TOP 8 COVERAGE
Takuma Morofuji defeats 2571 other players to become your Grand Prix Kobe 2015 Champion.
Arming himself with an Atarka Red deck, the 2005 Japanese National Champion burned his way through the top eight, reducing his opponents to a crisp with Monastery Swiftspears, Zurgo Bellstrikers, and Atarka's Commands.
Along the way he took out Pro Tour Hall of Famer, Shuhei Nakamura–and his Esper Dragons Deck, Grand Prix Shizuoka Finalist Shota Takao–and his Esper Mentor deck–before finally defeating Joe Soh and his Black White Warrior deck. Rounding out the top 8 was Akio Chiba, Akihiro Okawa, Shunsuke Takahira, and Pavel Matousek.
Coming into the second day, over 35% of the players were playing Abzan decks, but the top 8 was extremely diverse. With 7 unique archetypes, GP Kobe has proven that Standard is anything but a stale format.
This victory qualifies Takuma Morofuji for his first Pro Tour since 2006. Congratulations once again to your Grand Prix Kobe 2015 Champion Takuma Morofuji!
Article
November 22 2015
Top 5 Cards
by Ben Swartz
What were the biggest cards of the weekend? Then read on to learn more about Grand Prix Kobe's Top 5 Cards!
5. Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
Although Blue Green Ramp decks only made up a small...
Learn More
DAY 2 COVERAGE
It's time for day 2 here in Kobe. Overnight 2572 players were reduced down to 293. Sitting atop the standings with perfect 9-0 records include Hall of Famer Shuhei Nakamura and Grand Prix Kobe 2014 Champion Teruya Kakumae. While those players are looking to add another Grand Prix Victory to their résumé, a bunch of players are trailing closely behind. Lee Shi Tian, Tzu-Ching Kuo, and Ken Yukihiro are sitting at 8-1 and Martin Jůza, Makihito Mihara and Yuta Takahashi, among others, are clinging on with 7-2 records.
The Standard format has developed over the past couple weeks with Lucas Blohon being crowned victorious in Brussels last weekend with Esper Dragons. Martin Juza and Shuhei Nakamura are playing a slightly modified version of the deck that Blohon played last week. On the other hand, MTG Mint Card players have made modifications to their Rally the Ancestors decks and are looking to repeat their past performance this weekend.
We have 6 rounds left here in Kobe before we cut to top 8. Stay tuned for continued coverage of Grand Prix Kobe throughout the day.
DAY 1 COVERAGE
As the sun sets here in Kobe, 2572 players have been reduced down to the 293 that will play tomorrow. Among them 8 players have perfect 9-0 records including Japanese pros Shuhei Nakamura, Teruya Kakumae, and Akio Chiba. Hot on their heels include Lee Shi Tian, Park Jun Young, Tzu-Ching Kuo, and Ken Yukuhiro sitting with 8-1 records. Barely scraping into day 2 with 7-2 records include such pros as Martin Juza, Naoki Shimizu, Nam Sung Wook, Makihito Mihara, Yuta Takahashi, and Tomoharu Saito.
Abzan came out in full force today here in Kobe and was seemingly the most popular deck in day 1. To combat it players brought a variety of decks, including Esper Dragons, Rally The Ancestors, Dark Jeskai, and many others. With the field whittled down, the cream will rise to the top tomorrow.
Join us tomorrow for 6 more rounds of Standard before we cut to a top 8 and crown another Grand Prix champion here in Kobe!
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TWITTER
The hashtag for Grand Prix Kobe is #gpkobe. Join the conversation!
TWITTER: #gpkobe