card player. He is known for his continuous success on the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour and was the 2004 Pro Tour Player of the Year. He also enjoys playing poker, having moderate success at the World Series of Poker in recent years...
   
   
2.   Andrew Probasco
3.   Paul Rietzl
4.   James Mink
5.   Brian Kowal
6.   Tommy Kolowith
7.   David Caplan
8.   Brian Six

GP Kobe (18–19 April)

• Attendance: 545
• Format: Extended

1.   Tomoharu Saitou
   Tomoharu Saitou
   is one of the most successful professional Magic: The Gathering players.-Career:Saitou debuted at Pro Tour Chicago 2000. An 83rd place finish meant he fell just short of making money. Later the same season, he made his first standout finish by reaching the top eight of the Asia Pacific...
   
   
2.   Yuuya Watanabe
   Yuuya Watanabe
   Yuuya Watanabe is a Japanese Magic: The Gathering player. With one Pro Tour top eight, and 13 Grand Prix top eights , Watanabe is best known for his Rookie of the Year title in 2007, and his Player of the Year title two years later....
   
   
3.   Tzu Ching Kuo
4.   Kentarou Yamamoto
5.   Katsuya Ueda
6.   Keiichi Kondou
7.   Kenji Hamamoto
8.   Ryouma Shiozu

GP Hanover (13–14 March)

• Attendance: 925
• Format: Extended

1.   Lino Burgold
2.   Gaudenis Vidugiris
3.   Lukas Kraft
4.   Karim Bauer
5.   Kenny Öberg
6.   Pascal Vieren
7.   Helmut Summersberger
8.   Ondra Posolda

GP Barcelona (23–24 May)

• Attendance: 1495
• Format: Standard

1.   Joel Calafell
2.   Riccardo Neri
3.   Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa
   Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa
   Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa is a Brazilian Magic: The Gathering player. He is the first South American player to have seven Pro Tour top 8s. In 2011, Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa became the youngest player to ever reach 300 lifetime Pro Points.- Career :Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa began his professional...
   
   
4.   Samuel Black
5.   Hugo De Jong
6.   Sean Og Murphy
7.   Ricardo Venancio
8.   George Paraskuopoulos

GP Singapore (21–22 March)

• Attendance: 370
• Format: Extended

1.   Tomoharu Saitou
   Tomoharu Saitou
   is one of the most successful professional Magic: The Gathering players.-Career:Saitou debuted at Pro Tour Chicago 2000. An 83rd place finish meant he fell just short of making money. Later the same season, he made his first standout finish by reaching the top eight of the Asia Pacific...
   
   
2.   Masaya Kitayama
3.   Chin Heng Tan
4.   Yuuta Takahashi
5.   Yong Han Choo
6.   Liang Chen
7.   Samuel Black
8.   Tzu Ching Kuo

GP Seattle (30–31 May)

• Attendance: 1127
• Format: Standard

1.   Yann Massicard
2.   Benjamin Lundquist
3.   Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa
   Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa
   Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa is a Brazilian Magic: The Gathering player. He is the first South American player to have seven Pro Tour top 8s. In 2011, Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa became the youngest player to ever reach 300 lifetime Pro Points.- Career :Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa began his professional...
   
   
4.   Charles Gendron Dupont
5.   Luis Scott-Vargas
   Luis Scott-Vargas
   Luis Scott-Vargas is a professional Magic: the Gathering player from Oakland, CA, USA. His accomplishments include 7 Grand Prix top 8's , and 5 Pro Tour top 8's . As well as being a prominent player of the game, Luis is also known for writing about the game...
   
   
6.   Nicolay Potovin
7.   Michael Jacob
8.   Ari Lax

Pro Tour Honolulu (5–7 June 2009)

In his second Pro Tour finals appearance, Kazuya Mitamura defeated Pro Tour newcomer Michal Hebky.

