Pro Tour Philadelphia 2011

Estratti Starts Modern Revolution in Philly

Pro Tour Philadelphia 2011

Sunday

When Pro Tour Philadelphia opened, combo decks dominated the discussion of the Modern metagame. Italy's Samuele Estratti concluded the weekend proving that talk was warranted, piloting Splinter Twin to defeat Josh Utter-Leyton and Counter-Cat Zoo 3-1 in the finals. As the second-most played deck archetype here in Philadelphia, Splinter Twin was one of the known commodities heading into the Pro Tour debut of the Modern format. Estratti, a two-time member of the Italian National team, fought through Andrejs Prost and Ascension Storm in the quarterfinals and Chikara Nakajima (Affinity) in the semifinals en route to the first Pro Tour title ever for Italy. Congratulations to Samuele Estratti, the first Pro Tour champion in the Modern format!

Article

September 4 2011

Video Feature: Day Three Wrap-up by Rich Hagon and Brian David-Marshall

Rich Hagon and Brian David-Marshall put the finishing touches on the first Modern Pro Tour in Magic history. What were the top stories from the format? Start with champion Samuele Estratti and his...

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Article

September 4 2011

Final: Goodnight Moon by Bill Stark

Known to many as "Wrapter," his Magic Online moniker, Josh Utter-Leyton entered the final round of Pro Tour Philadelphia with his eyes firmly set on the prize of becoming a champion. His opponent...

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Article

September 4 2011

Semifinal: Slam It by Josh Bennett

It was another battle in the war for website dominance here in the semifinals of Pro Tour Philadelphia. On one side, Josh Utter-Leyton, flying the banner of Team ChannelFireball, playing their...

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Sep 04 2011

Article

Semifinal: Shattered and Splintered

by David Sutcliffe

Chikara Nakajima had exploded out of his quarterfinal with some outrageous opening hands from his mono-red Affinity deck, leaving Max Sjöblom bruised and battered in his quarter-final despite...

Sep 04 2011

Article

Quarterfinal: Combo Corner

by Bill Stark

Italy had stormed to the top of Pro Tour Philadelphia by placing two members into its Top 8 class, and Quarterfinalist Samuele Estratti represented a full half of their number. One nation that had...

Sep 04 2011

Article

Quarterfinal: A Good Draw, That Tarmogoyf

by Josh Bennett

2010 US National Champion Josh "wrapter" Utter-Leyton is kind of a big deal. One of the titans of the incomparable team ChannelFireball, Utter-Leyton's first PT Top 8 came last year in San Juan,...

Sep 04 2011

Article

Quarterfinal: Action Pact

by Blake Rasmussen

As long as Sam Black has been playing and writing about Magic, it's a little hard to believe this is his first Pro Tour Top 8. The Level 6 pro has several Grand Prix Top 8s to his name and was on...

Sep 04 2011

Article

Quarterfinal: Take Artifacts; Apply Liberally to Face

by David Sutcliffe

The Japanese player Chikara Nakajima is a veteran of many Pro Tours, and made it to the Top 4 of the team Pro Tour in Charleston 2006 as one-third of team D-25. Nakajima is piloting the lone true...

Sep 04 2011

Article

Feature: Answering the Modern Format

by Frank Karsten

Answering the Modern Format by Frank Karsten The Modern card pool is huge and the amount of viable decks is staggering. How does one approach such a brand new, completely open, diverse format,...

Saturday

Article

September 3 2011

Video Feature: Day Two Wrap-up by Chrysania

Rich Hagon and Brian David-Marshall take you through the names and decks who will be showing up Sunday to battle in the Modern Top 8 of Pro Tour Philadelphia.

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Article

September 4 2011

Feature: Answering the Modern Format by Frank Karsten

Answering the Modern Format by Frank Karsten The Modern card pool is huge and the amount of viable decks is staggering. How does one approach such a brand new, completely open, diverse format,...

Learn More

Article

September 3 2011

Feature: The Rise of the Super-Team by Chrysania

In the history of Magic, "super-teams" have come into existence from time to time before fading away again. In the early 2000s, a combination of East Coast and Carnegie Mellon University players...

