Magic – Gazette Review

Top Ten Magic the Gathering Players of All Time

Cody Carmichael — Sat, 22 Oct 2016 04:34:58 +0000

When people think Magic the Gathering, they think of a card game that is typically played amongst friends, or even in small community tournaments. For some though, they see two things: Riches and respect. Here, we will take a look at the top ten Magic the Gathering card players of all time. This list will be organized by the net earnings of players, as well as by their win and loss records in major tournaments around the world.

10. Brian Kibler – $277,250

Starting off our list of best Magic The Gathering players is Brian Kibler. Born in Oceanside California and picking up the game in his early teens in New York, Kibler got his first shot at the Pro Tour in 1998 as part of the junior division. With his first few years placing him as among the 64 top players in the world, Brian Kibler gained a reputation and the nickname of Dragon Master by slyly beating Zvi Mowshowitz with a Rith in combination with Armadillo Cloak, a move that would remain as his most famous. Now running a Serrated Illusionist deck, Kibler has entered the hall of fame, winning about 60% of his professional matches.

9. Olivier Ruel- $298,270

Born in Aubersvilliers, France, Olivier “Black Ops” Ruel began playing with his brother Antoine in 1994. Within 5 years, Ruel would find himself among the top 8 in the Madrid and Cannes tournaments, with an appearance in the New York Masters to follow. This would be the start of a career that would see 28 Top 8 finishes, more than any other player on record. In 2008, after winning a title as the best player in France some four years earlier, Olivier was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his consistent performance as among the best players in the world over his nearly decade of play.

8. Yuuya Watanabe – $299,700

One of the members of Japan’s “second generation” of Magic players, Watanabe didn’t get his start until the 2007 Yokohama Pro Tour. While not ranking in that first tournament, his defeat on the first day of matches did not discourage him, and later within that year Watanabe would go on to be considered Rookie of the Year. While still ineligible for the Hall of Fame, Watanabe is nearly assured such an honor in coming years. As a result of his ability to participate in multiple World Cup tournaments, he has collected multiple stories of interest. One in particular is that while en route to a tournament in Washington D.C., Watanabe and his team were stranded due to a plane repair issue in Indianapolis. To ensure they did not miss the tournament, himself and his team ended up paying a taxi over $1,400 to drive 10 hours to reach their destination. While not performing well in that tournament, Watanabe has claimed it to be a great team building experience, and in retrospect a great adventure in and of itself.

7. Raphaël Lévy – $320,100

While “Raph” (as he is often called) has never been a breakout star, his consistent effort in the Magic the Gathering world has consistently gained him respect for the 18 years he has been in the professional circuits. Born and raised in Toulouse, France, Raph began playing Pro Tours at 16, qualifying for the World Cup of 1997 despite a rough initial entry into the Paris tournament. One of the most consistent names on the Pro Circuit, Raph has only ever missed one Pro Tour, which occurred during his first season. Winning 7 Grand Prix tournaments, including the 2016 Madison and Manchester Grand Prixs, he has certainly kept the level of performance which allowed him entry into the Hall of Fame in 2006. With 87 overall Pro appearances, he is most likely the most seasoned player on the circuit, and spends his time away from the table writing for Wizards of the Coast.

6. Luis Scott-Vargas -$326,500

Luis Scott-Vargas (or LSV as he is better known) has been a successful Magic Player for quite some time, not only entering into the Hall of Fame in 2013, but running a very successful Magic Strategy site with his team Channel Fireball. Born in Los Angeles, LSV started his Pro Tour in San Diego in 2004, though he wouldn’t get his big break until 2006. Playing in the US National finals, LSV garnered a 3rd place finish, allowing him to play for the US National Team in the Magic World Cup. Preferring a Stall and Control deck style, he’s often credited with the development of highly effective card strategies in this regard. Despite placing in the top 8 of 3 tournaments in the 2016 circuit, there are rumors of his retirement from the active play scene so that he may focus as a Game Developer for Dire Wolf Digital, where he has worked since 2012.

