March 8 2015
Top 5 Cards by Tobi HenkeThese were the cards that shaped the tournament, that sparked discussions and were the most debated, the cards that won games and turned Grand Prix Liverpool into an event to remember ... Goblin...
Martin Dang follows up online tournament success with a Grand Prix title by defeating Nikolas Labahn in the final of GP Liverpool 2015.
TOP 8 COVERAGE
The age of the khans is fading as though it never happened and dragons are looming on the horizon of Tarkir. In one of the last opportunities to play Fate Reforged/Khans of Tarkir Limited before the dragons take over, Martin Dang from Denmark emerged victorious with a decidedly-non-khan-colored blue-black-red deck, defeating Nikolas Labahn's Abzan deck in the final in two extremely one-sided games. On his route to the final, Dang defeated Daniel Oppliger's blue-red deck in the quarters and Lucas Blohon's white-green deck in the semi-finals. Blohon at least had an additional invite to Pro Tour Dragons of Tarkir as a consolation prize as his quarter-final win bumped him up to Silver level. This was also the ninth Grand Prix Top 8 for Portuguese player Marcio Carvalho.
In total 1,772 players descended on the city of Liverpool to see which of Tarkir's clans would bless them with powerful cards for their sealed decks. Of those, 199 players made it through to Sunday's booster draft. Eight survived to the final draft and when the dust settled only one player was left. Congratulations to Martin Dang, champion of Grand Prix Liverpool.
March 8 2015
Top 5 Cards by Tobi HenkeThese were the cards that shaped the tournament, that sparked discussions and were the most debated, the cards that won games and turned Grand Prix Liverpool into an event to remember ... Goblin...
March 8 2015
Finals: Martin Dang vs. Nikolas Labahn by Craig JonesSo we're down to the final match. Martin Dang has eschewed the Khan's wedge structure to go with a nice Grixis deck. Nikolas Labahn is running Abzan colors, but his deck has a Temur-y bear theme...
March 8 2015
Top 8 Decklists by Tobi HenkeAt the very end of a weekend filled with Magic, eight players sat down in the feature match area for one final Fate Reforged/Khans of Tarkir booster draft to determine the winner of Grand Prix...
DAY 2 COVERAGE
Welcome back for Day 2 of Grand Prix Liverpool 2015! What had started with 1,772 players Saturday morning was whittled down to just 199 through the first day's nine rounds of Fate Reforged/Khans of Tarkir Sealed Deck. Now it's time for Fate Reforged/Khans of Tarkir Booster Draft, six more rounds, followed by the Top 8.
Leading the field at the start of the day were five players with pristine records of 9-0: Andreas Jonsson, Benjamin Jean, Maciej Kawonczyk, Benjamin Van Koekenbeek, and Ed Ross. Fierce competition wasn't far behind, though, with Eliott Boussaud, Raphaël Lévy, Nicolai Herzog, Javier Dominguez, Alexandre Darras, Lukas Blohon, Chapman Sim, Ondrej Strasky, Andrea Mengucci (to name but a few) all on 24 points.
Meanwhile, we find ourselves in the midst of preview season. With the Prereleases for Dragons of Tarkir a mere two weeks away, the previewed cards were all the talk within the community, and we were sure to pick up some of that as well.
So say tuned for all the latest, all the news and stories, all the action and excitement, straight from the battlefield of Grand Prix Liverpool 2015!
March 8 2015
An American TO in Liverpool by Craig JonesAn interesting piece of trivia for GP Liverpool. As far as I know, Grand Prix Liverpool is the first occasion we've had US tournament organizers running a European GP. Channel Fireball are one of...
March 8 2015
Talking Dragons with Frank Karsten by Tobi HenkeWhile our colleagues at Grand Prix Miami get to gather intial impressions of Dragons of Tarkir cards with regards to Standard, over here the order of business is Limited, so we're in the business...
March 8 2015
Round 12 Feature Match: Javier Dominguez vs. Lukas Blohon by Tobi HenkeNeither of these players was a stranger to the feature match area. Lukas Blohon had previously made it to the Top 8 of three Grands Prix and one Pro Tour, while Javier Dominguez could claim two GP...
