# Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour season 1997–98

The 1997–98 Pro Tour season was the third season of the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour. It began on 30 August 1997 with Grand Prix Toronto, and ended on 16 August 1998 with the conclusion of 1998 World Championship in Seattle. The season consisted of thirteen Grand Prix, and five Pro Tours, located in Chicago, Mainz, Los Angeles, New York, and Seattle. At the end of the season Jon Finkel from the United States was awarded the Pro Player of the Year title.

## Pro Tour – Chicago (10–12 October 1997)

Attending a Pro Tour for the first time, Randy Buehler defeated David Mills in the finals to win the inaugural Pro Tour of the 1997–98 season. Olle Råde's final eight appearance made him the first player to reach the Top 8 four times.

### Tournament data

Prize pool: $151,635 Players: 324 Format: Extended

### Final standings

| Place | Player | Prize | Comment |
| 1 | Randy Buehler | $25,000 | Pro Tour debut |
| 2 | David Mills | $15,000 | 2nd Final day |
| 3 | Jon Finkel | $10,000 | |
| 4 | Max Suver | $8,000 | |
| 5 | Adrian Sayers | $6,500 | |
| 6 | Justin Schneider | $5,500 | |
| 7 | Kyle Rose | $4,800 | |
| 8 | Olle Råde | $4,300 | 4th Final day |

## Grand Prix – Como

GP Como (8–9 November)
* Michaël Debard
* Lukas Ladra
* Roger Leu
* Michael Suwald
* Luca Chiera
* David Kearney
* Pierre Vandercamere
* Gilles Martinau

## Pro Tour – Mainz (5–7 December 1997)

Eventual Pro Player of the year Paul McCabe won Pro Tour Dallas. The Canadian defeated Jason Zila from the US in the final. Olle Råde had his third Top 8 appearance while playing only his fourth Pro Tour.

### Tournament data

Prize pool: $151,635 Players: 291 Format: Rochester Draft (Tempest)

### Final standings

| Place | Player | Prize | Comment |
| 1 | Matt Place | $25,000 | 2nd Final day |
| 2 | Steven O'Mahoney-Schwartz | $15,000 | |
| 3 | Peer Kröger | $10,000 | 2nd Final day |
| 4 | Kurt Burgner | $8,000 | |
| 5 | John Ormerod | $6,500 | 1st English in a Top 8 |
| 6 | Chris Bishop | $5,500 | |
| 7 | Mark Le Pine | $4,800 | |
| 8 | Gabriele Pisicchio | $4,300 | 1st Italian in a Top 8 |

## Pro Tour – Los Angeles (6–8 March 1998)

David Price won Pro Tour Los Angeles. In the finals he defeated Ben Rubin, who thus made it to the second place at his first Pro Tour attendance.

### Tournament data

Prize pool: $151,635 Players: 342 Format: Block Constructed (Tempest)

### Final standings

| Place | Player | Prize | Comment |
| 1 | David Price | $25,000 | |
| 2 | Ben Rubin | $15,000 | First Pro Tour Attendance |
| 3 | David Bachmann | $10,000 | |
| 4 | Adam Katz | $8,000 | |
| 5 | Kyle Rose | $6,500 | 2nd Final day |
| 6 | Jakub Slemr | $5,500 | 2nd Final day |
| 7 | Svend Geertsen | $4,800 | 2nd Final day |
| 8 | Andrew Wolf | $4,300 | |

## Grand Prix – Stockholm
### GP Stockholm (21–22 March)

* Olle Råde
* Tuomo Nieminen
* Johan Franzen
* Jan Pieter Groenhof
* Manuel Bevand
* Viktor Forsman
* Ole Bergesen
* Sigurd Eskeland

## Pro Tour – New York (17–19 April 1998)

In an all-American Top 8 Jon Finkel won his first Pro Tour. Mark Justice reached his fourth and as yet last final eight.

