October 26 2014
TOP 5 CARDS by Frank KarstenHere are five cards that sum up some of the biggest stories of the weekend. 5. Riddle of Lightning The new delve spells from Khans of Tarkir have already left their mark on...
TOP 8 COVERAGE
Jeskai had been one of the biggest stories to come out of Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir, but at the following Grand Prix in Los Angeles the deck shocked the Standard world by its absence from the top ranks. Nevertheless, Slovak Matej Zatlkaj, a veteran of multiple Pro Tour Top 8s, was adamant: The deck was still good, he claimed even in the early rounds of Saturday, and if no one else was going to prove it, he would do it himself. And prove it he did, piloting the deck all the way to victory.
Over the course of the tournament, we also saw the rise of Sultai, which in turn found its perfect foil in the form of another graveyard-based deck: a green-black build with Eidolon of Blossoms and Doomwake Giant put two players into the Top 8. A testament to the diversity of the current Standard format, the Top 8 further included one Mono-Red and one Abzan deck, one copy of the aforementioned Sultai deck, a Temur deck that, piloted by Einar Baldvinsson, made it all the way to the finals, and two Jeskai decks.
And in the end, Jeskai, in the capable hands of Zatlkaj, defeated all comers. He gave away but one game in the whole Top 8, a Top 8 which also included well-known pros Lukas Blohon and Christian Seibold. Congratulations to Matej Zatlkaj, champion of Grand Prix Stockholm 2014!
October 26 2014
TOP 5 CARDS by Frank KarstenHere are five cards that sum up some of the biggest stories of the weekend. 5. Riddle of Lightning The new delve spells from Khans of Tarkir have already left their mark on...
October 26 2014
FINALS: MATEJ ZATLKAJ VS. EINAR BALDVINSSON by Tobi HenkeThis was it. Of the original 1,043 players only two remained to fight for the honor, the glory, the trophy, and the title of Grand Prix Stockholm champion. In one corner, there was Slovak Matej...
October 26 2014
TOP 8 DECKLISTS by Frank KarstenHere are the Top 8 decklists of Grand Prix Stockholm 2014. Thiago Rodrigues – Abzan...
DAY 2 COVERAGE
Welcome to Day 2 of Grand Prix Stockholm 2014! Yesterday morning, 1,043 players had entered the tournament, a number reduced to but 123 by the end of the day. These 123—everyone with a record of 7-2 or better—return today for an additional six rounds of Standard and will try to clinch a berth among the Top 8.
Who will make it? Three players finished Saturday with perfect records of 9-0: Pro Tour Born of the Gods quarterfinalist Christian Seibold from Germany as well as Oskar Sköld from Sweden and Einar Baldvinsson from Iceland. With records of 8-1, players like Matej Zatlkaj, Lukas Blohon, Anssi Alkio, and Kenny Öberg aren't far behind however, and Valentin Mackl, Martin Jůza, Denniz Rachid, (10) Stanislav Cifka, Wenzel Krautmann, Florian Koch, Ondrej Strasky, Patrick Dickmann, Pierre Dagen, and Max Sjöblom at 7-2 can't be discounted either.
We have already seen some new developments in the Standard format yesterday, like the rise of Sultai and aggressive two-color decks based in white. We will certainly see more today, when we take a deeper look into the metagame, when we follow the best players on their way to the Top 8, and when a new champion is crowned. Join us, both on text and on live video, as we bring you all the news, all the action, and all the excitement straight from the battlefield of Grand Prix Stockholm 2014!
October 26 2014
ROUND 14 FEATURE MATCH by Tobi HenkeIn this, the penultimate round before the Top 8, Matej Zatlkaj met Max Sjöblom. Both have one previous Grand Prix Top 8 to their name, with one additional Top 8 at the Pro Tour for Sjöblom and...
October 26 2014
QUICK QUESTION #5 by Tobi HenkeWe asked a couple of players how to beat Abzan, arguably the biggest deck in the format and the one match-up one absolutely has to have a plan against … How do You Beat Abzan? Thoralf...