5. Gabriel Nassif- $343,200

French born Gabriel “Yellowhat” Nassif could be seen as a master of cards. Experiencing success with both Professional Magic and the World Series of Poker, his successes have been many and varied. Known for his particularly aggressive style, Nassif’s 2001-2009 career has had a solid amount of success including a 2004 player of the year award, but he also has the dubious honor of losing the most Pro Tour Finals than any other Magic player currently on record. While he seems to have left the Magic pro tournament scene, his professional poker career has skyrocketed, giving him a net worth of well over $1 Million.

4. Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa – $352,250

The first South American Hall of Fame Magic player, Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa is also the youngest player to get to 300 Lifetime Pro Points. His career started in his home town of Porto Alegre, Brazil, where a Grand Prix tournament was held in 2005. Ever since, Paulo has gone on to tie for the most Top 8 Finishes of all time, alongside fellow Magic star Kai Budde. Having entered the Hall of Fame in 2012, Paulo was often considered a quickly rising star in terms of tournament stats, and besides a somewhat stale performance in 2007, has mostly lived up to such a reputation.

3. Kai Budde – $381,225

The rightly named German Juggernaut, Kai Budde seemed invincible for most of his Pro Magic career. Never placing below 6th from his debut in 1998 until 2002, Kai won a total of 16 tournaments out of the 24 he attended during that time. He also has the rare honor of having been able to design a card (Voidmage Prodigy) as a result of winning the 2001 Cape Town Invitational. Being the Player of the year from 1998-1999’s season until the end of the 2003 season, he was also inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007, taking an overwhelming amount of the vote. Having not attended any professional matches since 2011, it is uncertain of the German Juggernaut will make a Pro Circuit return to Magic anytime soon.

2. Shuhei Nakamura – $386,000

Japanese born and raised, Shuhei “Snowmaster” Nakamura is the second of the second generation of Japanese players to make the list, as well as being runner up as the best Magic player to date. Despite having a respectable second place position in the Kobe Grand Prix in 2001, Nakamura did not gain popular attention until the 2005 Columbus tournament where he gained yet another second place finish. Despite having quite the habit of making it to the number 2 position, he would eventually be tied for the most Grand Prix wins with Kai Budde and Yuuya Watanabe. He would also gain the title of Pro Player of the year in 2008, and enter the Hall of Fame in 2011. Nakamura is often considered one of the best Limited Format players, having both of his initial tournament wins in the Coldsnap Limited formats (hence the nickname, “Snowmaster”). As of 2016, Shuhei has maintained respectable positions in tournaments, most recently finishing 5th in the Atlanta leg of the Pro Tour in February.

1. Jon Finkel – $409,300

Topping off our list of the top 10 Magic players is perhaps also the most publicly visible, Jon Finkel. New York born and raised, FInkle got his pro start in the 1996 Seattle World Tournament and quickly became the most decorated player in the history of the game. Despite being active as a player for over 25 tournaments, Finkel has yet to place below the top 8 in any major competition. He was also the first ever inductee into the Magic Hall of Fame, and still holds the highest positive percentage in terms of votes for entry to that title. He, like Kai Budde has also been allowed to create a card for Magic, Shadowmage Infiltrator. Outside of Magic, Finkel has also gained a reputation as a Poker player and Blackjack counter, and holds a job as a hedge fund manager for the Landscape Capital Management company. He is also among the very few Magic players of have a biography written of them (Johnny Magic and the Card Shark Kids), as well as having an expose article on him for his OkCupid account not mentioning he was a Magic player; This subsequently gained him the support of big names such as Felicia Day and Sara Jean Underwood, both being self-professed geeks.

