November 23 2014
TOP 5 CARDS by Event Coverage StaffHere's a look at the cards that defined Grand Prix Ottawa. 5. Sagu Mauler In Khans of Tarkir sealed, you're looking to stretch your mana to get your most powerful effects without giving up...
TOP 8 COVERAGE
Saturday morning, 1345 players came to Ottawa with hopes of being crowned Grand Prix Ottawa Champion. After nine rounds of Khans of Tarkir Sealed Deck, the field was reduced to just 150 players.
The remaining players returned for six rounds of Khans of Tarkir Draft. The Khans of Tarkir Draft format continues to cement itself as one of the most skill-intensive Limited formats in quite some time. The dust settled and only eight remained: (16) Shahar Shenhar, (14) Sam Black, Jessica Buchanan, Seth Manfield, Neal Oliver, Xavier Allegrucci, Lucas Siow, and Pascal Maynard were the last eight standing.
Seth Manfield won a tight three games against Jessica Buchanan in the quarterfinals, steamrolled Lucas Siow in the semifinals, and made short work of Neil Oliver in the finals. Trumpet Blast, Jeering Instigator, and Barrage of Boulders allowed Manfield to win games seemingly out of nowhere time after time. Seth Manfield is your Grand Prix Ottawa Champion!
November 23 2014
TOP 5 CARDS by Event Coverage StaffHere's a look at the cards that defined Grand Prix Ottawa. 5. Sagu Mauler In Khans of Tarkir sealed, you're looking to stretch your mana to get your most powerful effects without giving up...
November 23 2014
FINALS: SETH MANFIELD VS. NEAL OLIVER by Josh BennettOne match for all the marbles. Both players have been here before and emerged victorious. Who will be the Champion? Neal Oliver, Team USA member and winner of the largest Grand Prix ever? Or will...
November 23 2014
TOP 8 DECKLISTS by Wizards of the CoastHere are the Top 8 decklists from Grand Prix Ottawa! Shahar Shenhar ...
DAY 2 COVERAGE
Welcome back to Grand Prix Ottawa. Yesterday, 1345 players battled their way through nine rounds of Khans of Tarkir Sealed Deck. Of those, 150 performed well enough to return for the second day of competition. Today, players will be playing six rounds of Khans of Tarkir Draft before we cut to the Top 8 Draft elimination rounds. Leading the pack are (14) Sam Black, Matt Costa, Vincent Thibeault, and Cedrick Tremblay with 9-0 records. Stay tuned for continuing coverage of Grand Prix Ottawa!
November 23 2014
ROUND 15: STEVE RUBIN VS. PASCAL MAYNARD by Josh BennettThe last round of swiss is brutal. You've been playing all weekend and the mental fatigue is starting to build up. The excitement of the run at the Top 8 has been climbing too, slowly, with each...
November 23 2014
ROUND 12: LUCAS SIOW VS. PASCAL MAYNARD by Jacob Van LunenThe Canadian Magic community has experienced a renaissance of sorts over the last few years. The success of players like Jon Stern, Shaun McLaren, and Alexander Hayne has sparked a surge in the...
November 23 2014
ROUND 11: SETH MANFIELD VS. DAVID OCHOA by Josh BennettThere's no room left for error for these two players. Already saddled with two lossses each, another would put the Top 8 out of reach. The Players Azorius Food Justicar and moustache enthusiast...
DAY 1 COVERAGE
This morning, 1345 players came to The Great White North with dreams of being crowned Grand Prix Ottawa Champion. After nine rounds of Khans of Tarkir Sealed Deck, ponly 150 remain. Leading the pack are Matt Costa, (14) Samuel Black, Vincent Thibeault, and Cedric Tremblay. Will these players continue their dominance in the second day Khans of Tarkir Draft portion of the tournament, or will a new hero emerge victorious? Stay tuned to continuing coverage of Grand Prix Ottawa!
November 22 2014
ROUND 9: VINCENT THIBEAULT VS. COLBY WARKENTIN by Josh BennettThere's nothing quite like sitting 8-0 heading into the final round of Day 1. You know you're into Day 2, and even if you lose you still have good position to Top 8. What should be the most...
November 22 2014
ROUND 7: DANIEL VS THE GOLIATH by Alex AndersonOne of the great things about Grand Prix tournaments is the opportunity for relatively new players to face off against established pros. Round Seven gave us just such a match-up as Daniel Higgs,...
November 22 2014
A LOOK AT THE TOP by Josh BennettI spent the seventh round haunting the Top Tables in hopes of getting a feel for what was winning. Looking over twenty matches, the picture was clearer than I expected. The most populous decks...
(7) Pascal Maynard
(4) Xavier Allgrucci, 2-1
(3) Sam Black
(5) Neal Oliver, 2-1
(8) Jessica Buchanan
(6) Seth Manfield, 2-1
(1) Shahar Shenhar
(2) Lucas Siow, 2-0
(4) Savier Allgrucci
(5) Neal Oliver, 2-1
(6) Seth Manfield, 2-0
(2) Lucas Siow
(5) Neal Oliver
(6) Seth Manfield, 2-0
Note: final standings reflect the number of players participating in the event, not the number of preregistered players.