October 26 2014
ROUND 13 FEATURE MATCH by Frank KarstenThis match pitted together Max Sjoblom, playing Mardu Midrange, against George Volakis, running Jeskai Ascendancy combo. Both of them were sitting on 10-2 records, so they can still make Top 8 if...
DAY 1 COVERAGE
Day 1 of Grand Prix Stockholm 2014 is in the books. 1,043 players had entered the tournament this morning and, through nine grueling rounds of Standard, the field has now been reduced to but 123.
Leading the pack overnight are three players with perfect records of 9-0: Pro Tour Born of the Gods Top 8 competitor Christian Seibold from Germany as well as Oskar Sköld from Sweden and Einar Baldvinsson from Iceland. These three may have a head start over the competition tomorrow, but well-known players like Matej Zatlkaj, Lukas Blohon, Anssi Alkio, Kenny Öberg (all 8-1), Valentin Mackl, Martin Jůza, Denniz Rachid, (10) Stanislav Cifka, Wenzel Krautmann, Florian Koch, Ondrej Strasky, Patrick Dickmann, Pierre Dagen, Max Sjöblom (all 7-1) are not far behind.
We've already seen some new developments in the Standard format today, like the rise of Sultai and aggressive two-color decks based in white. We will certainly see more tomorrow, when we take a deeper look into the metagame, when we follow the best players on their way to the Top 8, and when a new champion is crowned. Until then, good night from Stockholm!
October 25 2014
BUBBLE MATCH ROUNDUP by Frank KarstenIt's bubble-match time once again! If you're 6-2 going into Round 9, you need to win the last match of the day to earn your spot into the second day of competition. Amongst the competitors facing...
October 25 2014
FROM HONOLULU VIA LOS ANGELES TO STOCKHOLM by Tobi HenkeThere aren't really that many players here this weekend who also attended the Pro Tour two weeks ago as well as the Grand Prix last week. It is quite the trip, after all, through various airports,...
October 25 2014
QUICK QUESTION #3 by Tobi HenkeWe asked a couple of players what they believe to be the reason for Jeskai's fall from grace—from one of the most succesful decks at the Pro Tour two weeks ago to barely being represented in the...
(1) Thiago Rodrigues , 2-0
(8) Alexander Pasgaard
(5) Matej Zatlkaj, 2-1
(4) Matteo Cirigliano
(3) Lukas Blohon, 2-1
(6) Christian Seibold
(7) Einar Baldvinsson, 2-1
(2) Giovanni Rosi
(1) Thiago Rodrigues
(5) Matej Zatlkaj, 2-1
(3) Lukas Blohon
(7) Einar Baldvinsson, 2-1
(5) Matej Zatlkaj, 2-0
(7) Einar Baldvinsson
Note: final standings reflect the number of players participating in the event, not the number of preregistered players.
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 26, 2014
by Frank KarstenHere are five cards that sum up some of the biggest stories of the weekend. 5. Riddle of Lightning The new delve spells from Khans of Tarkir have already left their mark on...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 26, 2014
FINALS: MATEJ ZATLKAJ VS. EINAR BALDVINSSON
by Tobi HenkeThis was it. Of the original 1,043 players only two remained to fight for the honor, the glory, the trophy, and the title of Grand Prix Stockholm champion. In one corner, there was Slovak Matej...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 26, 2014
by Frank KarstenHere are the Top 8 decklists of Grand Prix Stockholm 2014. Thiago Rodrigues – Abzan...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 26, 2014
by Frank KarstenWith only four players remaining in the tournament, the action is heating up. Semifinal 1: Thiago Rodrigues (Abzan Midrange) - Matej Zatlkaj (Jeskai) Before this event, Zatlkaj had more Pro Tour...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 26, 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! L-R: Alexander Pasgaard (Jeskai) vs....
