GRAND PRIX CHICAGO 2014

Tyler Blum's devotion paid off, as Erebos appeared to personally deal the final blow to Jadine Klomparens in the final game of Grand Prix Chicago!

TOP 8 COVERAGE

Tyler Blum is your Grand Prix Chicago 2014 Champion! Black Devotion is back, and it's better than ever. Five of eight players that made it to the elimination rounds were armed with some flavor of the archetype. Adrian Sullivan was the only non-Black Devotion player to penetrate into the semifinals, but Jadine Klomparens, a Black Devotion specialist, made quick work of him on her way to the finals. Veteran professional Yuuta Takahashi was pitted against Tyler Blum in an intense Black Devotion mirror, but Blum's Bile Blight proved crucial and forced Takahashi into an unwinnable position. Klomparens had her hand and library stripped to pieces in the finals, and Blum's Erebos, God of the Dead was able to crash in for lethal damage.

2049 players came to The Second City with dreams of being first. Coming into the event, players expected red strategies to be a dominant force. After nine rounds of swiss on the first day of competition, it was clear that something very different was afoot.

Blue Devotion made a big splash this weekend as the weapon of choice for most professionals in the room. Blue/White Control decks were fully realized as the best control strategy in Standard. When the dust settled after another six rounds of swiss and a top 8, though, it was clear that Black Devotion was the new top dog.

Article

June 23 2014

Top 5 Cards of Grand Prix Chicago by Jacob Van Lunen

The field of 2049 players has been conquered by Tyler Blum, and after 15 rounds of swiss and three rounds of Top 8 matches, we have our Top 5 Cards from Grand Prix Chicago 2014. 5. Pack...

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Article

June 23 2014

Finals: Jadine Klomparens vs. Tyler Blum by Jacob Van Lunen

Tyler Blum and Jadine Klomparens were elated as they sat down for their finals match. "Would you be the first woman to ever win a Grand Prix if you won this?" "I don't know." Jadine...

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Article

June 23 2014

Semifinals: Tyler Blum vs. Yuta Takahashi by Nate Price

The Players Playing in his first Grand Prix Top 8 ever, Tyler Blum has been playing incredibly well thus far this weekend. While this might have been his first Grand Prix Top 8, he is no...

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Jun 23 2014

Article

Quarterfinals: Tyler Blum vs. Steve Rubin

by Rusty Kubis

The Players Grand Prix Chicago marks the first GP Top 8 for both Tyler Blum of Calgary and Steve Rubin of Pittsburg. Both players have had their past successes. Blum was a 2005 Canadian...

Jun 23 2014

Article

Quarterfinals: Adrian Sullivan vs. Steve Wise

by Nate Price

The Players This has been an excellent couple of weeks for Adrian Sullivan. After falling just short of making the Top 8 at the StarCityGames Invitational this past weekend, Sullivan shot out to...

Jun 22 2014

Article

Quarterfinals: Yuta Takahashi vs. Oscar Jones

by Jacob Van Lunen

Yuta Takahashi is most well-known as a faeries master. He was the first player to construct the classic iteration of Standard faeries. Takahashi has seven Grand Prix top 8s to his name and a...

Jun 23 2014

Article

Top 8 Decklists

by Wizards of the Coast

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 featured 2049 players ready to battle it out in Standard. To see what this tournament's Top 8 players brought with them to compete with, check out their decklists...

Jun 22 2014

Article

Top 8 Profiles

by Wizards of the Coast

After many rounds of Swiss and some great games of Magic, the Top 8 for Grand Prix Chicago is set! Learn more about this event’s Top 8 competitors, their history at the top tables, and more by...

DAY 2 COVERAGE

Welcome back to Grand Prix Chicago! Yesterday, 2049 Magic players descended on the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center with dreams of being crowned the 2014 Grand Prix Chicago Champion! With nine rounds of Standard in the books, just 239 players return to battle in the second day of the tournament. The remaining players will play another six rounds today before we cut to a Top 8. Only six players managed to make it through the first day of competition with unscathed records: Adrian Sullivan, Kyle Ferguson, Steve Wise, Jadine Klomparens, and Daniel Kwiatkowski sit atop the standings. Blue Devotion was the weapon of choice for top professionals this weekend, but the deck is quickly being struck down by Blue/White Control variants. Will Blue Devotion reestablish itself as the deck to beat in standard? Or will the Blue/White Control masters be able to assert supreme dominance? Stay tuned to all the action as it unfolds here on day 2 of Grand Prix Chicago!