Tournament data

Prize pool: $230,795

Players: 396

Format: Booster Draft, Block Constructed

Head Judge: Toby Elliot

Top 8

Final standings

Place	Player	Prize	Pro Points	Comment
1	Kazuya Mitamura	$40,000	25	3rd Final day
2	Michael Hebky	$20,000	20
3	Paul Rietzl	$15,000	16
4	Conley Woods	$13,000	16
5	Christophe Gregoir	$11,000	12
6	Zac Hill	$10,500	12
7	Brian Kibler Brian Kibler Brian M. Kibler is an American game designer currently working with Gamer Entertainment, a gaming consultancy. In 2010 Kibler designed Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer with Justin Gary, Rob Dougherty, and John Fiorillo. Previously he worked on Chaotic and was the lead designer of the World of...	$10,000	12	2nd Final day
8	Tom Ross	$9,500	12

Pro Player of the year standings

Rank	Player	Pro Points
1	Luis Scott-Vargas Luis Scott-Vargas Luis Scott-Vargas is a professional Magic: the Gathering player from Oakland, CA, USA. His accomplishments include 7 Grand Prix top 8's , and 5 Pro Tour top 8's . As well as being a prominent player of the game, Luis is also known for writing about the game...	45
2	Gabriel Nassif Gabriel Nassif Gabriel Nassif is a French professional card player. He is known for his continuous success on the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour and was the 2004 Pro Tour Player of the Year. He also enjoys playing poker, having moderate success at the World Series of Poker in recent years...	44
3	Tomoharu Saitou Tomoharu Saitou is one of the most successful professional Magic: The Gathering players.-Career:Saitou debuted at Pro Tour Chicago 2000. An 83rd place finish meant he fell just short of making money. Later the same season, he made his first standout finish by reaching the top eight of the Asia Pacific...	36
4	Kazuya Mitamura	32
5	Michal Hebky	27

Grand Prixs – Sao Paulo, Boston, Brighton, Bangkok, Niigata, Prague, Melbourne

GP São Paulo (13–14 June)

• Attendance: 639
• Format: Standard

1.   Daniel Almeida Alvez
2.   Andres Monsalve
3.   Guilherme Vieira
4.   Wendell Santini
5.   Allison Abe
6.   Diego Crusius
7.   Juan Veliz
8.   Daniel Frias

GP Bangkok (22–23 August)

• Attendance: 414
• Format: Limited

1.   Shingou Kurihara
2.   Martin Juza
   Martin Juza
   Martin Juza is a Czech Magic: The Gathering player. Over the course of his career, Juza has won the Czech national championship, made the top eight of a Pro Tour twice, and won two Grand Prix that were only six weeks apart.- Career :...
   
   
3.   Koutarou Ootsuka
4.   Matteo Orsini Jones
5.   Ruud Warmenhoven
6.   Yuuya Watanabe
   Yuuya Watanabe
   Yuuya Watanabe is a Japanese Magic: The Gathering player. With one Pro Tour top eight, and 13 Grand Prix top eights , Watanabe is best known for his Rookie of the Year title in 2007, and his Player of the Year title two years later....
   
   
7.   Ryan Luo
8.   Zhiyang Zhang

GP Melbourne (10–11 October)

• Attendance: 416
• Format: Limited

1.   Yuuya Watanabe
   Yuuya Watanabe
   Yuuya Watanabe is a Japanese Magic: The Gathering player. With one Pro Tour top eight, and 13 Grand Prix top eights , Watanabe is best known for his Rookie of the Year title in 2007, and his Player of the Year title two years later....
   
   
2.   Tomoharu Saitou
   Tomoharu Saitou
   is one of the most successful professional Magic: The Gathering players.-Career:Saitou debuted at Pro Tour Chicago 2000. An 83rd place finish meant he fell just short of making money. Later the same season, he made his first standout finish by reaching the top eight of the Asia Pacific...
   
   
3.   Marcus Teo
4.   Shane Daliston
5.   Brett Hughes
6.   Jacky Zhang
7.   Joel Piotto
8.   Steven Aplin

GP Boston (1–2 August)

• Attendance: 1503
• Format: Limited

1.   Marlon Egolf
2.   Ben Stark
   Ben Stark
   Ben Stark is an American Magic: The Gathering player. His career accomplishments include back to back Pro Tour Top 8s in 2004 and winning Pro Tour Paris in 2011.-Magic: The Gathering:...
   
