November 16 2014
TOP 5 CARDS by Event Coverage StaffWhile some of the newly released cards have had a lasting effect on the Grand Prix Madrid metagame, it were some iconic Magic cards that made a comeback and that helped shape the event in the...
TOP 8 COVERAGE
The Grand Prix returned to Madrid for the seventh time and going into the weekend, we expected to see a lot of
After 15 rounds of Swiss and three more rounds in the single-elimination portion of the tournament, the story of the weekend is a rather different one. Some of the most iconic Magic cards that few of the Pro Players have considered to be viable choices for the event have made a stunning comeback and left a lasting impression in the Spanish Capital.
While
Plenty of innovative Magic players showed us that the Modern format is anything but explored and that it pays out to revisit some of the established archetypes and question the general consensus. In the end, it was Austria's Immanuel Gerschenson who came out on top and defeated all comers to become Champion of Grand Prix Madrid 2014!
November 16 2014
TOP 5 CARDS by Event Coverage StaffWhile some of the newly released cards have had a lasting effect on the Grand Prix Madrid metagame, it were some iconic Magic cards that made a comeback and that helped shape the event in the...
November 16 2014
FINALS: IMMANUEL GERSCHENSON VS. TILL RIFFERT by Tobi HenkeOnly two players remained in the running for the title of Grand Prix champion: Germany's Till Riffert and Immanuel Gerschenson from Austria. While it was the first Top 8 for both, now only one...
November 16 2014
TOP 8 DECKLISTS by Wizards of the CoastHere are the Top 8 decklists of Grand Prix Madrid 2014. Kevin Grove, Grand Prix Madrid...
DAY 2 COVERAGE
Welcome back! Of an original field of 1,900 players, 220 have returned for Day 2 of Grand Prix Madrid 2014. The format is Modern, and since it's the first Modern Grand Prix since the release of Khans of Tarkir, there is a lot of information coming in!
We've already seen the spectacular fall from grace of
The 9-0 decks include one
The 9-0 players include Alexander Semkin, Milan Niznansky, Antonio Del Moral, Ricardo van den Bogaard, Stefano Biasio, and none other than No. 5 Ivan Floch. These players ended up in the pole position at the end of the first day, but there are 214 others who want to make it to the top.
Follow along as we follow some of the game's best and brightest throughout today's six rounds and the Top 8 playoffs, as we bring you all news and all the action straight from the battlefield of Grand Prix Madrid!
November 16 2014
DECK TECH: STITCH YOUR OWN FATE by Tobi HenkeThere is some Jeskai Ascendancy, after all. We have found it! Or rather, Eduardo Sajgalik and Joao Choca have found it. The two English players came up with a brand new version of the deck....
November 16 2014
ROUND 13 FEATURE MATCH by Tobi HenkeAt other times these two would work together as teammates, this time Pierre Dagen and Patrick Dickmann were locked in a battle which would eliminate one of them from Top 8 contention. Dagen's...
November 16 2014
DELVING WITH IVAN FLOCH by Oliver GehrmannAs the No. 5-ranked player in the Top 25, Ivan Floch already had quite the target on his head going into this tournament. "Why not add another one?!" must have been the rhetorical question he...
DAY 1 COVERAGE
Day 1 of Grand Prix Madrid 2014 has come and gone, and it's been a great day—full of exciting developments in the Modern metagame, with close and suspenseful games, surprising turnarounds, and heart-stopping blowouts. 1,900 players filled the venue to its limits, and throughout nine rounds, this number has been reduced to 220.
Leading up to the tournament, one of the biggest stories in Modern was
Finishing the day with perfect records of 9-0 were a total of six players: Alexander Semkin, Milan Niznansky, Antonio Del Moral, Ricardo van den Bogaard, Stefano Biasio, and none other than No. 5 Ivan Floch. These players ended up in the pole position for now, but fierce competition is never far behind: Kevin Grove, Remi Fortier, Daniel Fior, Marcio Carvalho, Marco Cammilluzzi, Eliott Boussaud, and Peter Vieren all made the cut with eight wins, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Tomorrow, we'll have more insights into Modern, more decks, more tech, and all the news and action straight from the battlefield of Grand Prix Madrid 2014. Until then, good night!
