TOP 8 COVERAGE
Young heroes wrote a new song in Nashville, where Jesse Hampton, Matthew Nass, and 19th-ranked Jacob Wilson took home a team Grand Prix title from one of the greatest Top 4s of all time.
While 464 teams comprised of 1,392 players arrived before being winnowed to just 43 teams for Sunday, it was the Top 4 that stole the show: Five players from the upcoming World Championship in Nice, France were on teams that made the Top 4, and four of them made it to the finals. While the renown all-star team of 18th-ranked Tom Martell, Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa, and 20th-ranked Shahar Shenhar didn't find success in their finals showdown, they'll be ready to avenge their loss to Wilson's team soon in France.
For Hampton, this was his biggest victory since earning a Pro Tour Top 8 in Philadelphia in 2011. For Nass, it's his second Grand Prix win to join his first from Oakland in 2010. Neither will join their third at Worlds Week, but together they've ensured their spots at Pro Tour Fate Reforged early next year.
They may not be teammates for the upcoming Pro Tour, but as one in Nashville it was proof that camaraderie is truly key to a team's success.
November 3 2014
TOP 5 CARDS byThrough two days of Khans of Tarkir Team Sealed, with a flourish finish in Team Draft, led to nearly every card in the set being played. While we don't hold out hope for Lens of Clarity, there...
November 3 2014
FINALS DECKLISTS by Wizards of the CoastHere are the decklists from the Grand Prix Nashville Finals Draft. Matthew Nass ...
November 3 2014
FINALS by Marc Calderaro(20) Shahar Shenhar, (18) Tom Martell, Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa vs. Matt Nass, (19) Jacob Wilson, Jesse Hampton It all came down to this. Both teams had great incentive to win. Jesse Hampton...
DAY 2 COVERAGE
Many came; few remain. Only forty-three teams were invited back to play in Khans of Tarkir Team Sealed. And only one team remains undefeated.
The squad of Matthew Sommerhalter, Dewitt Kane, and Riley Curran finished 9-0, ahead of a lot of teams, and a lot of teams featuring some big names. They range from teams like Grand Prix Portland finalists No. 11 Eric Froehlich, Luis Scott-Vargas, and Paul Cheon, to old-school teams like Jon Finkel, Jamie Parke, and Daniel O’Mahoney-Schwartz, with dozens in between.
The Top 4 team drafts are a few short rounds away. Who will earn the right to draft for Grand Prix glory? We’ll find out. Follow the live coverage and watch stream broadcasting the second batch of Team Sealed matches to learn along with us.
November 2 2014
ROUND 14 FEATURE MATCH by Seamus CampbellSam Black (Jeskai) - Matt Severa (RG) - Gaudenis Vidugiris (Sultai) vs. Fujimura Kazuaki (Temur Trail) - Kakumae Teruya (Jeskai) - Tamada Ryoichi (Mardu/Abzan) Likely needing a draw to...
November 2 2014
WHAT'S IN A TEAM DRAFT by Adam StyborskiTeam Limited discussion can be dominated by Sealed. Day 1 and most of Day 2 of team Grand Prix are Team Sealed, and the teams vying to make Top 4 have to prove their mettle in building three decks...
November 2 2014
ROUND 11 FEATURE MATCH by Adam StyborskiSkarren / Hayne / Wescoe vs. Thompson / Cho / Utter-Leyton Day 2 of Team Limited Grand Prix is a bustle of movement. The best teams have a tight radius to turn for the Top 4 slots, and after...
DAY 1 COVERAGE
Ladies and gentlemen, that was a day of Magic! Khans of Tarkir Team Sealed has been declared an incredibly skill-testing, and incredibly fun format. Players from all over have converged in Nashville for not only a day slinging cardboard with their friends, but to play in some of the best draft formats around.
At the end of the first day, only one team emerged undefeated. Matthew Sommerhalter, Dewitt Kane, and Riley Curran finished 9-0 atop of field of giants. But plenty of top teams are coming back tomorrow to challenge their crown: No. 7 Ari Lax, Matt McCullough, and Alex John; No. 17 Alex Hayne, Craig Wescoe and Frank Skarren; No. 18 Tom Martell, No. 20 Shahar Shenhar, and Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa; No. 14 Josh Utter-Leyton, Josh Cho, and Gerry Thompson; No. 13 Ben Stark, Niel Reeves, and Chris Fennell are all in, along with a whole host of other hungry competitors.
There were a few surprises too. Though Grand Prix Portland Team Sealed finalists No. 11 Eric Froehlich, Luis Scott-Vargas, and Paul Cheon made it into Day 2, returning champions, and highest-combined-rank team No. 1 Owen Turtenwald, No. 4 Reid Duke, and No. 9 William Jensen failed to win their final round to advance. Their Peach Garden Oath though unbroken, has been bent.
Sommerhalter, Kane, and Curran are the team to beat. And though they’re looking down on everyone from the top, we’ve all seen the mighty fall before. Can they hold on to the lead? We’ll find out bright and early tomorrow (though not quite as early, thanks to Daylight Savings Time).
See you then!
November 2 2014
THE UNDEFEATED OF DAY 1 by Adam StyborskiNine rounds, no byes: That's the march to become undefeated in Team Limited on Day 1 of a Grand Prix. Massaging mana, managing morphs, and making all the right calls – including whether you...
November 2 2014
BUBBLE MATCHES AND THE TOP 25 by Marc CalderaroGoing into the last round, the coveted Day 2 slot is still open game. Many teams were sitting at 6-2, hoping for one more win to clinch a spot at the table tomorrow. Walking around the middle...