DAY 1 COVERAGE
Day one of GP Liverpool is in the books. 1772 players traveled to the ACC Liverpool to battle it out with Fate Reforged/Khans of Tarkir Limited. Tomorrow the format switches to Fate Reforged/Khans of Tarkir Booster Draft and all those with a 7-2 record or better will get an opportunity to show off their skills. Five players—Andreas Jonsson, Benjamin Jean, Maciej Kawonczyk, Benjamin Van Koekenbeek, Edward Ross—finished with perfect 9-0 records. Chasing them is a pack including Hall of Famers Raphaël Lévy and Nicolai Herzog. Tune in tomorrow to see who will be crowned champion of GP Liverpool!
March 7 2015
9-0 Decklists by Tobi HenkeAfter nine grueling rounds of Swiss, a mere five players remain with pristine records of 9-0. These decks are the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the lists … you should definitely be...
March 7 2015
Unmorphing our Mystery Pro by Craig JonesIt's the end of the day and it's time to unmorph a mystery pro. And it's the highly experienced Hall of Famer Raphaël Lévy. Raphaël Lévy Despite claiming his pool was underpowered, Levy...
March 7 2015
Round 8 Feature Match: Nicolai Herzog vs. Raphael Levy by Tobi HenkeBoth of these players had started 7-0 into the tournament, both had already secured a spot in the second day of competition here, and previously, both had also received the highest accolade the...
(1) Martin Dang, 2-0
(5) Daniel Oppliger
(7) Kenneth Ellingson
(3) Lucas Blohon, 2-0
(4) Andreas Jonsson
(8) Marcio Carvalho, 2-0
(6) Nikolas Labahn, 2-1
(2) Timothée Simonot
(1) Martin Dang, 2-0
(3) Lucas Blohon
(8) Marcio Carvalho
(6) Nikolas Labahn, 2-1
(1) Martin Dang, 2-0
(6) Nikolas Labahn
Note: final standings reflect the number of players participating in the event, not the number of preregistered players.
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 8, 2015
by Tobi HenkeThese were the cards that shaped the tournament, that sparked discussions and were the most debated, the cards that won games and turned Grand Prix Liverpool into an event to remember ... Goblin...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 8, 2015
Finals: Martin Dang vs. Nikolas Labahn
by Craig JonesSo we're down to the final match. Martin Dang has eschewed the Khan's wedge structure to go with a nice Grixis deck. Nikolas Labahn is running Abzan colors, but his deck has a Temur-y bear theme...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 8, 2015
Semifinal: Marcio Carvalho vs. Nikolas Labahn
by Tobi HenkePlaying in his ninth Grand Prix Top 8, Marcio Carvalho squared off against Nikolas Labahn, for whom it was his second career Top 8. Carvalho had drafted a solid Temur deck, Labahn had assembled a...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 8, 2015
Semifinal: Martin Dang vs. Lukas Blohon
by Tobi HenkeHere seasoned veteran of Grands Prix and Pro Tour Lukas Blohon met as yet unknown Martin Dang. Dang had drafted a blue-black deck with a bit of red, while Blohon was basically on green and white...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 8, 2015
by Craig JonesFifteen rounds and several hours later and GP Liverpool is down to just eight players. The matchups are: Martin Dang (Grixis) vs. Daniel Oppliger (U/R) Kennet Ellingsen (U/R) vs. Lucas Blohon...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 8, 2015
by Tobi HenkeAt the very end of a weekend filled with Magic, eight players sat down in the feature match area for one final Fate Reforged/Khans of Tarkir booster draft to determine the winner of Grand Prix...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 8, 2015
by Tobi HenkeAfter 15 rounds, the original field of 1,772 players has been whittled down to but eight people. These eight are the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the people … you really should know...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 8, 2015
by Craig JonesAn interesting piece of trivia for GP Liverpool. As far as I know, Grand Prix Liverpool is the first occasion we've had US tournament organizers running a European GP. Channel Fireball are one of...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 8, 2015
Talking Dragons with Frank Karsten
by Tobi HenkeWhile our colleagues at Grand Prix Miami get to gather intial impressions of Dragons of Tarkir cards with regards to Standard, over here the order of business is Limited, so we're in the business...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 8, 2015
Round 12 Feature Match: Javier Dominguez vs. Lukas Blohon