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 23, 2014
by Event Coverage StaffHere's a look at the cards that defined Grand Prix Ottawa. 5. Sagu Mauler In Khans of Tarkir sealed, you're looking to stretch your mana to get your most powerful effects without giving up...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 23, 2014
FINALS: SETH MANFIELD VS. NEAL OLIVER
by Josh BennettOne match for all the marbles. Both players have been here before and emerged victorious. Who will be the Champion? Neal Oliver, Team USA member and winner of the largest Grand Prix ever? Or will...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 23, 2014
by Wizards of the CoastHere are the Top 8 decklists from Grand Prix Ottawa! Shahar Shenhar ...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 23, 2014
SEMIFINALS: NEAL OLIVER VS. XAVIER ALLEGRUCCI
by Jacob Van LunenNeal Oliver is armed with a Secret Plans deck while his opponent, Xavier Allegrucci, had an aggressive Temur tempo strategy. In the first game, both players developed their boards, but Allegrucci...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 24, 2014
SEMIFINALS: SETH MANFIELD VS. LUCAS SIOW
by Jacob Van LunenLucas Siow is armed with a powerful midrange strategy that features a lot of board sweepers like Death Frenzy and Duneblast. His opponent, Seth Manfield, has a brutal Mardu token strategy that has...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 24, 2014
by Josh BennettThe Top 8 draft was a wild affair, with a variety of strong, focused decks. Here's a look at two of the quarterfinal matches. Quarterfinal 1: Xavier Allegrucci vs Pascal Maynard An all-Quebec...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 24, 2014
QUARTERFINALS: LUCAS SIOW VS. SHAHAR SHENHAR
by Jacob Van LunenShahar Shenhar is the reigning world champion. Currently ranked 16th in the world, Shenhar already has two Grand Prix victories and another Top 8 to his name. Shenhar enters this Top 8 as the...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 24, 2014
QUARTERFINALS: SAM BLACK VS. NEAL OLIVER
by Jacob Van LunenSamuel Black is currently ranked fourteenth in the world in the Pro Player Power Rankings. Black has a staggering nine Grand Prix Top 8s to his name and two Pro Tour Top 8s on top of that. Black...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 23, 2014
by Wizards of the CoastAfter many rounds of Swiss and some great games of Magic, the Top 8 for Grand Prix Ottawa is set! Learn more about this event’s Top 8 competitors, their history at the top tables, and more by...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 23, 2014
ROUND 15: STEVE RUBIN VS. PASCAL MAYNARD
by Josh BennettThe last round of swiss is brutal. You've been playing all weekend and the mental fatigue is starting to build up. The excitement of the run at the Top 8 has been climbing too, slowly, with each...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 23, 2014
ROUND 12: LUCAS SIOW VS. PASCAL MAYNARD
by Jacob Van LunenThe Canadian Magic community has experienced a renaissance of sorts over the last few years. The success of players like Jon Stern, Shaun McLaren, and Alexander Hayne has sparked a surge in the...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 23, 2014
ROUND 11: SETH MANFIELD VS. DAVID OCHOA
by Josh BennettThere's no room left for error for these two players. Already saddled with two lossses each, another would put the Top 8 out of reach. The Players Azorius Food Justicar and moustache enthusiast...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 23, 2014
by Jacob Van LunenMatthew Costa has been a fixture of the Pro Tour since 2011. Last year, Costa was unable to attend a Pro Tour and now he finds himself in an unfamiliar position. Costa is, for the first time in a...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 23, 2014
by Josh BennettFor a year Shahar Shenhar has been known simply as The Champ. He's worn the title well, being a fixture in the Top 25 Rankings. The World Championship looms on the horizon, offering him a chance...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 23, 2014
by Wizards of the CoastAfter nine rounds of swiss, only four players managed to escape with completely unscathed records! ...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 22, 2014
ROUND 9: VINCENT THIBEAULT VS. COLBY WARKENTIN
by Josh BennettThere's nothing quite like sitting 8-0 heading into the final round of Day 1. You know you're into Day 2, and even if you lose you still have good position to Top 8. What should be the most...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 22, 2014
ROUND 7: DANIEL VS THE GOLIATH
by Alex AndersonOne of the great things about Grand Prix tournaments is the opportunity for relatively new players to face off against established pros. Round Seven gave us just such a match-up as Daniel Higgs,...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 22, 2014
by Josh BennettI spent the seventh round haunting the Top Tables in hopes of getting a feel for what was winning. Looking over twenty matches, the picture was clearer than I expected. The most populous decks...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 22, 2014
by Alex AndersonLooking around the room at more than 1300 players, all slinging spells in the largest tournament ever held in this city, Dave Tellier got a feeling that mixed satisfaction and vindication....
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 22, 2014
by Jacob Van LunenOwen Turtenwald has been playing high-profile Magic events for the better part of the last decade. Turtenwald first broke onto the competitive scene with a Top 8 at Grand Prix Columbus in 2007....
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 22, 2014
by Jacob Van LunenJacob Wilson, currently ranked 11th in the world, has quickly risen up from obscurity to be one of the most impressive Magic players in the world. In just a few years of competitive play, Wilson...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 23, 2014
ROUND 4: SAM BLACK VS. DAN LANTHIER
by Josh BennettEven in this modern era of super-sized Grand Prix, there's no guarantee of an easy road to start the day. Take this match. On one side, hometown hero and 2008 Canadian National Champion Dan...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 22, 2014
by Jacob Van LunenAt this point, we've had well over a month to draft and play Sealed Deck with Khans of Tarkir. I sat down with some players that have a ton of experience playing or watching the new Limited format...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 23, 2014
by Josh BennettIn a limited format as wide-open as Khans of Tarkir, the question of what makes a winning sealed deck is not an easy one to answer. In an attempt to cast some light on the subject, we've gone...
article GRAND PRIX OTTAWA 2014 November 23, 2014
by Wizards of the CoastStephen Whelan - Boss Sligh ...