November 2 2014
THE MINOR MATTER OF MANA by Adam StyborskiThroughout premier play with Khans of Tarkir one story rises every time: Mana really matters. In Sealed, the ability to play your most powerful cards without sacrificing consistency ensures a...
(1) Martell/Rosa/Shenhar, 2-1
(3) Black/Severa/Vidugiris
(2) Sharfman/Beasley/Cox
(4) Nass/Wilson/Hampton, 2-0
(1) Martell/Rosa/Shenhar
(4) Nass/Wilson/Hampton, 2-0
article GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE 2014 November 3, 2014
byThrough two days of Khans of Tarkir Team Sealed, with a flourish finish in Team Draft, led to nearly every card in the set being played. While we don't hold out hope for Lens of Clarity, there...
article GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE 2014 November 3, 2014
by Wizards of the CoastHere are the decklists from the Grand Prix Nashville Finals Draft. Matthew Nass ...
article GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE 2014 November 3, 2014
by Marc Calderaro(20) Shahar Shenhar, (18) Tom Martell, Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa vs. Matt Nass, (19) Jacob Wilson, Jesse Hampton It all came down to this. Both teams had great incentive to win. Jesse Hampton...
article GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE 2014 November 3, 2014
by Adam Styborski(18)Martell/Damo da Rosa/(20) Shenhar vs. (22)Black/Severa/Vidugiris How do you introduce some of the greatest players in the game, working as teams to take on another team of great...
article GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE 2014 November 3, 2014
by Marc CalderaroJesse Hampton, Matt Nass, (19) Jacob Wilson vs. Pat Cox, Orrin Beasley, David Sharfman As Jesse Hampton, Matt Nass, and No. 19 Jacob Wilson built their draft decks, they tried to assess what...
article GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE 2014 November 2, 2014
by Wizards of the CoastAfter many rounds of Swiss and some great games of Magic, the Top 4 teams for is set! Learn more about Grand Prix Nashville's Top 4 teams, their history at the top tables, and more by taking a...
article GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE 2014 November 2, 2014
by Adam StyborskiTeam Limited discussion can be dominated by Sealed. Day 1 and most of Day 2 of team Grand Prix are Team Sealed, and the teams vying to make Top 4 have to prove their mettle in building three decks...
article GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE 2014 November 2, 2014
by Adam StyborskiSkarren / Hayne / Wescoe vs. Thompson / Cho / Utter-Leyton Day 2 of Team Limited Grand Prix is a bustle of movement. The best teams have a tight radius to turn for the Top 4 slots, and after...
article GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE 2014 November 2, 2014
by Marc CalderaroWhat makes a good team? It's simple question, but it's deceptively intricate. You can just jam the best players together, but as some teams have shown (by not teaming up again after Grand Prix...
article GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE 2014 November 2, 2014
by Marc Calderaro(22) Black/Severa/Vidugiris vs. Wescoe/(17) Hayne/Skarren The team de-facto called "Team Madison" ran hot all yesterday. No. 22 Sam Black, Matt Severa, and Gaudenis Vidugiris are starting Day 2...
article GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE 2014 November 2, 2014
by Adam StyborskiAs the lone undefeated team, the 9-0 standouts Matthew Sommerhalter, Dewitt Kane, and Riley Curran built decks that stretched across the diversity of what's possible in Khans of Tarkir Team...
article GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE 2014 November 2, 2014
by Adam StyborskiNine rounds, no byes: That's the march to become undefeated in Team Limited on Day 1 of a Grand Prix. Massaging mana, managing morphs, and making all the right calls – including whether you...
article GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE 2014 November 2, 2014
by Marc CalderaroGoing into the last round, the coveted Day 2 slot is still open game. Many teams were sitting at 6-2, hoping for one more win to clinch a spot at the table tomorrow. Walking around the middle...
article GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE 2014 November 2, 2014
by Adam StyborskiThroughout premier play with Khans of Tarkir one story rises every time: Mana really matters. In Sealed, the ability to play your most powerful cards without sacrificing consistency ensures a...
article GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE 2014 November 2, 2014
by Adam StyborskiStark / Reeves / Fennell vs. Ochoa / Cuneo / Parker What happens when titans collide? Skill, experience, and knowledge are among the most important aspects the greatest bring to the game. But if...
article GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE 2014 November 2, 2014
by Marc CalderaroWith so much Magic to be had, many players have forgotten that this weekend is Halloween weekend in America. Though it was hard not to notice if you ventured into downtown with a bunch of festive...
article GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE 2014 November 1, 2014
by Marc CalderaroDavoudi/Nelson/Merriam vs. Wescoe/Hayne/Skarren Both these teams came into the third round 2-0. This was common at most events for these seasoned players, as most of them would usually have...
article GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE 2014 November 1, 2014
by Adam StyborskiFinding teammates isn't always easy, even for some of the game's greats. Skill, location, history, and camaraderie all count when you're looking to team up to play. Here's how a few of the biggest...
article GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE 2014 November 1, 2014
by Marc CalderaroThe Grand Prix Team Sealed day starts like no other Grand Prix. Because of pool registrations, pool verifications, then an extra-long (sixty-minute) deck building period, the teams are seated for...
article GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE 2014 November 1, 2014
by Marc CalderaroIf you're new to the tournament Magic scene, or a sporadic spectator, you can be forgiven for not knowing the intricacies of Magic Team Sealed tournaments. "But Marc, isn't Magic an individual...
