Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour season 1996–97
| Pro Player of the Year |
 Paul McCabe
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|---|---|---|---|
| Rookie of the Year | none awarded | ||
| World Champion |
 Jakub Slemr |
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| Pro Tours | 6 | ||
| Grands Prix | 5 | ||
| Start of season | 13 September 1996 | ||
| End of season | 17 August 1997 | ||
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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.
Six Pro Tours were held in the 1996–97 season. Five Grand Prixs were held in the season. However, they did not award Pro Points. Based on final Pro Tour standings Pro Points were awarded as follows:
Atlanta was the only Pro Tour ever to host an individual Sealed Deck competition as the main event. Furthermore, the cards were all previously unknown to the players as Mirage product was used, but Mirage had not been officially released yet. Also Atlanta was the first Pro Tour that allowed players to intentionally draw matches. In the end German Frank Adler won Pro Tour Atlanta over Darwin Kastle.
Prize pool: $150,000 ($250,000 including Team Competition and scholarships for the Junior Division)
Players: 192
Format: Sealed Deck (Mirage)
Aaron Sounders won the Junior Division against Louis Beryl. Jason Gordon and David Connelly were the other semi-finalists. The quarter-finalists were David Lively, Trevor Blackwell, James Murphy, and Alexander Sutherland. The team of Mark Chalice, Scott Johns, Mark Justice, Preston Poulter, and Mario Robaina won the Team Competition against Dave Lyon, Mike Reinking, Kevin Stelzer, Jeff Sternal, and Chris Steler for a prize of $11,000.
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