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Top 10 Most Expensive Magic: The Gathering Cards

Cody Carmichael — Sat, 24 Sep 2016 08:01:32 +0000

One of the most popular fantasy card games in history, Magic: The Gathering has situated itself firmly beside Dungeons and Dragons as one of the cornerstones of nerd culture. Millions of players worldwide find themselves searching for the best cards to make the best decks, or on the lookout for the rarest cards for the most revered collections. As a result, individual card prices can range from nothing more than a few pennies to tens of thousands of dollars. Here, we will take a look at the most valuable Magic: The Gathering cards of 2016. Current prices are estimated from previous bids as well as average sales figures for near mint condition cards from the last twelve months.

10. The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, Worth: $1,100

Starting off our list of ten most expensive Magic: The Gathering cards is Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, also known as one of the sole survivors of the Legends series. While most Legends cards were wholly panned and can be picked up for a dime a dozen, this card was not only incredibly rare, but also very useful. This card is often seen as a great roadblock and is considered the best one for a lag or lock out deck, where aggressive opponents have no choice than to stall their own attacks and have a limited offensive field.

9. Mox Pearl, Worth: $1,200

The first of both the notorious Power Nine and the Mox cards to appear on this list, Mox Pearl is more a collector’s item than a useful card. Originally considered a primary interrupt card (which is now relegated to the quick action spell title), this card gives the player one white mana for its use, and thus isn’t quite worth its price in a deck. However, putting this in a case with the remaining four Mox cards could easily put a dent in those college loans.

8. Mox Ruby, Worth: $1,900

The second Mox card, Ruby is similar in every way to pearl, besides being slightly harder to come by. Allowing for one red mana to be given per play of this card, this card illustrated by Dan Fraizer is banned in nearly every form of official Magic play.

7. Timetwister, Worth: $1,950

One of the most complex of the Power Nine cards, Timetwister is also among the most valuable and dynamically useful. Timetwister benefits mostly those players who find themselves at significant advantage on the field but not so much in the hand. Allowing for both players to shuffle their library, hand and graveyards together and drawing a new hand, this highly valuable card can give those players who know how to use it a nearly unbeatable advantage.

6. Mox Emerald, Worth: $1,975

The green mana variant of the Mox set this card is just as the others of its family have been, and much like the gem it is named after, fetches a remarkably high price.

5. Mox Jet, Worth: $2,000

This card, signed by the artist is worth almost $1,000 more than base value.

The fourth of five of the Mox set to grace the Power Nine cards of 1993 and 1994, Jet is a for use in decks that use primarily black mana.

4. Ancestral Recall, Worth: $2,850

One of the simpler cards in Magic: The Gathering, Ancestral Recall also has a deceptively simple design for its price. With the ability to give the player or their opponent to draw three cards, this can either give players one last ditch attempt to make a saving play, or cause their opponent to deck out and thus lose the match. With even heavily played Alpha variants of this card fetching about $2,000, it’s clear that the collection value of this card remains steady, even if it is a little worn for wear.

3. Time Walk, Worth: $3,700

One of the fastest cards to ever be banned in Magic: The Gathering tournaments, Time Walk is incredibly simple as well as broken. Simply put, play this card and you can manage two turns before your opponent can act again instead of just one. The somewhat abstract design of the card done by Amy Weber is nearly as eye catching as the effect, and is quite literally worth more than its weight in gold.

2. Mox Sapphire, Worth: $4,000

The crown jewel of the Mox set, Sapphire is worth more than any other two cards combined in its Alpha format. Among the rarest of the Alpha sets produced, this 12-year-old card can pay for nearly every elite deck that’s ever won a tournament in Magic: The Gathering, as well as much more practical things such as at least a semester of University studies.

1. The Black Lotus, Worth: $27,000

Topping off our list of most expensive Magic: The Gathering cards is the famous Black Lotus. Essentially a card that could substitute any Mox card three times over, even Beta formats of this card can be priced comparatively to your average 2016 sedan. In 2013, a near mint Black Lotus Alpha card was sold at auction for an astounding $27,000, making it the single most expensive card in the history of the game, and the subject of a parody card. Ironically the parody card, Blacker Lotus is considerably better in game, and is less than .03% the cost of the original.

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