Top 8 Players

Owen Turtenwald

Age: 24
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Occupation: Magician

 

Previous Magic Accomplishments:
I won a Grand Prix last weekend.
Player of the Year in 2011
14 Grand Prix Top 8s

What deck did you play this weekend and why?
Excalibur (Mono-Black Devotion)

Would you make any changes to your deck after this weekend?
Add a second Shrivel maybe, probably no changes.

What was the most memorable thing that happened in a game of Magic you played this weekend?
Turn-two Pack Rat!

 

Valentin Mackl

Age: 21
Hometown: Vienna, Austria
Occupation: Student

 

Previous Magic Accomplishments:
Top 4 Grand Prix Valencia two weeks ago.
Top 4 Grand Prix Miami.
Top 75 Pro Tour Theros.

What deck did you play this weekend and why?
Mono-Blue Devotion. Played it at Pro Tour Theros, haven't tested since.

Would you make any changes to your deck after this weekend?
Play a sideboard.

What was the most memorable thing that happened in a game of Magic you played this weekend?
Won against a turn-four Stormbreath Dragon and monsters.

 

Paul Rietzl

Age: 28
Hometown: Scottsdale, Arizona
Occupation: Executive recruiter

 

Previous Magic Accomplishments:
Four Pro Tour Top 8s
9 Grand Prix Top 8s
Winner, Pro Tour Amsterdam 2010

What deck did you play this weekend and why?
Mono-Black Devotion. Best deck in the format. I tested a lot with Owen Turtenwald, and there are no bad matchups.

Would you make any changes to your deck after this weekend?
No.

What was the most memorable thing that happened in a game of Magic you played this weekend?
Well, I didn't lose a game I lost, so there is that.

 

Joseph Nix

Age: 27
Hometown: Ventura, California
Occupation: Student

 

Previous Magic Accomplishments:
Grand Prix Albuquerque Trial winner

What deck did you play this weekend and why?
Mono-Black Devotion. It's the deck I was most comfortable with.

Would you make any changes to your deck after this weekend?
After seeing Shrivel wreck a board, I'm putting two in the sideboard!

What was the most memorable thing that happened in a game of Magic you played this weekend?
Hit an opponent with two Nightveil Specters in the mirror match, took two of his Nightveils!

 

Andrew Hanson

Age: 30
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Occupation: Hobby Shop Owner

 

Previous Magic Accomplishments:
Two Pro Tour appearances

What deck did you play this weekend and why?
Hamstrings (Naya). It's an unknown that perfectly fits my play style.

Would you make any changes to your deck after this weekend?
Nothing comes to mind.

What was the most memorable thing that happened in a game of Magic you played this weekend?
Had a good time playing Paul Rietzl - he's a friendly dude.

 

Samuel Pardee

Age: 24
Hometown: Berkeley, California
Occupation: Web Designer

 

Previous Magic Accomplishments:
Won Grand Prix Portland 2013
Two Grand Prix Top 8s
Top 4, 2012 Magic Online Championship

What deck did you play this weekend and why?
Mono-Blue Devotion. I thought it was great and it's exactly the kind of deck I like to play.

Would you make any changes to your deck after this weekend?
Not really, with a deck like this you have a lot of slots you can't change.

What was the most memorable thing that happened in a game of Magic you played this weekend?
My Round 15 opponent had both his Aetherlings in the bottom 6 cards of his library.

 

Todd Anderson

Age: 27
Hometown: Roanoke, Virginia
Occupation: Writer for Starcitygames.com

 

Previous Magic Accomplishments:
Three Grand Prix Top 8s
StarCityGames Invitational Champion

What deck did you play this weekend and why?
Mono-Black Devotion, because I owned all the cards already - and I made Top 8 in Grand Prix Louisville with it.

Would you make any changes to your deck after this weekend?
Add an extra Dark Betrayal in the sideboard for the mirror match, maybe a Devour Flesh over a Doom Blade maindeck.

What was the most memorable thing that happened in a game of Magic you played this weekend?
I topdecked Shrivel to kill five creatures playing for Top 8, and was dead otherwise.

 

Sam Black

Age: 31
Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin
Occupation: Gamer

 

Previous Magic Accomplishments:
Two Pro Tour Top 8s
Seven Grand Prix Top 8s
Team World Champion

What deck did you play this weekend and why?
Mono-Blue Devotion. I don't seem to lose with the deck.

Would you make any changes to your deck after this weekend?
No.

What was the most memorable thing that happened in a game of Magic you played this weekend?
I lost to United Airlines
(Editor's note: A flight delay on Saturday led to Sam missing Round 4).