The 2003–04 Pro Tour season was the ninth season of the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour. On 23 August 2003 the season began with parallel Grand Prixs in Yokohama and London. It ended on 5 September 2004 with the conclusion of the 2004 World Championship in San Francisco. Beginning with this season Wizards of the Coast moved the Pro Tour schedule farther backwards in the year to synchronize it with the calendar year. The season consisted of 26 Grand Prixs and 7 Pro Tours, held in Boston, New Orleans, Amsterdam, Kobe, San Diego, Seattle, and San Francisco. Also the Master Series tournaments were discontinued and replaced by payout at the end of the year based on the Pro Player of the year standings. At the end of the season Gabriel Nassif was proclaimed Pro Player of the year, the first player after Kai Budde's three-year-domination period, and also the first player to win the title without winning a Pro Tour in the same season.
Quick Facts Pro Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year ...
2003–04 Pro Tour season| Pro Player of the Year |  Gabriel Nassif |
|---|
| Rookie of the Year |  Julien Nuijten |
|---|
| World Champion | Julien Nuijten |
|---|
| Pro Tours | 7 |
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| Grands Prix | 26 |
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| Start of season | 23 August 2003 |
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| End of season | 5 September 2004 |
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"Phoenix Foundation" had its third consecutive Pro Tour Top 4 appearance, but this time they were eliminated by eventual champions "The Brockafellars". The team consisting of William Jensen, Matt Linde, and Brock Parker had allegedly not done a single practice draft in the format.[1]
Tournament data
Prize pool: $200,100
Players: 399 (133 teams)
Format: Team Sealed (Onslaught, Legions, Scourge) – first day, Team Rochester Draft (Onslaught-Legions-Scourge) – final two days
Head Judge: Collin Jackson[2]
Top 4
| Semi-finals
| | | Finals
| |
| | | | | | | | | |
| 1
| Zabutan Nemonaut
| 0
| | |
|
| 4
| Original Slackers
| 2
| |
| | Original Slackers
| 0
| |
|
| |
| | | The Brockafellars
| 2
| |
| 2
| Phoenix Foundation
| 0
| |
| |
| 3
| The Brockafellars
| 2
| |
Final standings
More information Place, Team ...
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Pro Player of the year standings
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After finishing second with his team in Boston, Rickard Österberg returned to win Pro Tour New Orleans. The Extended format of New Orleans is considered to be one of the most powerful of all time and Österberg's deck was built around the soon to be banned card Tinker, too.[3]
Tournament data
Prize pool: $200,130
Players: 318
Format: Extended
Head Judge: Mike Guptil[2]
Top 8
| Quarter-finals
| | | Semi-finals
| | | Finals
| |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1
| Hans Joachim Höh
| 1
| | | |
|
| 8
| Masashi Oiso
| 3
| |
| | Masashi Oiso
| 2
| |
|
| |
| | | Gabriel Nassif
| 3
| |
| 4
| Gabriel Nassif
| 3
| |
| |
| 5
| Tomohiro Yokosuka
| 0
| |
| | Gabriel Nassif
| 2
| |
|
| |
| | | Rickard Österberg
| 3
| |
| 2
| Yann Hamon
| *
| | |
| |
| 7