### Tournament data

Prize pool: $151,635 Format: Booster Draft (Tempest-Stronghold)

### Top 8

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| 1 | Jon Finkel | 3 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Casey McCarrel | 2 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Casey McCarrel | 2 | Jon Finkel | Jon Finkel | 3 | | | |
| | | | David Bachmann | David Bachmann | 2 | | | |
| 5 | David Bachmann | 3 | David Bachmann | David Bachmann | 2 | | | |
| 4 | Truc Bui | 0 | | | | | | |
| 4 | Truc Bui | 0 | | | | Jon Finkel | Jon Finkel | 3 |
| | | | | | | Dominic Crapuchettes | Dominic Crapuchettes | 1 |
| 3 | Dominic Crapuchettes | 3 | | | | | | | Dominic Crapuchettes | Dominic Crapuchettes | 1 |
| 6 | Nate Clark | 0 | | | | | | |
| 6 | Nate Clark | 0 | Dominic Crapuchettes | Dominic Crapuchettes | 3 | | | |
| | | | John Chinnock | John Chinnock | 2 | | | |
| 7 | Mark Justice | 0 | John Chinnock | John Chinnock | 2 | | | |
| 2 | John Chinnock | 3 | | | | | | |

### Final standings

| Place | Player | Prize | Comment |
| 1 | Jon Finkel | $25,000 | 2nd Final day |
| 2 | Dominic Crapuchettes | $15,000 | |
| 3 | John Chinnock | $10,000 | 3rd Final day |
| 4 | David Bachmann | $8,000 | 2nd Final day |
| 5 | Truc Bui | $6,500 | 2nd Final day |
| 6 | Nate Clark | $5,500 | 2nd Final day |
| 7 | Mark Justice | $4,800 | 4th Final day |
| 8 | Casey McCarrel | $4,300 | |

## 1998 World Championships – Seattle (12–16 August 1998)

Brian Selden defeated fellow American Ben Rubin to become the 1998 World Champion. He played a Control-Combo deck revolving around Survival of the Fittest. The Top 8 was one of the most star-studded final eights ever, with all players making at least one other Top 8 appearance, and four of them later becoming Hall of Famers.
The US national team, consisting of Matt Linde, Mike Long, Bryce Currence, and Jon Finkel won its third team title. Long thus won his third team title, too, as he had been precisely on those teams which had won the title.

### Tournament data

Players: 203 Format: Standard, Rochester Draft (Mirage-Visions-Weatherlight), Extended Individual formats: Booster Draft (Tempest-Stronghold-Exodus), Standard, Tempest Block Constructed (Tempest, Stronghold, Exodus) Team formats: 4-Person Team Sealed (4 5th Edition Starter + 4 5th Edition Booster) – Swiss; Constructed (2x Tempest Block Constructed + 2x Standard) – Finals

### Top 8

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| 1 | Jon Finkel | 3 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Alan Comer | 0 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Alan Comer | 0 | Jon Finkel | Jon Finkel | 1 | | | |
| | | | Ben Rubin | Ben Rubin | 3 | | | |
| 5 | Ben Rubin | 3 | Ben Rubin | Ben Rubin | 3 | | | |
| 4 | Scott Johns | 2 | | | | | | |
| 4 | Scott Johns | 2 | | | | Ben Rubin | Ben Rubin | 1 |
| | | | | | | Brian Selden | Brian Selden | 3 |
| 3 | Brian Selden | 3 | | | | | | | Brian Selden | Brian Selden | 3 |
| 6 | Chris Pikula | 1 | | | | | | |
| 6 | Chris Pikula | 1 | Brian Selden | Brian Selden | 3 | | | |
| | | | Raphaël Lévy | Raphaël Lévy | 1 | | | |
| 7 | Brian Hacker | 2 | Raphaël Lévy | Raphaël Lévy | 1 | | | |
| 2 | Raphaël Lévy | 3 | | | | | | |

### Final standings

| Place | Player | Prize | Comment |
| 1 | Brian Selden | $34,000 | Pro Tour debut |
| 2 | Ben Rubin | $22,000 | 2nd Final day |
| 3 | Jon Finkel | $16,000 | 3rd Final day |
| 4 | Raphaël Lévy | $13,000 | |
| 5 | Scott Johns | $11,000 | 4th Final day |
| 6 | Chris Pikula | $9,500 | 3rd Final day |
| 7 | Brian Hacker | $8,250 | 2nd Final day |
| 8 | Alan Comer | $7,250 | 2nd Final day |

### National team competition

* United States (Matt Linde, Mike Long, Bryce Currence, Jon Finkel)
* France (Pierre Malherbaud, Manuel Bevand, Marc Hernandez, Fabien Demazeau)

## Pro Player of the year final standings

After the World Championship Jon Finkel was awarded the Pro Player of the year title.
| Rank | Player | Pro Points |
| 1 | Jon Finkel | 87 |
| 2 | Randy Buehler | 70 |
| 3 | Steven O'Mahoney-Schwartz | 57 |
| 4 | David Price | 55 |
| 5 | Matt Place | 53 |