Darwin Kastle
Top 8 appearances
Table:
Season

Event type

Location

Format

Date

Rank

1996

Pro Tour

Los Angeles

Booster Draft

3–5 May 1996

3

1996–97

Pro Tour

Atlanta

Sealed Deck

13–15 September 1996

2

1996–97

Pro Tour

Paris

Block Constructed

11–13 April 1997

3

1997–98

Invitational

Rio de Janeiro

Special

29 January–2 February 1998

1

1997–98

Grand Prix

Indianapolis

Limited

27–28 June 1998

6

1998–99

Grand Prix

Boston

Standard

5–6 September 1998

5

1998–99

Grand Prix

Austin

Standard

10–11 October 1998

2

1998–99

Invitational

Barcelona

Special

4–7 February 1999

5

1999–00

Pro Tour

Washington, D.C.

Team Limited

3–5 September 1999

1

1999–00

Pro Tour

London

Booster Draft

15–17 October 1999

8

1999–00

Grand Prix

San Diego

Limited

20–21 November 1999

5

2000–01

Grand Prix

Manchester

Limited

7–8 October 2000

1

2000–01

Invitational

Sydney

Special

16–19 November 2000

5

2001–02

Grand Prix

Denver

Block Constructed

18–19 August 2001

3

2001–02

Pro Tour

New Orleans

Extended

2–4 November 2001

7

2002–03

Pro Tour

Houston

Extended

8–10 November 2002

3

2002–03

Pro Tour

Venice

Block Constructed

21–23 March 2003

6

Leveraging the table and the article excerpts listed below.

Respond to the question below: Where was the Invitational held in the season that ended with conclusion of the World Championship in Toronto ? Respond with the correct answer (omit explanations) in JSON format as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Do not introduce information beyond the provided sources.

