"I was told the Pro Tour is where the real fun begins."
This time last year, Adrián Iñigo Tastet was basking in the glory of his title run at the in Lille, where he survived fifteen rounds of Pioneer to not just advance to but win a stacked Top 8 that included former Pro Tour icons and champions. He described it then as a dreamlike experience, and the fulfillment of a childhood wish.
For many, that's what qualifying for the Pro Tour is. It's tangible proof of their dedication to mastering Magic paying off after years of effort. It's also an opportunity to test your skills against the best in the world. It begins with one weekend where everything comes together perfectly for that invitation, and then there's no telling where things might end.
That's a lot of hard work just to qualify for the Pro Tour, and it's no small feat. But to stay on the Pro Tour? That's an entirely different ball game—and one Tastet has been learning on the fly. One year after his Regional Championship victory, Tastet has found that competing on the Pro Tour is merciless, with every single opponent being among the best Magic players on Earth as everyone is fighting to stay on the train.
"You know," like they told Tastet, "the real fun."
"2024 was a year of firsts for me. After winning the RC and qualifying for Pro Tour Murders at Karlov Manor, I got to experience my first season of the Pro Tour," he reflected during a break from his testing for next week's Magic World Championship 30 at MagicCon: Las Vegas, the largest event in the game that he reached following that Regional Championship run a year ago. "I have enjoyed every moment. I tried not to put too much pressure on myself and enjoy the opportunities as much as I could, because you never know when it will stop."
Tastet's last year on the Pro Tour suggests that ride won't be stopping anytime soon. He started the season with a bang with a Top 16 run at Pro Tour Murders at Karlov Manor, losing a win-and-in for the Top 8 to eventual champion Seth Manfield. He followed that up with another Top 36 performance at the Regional Championship and kept the qualifications coming. He even got to see hometown friend Mateo Ferreira win a Regional Championship of his own in Naples earlier this year. He's testing with Team Handshake Ultimate Guard ahead of his trip to the United States for the World Championship next week, and he's taking in the travel as he traverses the globe.
Overall, it's about as successful a Pro Tour debut year as you can realistically ask for.
"The Pro Tour is hard!" he said with a laugh when asked what the biggest adjustment was. "Everyone plays quite well, but that is what I expected. Being able to prepare and discuss with other good players is what helps anyone improve, and for me, the testing teams have been an important part of my success. Zen Takahashi gave me the opportunity to test with Team Worldly Counsel at my first Pro Tour, and now with Team Handshake Ultimate Guard. I definitely wouldn't be where I am just by myself, and I'm grateful for all the help. Testing with the best of the best can sometimes make you feel like the gap is enormous, but being able to hold my own and help my teammates makes me want to compete and improve every day."
Testing teams have always been a critical part of Pro Tour success, and with the rise of teams like Worldly Counsel, Sanctum of All, and many others, the path from a breakout Regional Championship performance to Pro Tour mainstay is more achievable than ever.
That includes those making their way back to the Pro Tour.
Yoshihiko Ikawa burst onto the Magic scene with a Top 8 at Pro Tour San Diego in 2010. The event was won by Simon Görtzen, though it is perhaps most famous for Luis Scott-Vargas's perfect 16-0 run through the Swiss rounds. Ikawa followed that up with a semifinal appearance at Japanese Nationals the following year. After a short break, he would return to the scene in 2015 and string together an impressive run of Top 8 appearances that included another Top Finish in 2019.
But after the worldwide changes that followed, Ikawa found himself a few years later interested in getting back into high-level Magic and was looking for a way back onto the Pro Tour. He started in the same place everyone does: at their local qualifiers for the Regional Championship. He earned an invitation and then made the most of it, winning the Regional Championship in Yokohama earlier this year. That not only put him back onto the Pro Tour but gave him a shot at the World Championship as well.
But Ikawa was after more than qualifications—he's after trophies. He wasted no time during his return to the Pro Tour, winning it all at Pro Tour Thunder Junction in April and setting his sights on the final challenge: the World Championship that he's spent hundreds of hours preparing for.
"My goal for the year was to make a comeback to the Pro Tour, and I am 100% satisfied with my performance having achieved that and more by winning the Regional Championship and the Pro Tour," he said. "My goal for the World Championship is, of course, to win. No Japanese player has won both the Pro Tour and the World Championship yet.
"I want my own card, like superstars like Yuta Takahashi, Javier Dominguez, Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa, and the rest of the list."
Marco Del Pivo's path to the World Championship is Ikawa's in reverse—he made a splashy debut by making the Top 8 at Pro Tour The Lord of the Rings in 2023, following that up with another Modern victory at the Regional Championship in Ghent this past January. The 33-year-old said that qualifying for the World Championship was his true goal, and he is heading into the World Championship with all the experience at the highest level needed to keep pace in the biggest tournament of any of these players' lives.
"I would never, never, never have expected to chain everything together like I have during these two years," he admitted. "I've never considered myself a really great player or pro like some other players. Every time I achieve another Pro Tour, I feel like a child with a new toy!"
Del Pivo has been working with Team Worldly Counsel and echoed Tastet's belief that it's made all the difference. He hopes that will translate to a different finish. Last year's World Championship ended for Del Pivo without a Day Two appearance, and he's aiming to change that.
"My main goal is to make Day Two after how badly I went last year. I don't care about the rest, I just want to play my best," he said. "That's been something that's helped me on the Pro Tour, to learn how to focus on the result or look at how many events I've done well in previously. With a healthy mentality, I feel like I can completely focus. Preparation for the World Championship has been crazy. Luckily, we had more time to prep for the draft and can focus on Standard, but there's so many possibilities! Ultimately, I just hope to continue playing well, and it will be what it will be."
Mindset is what it came down to for Tastet as well. All the success and fancy testing squads in the world don't matter if you aren't able to master the metagame of your mind. A year of Pro Tours and a World Championship appearance is upwards of five-dozen matches. That's almost 60 hours—more than two full days—of the most difficult Magic you've ever played. It takes more than a good sideboard to succeed over that long a time.
For Tastet, attitude is key.
"My goal is always giving it my best during preparation and playing as well as I can, but I don't want to set goals because I feel like I perform best when having fun and enjoying the moment—but I would love to have my face on a card someday!" he said. "Prep is going great, the Team Handshake Discord is buzzing, and everything is going as planned. Moving forward, I just hope to continue to enjoy the game, travel to new places, and have fun with my friends as well as making new ones. I will do my best to stay on the Pro Tour train, but I don't want to lose my love for the game if I fall, so I will just keep working hard while not losing the smile!"