   
3.   David Feinstein
4.   Jason Lundberg
5.   Jonathan Pearlman
6.   Brian Lynch
7.   Bradley Wojceshonek
8.   Zach Efland

GP Niigata (29–30 August)

• Attendance: 722
• Format: Limited

1.   Tsuyoshi Ikeda
   Tsuyoshi Ikeda
   is a Japanese Magic: The Gathering player. His success include four top eights at the Pro Tour level, and six on the Grand Prix level, including one win. He is ranked 12th on lifetime pro points.-Career:...
   
   
2.   Shingou Kurihara
3.   Ren Ishikawa
4.   Hajime Nakamura
5.   Sho Ishikawa
6.   Takaya Saitou
7.   Gaudenis Vidugiris
8.   Yuuya Watanabe
   Yuuya Watanabe
   Yuuya Watanabe is a Japanese Magic: The Gathering player. With one Pro Tour top eight, and 13 Grand Prix top eights , Watanabe is best known for his Rookie of the Year title in 2007, and his Player of the Year title two years later....
   
   

GP Brighton (8–9 August)

• Attendance: 760
• Format: Limited

1.   Olivier Ruel
   Olivier Ruel
   Olivier Ruel is one of the most successful professional Magic: The Gathering players. He holds the record for most Grand Prix Top 8’s, and is one of twenty players with five or more Pro Tour top 8’s. After 2010 Pro Tour San Juan Olivier surpassed Kai Budde as the leader in lifetime Pro Points...
   
   
2.   Martin Juza
   Martin Juza
   Martin Juza is a Czech Magic: The Gathering player. Over the course of his career, Juza has won the Czech national championship, made the top eight of a Pro Tour twice, and won two Grand Prix that were only six weeks apart.- Career :...
   
   
3.   Dennis Stone
4.   Mark Dictus
5.   Kevin Grove
6.   Robbert Menten
7.   Reinhold Kohl
8.   Joseph Jackson

GP Prague (5–6 September)

• Attendance: 1541
• Format: Limited

1.   Jan Schmidt
2.   Yuuya Watanabe
   Yuuya Watanabe
   Yuuya Watanabe is a Japanese Magic: The Gathering player. With one Pro Tour top eight, and 13 Grand Prix top eights , Watanabe is best known for his Rookie of the Year title in 2007, and his Player of the Year title two years later....
   
   
3.   Bojan Zunko
4.   Ognjen Cividini
5.   Julien De Graat
6.   Lukas Vozdecky
7.   Marcel Kondrk
8.   Radek Kaczmarczyk

Pro Tour Austin (16–18 October 2009)

Both enjoying a comeback to the top level of Magic, Brian Kibler

Brian Kibler

Brian M. Kibler is an American game designer currently working with Gamer Entertainment, a gaming consultancy. In 2010 Kibler designed Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer with Justin Gary, Rob Dougherty, and John Fiorillo. Previously he worked on Chaotic and was the lead designer of the World of...

 and Tsuyoshi Ikeda

Tsuyoshi Ikeda

is a Japanese Magic: The Gathering player. His success include four top eights at the Pro Tour level, and six on the Grand Prix level, including one win. He is ranked 12th on lifetime pro points.-Career:...

 met in the finals, with Kibler winning in his second top eight in 2009.