Magic : The Gathering formats are various ways in which the Magic : The Gathering collectible card game can be played . Each format provides rules for deck construction and gameplay , with many confining the pool of permitted cards to those released in a specified group of Magic card sets . The DCI , the governing body that oversees official Magic competitive play , categorizes its tournament formats into Constructed and Limited . Constructed formats require decks to be made prior to participation , with players allowed to use any tournament-legal cards they possess . Sanctioned Constructed formats include Standard , Modern , Legacy , and Vintage . Limited formats , in contrast , utilize a restricted and unknown pool of cards , usually formed by opening Magic products . Limited competition require players to select cards and build decks on the fly within the tournament itself . The primary two sanctioned Limited formats are Sealed Deck and Booster Draft . A number of other formats have been designed by Wizards of the Coast or by players for custom gameplay or reduced investment cost ; these are known as casual formats . Some casual formats utilize rules or sets of cards that differ from those used in sanctioned tournament play .
A calendar date is a reference to a particular day represented within a calendar system . The calendar date allows the specific day to be identified . The number of days between two dates may be calculated . For example , 24 February 2020 is ten days after 14 February 2020 in the Gregorian calendar . The date of a particular event depends on the observed time zone . For example , the air attack on Pearl Harbor that began at 7:48 a.m. Hawaiian time on 7 December 1941 took place at 3:18 a.m. Japan Standard Time , 8 December in Japan . A particular day may be represented by a different date in another calendar as in the Gregorian calendar and the Julian calendar , which have been used simultaneously in different places . In most calendar systems , the date consists of three parts : the day of the month , the month , and the year . There may also be additional parts , such as the day of the week . Years are usually counted from a particular starting point , usually called the epoch , with era referring to the particular period of time ( note the different use of the terms in geology ) . The most widely used epoch is a conventional birthdate of Jesus ( which was established by Dionysius Exiguus in the sixth century ) . A date without the year may also be referred to as a date or calendar date ( such as 20 February rather than 20 February 2020 ) .
The 1996 Pro Tour season was the first season of the Magic : The Gathering Pro Tour . At the end of 1995 Wizards of the Coast had announced the introduction of a tournament series featuring big cash prizes . Originally coined the Black Lotus Pro Tour the tournaments were simply called Pro Tours and the name was thus changed quickly . The first Pro Tour , held in New York in February 1996 , was won by the American Michael Loconto . Los Angeles and Ohio were the other Pro Tours in the inaugural season along with the 1996 World Championships in Seattle . At the end of the season Olle Råde was proclaimed the first Pro Tour Player of the Year .
The Pro Tour ( often abbreviated as PT ) is the second-highest form of competitive play ( after the World Championship ) for the Magic : The Gathering collectible card game . It consists of a series of tournaments held throughout the world , each requiring an invitation to participate . Every Pro Tour awards a total of $ 240,000 in cash prizes , with $ 50,000 going to the winner . Pro Tour competitors also receive Pro Points , the amount depending on their results . Pro Points award special benefits to players , including automatic qualification and travel awards for subsequent Pro Tours . Currently , four Pro Tours are held during a twelve-month season also known colloquially as a year . The Pro Tour was introduced in 1996 with the first event being held in New York . Over 100 such tournaments have been held since . Finishing within the Top 8 of a Pro Tour is considered to be one of the greatest accomplishments a competitive Magic player can achieve . Professional players are thus often compared by the number of Pro Tour Top 8 finishes they have made throughout their career . The most successful players on the Pro Tour are Kai Budde , who won seven Pro Tours out of ten Top 8 finishes , and Jon Finkel , who won three Pro Tours , while making it to the Top 8 sixteen times .
The 1996-97 Pro Tour season was the second season of the Magic : The Gathering Pro Tour . It began on 13 September 1996 with Pro Tour Atlanta , and ended on 17 August 1997 with the conclusion of 1997 World Championship in Seattle . The season consisted of five Grand Prix , and six Pro Tours , located in Atlanta , Dallas , Los Angeles , Paris , New York , and Seattle . At the end of the season Paul McCabe from Canada was awarded the Pro Player of the year title . It was the first season to host Grand Prix , which are major tournaments awarding cash prizes and Pro Points , but open to all players .
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 .
The DCI ( formerly Duelists ' Convocation International ) was the official sanctioning body for competitive play in Magic : The Gathering and various other games produced by Wizards of the Coast and its subsidiaries , such as Avalon Hill , before being gradually rebranded as the Wizards Play Network starting in 2008 . The DCI provided game rules , tournament operating procedures , and other materials to private tournament organizers and players . It also operated a judge certification program to provide consistent rules enforcement and promote fair play .
Grands Prix ( GPs ) 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 ( Netherlands ) . By the end of 2018 , 654 Grand Prix events have been held , the biggest being GP Las Vegas 2015 with 7,551 competitors , making it the biggest trading card game tournament ever held . Grand Prix tournaments are the main event of a minimum three-day mini-convention . The term Grand Prix can refer to either the tournament or to the entire weekend . Starting in 2019 , as part of a broader re-branding , the term MagicFest was introduced to refer to the overall event , which includes both the Grand Prix main event and a number of Side Events , which last for only a few hours and which have comparatively smaller prize pools .
The 1998-99 Pro Tour season was the fourth season of the Magic : The Gathering Pro Tour . It began on 5 September 1998 with Grand Prix Boston and ended on 8 August 1999 with the conclusion of 1999 World Championship in Tokyo . The season consisted of fourteen Grand Prix , and five Pro Tours , located in Chicago , Rome , Los Angeles , New York , and Tokyo . At the end of the season Kai Budde from Germany was awarded the Pro Player of the year title .
The 1999-2000 Pro Tour season was the fifth season of the Magic : The Gathering Pro Tour . It began on 3 September 1999 with Pro Tour Boston and ended on 6 August 2000 with the conclusion of 2000 World Championship in Brussels . The season consisted of twenty Grand Prixs , and six Pro Tours , located in Washington D.C. , London , Chicago , Los Angeles , New York , and Brussels . At the end of the season Bob Maher , Jr. was awarded the Pro Player of the year title .
The 2000-01 Pro Tour season was the sixth season of the Magic : The Gathering Pro Tour . On 23 September 2000 the season began with parallel Grand Prixs in Sapporo and Porto . It ended on 12 August 2001 with the conclusion of the 2001 World Championship in Toronto . The season consisted of 27 Grand Prixs and 6 Pro Tours , held in New York , Chicago , Los Angeles , Tokyo , Barcelona , and Toronto . Also special Master Series tournaments were held at four Pro Tours . These tournaments featured huge cash prizes , but were open to only 32 players . At the end of the season Kai Budde was proclaimed Pro Player of the Year , making him the only player to win the title more than once .
The 2001-02 Pro Tour season was the seventh season of the Magic : The Gathering Pro Tour . On 18 August 2001 the season began with parallel Grand Prixs in Kobe and Denver . It ended on 18 August 2002 with the conclusion of the 2002 World Championship in Sydney . The season consisted of 33 Grand Prixs and 6 Pro Tours , held in New York , New Orleans , San Diego , Osaka , Nice , and Sydney . Also Master Series tournaments were held at four Pro Tours . At the end of the season Kai Budde was proclaimed Pro Player of the Year , winning the title by a record margin .
The 2002-03 Pro Tour season was the eighth season of the Magic : The Gathering Pro Tour . On 24 August 2002 the season began with Grand Prix Sapporo . It ended on 10 August 2003 with the conclusion of the 2003 World Championship in Berlin . The season consisted of 21 Grand Prixs and 6 Pro Tours , held in Boston , Houston , Chicago , Venice , Yokohama , and Berlin . Also Master Series tournaments were held at four Pro Tours . At the end of the season Kai Budde was proclaimed Pro Player of the Year for the third time in a row .