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.

Grand Prix – Toronto, Copenhagen
GP Toronto (30–31 August) 1. 🇺🇸 Brian Kibler

2. 🇺🇸 Erik Lauer

3. 🇨🇦 Tony Tsai

4. 🇺🇸 Matt Place

5. 🇺🇸 Dan Silberman

6. 🇺🇸 Steven O'Mahoney-Schwartz

7. 🇺🇸 Mike Turian

8. 🇺🇸 Bruce Cowley

GP Copenhagen (6–7 September) 1. Karsten Hoppe

2. 🇳🇴 Sigurd Eskeland

3. 🇸🇪 David Linder

4. 🇸🇪 Thomas Lindohf

5. 🇸🇪 Kristian Hellman

6. Jesper Thrane

7. 🇸🇪 Martin Jordö

8. 🇸🇪 Frederik Thorstensson

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

Grand Prix – Como
GP Como (8–9 November) 1. 🇫🇷 Michaël Debard

2. 🇨🇿 Lukas Ladra

3. Roger Leu

4. Michael Suwald

5. 🇮🇹 Luca Chiera

6. 🇮🇪 David Kearney

7. 🇫🇷 Pierre Vandercamere

8. 🇫🇷 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)

Grand Prix – San Francisco, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Lyon, Melbourne

 * GP San Francisco (6–7 December)
 * 1) 🇺🇸 Robert Swarowski
 * 2) 🇨🇦 Ryan Fuller
 * 3) 🇺🇸 Steve Shears
 * 4) 🇺🇸 Brett Quorn
 * 5) 🇺🇸 Daniel Clegg
 * 6) 🇺🇸 Steve Aldrich
 * 7) 🇺🇸 Ernest Alexander
 * 8) 🇺🇸 Casey McCarrel


 * GP Lyon (7–8 February)
 * 1) 🇫🇷 Raphaël Lévy
 * 2) 🇧🇪 Kurt Foket
 * 3) 🇫🇷 Manuel Bevand
 * 4) 🇫🇷 Michaël Debard
 * 5) 🇫🇷 Emmanuel Beltrando
 * 6) 🇫🇷 Loïc Degrou
 * 7) 🇫🇷 Nicolas Lacorne
 * 8) 🇫🇷 Laurent Laclaverie


 * GP Madrid (24–25 January)
 * 1) 🇺🇸 Steven O'Mahoney-Schwartz
 * 2) 🇫🇷 Michaël Debard
 * 3) 🇫🇷 Jérémie Lagarde
 * 4) 🇫🇷 Herve Drevillon
 * 5) 🇪🇸 Christian Celades
 * 6) 🇪🇸 Omar Sagol
 * 7) 🇮🇹 Gabriele Pisicchio
 * 8) 🇪🇸 Marc Iglesias


 * GP Melbourne (14–15 February)
 * 1) 🇦🇺 Philip Davey
 * 2) 🇦🇺 Matt Goodall
 * 3) 🇦🇺 Lenny Collins
 * 4) 🇦🇺 Craig Sheppard
 * 5) 🇦🇺 Daniel Turner
 * 6) 🇦🇺 Adam Kemp
 * 7) 🇦🇺 Kevin Cheng
 * 8) 🇦🇺 Andrew Corney


 * GP Rio de Janeiro (31 January – 1 February)
 * 1) 🇺🇸 Jon Finkel
 * 2) 🇺🇸 Steven O'Mahoney-Schwartz
 * 3) 🇧🇷 Carlos Jeucken
 * 4) 🇺🇸 Adam Katz
 * 5) 🇧🇷 Leandro Buck
 * 6) 🇧🇷 Romario Tavora Britto
 * 7) 🇧🇷 Rodrigo Cesar Barbosa
 * 8) 🇧🇷 Julio Cesar Conceicao

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)

Grand Prix – Stockholm

 * GP Stockholm (21–22 March)
 * 1) 🇸🇪 Olle Råde
 * 2) 🇫🇮 Tuomo Nieminen
 * 3) 🇸🇪 Johan Franzen
 * 4) 🇳🇴 Jan Pieter Groenhof
 * 5) 🇫🇷 Manuel Bevand
 * 6) 🇫🇮 Viktor Forsman
 * 7) 🇳🇴 Ole Bergesen
 * 8) 🇳🇴 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)

Grand Prix – Atlanta, Antwerp, Zurich, Indianapolis

 * GP Atlanta (27–28 March)
 * 1) 🇺🇸 Randy Buehler
 * 2) 🇺🇸 Bob Coonce
 * 3) 🇺🇸 David Mills
 * 4) 🇺🇸 Derek Rank
 * 5) 🇺🇸 Patrick Callahan
 * 6) 🇺🇸 Ray Deguzman
 * 7) 🇺🇸 Nate Clark
 * 8) 🇺🇸 Chris Donahue


 * GP Indianapolis (27–28 June)
 * 1) 🇺🇸 Eric Jordan
 * 2) 🇺🇸 Koby Kennison
 * 3) 🇺🇸 Michael Chiumento
 * 4) 🇺🇸 Worth Wollpert
 * 5) 🇺🇸 Randy Buehler
 * 6) 🇺🇸 Michael Katz
 * 7) Ryan Joe
 * 8) 🇺🇸 Darwin Kastle


 * GP Antwerp (25–26 April)
 * 1) 🇩🇪 Stephan Valkyser
 * 2) 🇨🇿 Lukas Ladra
 * 3) 🇺🇸 Brian Hacker
 * 4) 🇫🇷 Michael Sochon
 * 5) 🇺🇸 Randy Buehler
 * 6) 🇩🇪 Timo Meimberg
 * 7) 🇩🇪 Peer Kröger
 * 8) 🇫🇷 Michaël Debard


 * GP Zurich (30–31 May)
 * 1) 🇺🇸 Steven O'Mahoney-Schwartz
 * 2) 🇺🇸 Rudy Edwards
 * 3) 🇫🇷 Michaël Debard
 * 4) Alexander Blumke
 * 5) 🇩🇪 Janosch Kühn
 * 6) 🇺🇸 Jon Finkel
 * 7) 🇩🇪 Marcel Baran
 * 8) 🇩🇪 Michael Huth

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. 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

National team competition

 * 1) 🇺🇸 United States (Matt Linde, Mike Long, Bryce Currence, Jon Finkel)
 * 2) 🇫🇷 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.