Tournament data

Prize pool: $230,795

Players: 416

Format: Extended, Booster Draft

Head Judge: Riccardo Tessitori

Top 8

Final standings

Place	Player	Prize	Pro Points	Comment
1	Brian Kibler Brian Kibler Brian M. Kibler is an American game designer currently working with Gamer Entertainment, a gaming consultancy. In 2010 Kibler designed Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer with Justin Gary, Rob Dougherty, and John Fiorillo. Previously he worked on Chaotic and was the lead designer of the World of...	$40,000	25	3rd Final day
2	Tsuyoshi Ikeda Tsuyoshi Ikeda is a Japanese Magic: The Gathering player. His success include four top eights at the Pro Tour level, and six on the Grand Prix level, including one win. He is ranked 12th on lifetime pro points.-Career:...	$20,000	20	4th Final day
3	Naoki Shimizu	$15,000	16
4	Hunter Burton	$13,000	16
5	Evangelos Papatrarouchas	$11,000	12
6	Yuuya Watanabe Yuuya Watanabe Yuuya Watanabe is a Japanese Magic: The Gathering player. With one Pro Tour top eight, and 13 Grand Prix top eights , Watanabe is best known for his Rookie of the Year title in 2007, and his Player of the Year title two years later....	$10,500	12
7	Martin Juza Martin Juza Martin Juza is a Czech Magic: The Gathering player. Over the course of his career, Juza has won the Czech national championship, made the top eight of a Pro Tour twice, and won two Grand Prix that were only six weeks apart.- Career :...	$10,000	12	2nd Final day
8	Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa is a Brazilian Magic: The Gathering player. He is the first South American player to have seven Pro Tour top 8s. In 2011, Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa became the youngest player to ever reach 300 lifetime Pro Points.- Career :Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa began his professional...	$9,500	12	5th Final day

Pro Player of the year standings

Rank	Player	Pro Points
1	Yuuya Watanabe Yuuya Watanabe Yuuya Watanabe is a Japanese Magic: The Gathering player. With one Pro Tour top eight, and 13 Grand Prix top eights , Watanabe is best known for his Rookie of the Year title in 2007, and his Player of the Year title two years later....	62
2	Martin Juza Martin Juza Martin Juza is a Czech Magic: The Gathering player. Over the course of his career, Juza has won the Czech national championship, made the top eight of a Pro Tour twice, and won two Grand Prix that were only six weeks apart.- Career :...	54
3	Tomoharu Saitou Tomoharu Saitou is one of the most successful professional Magic: The Gathering players.-Career:Saitou debuted at Pro Tour Chicago 2000. An 83rd place finish meant he fell just short of making money. Later the same season, he made his first standout finish by reaching the top eight of the Asia Pacific...	51
4	Gabriel Nassif Gabriel Nassif Gabriel Nassif is a French professional card player. He is known for his continuous success on the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour and was the 2004 Pro Tour Player of the Year. He also enjoys playing poker, having moderate success at the World Series of Poker in recent years...	50
5	Shuhei Nakamura	48
	Luis Scott-Vargas Luis Scott-Vargas Luis Scott-Vargas is a professional Magic: the Gathering player from Oakland, CA, USA. His accomplishments include 7 Grand Prix top 8's , and 5 Pro Tour top 8's . As well as being a prominent player of the game, Luis is also known for writing about the game...	48

Grand Prixs – Tampa, Kitakyushu, Paris, Minneapolis

GP Tampa (24–25 October)

• Attendance: 834
• Format: Limited

1.   Gaudenis Vidugiris
2.   Conley Woods
3.   John Skinner
4.   John May
5.   Gabriel Nassif
   Gabriel Nassif
   Gabriel Nassif is a French professional card player. He is known for his continuous success on the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour and was the 2004 Pro Tour Player of the Year. He also enjoys playing poker, having moderate success at the World Series of Poker in recent years...
   
   
6.   Alex Majlaton
7.   Tom Ross
8.   Martin Juza
   Martin Juza
   Martin Juza is a Czech Magic: The Gathering player. Over the course of his career, Juza has won the Czech national championship, made the top eight of a Pro Tour twice, and won two Grand Prix that were only six weeks apart.- Career :...
   
   

GP Minneapolis (14–15 November)

• Attendance: 1187
• Format: Limited

1.   Zohar Bhagat
2.   Matt Sperling
3.   Brian Kibler
   Brian Kibler
   Brian M. Kibler is an American game designer currently working with Gamer Entertainment, a gaming consultancy. In 2010 Kibler designed Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer with Justin Gary, Rob Dougherty, and John Fiorillo. Previously he worked on Chaotic and was the lead designer of the World of...
   