| Nicolas Labarre
| *
| |
| | Yann Hamon
| 0
| |
|
| |
| | | Rickard Österberg
| 3
| |
| 3
| Eugene Harvey
| 2
| |
| |
| 6
| Rickard Österberg
| 3
| |
* Hamon and Labarre both had to catch a flight on the morning of the Top 8 and did not want to book two new flights. They thus played an unofficial match at their hotel on the preceding evening to decide who would officially concede to the other. Hamon won 3–2.[4]
Pro Player of the year standings
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Norwegian Nicolai Herzog defeated Osamu Fujita in the finals to win Pro Tour Amsterdam. Other than Fujita and Herzog the final eight included only accomplished players with at least one other lifetime Pro Tour final day appearance.[5]
Tournament data
Players: 347
Prize Pool: $200,130
Format: Rochester Draft (Mirrodin)
Head Judge: Gijsbert Hoogendijk[2]
Top 8
| Quarter-finals
| | | Semi-finals
| | | Finals
| |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1
| Farid Meraghni
| 1
| | | |
|
| 8
| Nicolai Herzog
| 3
| |
| | Nicolai Herzog
| 3
| |
|
| |
| | | Olivier Ruel
| 0
| |
| 4
| Olivier Ruel
| 3
| |
| |
| 5
| Mike Turian
| 1
| |
| | Nicolai Herzog
| 3
| |
|
| |
| | | Osamu Fujita
| 0
| |
| 2
| Kamiel Cornelissen
| 1
| | |
| |
| 7
| Osamu Fujita
| 3
| |
| | Osamu Fujita
| 3
| |
|
| |
| | | Anton Jonsson
| 2
| |
| 3
| Aeo Paquette
| 0
| |
| |
| 7
| Anton Jonsson
| 3
| |
Pro Player of the year standings
On home turf Masashiro Kuroda won the first Pro Tour title for Japan, defeating Gabriel Nassif in the finals.[6]
Tournament data
Players: 239
Prize Pool: $200,130
Format: Mirrodin Block Constructed (Mirrodin, Darksteel)
Head Judge: Collin Jackson[2]
Top 8
| Quarter-finals
| | | Semi-finals
| | | Finals
| |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1
| Luigi Sbrozzi
| 1
| | | |
|
| 8
| Jelger Wiegersma
| 3
| |
| | Jelger Wiegersma
| 1
| |
|
| |
| | | Gabriel Nassif
| 3
| |
| 4
| Ben Stark
| 2
| |
| |
| 5
| Gabriel Nassif
| 3
| |
| | Gabriel Nassif
| 1
| |
|
| |
| | | Masashiro Kuroda
| 3
| |
| 2
| Raffaele Lo Moro
| 0
| | |
| |
| 7
| Masashiro Kuroda
| 3
| |
| | Masashiro Kuroda
| 3
| |
|
| |
| | | Alexandre Peset
| 2
| |
| 3
| Alexandre Peset
| 3
| |
| |
| 6
| Stefano Fiori
| 2
| |
Pro Player of the year standings
The second Mirrodin Draft Pro Tour saw three players amongst the final four, who had already finished in the Top 8 in the first Mirrodin Draft Pro Tour. Nicolai Herzog even followed his Amsterdam win up with another win victory, thus taking home the title in both Mirrodin Draft Pro Tours.[7]
Tournament data
Players: 312
Prize Pool: $200,130
Format: Mirrodin Booster Draft (Mirrodin-Darksteel)
Head Judge: Collin Jackson[2]
Top 8
| Quarter-finals
| | | Semi-finals
| | | Finals
| |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1
| Masashi Oiso
| 1
| | | |
|
| 8
| Anton Jonsson
| 3
| |
| | Anton Jonsson
| 2
| |
|
| |
| | | Antoine Ruel
| 3
| |
| 4
| Antoine Ruel
| 3
| |
| |
| 5
| Angel Perez del Pozo
| 2
| |
| | Antoine Ruel
| 0
| |
|
| |
| | | Nicolai Herzog
| 3
| |
| 2
| Mike Turian
| 3
| | |
| |
| 7
| Mark Herberholz
| 0
| |
| | Mike Turian
| 1
| |
|
| |
| | | Nicolai Herzog
| 3
| |
| 3
| Ben Stark
| 0
| |
| |
| 6
| Nicolai Herzog
| 3
| |
Final standings
More information Place, Player ...