Article

June 22 2014

Meet (9) Paul Rietzl by Nate Price

It almost seems unfathomable that Paul Rietzl has been playing the game for as long as he has. It seems like only yesterday that Little Darwin was tearing it up at events on the East Coast,...

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Article

June 22 2014

A Rising Star: Jacob Wilson by Jacob Van Lunen

Let's take a little trip back in time. It's a cold day in Chicago back in November 2012. A young Jacob Wilson travels to The Windy City from Northern California with dreams of hoisting a trophy in...

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Article

June 22 2014

Family Matters by Rusty Kubis

There are two types of players at a Grand Prix, the ones who come for the experience and the ones who come to win. Noah, Sammy and Freddy Michael have made the trek from St. Louis not only to...

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Jun 22 2014

Article

Day 2 Metagame Breakdown

by Rusty Kubis

Heading into Day two of Grand Prix Chicago the usual suspects have emerged as the most popular archetypes of the tournament. Black Devotion 46 Blue Devotion 42 WU Control 25 Jund...

Jun 22 2014

Article

Control Rising

by Jacob Van Lunen

Coming into Grand Prix Chicago, it looked like Standard had shifted away from the control decks. Aggressive strategies like Red/White Burn and the hyper aggressive Boss Sligh had won the two...

Jun 22 2014

Article

Round 10: Steven Rubin vs. Daniel Kwiatkowski

by Jacob Van Lunen

Daniel Kwiatkowski is the reigning King of the Hill. Kwiatkowski enters the second day of competition with an unscathed record. A top 32 at the Indianapolis Legacy Grand Prix shows that...

Jun 22 2014

Article

Day 1 Undefeated Decklists

by Wizards of the Coast

After nine rounds of Swiss here at Grand Prix Chicago 2014, only six players stand with unscathed records. See what decklists they brought for this weekend's Standard competition below. ...

DAY 1 COVERAGE

2049 planeswalkers descended on The Windy City this morning with dreams no shorter than The Sears Tower. After nine rounds of Standard competition only 239 remain in contention. Of the remaining competitors, only six remain undefeated: Adrian Sullivan, Kyle Ferguson, Steven Rubin, Steve Wise, Jadine Klomparens, and Daniel Kwiatkowski will enter the second day of competition with unscathed records. Standard continued to evolve here on Day 1. Blue Devotion is back, and more popular than it has been since last October. Many of the game's biggest names showed up hand in hand with Thassa, God of the Sea. Competition resumes at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning. Will the waters of Blue Devotion rise to dominance once more, or will a new king of Standard be crowned? Stay tuned to all the action as it unfolds here at Grand Prix Chicago.

Article

June 22 2014

A Minute with Marshall by Nate Price

Doing text coverage for a Grand Prix is a daunting proposition. There is so much to keep track of over the course of the day that many of the cooler details of the Magic that's being play can be...

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Article

June 22 2014

Round 8: Luis Scott-Vargas vs. (21) Jacob Wilson by Jacob Van Lunen

Luis Scott-Vargas needs little introduction. This Hall of Famer has a staggering eleven grand prix top 8s including four wins and five pro tour top 8s including two wins. Despite being one of...

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Article

June 22 2014

Quick Questions #2 by Nate Price

What is Your Favorite Thing about Standard Right Now? Jamie Parke: Right now, Standard is fairly well solved, which I actually dislike a little. To me, Magic is a game much like chess, where you...

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Jun 22 2014

Article

In The Thick of It - The 5-0 Naya Planeswalker Mirror

by Jacob Van Lunen

Brian Braun-Duin, Brad Nelson, Todd Anderson, and Mike Bryant brought an interesting weapon to war this weekend - An exciting Naya Planeswalker brew that features some of the more interesting...

Jun 22 2014

Article

Round 5: Ben Friedman vs. Paul Rietzl

by Nate Price

The Players This Feature Match features two titans of East Coast Magic, duking it out early in the tournament. First up is Ben Friedman from Baltimore. After bursting onto the scene with a...