   
4.   Brad Nelson
   Brad Nelson (Magic: The Gathering player)
   Brad Nelson is an American Magic: The Gathering player. Also known by his Magic: The Gathering Online name, FFfreaK, he has two Pro Tour top eights, and four Grand Prix top eights, including a win. In the quarter finals of Pro Tour Amsterdam 2010, he became one of only three players to have beaten...
   
   
5.   Owen Turtenwald
6.   David Ochoa
7.   Mike Gualtieri
8.   Tom Ross

GP Kitakyushu (31 October – November 1)

• Attendance: 501
• Format: Limited

1.   Taisuke Ishii
2.   Masashi Oiso
   Masashi Oiso
   is a Japanese Magic: The Gathering player. He is one of the most successful players to have played on the Pro Tour, being one of only six players to have reached the top eight six times...
   
   
3.   Jun'ya Iyanaga
4.   Ken Yukuhiro
5.   Yuuya Watanabe
   Yuuya Watanabe
   Yuuya Watanabe is a Japanese Magic: The Gathering player. With one Pro Tour top eight, and 13 Grand Prix top eights , Watanabe is best known for his Rookie of the Year title in 2007, and his Player of the Year title two years later....
   
   
6.   Katsuhiro Mori
   Katsuhiro Mori
   is Japanese Magic: The Gathering player. He is the most successful player in the individual portion of World Championships, winning one tournament and making the top eight of two others.-Career:...
   
   
7.   Takeshi Takagi
8.   Hironobu Sugaya

GP Paris (7–8 November)

• Attendance: 1961
• Format: Limited

1.   Adrian Rosada
2.   Danny Ecker
3.   Lino Burgold
4.   Niels Viaene
5.   Herbert Engleitner
6.   Bernd Brendemühl
7.   Jeremy Dezani
8.   Gonzague Allouchery

2009 World Championships – Rome (19–22 November 2009)

The 2009 World Championship marked several firsts in Pro Tour history. For the first time ever, eight different countries were represented in the quarterfinals, and there were no American or Japanese players in the top eight. Playing in his second Worlds top eight, André Coimbra of Portugal defeated Austrian David Reitbauer to become World Champion. In the team event, Austria finished second as well, losing to the Chinese team in the final.

Tournament data

Prize pool: $245,245 (individual) + $192,425 (teams)

Players: 409 (55 National teams)

Formats: Standard, Booster Draft, Extended

Team Formats: Standard, Extended, Legacy

Head Judge: Sheldon Menery

Top 8

Final standings

Place	Player	Prize	Pro Points	Comment
1	André Coimbra	$45,000	25	2nd Final day, first Portuguese player to win a Pro Tour
2	David Reitbauer	$24,000	20
3	Terry Soh	$15,000	16	3rd Final day
4	Bram Snepvangers Bram Snepvangers Bram Snepvangers is a Dutch Magic: The Gathering player. He is now considered retired, but has been on and off the Pro Tour for twelve years. In addition to his success playing Magic, he is known as a community builder both as a judge and a tournament organiser. Each year he hosts an invitational...	$14,000	16	4th Final day
5	William Cavaglieri	$11,000	12
6	Manuel Bucher	$10,500	12
7	Marijn Lybaert	$10,000	12	3rd Final day
8	Florian Pils	$9,500	12

National team competition

1.   China (Wu Tong, Bo Lin, Zhiyang Zhang)
2.   Austria (Benedikt Klauser, Benjamin Rozhon, Bernhard Lehner)
3.   Czech Republic (Lukas Jaklovsky, Lucas Blohon, Jan Kotrla)
4.   Netherlands (Kevin Grove, Niels Noorlander, Tom van Lamoen)

Pro Player of the year final standings

After the World Championship, Yuuya Watanabe

Yuuya Watanabe

Yuuya Watanabe is a Japanese Magic: The Gathering player. With one Pro Tour top eight, and 13 Grand Prix top eights , Watanabe is best known for his Rookie of the Year title in 2007, and his Player of the Year title two years later....

 was awarded the Pro Player of the year title, making him the fifth consecutive Japanese player to win the award.