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Sep 03 2011

Article

Video Deck Tech: Splinter Twin with Josh Hakakian

by Brian David-Marshall

A powerful deck in Standard, Splinter Twin gets even more options in the new Modern format. Josh Hakakian talks through his decision to play this potent combo deck at Pro Tour Philadelphia. ...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Feature: Unlikely Uses for Cards in Modern

by Steve Sadin

While most of the decks that are performing well in the Modern portion of Pro Tour Philadelphia are souped-up descendants of decks that have performed well in previous Standard, or Extended...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Feature: Wizards of the Cats

by Craig Gibson and Rashad Miller

Feature: Wizards of the Cats by Craig Gibson and Rashad Miller Magic Weekends often coincide with other major events. This time we're sharing the Philadelphia Convention Center with the...

Sep 02 2011

Article

Deck Tech: Pyromancer Ascension with Yuuya Watanabe

by Josh Bennett

Does winning back-to-back Grand Prix count as outdoing yourself if you've already made three Grand Prix Top 8s in a row, including a win, earlier in your career? That's the question Yuuya Watanabe...

Sep 02 2011

Article

Deck Tech: Restore Balance with Peter Vieren

by Bill Stark

There was only a single player battling with Restore Balance in his deck at Pro Tour Philadelphia, and that player was Peter Vieren. Though he ultimately ended up at .500 with an 8-8 record, the...

Sep 02 2011

Article

Deck Tech: Next Level Blue with Brad Sheppard

by Blake Rasmussen

In a sea of combo and aggro, one player is bucking the anti-control trend with his take on Next Level Blue, a green, blue, white deck that takes advantage of Tarmogoyf and cheap removal and...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Video Deck Tech: Mono-Blue Infect with Sam Black

by Rich Hagon

Pro Tour Philadelphia Top 8 member Sam Black shows off his Mono-Blue Infect deck in the new Modern format.

Sep 03 2011

Article

Feature: A Good Year with Vincent Lemoine

by David Sutcliffe

Vincent Lemoine is having a good year. We are used to seeing Vincent around the European Grand Prix circuit, where the Belgian pro has been a regular for many years, but 2011 has been different....

Sep 03 2011

Article

Round 16: Striking High Like Cobra Kai

by David Sutcliffe

"Oh no, no, no, no, no!" cried Vincent Lemoine, as he took his place under the lights of the feature match arena. "I should have been able to draw this round... do you want to draw?" "No, I...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Round 15: We've Been Here Before

by Chrysania

"You guys are playing again?" Indeed they were. Luis Scott-Vargas and Jeremy Neeman had become quite familiar with one another over the past year, as this was their sixth time playing each other...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Round 14: Double Your Fun

by Rashad Miller

Joshua Hakakian was playing in his second Pro Tour here in Philadelphia and had an impressive 30 points heading into the round. Brian Demars, also with 30 points, is a much more seasoned veteran...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Round 13: It Was... Inevitable

by Josh Bennett

France's Antoine Maugard is riding high at 10-1, playing one of the apparent pillars of the format, Affinity. The Modern banned list takes a heavy swing at Affinity, but even with most of its toys...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Round 12: One Match at a Time

by Bill Stark

Normally jovial and talkative, both David Williams and Brian Kibler sat down to Round 12 of Pro Tour Philadelphia in stoic silence. They surely had the same thought on their mind: making the Top...

Sep 03 2011

Article

News: Player Disqualification

by Bill Stark

In the course of the Pro Tour Philadelphia, an investigation revealed that it was necessary to disqualify Pro Tour Philadelphia competitor Love Janse. During a match late in the day Saturday,...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Video Deck Tech: Through the Breach with Antonio Fedon

by Rich Hagon

Antonio Fedon of Venezuela discusses his Through the Breach combo deck. Eschewing Emrkaul for Blightsteel Colossus, Fedon is capable of a first-turn kill.

