No time to waste, it’s the preview show for the biggest event of the year so far. Pro Tour: Kyoto brought us some fantastic storylines, in an event that was largely dominated by Luis Scott-Vargas but which was ultimately won by a man who was making his ninth Top 8 appearance, Gabriel Nassif of France. Whereas Kyoto saw Standard action, this time around it’s Block Constructed, so only Shards of Alara, Conflux, and Alara Reborn are legal for play. Block Constructed has historically been something of a mixed bag. There have certainly been some great Block Pro Tours — I thought the Time Spiral Pro Tour in Yokohama, won by Guillaume Wafo-Tapa, was some of the best competitive Magic I’ve ever seen — but there have also been some clunkers. This time around the format is largely isolated from the rest of the world, since there’s no Pro Tour Qualifier season to follow the Pros. That’s a shame, but players love Standard, so mustn’t grumble.
The shape of the tournament is also subtly different to that of Kyoto. Two extra rounds have been added, meaning that all players will get to play five rounds of Block, and all players (even those out of Day Two contention) will also be allowed to play three rounds of Draft in mostly 8-man pods. At that point comes the cutoff, with 15 points or more (equivalent to 5 wins and 3 losses) making it through. The second day mirrors the first, with three more Draft rounds (after a fresh set of 45 have been picked) leading to a downhill run to the finish of five more Block Constructed rounds. After round 16 comes the final cut, leading to a Top 8 on Sunday that will be the only time this year featuring Draft to decide the champion. That fact, plus perhaps the allure of Hawaii, has tempted Jon Finkel amongst others to get ready for competition.
As to the specifics of the two formats, they remain deliciously unclear. Why deliciously? Because surprises are good sometimes, and I think we’ll see a few next week. Block has recently appeared on Magic Online, and (to put it mildly) interest has been fierce amongst those invested in a Pro Tour berth. While Jund Aggro and Naya Zoo are setting the early pace, the general feeling here at Grand Prix: Seattle/Tacoma amongst the Pros is that none of the decks quite look like the finished article, and in a small Block format a few changes here and there could significantly alter not only specific matchups, but the Metagame as a whole.
When it comes to Draft, mana is going to be critical. Quite apart from all kinds of tricks one can pull off with Borderposts in various corner situations, they’re pretty good at sorting out mana. Armillary Sphere is highly regarded and there are all sorts of cycling cards, both general and land-specific, and yet… And yet, mana is going to be absolutely critical, with early suggestions leaning towards screaming two-color aggro decks. Every color beyond the second is begging for trouble. That said, with ten rounds of Constructed and only six of draft, there are going to be plenty of Constructed-favored players who are going to be looking to draft conservatively, protect their (let’s say) 4-1 record by coming out the other end at 7-4 or maybe 8-3, and then looking to their Constructed prowess to take them to the top tables. This may give the opportunity for the genuine Limited talents to shine, and make a serious killing, especially as the current feeling seems to be that the field is likely to be quite tightly packed over the 10 Constructed rounds, meaning that a 6-0 Draft player could be more critical than usual.
Personally, I can see Honolulu being a phenomenal venue, a week packed with memories, plenty of significance for the Player of the Year Race, but not necessarily a vintage event in terms of the standard of play or the longevity of affection we’ll feel for a transitory format, Magic Online tournaments notwithstanding.
And so to some of the players who’ll be taking part (or should be). As always, I’m highlighting an eclectic bunch as the mood takes me, and often with only a small tidbit to share. So Mums and Dads, I don’t hate your boy. I just didn’t mention him this time, okay?
Akira Asahara is inside the Top 100 for Constructed, which might mean he won’t come. He also won a PTQ, getting his flight paid, which probably means he will.
Sam Black is a really exciting force in the game right now. I always have a lot of time for anyone who pursues their dreams, and Sam has pushed the button on a throw of the dice, and so far it’s working out really well for him. Trips to European and Asia-Pacific seem to be firmly to his taste, and now we get to see whether he can translate that into Pro Tour performance.
Lucas Blohon is the first guy I want to mention that most of you won’t know. He’s one of the Czech players, and although he didn’t win Grand Prix: Hanover, Martin Juza told me he would. Now that may not seem like much of a recommendation, since it didn’t happen, but I have a lot of respect for players from there right now, and this PTQ winner could have a good week.
