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Today, the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour is a blockbuster event that takes place all around the world. But originally, it was founded as a way to make the game for accessible to kids who didn’t have tons of money lying around to spend on pieces of cardboard. 

At MagicCon Las Vegas 2026, the godfather of the Pro Tour himself, Skaff Elias, talked about the genesis of the Pro Tour, and how it was propelled by a push for Standard at the time.

“I can remember going to game stores, probably in ‘94, and Magic was too expensive. Kids couldn’t buy the cards. I remember Richard [Garfield, MTG founder] and I coming out of [a shop] after some event and [seeing kids] honestly, like, borderline crying, because they were the kids there who couldn’t afford the cards or they weren’t available,” Elias began. 

“We kind of had to bribe people because some people, even at this table, really liked their Type 1 decks. And that’s the genesis of the Pro Tour, was kind of making it official, putting some sort of cachet on playing with just the recent cards so they could be cheaper for people,” said Elias. 

I like to think that those verklempt kids who Skaff Elias saw at the game shop never had to cry over Magic: The Gathering ever again, thanks to Standard taking off after the first Magic Pro Tour in 1996. It’s no fun to feel left out from a hobby because it’s too expensive. 

Whether you are a Commander player, a regular at your local game shop's FNM event, or simply love collecting Magic: The Gathering cards, you've landed in the right place. From Universes Beyond to the furthest reaches of the Magic Multiverse, we've got you covered here at Popverse. 

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