| Place |
Player |
Prize |
Pro Points |
Comment |
|---|
| 1 |
 Nicolai Herzog |
$30,000 |
32 |
4th Final day, 2nd Pro Tour win |
| 2 |
Antoine Ruel |
$20,000 |
24 |
2nd Final day |
| 3 |
 Mike Turian |
$15,000 |
16 |
5th Final day |
| 4 |
 Anton Jonsson |
$13,000 |
16 |
4th Final day |
| 5 |
Mark Herberholz |
$9,000 |
12 |
|
| 6 |
Ben Stark |
$8,500 |
12 |
2nd Final day |
| 7 |
 Angel Perez del Pozo |
$8,000 |
12 |
Pro Tour debut |
| 8 |
 Masashi Oiso |
$7,500 |
12 |
3rd Final day |
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Pro Player of the year standings
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Team "Von Dutch" from the Netherlands defeated Japanese "www.shop-fireBall.com2" in the finals to become the 2004 Pro Tour Seattle champions. The team consisted of Jeroen Remie, Jelger Wiegersma, and Kamiel Cornelissen.[8]
Tournament data
Players: 321 (107 teams)
Prize Pool: $200,100
Format: Team Sealed (Mirrodin, Darksteel, Fifth Dawn) – first day, Team Rochester Draft (Mirrodin-Darksteel-Fifth Dawn)
Head Judge: Gijsbert Hoogendijk[2]
Top 4
| Quarter-finals
| | | Semi-finals
| |
| | | | | | | | | |
| 1
| Von Dutch
| 2
| | |
|
| 4
| Pocket Rockets
| 1
| |
| | Von Dutch
| 2
| |
|
| |
| | | www.shop-fireball.com2
| 1
| |
| 3
| www.shop-fireball.com2
| 2
| |
| |
| 2
| S.A.I.
| 1
| |
Pro Player of the year standings
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Fifteen-year-old Julien Nuijten from the Netherlands won the 2004 World Championship, defeating Aeo Paquette in the finals. Gabriel Nassif had his third final eight appearance within the season and thus claimed Pro Player of the year title. It was also his and Kamiel Cornelissen's fifth overall Top 8. Germany won the national team competition, defeating Belgium in the finals.[9]
Tournament data
Prize pool: $208,130 (individual) + $208,000 (national teams)
Players: 304
Formats: Standard, Booster Draft (Mirrodin-Darksteel-Fifth Dawn), Mirrodin Block Constructed (Mirrodin, Darksteel, Fifth Dawn)
Head Judge: Gijsbert Hoogendijk, Collin Jackson[2]
Top 8
| Quarter-finals
| | | Semi-finals
| | | Finals
| |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 1
| Kamiel Cornelissen
| 1
| | | |
|
| 8
| Manuel Bevand
| 3
| |
| | Manuel Bevand
| 1
| |
|
| |
| | | Aeo Paquette
| 3
| |
| 4
| Aeo Paquette
| 3
| |
| |
| 5
| Gabriel Nassif
| 1
| |
| | Aeo Paquette
| 1
| |
|
| |
| | | Julien Nuijten
| 3
| |
| 2
| Julien Nuijten
| 3
| | |
| |
| 7
| Murray Evans
| 2
| |
| | Julien Nuijten
| 3
| |
|
| |
| | | Ryou Ogura
| 2
| |
| 3
| Terry Soh
| 2
| |
| |
| 6
| Ryou Ogura
| 3
| |
National team competition
Germany (Sebastian Zink, Torben Twiefel, Roland Bode)
Belgium (Dilson Ramos Da Fonseca, Vincent Lemoine, Geoffrey Siron)
After the World Championship Gabriel Nassif was awarded the Pro Player of the year title. He was the first player to win the title without winning a Pro Tour in the same season.
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Gabriel Nassif
Julien Nuijten
Brock Parker
Lovre Crnobori
Jake Smith
Rickard Österberg
Gary Wise
Marco Blume
Masashi Oiso
Luigi Sbrozzi
Angel Perez del Pozo
Terry Soh