Nico Bohny is often seen judging on Day 2. It’s about time he was playing again.
Aaron Brackmann slightly slipped through the cracks on his way to finishing top of the Swiss standings at Grand Prix: Rotterdam, and he lost his quarter final, meaning he didn’t get much coverage time then either. Still, this former Pro from Germany has a lot going for him, not least that his head seems to be back in the game.
Mike Bregoli is an American PTQ winner, who was making Top 8 of Pro Tour: London all the way back in 1999.
Manuel Bucher has a Grand Prix win to his name, and a big reputation that’s probably deserved, but boy oh boy a decent Pro Tour showing would help.
Lino Burgold, Grand Prix winner from Hanover, is here in Tacoma, getting ready to try his hand at the Pro Tour scene. Worth keeping an eye out for him.
Last week, Joel Calafell won Grand Prix: Barcelona. This week, we’ll see if he can make a second Pro Tour Top 8. It’s always nice when someone makes their second strong performance, since we in the Magic media, and indeed many players, are a little sniffy about a standalone result. This applies to someone like Brian Robinson too. First Top 8 of many, or a spectacular day in the sun, never to be repeated?
I’m going to steer clear of the minefield associated with attempting to attribute a particular deck to a particular person, but there’s currently a Five-Color Bloodbraid deck doing rather nicely at the GP, which… Anyway, like I said, not getting involved, but Patrick Chapin, rather good deck designer, is quite likely to have some influence on proceedings next week. Whether that’s because of his own performance or those of assorted teammates is unclear.
Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa has a string of high finishes, few of which have turned into stellar performances in the dying rounds. It seems inevitable to me that sooner or later he will flat out win a Pro Tour.
I’m not sure whether Jan Doise was always better than Fried Meulders or Marijn Lybaert (who aren’t playing in Honolulu), but he’s probably the best Belgian hope for a Top 8 slot here, with the possible exception of Peter Vieren, brother of the current Champion, Pascal.
Willy Edel says that he’s back in decent Magic shape, and his version of decent is better than most.
James Escritt and Geoff Fletcher are unlikely to win anything in Honolulu, but Geoff is one of the most improved players I’ve seen in a long time from the UK, and I would imagine he almost expects, rather than hopes, to make Day 2. As for James, he’s from my home town, and a contingent are coming out to support, so good luck to him.
Last time we came to Hawaii, Mark Herberholz defeated Craig Jones to take the title. Although Jones will be there again, barring a Last Chance Qualifier turnup, he won’t be in the main event. Herberholz will, and as defending champions go, he must have a tremendous chance of going close again.
Zac Hill has been to 273 PTQs since he moved to Malaysia, and made the semi-final at approximately 270 of them. Then, blessedly, he won one, so now you can read all about him back on the PT, and not on the PTQ.
Christoph Huber is part of the reason the Swiss Team won Worlds so convincingly in 2007. A genuinely nice guy, he won a PTQ to get here, which suggests he’s back in the game. I’m hopeful of a big showing.
Martin Juza has the air of someone who expects Top 32 as the base camp of his ambitions at any event he attends, and possibly that bar is set at Top 16 at Grand Prix level. That’s a reflection of how good he is at the moment, and also a lot of pressure to heap on yourself. That said, you have to watch him play quite a bit to spot when the stress levels are on the rise. Chances are, he’ll be right there again.
Frank Karsten was only one match away from being a World Champion in 2005, and although school commitments have him away from the game most of the time, I hear he’s coming to Honolulu for some beach house time, and some serious preparation.
Winner of the Las Vegas PTQ is none other than Brian Kibler, a man with plenty of Top 8 experience to play with. He’s been testing with another player I value highly, Hall of Famer Ben Rubin, and I’m looking forward to seeing whether that testing pays off.
Adam Koska is the man who so narrowly missed out on Top 8 in Kyoto last time. With two extra rounds to make up lost ground, he might put that right.
Two more players who you wouldn’t think of as needing to be PTQ winners are former Pro Tour champions Chris Lachmann and Osyp Lebedowicz. That both were willing and able to come through the bunfight that is the U.S. PTQ system shows that they have both the drive and the skills that led them to the pinnacle of the game. Whether they have the playtest miles on the clock to mount a challenge is the question mark.
You may have heard good things about Jonathon Loucks lately. I have, and will be interested to see him in person.