Rank	Player	Pro Points
1	Yuuya Watanabe Yuuya Watanabe Yuuya Watanabe is a Japanese Magic: The Gathering player. With one Pro Tour top eight, and 13 Grand Prix top eights , Watanabe is best known for his Rookie of the Year title in 2007, and his Player of the Year title two years later....	78
2	Tomoharu Saitou Tomoharu Saitou is one of the most successful professional Magic: The Gathering players.-Career:Saitou debuted at Pro Tour Chicago 2000. An 83rd place finish meant he fell just short of making money. Later the same season, he made his first standout finish by reaching the top eight of the Asia Pacific...	66
3	Martin Juza Martin Juza Martin Juza is a Czech Magic: The Gathering player. Over the course of his career, Juza has won the Czech national championship, made the top eight of a Pro Tour twice, and won two Grand Prix that were only six weeks apart.- Career :...	64
4	Gabriel Nassif Gabriel Nassif Gabriel Nassif is a French professional card player. He is known for his continuous success on the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour and was the 2004 Pro Tour Player of the Year. He also enjoys playing poker, having moderate success at the World Series of Poker in recent years...	60
5	Shuhei Nakamura	56
	Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa is a Brazilian Magic: The Gathering player. He is the first South American player to have seven Pro Tour top 8s. In 2011, Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa became the youngest player to ever reach 300 lifetime Pro Points.- Career :Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa began his professional...	56
7	Luis Scott-Vargas Luis Scott-Vargas Luis Scott-Vargas is a professional Magic: the Gathering player from Oakland, CA, USA. His accomplishments include 7 Grand Prix top 8's , and 5 Pro Tour top 8's . As well as being a prominent player of the game, Luis is also known for writing about the game...	52
8	Kazuya Mitamura	50

Performance by country

The United States had the most Top 8 appearances at ten, but they also had by far the most players playing in the Pro Tour. With Japan at 17 they share the highest number of level 4+ professional Magic players, too.

Country	T8	Q	Q/T8	M	GT	Best Player (PPts)
United States	10			208	17	Luis Scott-Vargas Luis Scott-Vargas Luis Scott-Vargas is a professional Magic: the Gathering player from Oakland, CA, USA. His accomplishments include 7 Grand Prix top 8's , and 5 Pro Tour top 8's . As well as being a prominent player of the game, Luis is also known for writing about the game...  (52)
Japan	6			149	17	Yuuya Watanabe Yuuya Watanabe Yuuya Watanabe is a Japanese Magic: The Gathering player. With one Pro Tour top eight, and 13 Grand Prix top eights , Watanabe is best known for his Rookie of the Year title in 2007, and his Player of the Year title two years later....  (78)
Germany	2			168	5	Lino Burgold (32)
Belgium	2			191	4	Marijn Lybaert (25)
Czech Republic	2			113	3	Martin Juza Martin Juza Martin Juza is a Czech Magic: The Gathering player. Over the course of his career, Juza has won the Czech national championship, made the top eight of a Pro Tour twice, and won two Grand Prix that were only six weeks apart.- Career :...  (64)
France	1			198	5	Gabriel Nassif Gabriel Nassif Gabriel Nassif is a French professional card player. He is known for his continuous success on the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour and was the 2004 Pro Tour Player of the Year. He also enjoys playing poker, having moderate success at the World Series of Poker in recent years...  (60)
Brazil	1			196	2	Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa is a Brazilian Magic: The Gathering player. He is the first South American player to have seven Pro Tour top 8s. In 2011, Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa became the youngest player to ever reach 300 lifetime Pro Points.- Career :Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa began his professional...  (56)
Italy	1			248	2	Riccardo Neri (24)

T8 = Number of players from that country appearing in a Pro Tour Top 8; Q = Number of players from that country participating in Pro Tours; M = Median finish over all PTs; GT = Gravy Trainers (aka players with a Pro Players Club level of 4 or more) from that country created in the 2009 season; Best Player (PPts) = Player with the most Pro Points from that country, Pro Points of that player in brackets.