Jun 21 2014

Article

Quick Questions #1

by Nate Price

What Card in Standard Have You Wanted to See Broken the Most? Christian Calcano: Hmm... Something that would be really good in a five-color control deck,...

Jun 21 2014

Article

A Windy City - Where the Red Deck Goes

by Jacob Van Lunen

The Red deck... It's the ire of many, and the weapon of choice for few. In most formats, the Red deck is a fringe entity, something that can steal wins from anyone, but rarely a serious contender....

Jun 21 2014

Article

Trial Winning Decklists

by Wizards of the Coast

Yesterday, players battled for two byes in today's main event. Here are the Trial-Winning Decklists for Grand Prix Chicago 2014. ...

Jun 21 2014

Article

Standard Dominance

by Jacob Van Lunen

Standard has been the most popular Constructed Magic format for a very long time. The format remains accessible for new players and well-supported by tournament organizers. The sheer volume of...

Jun 19 2014

Article

Grand Prix Chicago Primer

by Jacob Van Lunen

Welcome back to Perilous Research, DailyMTG.com's exclusive Magic Online column! This weekend, thousands of Magic players will be taking a break from cracking Moxes on Magic Online to compete...

TOP 8 PLAYERS

1st Place $4,000

Tyler Blum

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2nd Place $2,700

Jadine Klomparens

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3rd Place $1,500

Adrian Sullivan

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4th Place $1,500

Yuta Takahashi

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5th Place $1,000

Jared Boettcher

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6th Place $1,000

Oscar Jones

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7th Place $1,000

Steve Wise

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8th Place $1,000

Steve Rubin

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TOP 8 BRACKET

Quarterfinals

(1) Jared Boettcher

(8) Jadine Klomparens, 2-0

(5) Adrien Sullivan, 2-1

(4) Steve Wise

(3) Tyler BLum, 2-1

(6) Steven Rubin

(2) Oscar Jones

(7) Yuta Takahashi, 2-1

Semifinals

(8) Jadine Klomparens, 2-0

(5) Adrian Sullivan

(3) Tyler Blum, 2-1

(7) Yuta Takahashi

Finals

(8) Jadine Klomparens

(3) Tyler Blum, 2-0

PAIRINGS, RESULTS, AND STANDINGS

FINAL STANDINGS

PAIRINGS

WHITE BRACKET DAY ONE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

YELLOW BRACKET DAY ONE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

DAY TWO 10 11 12 13 14 15

RESULTS:

WHITE BRACKET DAY ONE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

YELLOW BRACKET DAY ONE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

DAY TWO 10 11 12 13 14 15

STANDINGS:

WHITE BRACKET DAY ONE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

YELLOW BRACKET DAY ONE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

DAY TWO 10 11 12 13 14 15

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 15 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 13 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 12 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 11 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 10 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 9 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 8 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 7 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 6 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 5 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 4 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Finals

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Semifinals

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Quarterfinals

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 15 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 13 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 12 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 11 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 10 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 9 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 8 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 7 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 6 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 5 Feature Match

Grand Prix Chicago 2014 - Round 4 Feature Match

TOP 8 DECKLISTS

Select a Deck

GRAND PRIX CHICAGO 2014 TOP 8 - JARED BOETTCHER

Decklist Stats Sample Hand

Creature (16)

4 Pack Rat 4 Nightveil Specter 4 Desecration Demon 4 Gray Merchant of Asphodel

Sorcery (8)

4 Thoughtseize 2 Dreadbore 1 Mizzium Mortars 1 Rakdos's Return

Instant (6)

4 Hero's Downfall 1 Doom Blade 1 Ultimate Price

Artifact (1)

1 Whip of Erebos

Enchantment (4)

4 Underworld Connections

Land (25)

4 Mutavault 4 Blood Crypt 4 Temple of Malice 1 Mana Confluence 1 Temple of Epiphany 11 Swamp

60 Cards

Sideboard (15)

1 Dreadbore 1 Ultimate Price 1 Rakdos's Return 3 Lifebane Zombie 3 Duress 1 Sire of Insanity 1 Erebos, God of the Dead 2 Pharika's Cure 1 Drown in Sorrow 1 Silence the Believers

Deal Another Hand

GRAND PRIX CHICAGO 2014 TOP 8 - JADINE KLOMPARENS

Decklist Stats Sample Hand