Sep 03 2011

Article

Feature: Losing Control

by Blake Rasmussen

Players at Philadelphia have discovered that Modern has a multitude of deck options, from Affinity to various flavors of Zoo to Twelvepost, Pyromancer Ascension, several types of Storm decks,...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Feature Fresh Faces

by Bill Stark

Amidst the bright lights of returning stars to the Pro Tour, including a heavy helping of classic Hall of Famers like Jon Finkel, Olle Rade, and the newly elected Steve O'Mahoney-Schwartz, there...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Feature: Focus on the Locus

by Bill Stark

Prior to Scars of Mirrodinthere was only a single Locus in the entire game of Magic: Cloudpost (okay, and Vesuva if you wanted to copy it). With the printing of Glimmerpost in the return to the...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Video Deck Tech: Project Melira with Lukas Jaklovsky

by Brian David-Marshall

Lukas Jaklovsky shows off his combo deck anchored by Melira, Sylvok Outcast that allows a player to gain infinite life or deal infinite damage thanks to recurring Persist creatures. ...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Video Deck Tech: Counter-Cat with Brian Kibler

by Brian David-Marshall

Pro Tour Hall of Famer Brian Kibler shows off his Zoo deck for the Modern format that tries to attack the potentially fragile nature of many combo decks that populated the metagame at Pro Tour...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Video Deck Tech: Jund with Tom Dixon

by Rich Hagon

Playing in his first Pro Tour, longtime player Tom Dixon introduces his Jund build for the Modern format. ...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Round 11: Two POYs Enter, One POY Leaves Jon Finkel vs. Yuuya Watanabe (Draft)

by David Sutcliffe

When Jon Finkel makes it into a feature match, he always manages to pick the good ones. Yesterday we saw his Pyromancer Ascension / Pyromancer's Swath / Storm deck destroy Pat Chapin in two turns...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Round 10: The Tan Zone Antonino De Rosa vs. Conley Woods (Draft)

by Blake Rasmussen

As Antonino De Rosa sat down for Round 10 against Conley Woods, he spotted the player board with the previous round's match still displayed on it. "Ali Aintrazi? Who is that?" De Rosa...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Round 9: A Close Shave Max Sjöblom vs. Sebastian Thaler (Draft)

by Josh Bennett

Two men enter, one man leaves. But unlike Thunderdome, there will be no busted deals or facing of wheels. Instead, one of these two players will emerge as the sole remaining undefeated. On one...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Feature: It Ain't Easy Drafting Green

by Steve Sadin

Most pros want to avoid green in Magic 2012 Limited. Sure they'll take the plunge when it becomes absolutely clear that the color is open, but until that point then they'll need to open something...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Feature: Comparing M11 Limited and M12 Limited

by Steve Sadin

Over the past several years, core set Limited formats have been getting a lot of play. Players will draft core set Limited with friends, at the local store, on Magic Online, at Pro Tour...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Feature: Checking in on the Player of the Year Race

by David Sutcliffe

The second draft here at Pro Tour Philadelphia marked the halfway point in this Pro Tour, with just eight more rounds to play before we cut to the lights, camera and action of the Top 8 on...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Metagame Breakdown: Modern Day Two

by Rashad Miller

The dust had settled after five rounds of Modern Constructed and three rounds of Magic 2012 Booster Draft. One hundred fifty-one players emerged with at least five wins to make the cut to Day Two....

Sep 03 2011

Article

Video Feature: Inside the Draft with Sebastian Thaler

by Rich Hagon

Day One co-leader Sebastian Thaler walks through his Magic 2012 Booster Draft with Rich Hagon. Thaler finished Day One at 8-0.

Sep 03 2011

Article

Video Deck Tech: Fair-fight Faeries with Gerald Camangon

by Brian David-Marshall

Gerald Camangon of the Philippines shows off his Faeries deck for the Modern format, focusing on blue-green instead of the traditional blue-black. ...

Sep 03 2011

Article

Video Deck Tech: Infect Combo with Martin Juza

by Rich Hagon

Czech superstar Martin Juza shares his Modern deck with Rich Hagon. The deck hinges on getting an early infect creature on the board and then striking for all 10 poison damage in one swing thanks...

