thanks so much! this makes a lot more sense now.

Historically Modern season was associated with the PTQs whose format was Modern constructed. It would be about 3 months of all the grinders playing and focusing on a particular format. Thus, Modern season.

There was also the regional events, which fed the National championships. These were always Standard constructed. Thus, Standard season.

The switch to PPTQs and RPTQs changed everything, because stores could choose to run whatever format they wanted. No more modern season.

But, WOTC changed this policy recently. Now, if you want to run a constructed PPTQ, it has to be the same format of the Pro Tour event that it feeds. So, if the Pro Tour has Modern constructed, the constructed PPTQs have to Modern. Thus, Modern season is reborn.

I’m not really up to speed on the new nationals/regionals/worlds system, so I can’t really comment on how that has changed.

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Note, I haven’t mentioned MTGO at all because MTGO follows a totally different rhythm. There is no particular season on MTGO, but the big events with big prizes do drive interest in the relevant format. WOTC has also announced a variety of formats for the online PTQ system, thus, there is no special emphasis on Modern and thus there is no Modern season associated with online PTQS.

However, paper trends tend to bleed into mtgo, so even if there is no Modern season on MTGO, it matters if there is a Modern season in paper.

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I’m sorry if the use of ‘season’ is confusing. Let me reiterate one more though, the use of ‘season’ comes from having a 3 month window where PTQs were all modern Constructed, and so the vast majority of grinders are focusing on Modern during that time.

I am not good intuitively on this. Can you be more specific? For example: there is modern festival next week, there are standard ptqs online on mtgo right now, there was a modern GP a few days ago, and there is a standard SCG Open this weekend. So what season is it?

I guess what I’m trying to say is, how do you more definitively decide what the competitive crowd is focusing on, or do you just go with your gut?

A ‘season’ is usually a reference to the PTQ format, but in the past, Standard season could also refer to the time around regional tournaments.

The shift to the RPTQ and PPTQ system changed this around where stores could offer tournament formats of their choice. But now it has changed again where constructed PPTQs have to match the constructed format of the PT that they feed.

Loosely speaking, whatever constructed format is the most interesting to the competitive crowd at the moment, that’s the season it is.

What exactly makes a certain period of time “modern season” or “standard season.” Is it IRL PTQ’s? MTGO PTQs? GPs or PTs? or maybe something else?

thanks!