The Top 8 of Grand Prix Columbus is underway.
Topping the standings is Kate Stavola. The former Wizards of the Coast employee--and curent CMU/TOGITer--ripped through the competition all weekend with only one loss on her ledger. This is an even more impressive achievement than usual when you consider that she had zero byes coming into the tournament and had begun playing with the very first round. She was also an amateur but did not have a lock on the first prize as Brandon Rickard also bore amateur status in the final draft.
Matt Larson was the only other player with the same record. He lost one game all weekend and was even thinking of playing the last round but decided that as the young turk in the Top 8 it was probably politic to draw with Mike Turian and ensure that the CMU leader would have one more Top 8 on his farewell tour.
Craig Krempels was also representing the CMU/TOGIT brand and was third in the standings. He secured his spot in the Top 8 in the most dramatic fashion possible when he won a seemingly impossible game with an entwined Savage Beating.
Aaron Lipczynski and Cedric Phillips were among the relatively unknown players that earned their first trip into the spotlight of the Top 8. The final player to make his way was Pro Tour Boston winner Brock Parker who was the only player with three losses on the weekend to advance to the final draft.
Stay tuned for draft coverage, the Top 8 lists, and the Grand Prix Columbus Champion.