Friday

Article

September 2 2011

Video Feature: Day One Wrap-up by Rich Hagon and Brian David-Marshall

Rich Hagon and Brian David-Marshall recap the first day of the Pro Tour, which featured the debut of the Modern format.

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Article

September 2 2011

Video Feature: Innistrad Previews with Aaron Forsythe by Brian David-Marshall

Senior Director of Magic R&D Aaron Forsythe previews four cards from Innistrad, the new set coming out at the end of the month. Check out Village Cannibals, Snapcaster Mage, Slayer of the Wicked,...

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Article

September 2 2011

Day 1 Photo Essay by Craig Gibson and Josh Bennett

Welcome to Philadelphia, host of this year's third Pro Tour! The fusion of old and new architecture suggests Planar Chaos, or perhaps an episode of Fringe. Inside the action is...

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Sep 02 2011

Article

Round 8: Fifteen Minutes of Fame

by David Sutcliffe

Brad Nelson's claim to fame? He's Brad Nelson, the Magic Online FFfreak who tore up the Pro Tour scene in 2010 to clinch last year's Player of the Year race in a gripping finale at Pro Tour Paris....

Sep 02 2011

Article

Round 7: The Plan

by Blake Rasmussen

With two rounds left, Owen Turtenwald and David Williams were both assured a spot on Saturday, but at 5-1 the pros were jockeying for position heading into the penultimate round. The difference...

Sep 02 2011

Article

Round 6: Don't Fear the Reaper

by Rashad Miller

2006 Rookie of the Year Sebastian Thaler and Pro Tour San Juan Top 8 competitor Jeremy Neeman both sat at 5-0 on the backs of their Modern Constructed performances heading into the first of three...

Sep 02 2011

Article

Metagame Breakdown: The Dawn of Modern

by Rashad Miller

Four hundred seventeen players were in a Philadelphia. They were ready to play Magic. They were here to play Modern Constructed. This would be the first time this format had been taken on by the...

Sep 02 2011

Article

Video Deck Tech: Pyromancer's Swath with Conley Woods

by Rich Hagon

Noted deck designer Conley Woods shares his Modern deck creation with Rich Hagon. He started the Pro Tour at 5-0 with his Pyromancer's Swath deck that builds up crazy Storm counts. ...

Sep 02 2011

Article

Feature: Spectacular Tentacular

by David Sutcliffe

Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. The Eldrazi deity is fast becoming the end boss of Modern, finishing games in a heartbeat upon its arrival. It's the good, the bad, and the ugly all in one...

Sep 02 2011

Article

Video Deck Tech: Breach-Post with Travis Woo

by Brian David-Marshall

Brian David-Marshal talks with Travis Woo on his creative Twelvepost deck for the new Modern format that features Through the Breach trying to get a third-turn Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. ...

Sep 02 2011

Article

Round 5: "Uuuuuuuugh"

by Chrysania

Owen Turtenwald is the man everyone's chasing. He leads the Player of the Year race with 45 points heading into this weekend. Like many of his ChannelFireball.com teammates, he's playing their...

Sep 02 2011

Article

Video Deck Tech: Death Cloud Rock with Antonino De Rosa

by Brian David-Marshall

Is the old adage "nothing beats Rock" good enough for the new Modern format? Antonino De Rosa and his 5-0 Constructed record sure thinks so. ...

Sep 02 2011

Article

Feature: The Gifts that Keep on Giving

by Blake Rasmussen

Frank Karsten on Modern and the only thing better than Gifts Ungiven Six years ago, oil prices were soaring, the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles were the best teams in the NFL, a...

Sep 02 2011

Article

Round 4: He Built My Deck

by Bill Stark

One couldn't be faulted for looking at the Round 4 feature match and wondering if it was actually 1999. Zvi Mowshowitz, Pro Tour champion and famous deck builder, was set to square off against...

Sep 02 2011

Article

Round 3: Twenty-Four Goblins, Two Turns

by Chrysania

The third round threw together two of the biggest names in Magic: Patrick "The Innovator" Chapin and Jon "Jon Finkel" Finkel, a man who had never needed much more of a nickname than his own name....

