Los Angeles—one of the original Magic battlegrounds and site of the crowning of many of the game’s greatest champions. Hall of Famers Steven O’Mahoney Schwartz, Tommi Hovi, and Antoine Ruel have all taken home Pro Tour trophies from the hallowed ground of the Golden State, and beloved archmage Luis Scott-Vargas has taken down both a Grand Prix and StarCityGames.com Standard Open in his home state.
Those are giant footsteps to follow as the StarCityGames.com Open Series makes its second stop of 2012 in Los Angeles, California this weekend (January 14-15), but if history serves, a swarm of players will descend on the Los Angeles Convention Center, ready to take their shots at glory.
Speaking of shots, Charles Gindy and Tony Chu kicked off the new year with a bang in Atlanta.
Gindy added the Standard Open trophy to his mantle by piloting a new take on the U/W aggro archetype. The U/W Illusions deck has been dominating Standard for months, and many of the game’s top thinkers have been hard at work trying to beat it. Gindy looks to have solved the puzzle by replacing all of the actual Illusions with Invisible Stalkers, Merfolk Looters, and a four-pack of equipment—an even split between Runechanter’s Pike and Sword of War and Peace.
After closing out 2011 by claiming the Legacy Open title in Charlotte, Chu decided he had no time to waste in 2012. The Atlanta native had no reason to get away from his own U/W deck—Stoneblade in this case—and he piloted it through a tough field to once again bring home the Legacy bacon.
2012 is off to a fast start, and the StarCityGames.com Open Series is just starting to pick up steam. Will U/W and Delver of Secrets continue to dominate this weekend? Celebrate Martin Luther King weekend with us at the Los Angeles Convention Center, or check out our broadcast team of Patrick Sullivan, Adrian Sullivan along with the rest of the @SCGLive crew as we bring you live coverage of #SCGLA all weekend long in High Definition!
If you are going to be joining us, we’ve got a hotel deal for you. The Ritz Milner Hotel is located at 813 S. Flower Street is less than a mile from the site and only 85 dollars a night. Call them at (213)-627-6981 and mention “StarCityGames” to get the deal. You can find information regarding the site, hotel, event schedule and more on the StarCityGames.com Facebook page or the Los Angeles Fact Sheet.
I hope to see you this weekend in sunny Los Angeles,