# Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour season 2012

The 2012 Pro Tour season is the seventeenth season of the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour. Due to major changes in the Pro Tour systems the 2012 season was retroactively made to overlap with the 2011 season. Originally the 2012 season was supposed to begin on 7 January 2012 with Grand Prix Austin, but retroactively the events from after Pro Tour Nagoya on 10–12 June 2011 were made to count towards the 2012 season as well as the 2011 season. The major changes included a shift of the season. Instead of Pro Tour seasons aligning with the calendar year, beginning with the 2012–13 season Pro Tour seasons will be going from spring to spring. Also a major overhaul of the ratings system was conducted. A new bye policy based upon the new ratings system and a new invitation policy for the Pro Tour were introduced. Finally the number of Grand Prix tournaments was greatly increased.

## Mode

Four Pro Tours will be held in the 2012 season. The amount of Grand Prix is still unknown as only Grand Prix tournaments through March have been announced yet. The prize purse of future Pro Tours is also unknown, however Wizards of the Coast announced, that future Grand Prix tournaments will have a total prize pool of $10,000 to $40,000 instead of a flat $30,000 pool that was awarded at each Grand Prix in 2011.

## Pro Tour Dark Ascension – Honolulu (10–12 February 2012)

The first Pro Tour in the 2012 season is the first to have a proper name. Previously Pro Tours were referred to by their location and/or date. The name Dark Ascension refers to the Magic set with the same name that is to be released a week prior to the Pro Tour.

### Tournament data

Prize pool: $233,500 Format: Standard, Booster Draft Players: 445

### Top 8

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| 1 | Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa | 3 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Jelger Wiegersma | 0 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Jelger Wiegersma | 0 | Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa | Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa | 3 | | | |
| | | | Mamoru Nagai | Mamoru Nagai | 1 | | | |
| 4 | Mamoru Nagai | 3 | Mamoru Nagai | Mamoru Nagai | 1 | | | |
| 5 | Lukas Blohon | 1 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Lukas Blohon | 1 | | | | Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa | Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa | 2 |
| | | | | | | Brian Kibler | Brian Kibler | 3 |
| 2 | Denniz Rachid | 1 | | | | | | | Brian Kibler | Brian Kibler | 3 |
| 7 | Brian Kibler | 3 | | | | | | |
| 7 | Brian Kibler | 3 | Brian Kibler | Brian Kibler | 3 | | | |
| | | | Jon Finkel | Jon Finkel | 2 | | | |
| 3 | Jon Finkel | 3 | Jon Finkel | Jon Finkel | 2 | | | |
| 6 | Matthew Costa | 1 | | | | | | |

### Final standings

| Place | Player | Prize | Pro Points | Comment |
| 1 | Brian Kibler | $40,000 | 30 | 5th Final day, 2nd Pro Tour win |
| 2 | Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa | $20,000 | 24 | 9th Final day |
| 3 | Jon Finkel | $12,500 | 22 | 13th Final day |
| 4 | Mamoru Nagai | $12,500 | 22 | |
| 5 | Denniz Rachid | $10,000 | 20 | |
| 6 | Matthew Costa | $10,000 | 20 | |
| 7 | Lukas Blohon | $10,000 | 20 | |
| 8 | Jelger Wiegersma | $10,000 | 20 | 4th Final day |

## Pro Tour Avacyn Restored – Barcelona (11–13 May 2012)
### Tournament data

Prize pool: $233,500 Format: Block Constructed, Booster Draft Players: 379

### Top 8

| Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| 1 | Gaudenis Vidugiris | 3 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Naoki Shimizu | 2 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Naoki Shimizu | 2 | Gaudenis Vidugiris | Gaudenis Vidugiris | 3 | | | |
| | | | Ken Yukuhiro | Ken Yukuhiro | 2 | | | |
| 4 | Ken Yukuhiro | 3 | Ken Yukuhiro | Ken Yukuhiro | 2 | | | |
| 5 | Denniz Rachid | 2 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Denniz Rachid | 2 | | | | Gaudenis Vidugiris | Gaudenis Vidugiris | 2 |
| | | | | | | Alexander Hayne | Alexander Hayne | 3 |
| 2 | Jon Finkel | 2 | | | | | | | Alexander Hayne | Alexander Hayne | 3 |
| 7 | Alexander Hayne | 3 | | | | | | |
| 7 | Alexander Hayne | 3 | Alexander Hayne | Alexander Hayne | 3 | | | |
| | | | Joshua Cho | Joshua Cho | 2 | | | |
| 3 | Joshua Cho | 3 | Joshua Cho | Joshua Cho | 2 | | | |
| 6 | Thomas Holzinger | 0 | | | | | | |

### Final standings

| Place | Player | Prize | Pro Points | Comment |
| 1 | Alexander Hayne | $40,000 | 30 | |
| 2 | Gaudenis Vidugiris | $20,000 | 24 | 2nd final day |
| 3 | Joshua Cho | $12,500 | 22 | Pro Tour debut |
| 4 | Ken Yukuhiro | $12,500 | 22 | |
| 5 | Jon Finkel | $10,000 | 20 | 14th final day |
| 6 | Denniz Rachid | $10,000 | 20 | 2nd final day |
| 7 | Thomas Holzinger | $10,000 | 20 | |
| 8 | Naoki Shimizu | $10,000 | 20 | 2nd final day |

## Invitees to the 2012 Players Championship

The following sixteen players received an invitation to the 2012 Players Championship due to their performance in the 2012 season.
| Player | Qualified due to |
| Owen Turtenwald | 2011 Player of the year |
| Jun'ya Iyanaga | 2011 World Champion |
| Reid Duke | 2011 Magic Online Champion |
| Samuele Estratti | Pro Tour Philadelphia winner |
| Brian Kibler | Pro Tour Dark Ascension winner |
| Alexander Hayne | Pro Tour Avacyn Restored winner |
| Josh Utter-Leyton | Pro Point leader North America |
| Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa | Pro Point leader Latin America |
| Martin Juza | Pro Point leader Europe |
| Yuuya Watanabe | Pro Point leader Japan |
| Kuo Tzu-Ching | Pro Point leader APAC region |
| Jon Finkel | Most Pro Points of otherwise unqualified |
| Luis Scott-Vargas | 2nd most Pro Points of otherwise unqualified |
| Shouta Yasooka | 3rd most Pro Points of otherwise unqualified |
| David Ochoa | 4th most Pro Points of otherwise unqualified |
| Shuhei Nakamura | 5th most Pro Points of otherwise unqualified |