November 15 2014
ROUND 8 FEATURE MATCH by Tobi HenkeTwo undefeated players met in round 8: Ivan Floch, recent Pro Tour champion and currently ranked fifth in the world, was facing little-known Julio Fernandez, making his first run at the fame and...
November 15 2014
CATCHING UP WITH MATEJ ZATLKAJ by Oliver GehrmannUp until 3 weeks ago, Matej Zatlkaj was known as one of the many successful players that haven't quite managed to walk away with a Champion's trophy so far. Then again, with two appearances in the...
November 15 2014
ROUND 7 FEATURE MATCH by Oliver GehrmannJeremy Dezani is all but a stranger to the top tables; he is currently ranked 2nd in the Top 25 Pro Rankings following his very successful last year in which he added a Grand Prix victory and two...
(1) Marcio Carvalho
(8) Till Riffert, 2-0
(5) Jose Rodriguez Pozo, 2-0
(4) Andrew Devine
(3) Kevin Grove
(6) Immanuel Gerschenson, 2-1
(7) Steffan van de Veen
(2) Ricardo van den Bogaard, 2-0
(8) Till Riffert, 2-0
(5) Jose Rodriguez Pozo,
(6) Immanuel Gerschenson, 2-0
(2) Ricardo van den Bogaard
(8) Till Riffert
(6) Immanuel Gerschenson, 2-1
Note: final standings reflect the number of players participating in the event, not the number of preregistered players.
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 16, 2014
by Event Coverage StaffWhile some of the newly released cards have had a lasting effect on the Grand Prix Madrid metagame, it were some iconic Magic cards that made a comeback and that helped shape the event in the...
article November 16, 2014
FINALS: IMMANUEL GERSCHENSON VS. TILL RIFFERT
by Tobi HenkeOnly two players remained in the running for the title of Grand Prix champion: Germany's Till Riffert and Immanuel Gerschenson from Austria. While it was the first Top 8 for both, now only one...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 16, 2014
by Wizards of the CoastHere are the Top 8 decklists of Grand Prix Madrid 2014. Kevin Grove, Grand Prix Madrid...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 16, 2014
by Oliver GehrmannIt's the first time Till Riffert and José Rodriguez Pozo have advanced to the Top 8 of a Grand Prix. For obvious reasons, both players wanted to continue to dominate after they had won their...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 16, 2014
by Tobi HenkeEight players sat down in the feature match area for this first of the three elimination rounds. We have four matches to cover, so let's get right to it!" Steffen van de Veen...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 16, 2014
by Tobi HenkeEight players sat down in the feature match area for this first of the three elimination rounds. We have four matches to cover, so let's get right to it!" Steffen van de Veen...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 16, 2014
by Event Coverage StaffWe've seen some great Magic this weekend in the Spanish capital and after 15 intense rounds, there are only 8 players remaining in competition! Let's take a closer look. José Antonio...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 16, 2014
by Wizards of the CoastHere are the decklists of the players that came very close to making it into the Top 8, but that were eventually just a few points short. Still, they have put up a valiant effort and we would like...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 16, 2014
DECK TECH: STITCH YOUR OWN FATE
by Tobi HenkeThere is some Jeskai Ascendancy, after all. We have found it! Or rather, Eduardo Sajgalik and Joao Choca have found it. The two English players came up with a brand new version of the deck....
