Chanting Through California – Pro Tour Los Angeles *28th*
Ruud finds wealth and fame in Los Angeles, visits the Price is Right, and shares his thoughts on the best decks in Extended.
This is for the Rest of You – Another Grand Prix Nottingham Report
This will be the actual best report written about GP: Nottingham. Yes, I do dare to say that. The article you are reading now just has all the good stuff you were waiting for in part 1: an epic competitor’s story, the stories of not one, but two DQs at the GP, photos of your Magic heros in compromising situations…
This is for my People – A Grand Prix: Nottingham Report
This will be the best report written about GP: Nottingham. Yes, I do dare to say that. The article you are reading now just has all the good stuff: an epic competitor’s story, the stories of not one, but two DQs at the GP, photos of your Magic heros in compromising situations and even a movie clip of two PT mainstays getting into a fight. [Sorry, no movies. – Knut, not hosting The Battle of the Pro Tour Stars] Oh, and if you read between the lines, you might even pick up a little strategy as well… You get all this, and the tale of a PT purgatory member slugging it out, battling for that elusive Top 32.
Nice Deck, Kenji – Dutch Nationals 2005 *17th*
I’ve never done well at any Nationals and this year proved to be no different. While most players were getting their game on in the first three rounds and were “growing in the tournament”, “gaining confidence in their deck” or even figuring out their deck while winning some rounds in Standard, I proceeded to quickly 0-3. Couldn’t beat the mono Green deck and wasn’t even close with the White Weenie guy that insisted on giving me four extra turns. I had a shot at the 0-2 table against Ogre/Demons, but even after he threw away some cards for no reason he still managed to draw six spells in a row. Nice deck, Kenji.
4-Color Control for U.S. Nats
Ruud has struggled through four countries and approximately one billion rewrites to bring you the story of his favorite deck in Standard that deserves one more spin around the block before 9th Edition evokes drastic changes on the archetype.
The Indignity of the PTQ
In the process of falling off the gravy train, I decided to go to a PTQ. This was a bad idea for several reasons:
– It meant getting up early
– I always work Saturday nights in a bar until 5am
– PTQ-ing would mean I’d have to cough up my last 25 Euros I originally had reserved for buying, you know, food
– It involved actually going to a PTQ
Top Deck at Grand Prix: Eindhoven
Hi, my name is Ruud Warmenhoven and I have finished in the Top 16 at every Extended pro-level tournament I have ever entered. In all these events I played a weird deck that most people would call rogue and wouldn’t include in their testing. I have been seen casting such hits as Battlefield Scrounger, Constant Mists, Lightning Angel and now Sensei’s Divining Top and won games with them. The story of how I ended up playing the Top at Eindhoven involves the English, a drunken bar fight, and a man named Draco…
Ruud Run Amuck – Euro Hijinks in Japan
Though he didn’t post a stellar record at Pro Tour: Nagoya, Ruud managed to bring back some interesting stories and solid strategy from his travels. Whether you are looking for opinions about ninjutsu or salsa dancing with Japanese hotties, this report has a little of everything.
Scepter-Chant at Pro Tour: Columbus Part II *12th*
Here we go again with part two, otherwise known as the part where I really start smashing! This includes matches against the World Champion, the Hump, and random Europeans even the Europeans haven’t heard of, and details of dancing away Halloween night with Kanoot, Osyp, and more hotties than you can shake a stick at.
PT Columbus Report *12th*
Do you know what the most successful Extended deck archetype from Pro Tour: Columbus was? No, it wasn’t Affinity, which won the tournament. No, it also wasn’t Reanimator, even though that deck placed the most players in Day 2. In the end, the most successful deck from this past weekend was Scepter-Chant. In this article, Ruud (the coolest Dutchie you’ve never heard of) explains how he ended up playing a deck that runs Lightning Angels out of the sideboard, and recounts the story of his success.