by Tobi HenkeNeither of these players was a stranger to the feature match area. Lukas Blohon had previously made it to the Top 8 of three Grands Prix and one Pro Tour, while Javier Dominguez could claim two GP...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 8, 2015
A Day One Exit Doesn't Mean a Player's Magic Weekend is Over
by Craig JonesWhile the primary focus of a Grand Prix weekend is the Grand Prix tournament itself, it's by no means the only thing happening at the Grand Prix. Over the course of two days a field is whittled...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 8, 2015
by Tobi Henke"Due to a database error, everyone in the tournament is listed as being English. We apologize, but this was the only way we could think of how to make sure we have an English winner." – Head...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 8, 2015
Round 10 Feature Match: Frank Karsten vs. Thomas Enevoldsen
by Craig JonesFrank Karsten needs little introduction. The Dutch pro is one of five Hall of Famers playing at the Grand Prix this weekend and is still very active in playing the game. His opponent, Thomas...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 8, 2015
by Tobi HenkeHaving finished Day 1 with but one loss, Norway's Hall of Famer Nicolai Herzog was in a good position to make a run at the Top 8 this weekend. To do so, however, he first needed to draft a deck...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 7, 2015
by Tobi HenkeAfter nine grueling rounds of Swiss, a mere five players remain with pristine records of 9-0. These decks are the best of the best, the cream of the crop, the lists … you should definitely be...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 7, 2015
by Craig JonesIt's the end of the day and it's time to unmorph a mystery pro. And it's the highly experienced Hall of Famer Raphaël Lévy. Raphaël Lévy Despite claiming his pool was underpowered, Levy...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 7, 2015
Round 8 Feature Match: Nicolai Herzog vs. Raphael Levy
by Tobi HenkeBoth of these players had started 7-0 into the tournament, both had already secured a spot in the second day of competition here, and previously, both had also received the highest accolade the...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 7, 2015
Talking Dragons with Luis Scott-Vargas
by Tobi Henke"Mr. SV, as a long-time proponent of fatty-riddled draft decks, tell me: just how excited are you for Dragons of Tarkir Limited?" That seemed like a reasonable start to a conversation, and it...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 7, 2015
A British GP Tradition – The North vs. South Football Match
by Craig JonesMagic tournaments are great opportunities to make friends and Grand Prix are good excuses for players that haven't seen each other for a long time to meet up again. One of the traditions at...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 7, 2015
Round 7 Feature Match: Chapman Sim vs. Quentin Martin
by Craig JonesThis clash of 6-0's pits Chapman Sim against British oldtimer (sorry Q), Quentin Martin. Sim has three GP top 8's and is part of the MTG Mint Card Team that has been posting impressive results on...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 7, 2015
by Craig JonesOne of the adages about Magic is that players never really quit the game. They might get older, get married, have children, but they still show up at tournaments from time to time. Magic Grand...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 7, 2015
Round 5 Feature Match: Fabrizio Anteri vs. Nico Bohny
by Tobi HenkeTwo seasoned veterans of the game met this round in the feature match area. Switzerland's Nico Bohny had previously reached the Top 8 of two Pro Tours and the finals of two Grands Prix, winning...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 7, 2015
Sealed Deck Building with Patrick Dickmann
by Tobi HenkePlatinum pro Patrick Dickmann is no stranger to the feature match area. Usually, though, when he first enters here on a Grand Prix weekend, he already has his deck ready, whereas this time, he...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 7, 2015
Sealed Deck with a Morphed Pro
by Craig JonesDespite the end of the Khans (or I suppose the never-have-been) approaching, I must confess the Fate Reforged/Khans of Tarkir limited is as mysterious to me as a facedown morph. To help shed...
article GRAND PRIX LIVERPOOL 2015 March 7, 2015
Last-Chance Grand Prix Trial Winners
by Tobi HenkeAs always, Friday saw a number of Grand Prix Trials being held. Those grueling 32-player single-elimination events marked the last chance for players to earn two byes for the weekend's main...
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