Sep 02 2011

Article

Round 2: Sextuple Grapeshot or Double Gifts?

by Blake Rasmussen

Hall of Famer Frank Karsten certainly needs no introduction, but his reason for being in Philadelphia probably does. He had not planned to attend the Pro Tour when it was scheduled to be Extended,...

Sep 02 2011

Article

Round 1: Permanents to Pachyderms

by Josh Bennett

2010 was a big year for Adam Yurchik. After losing the finals of GP Oakland to champion Matt Nass, he bounced right back and took his first major event win at Grand Prix Houston just two months...

Sep 02 2011

Article

Feature: A Modern Primer

by David Sutcliffe

Pro Tour Philadelphia is upon us, and a bright new dawn awaits as the Modern format is given its first real shakedown by the best players in the world. A new format can often be confusing,...

Sep 02 2011

Article

Feature: Dealer Talk – R U ready for some Modern?

by Blake Rasmussen

For dealers, trying to stock cards for a new, untested format can be a bit tricky. For every surefire popular card like Steam Vents or Dark Confidant, there is a whole slew of Amulet of Vigors...

Sep 02 2011

Article

Video Feature: Cards to Watch

by Rich Hagon and Brian David-Marshall

The Modern format makes its debut this weekend on the Pro Tour stage. What decks are hot? Brian David-Marshall and Rich Hagon run you through the decks predicted to be at the top of the metagame....

Sep 02 2011

Article

Video Feature: Players to Watch

by Rich Hagon and Brian David-Marshall

With more than half the 2011 season in the books and players prepared for the big points available at the Pro Tour, Rich Hagon and Brian David-Marshall run through the top names to follow this...

Sep 02 2011

Article

Phantasy Drafting

by Brian David-Marshall

There has been an increasing trend over the past few Pro Tours of bringing back the age-old (or at least eighteen-year-old) tradition of holding fantasy Pro Tour drafts in the weeks prior to the...

Top 8 Decklists

Select a Deck

Max Sjöblom - Pyromancer Ascension

Decklist Stats Sample Hand

Sorcery (20)

4 Ponder 4 Preordain 4 Gitaxian Probe 2 Ideas Unbound 4 Rite of Flame 1 Grapeshot 1 Banefire

Instant (18)

4 Peer Through Depths 4 Remand 2 Muddle the Mixture 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Manamorphose

Enchantment (4)

4 Pyromancer Ascension

Land (18)

4 Misty Rainforest 4 Scalding Tarn 3 Steam Vents 6 Island 1 Mountain

60 Cards

Sideboard (15)

4 Flame Slash 3 Blood Moon 3 Vendilion Clique 1 Shattering Spree 1 Wipe Away 3 Spell Pierce

Deal Another Hand

Josh Utter-Leyton - Counter-Cat

Decklist Stats Sample Hand

Planeswalker (2)

2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant

Creature (18)

4 Wild Nacatl 4 Noble Hierarch 4 Tarmogoyf 1 Qasali Pridemage 1 Gaddock Teeg 4 Knight of the Reliquary

Sorcery (4)

4 Green Sun's Zenith

Instant (14)

4 Lightning Bolt 4 Path to Exile 3 Lightning Helix 3 Bant Charm

Land (22)

2 Marsh Flats 1 Scalding Tarn 4 Misty Rainforest 4 Arid Mesa 1 Horizon Canopy 1 Temple Garden 1 Steam Vents 1 Hallowed Fountain 1 Sacred Foundry 2 Stomping Ground 1 Tectonic Edge 1 Dryad Arbor 1 Forest 1 Plains

60 Cards

Sideboard (15)

1 Tectonic Edge 1 Qasali Pridemage 2 Gideon Jura 3 Aven Mindcensor 3 Flashfreeze 3 Unified Will 1 Rule of Law 1 Grim Lavamancer

Deal Another Hand

Jesse Hampton - BreachPost

Decklist Stats Sample Hand

Creature (20)

1 Terastodon 4 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn 1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre 1 Oracle of Mul Daya 1 Sakura-Tribe Elder 4 Primeval Titan 4 Overgrown Battlement 4 Wall of Roots