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 16, 2014
by Tobi HenkeAt other times these two would work together as teammates, this time Pierre Dagen and Patrick Dickmann were locked in a battle which would eliminate one of them from Top 8 contention. Dagen's...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 16, 2014
by Oliver GehrmannAs the No. 5-ranked player in the Top 25, Ivan Floch already had quite the target on his head going into this tournament. "Why not add another one?!" must have been the rhetorical question he...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 16, 2014
by Tobi Henke220 players finishing Day 2 with seven or more wins means 220 players returned today means we went through 220 decklists to get the full story on this Grand Prix's Modern metagame. And it's an...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 16, 2014
by Oliver GehrmannAt the time of this writing, Ricardo van den Bogaard is one of the three remaining players sporting a perfect record. He just overcame Russia's Alexander Semkin and his Zoo Deck and when I...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 16, 2014
by Tobi HenkeSo what decks did the pro players pick for this Grand Prix? What did some of the game's biggest stars chose to run in Modern? Yesterday, we had promised full decklists for all of the Platinum-...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 16, 2014
by Oliver GehrmannFabrizio Anteri has a pretty impressive résumé with 4 appearances in the Top 8 of a Grand Prix and 2 wins. He's now going up against Nuno Costa from Portugal, who is a longtime regular at the...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 16, 2014
by Tobi Henke"Tell me something about Treasure Cruise," I asked Ivan Floch. I mean who better to ask? Not only was the current No. 5 playing Blue-Red Delver with Treasure Cruise, but he played it to a perfect...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 16, 2014
by Oliver Gehrmann1,900 players showed up bright and early yesterday morning for Grand Prix Madrid and after 9 rounds of Swiss, there are only six players remaining with a perfect 9-0 record. Looking over their...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 15, 2014
by Tobi HenkeTwo undefeated players met in round 8: Ivan Floch, recent Pro Tour champion and currently ranked fifth in the world, was facing little-known Julio Fernandez, making his first run at the fame and...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 15, 2014
CATCHING UP WITH MATEJ ZATLKAJ
by Oliver GehrmannUp until 3 weeks ago, Matej Zatlkaj was known as one of the many successful players that haven't quite managed to walk away with a Champion's trophy so far. Then again, with two appearances in the...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 15, 2014
by Oliver GehrmannJeremy Dezani is all but a stranger to the top tables; he is currently ranked 2nd in the Top 25 Pro Rankings following his very successful last year in which he added a Grand Prix victory and two...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 15, 2014
by Tobi HenkeMatej Zatlkaj had just won his first Grand Prix three weeks ago in Stockholm. Marc Tobiasch had recently made his first Top 8 at Grand Prix Boston-Worcester, a couple months back. Of course, both...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 15, 2014
by Tobi HenkeWho exactly counts as being a pro player? For the purposes of this exercise, we have decided to count all players who have made it to Platinum in the Pro Players Club, everybody that has reached...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 15, 2014
by Oliver GehrmannWhile there are always plenty of reasons to make the trip to a Grand Prix, Wizards Spain decided to add yet another item to the already impressive list of interesting things to do this...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 15, 2014
by Oliver GehrmannFacing each other in round 4 are the two Germans Till Riffert and Patrick Dickmann. Ever since Dickmann's victory at Grand Prix Antwerp a little more than 2 years ago, he has been on a roll. He...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 15, 2014
by Oliver GehrmannI have been to a few Grand Prix, but I have never seen queues this long in front of the Artists booth. It's not much of a surprise, though, considering that we invited two superstars over: Svetlin...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 15, 2014
THE ASCENT OF JESKAI ASCENDANCY—OR THE DESCENT?
by Tobi HenkeI can still remember the first time I saw Jeskai Ascendancy. I can remember it like it was 66 days ago. Because it was 66 days ago when I got the card via email to write the official preview...
article GRAND PRIX MADRID 2014 November 15, 2014
GRAND PRIX TRIALS WINNING DECKLISTS
by Oliver GehrmannAs is tradition, Friday saw a number of Grand Prix Trials being played. These events marked the last chance for the players to earn some Byes for this weekend's tournament. At the same time, it...