Kazuya Mitamura always gives good value for money, and with a Block Top 8 behind him (Yokohama) he could challenge here again.
Billy Moreno gets added to the list of massively experienced U.S. former Pros who fought their way through PTQs to make this one of the strongest fields we’ve seen for a while.
Ferenc Nagy is one of those interesting guys who comes from a small Magic nation, in this case Hungary, and never does much on the global stage, despite winning PTQ after PTQ, year after year.
Gabriel Nassif — he’s French, he’s brilliant, he’s a good guy, and occasionally frustrating as he snatches defeat from the jaws of victory. Think that covers it.
Aaron Nicastri was bitterly disappointed by his showing in Kyoto, not least because he lost what he believed were favorable matchups, just because cards sometimes show up in the wrong order. Not entirely sure how resilient he is to those kind of mishaps, as he didn’t seem philosophical at the time.
It’ll be fun to see if Kenny Oberg can bring us another innovative deck to match his Extended Tezzerator blockbuster from Pro Tour: Berlin last year. It doesn’t look a super-diverse format, but maybe there’s a chink most people are missing. Oberg could find it.
Koutarou Ootsuka is just as rock solid as they come. And in Japan, solid as a rock comes as standard.
Mario Pascoli made the Top 16 at Grand Prix: Rotterdam, reminding us that his runner-up finish to Jon Finkel was no fluke.
Cedric Phillips is clearly going to generate some interest, and while I’m interested in what he’s doing at the table, I’m also interested in what he’s wearing at the table, because that suit was hot in Kyoto, and it’s going to be roasting in Honolulu.
Raul Porojan is one of the better German players, and he really cares about the game and his performance in it. That makes him an interesting outsider for Top 8.
From the Philippines, James Porter will be attending what seems like his 478th Pro Tour.
Nicolay Potovin is a good guy, but my God he’s hard work to play against. He just never gives an inch, and a match I witnessed between him and Tomaharu Saitou last year was a real case of the immovable force meeting the immovable object.
Paul Rietzl is ranked number 3 in the world on Total ranking, and I couldn’t tell you a thing about him. Sorry.
It is, as usual, a good bet that at least one of the Ruel brothers will do well, and given that Olivier played Turbo-Fog this weekend, my money might be on Antoine.
Steve Sadin has cut a miserable figure at some recent events, with continued competent play not being rewarded. It’s nice to see him here in Tacoma enjoying the game, and winning.
BDM reckons Tomaharu Saitou is the best player in the world right now, and given that the world includes Luis Scott-Vargas, Gabriel Nassif, and my best friend in Magic Neil Rigby, that’s quite a claim.
Life sometimes gets in the way of playing Magic, and Israeli player Niv Shmuely has to shoehorn events around compulsory National Service. Still, he’s managed to get to Seattle and Honolulu, so it turns out all right.
Helmut Summersberger put up a good showing at Grand Prix: Rotterdam and again at Grand Prix: Hanover, and it wouldn’t surprise at all if he makes a dent in Sunday play.
Is this the week for Gerry Thompson? If I say yes, and it isn’t, he will harangue me. If I say no, and it is, he will harangue me. If I say no, and it isn’t, he will harangue me. Hmm. Is this the week for Gerry Thompson? Possibly.
A Madison PTQ is probably among the toughest anywhere on Earth, but it doesn’t surprise me that Owen Turtenwald emerged victorious. For someone who has had such success across multiple formats outside the Sanctioned Wizards fold, it’s a surprise to me that he’s not a fixture on the Pro Tour. Perhaps he can change that here.
Yuuya Watanabe — Is this man genetically capable of smiling? A free booster to the first person who sees this once-in-a-lifetime event. Meanwhile, where it matters, he continues to be a contender, smiles or no.
In Berlin last year, Matej Zatlkaj almost won the whole Pro Tour. So far this year, he hasn’t seemed to be in that kind of shape, but Block is a format for which I’d expect him to be thoroughly prepared.
And there you have it, a few snapshots to get you in the mood for the event where snapshots are going to be everywhere. I can’t wait, and I hope you can’t either. Pro Magic — So. Much. Fun.
Next week you get a week off from my inane ramblings, since deadline is sometime during the semi-finals. Therefore, until next time, as ever, thanks for reading.
R.