article October 26, 2014
by Event Coverage StaffAfter many rounds of Swiss and some great games of Magic, the Top 8 for Grand Prix Stockholm 2014 is set! Learn more about this event’s Top 8 competitors, their history at the top tables, and...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 26, 2014
by Frank KarstenAll of these players came close, but in the end, they fell just short of advancing to the Top 8. Here are their decklists. ...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 26, 2014
DAY 2 SCORES AND MATCHUP BREAKDOWN
by Frank KarstenAfter hundreds of Day 2 matches have concluded, I always like to run the numbers. Here is the average number of match points gained during the Swiss rounds of the Sunday competition by pilots of...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 26, 2014
by Tobi HenkeIn this, the penultimate round before the Top 8, Matej Zatlkaj met Max Sjöblom. Both have one previous Grand Prix Top 8 to their name, with one additional Top 8 at the Pro Tour for Sjöblom and...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 26, 2014
by Tobi HenkeWe asked a couple of players how to beat Abzan, arguably the biggest deck in the format and the one match-up one absolutely has to have a plan against … How do You Beat Abzan? Thoralf...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 26, 2014
by Frank KarstenThis match pitted together Max Sjoblom, playing Mardu Midrange, against George Volakis, running Jeskai Ascendancy combo. Both of them were sitting on 10-2 records, so they can still make Top 8 if...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 26, 2014
DECK TECH: DIG THROUGH LIGHTNING WITH MIKAEL MAGNUSSON
by Tobi HenkeWhile sadly no longer on course for Top 8, Mikael Magnusson has brought one of the most interesting decks we've seen all weekend: an almost creatureless blue-red counter-burn strategy. The most...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 26, 2014
DECK TECH: B/W AGGRO WITH MARTIN JŮZA
by Frank KarstenAlthough Khans of Tarkir has pushed most players towards three-color decks, Platinum pro Martin Jůza is content with two colors only: He showed up with a B/W Aggro deck. Martin Jůza With...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 26, 2014
by Tobi HenkeOf all the 1,043 players just three managed to escape Saturday's grueling nine rounds with unblemished records. Christian Seibold, Oskar Sköld, and Einar Agust Baldvinsson all went 9-0, and...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 26, 2014
by Frank KarstenThis is week three of a four-week Standard world tour. The format took off two weeks ago with Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir, where Abzan and Jeskai were the big decks to emerge. The next stop was last...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 26, 2014
by Frank KarstenDay 2 of Grand Prix Stockholm has begun, and we've got a metagame breakdown of what the field looks like here today. Here are the raw numbers: Deck ...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 26, 2014
by Tobi HenkeWe asked a couple of players how the results from Grand Prix Los Angeles affected their deck choice for this event... Thoralf Severin: The Pro Tour was the most important thing, of course,...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 26, 2014
DECK TECH: UW HEROIC WITH JAN VAN DER VEGT
by Frank KarstenMost players at Grand Prix Stockholm opted for more traditional strategies, but Jan van der Vegt brought a spicy one to the table: U/W Heroic! Or "Falcon Punch!" as he calls it, in reference to...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 25, 2014
by Frank KarstenIt's bubble-match time once again! If you're 6-2 going into Round 9, you need to win the last match of the day to earn your spot into the second day of competition. Amongst the competitors facing...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 25, 2014
FROM HONOLULU VIA LOS ANGELES TO STOCKHOLM
by Tobi HenkeThere aren't really that many players here this weekend who also attended the Pro Tour two weeks ago as well as the Grand Prix last week. It is quite the trip, after all, through various airports,...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 25, 2014
by Tobi HenkeWe asked a couple of players what they believe to be the reason for Jeskai's fall from grace—from one of the most succesful decks at the Pro Tour two weeks ago to barely being represented in the...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 25, 2014
by Tobi HenkeNiklas Ramquist has one previous Grand Prix Top 8 finish under his belt, Valentin Mackl has four. Both were obviously looking to add another to their résumé this weekend, and did very well so...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 25, 2014
DECK TECH: GREEN-BLACK DEVOTION WITH MICHAEL BONDE
by Frank Karsten"The deck is really good against fair aggro decks or grindy midrange decks, but it has a hard time beating burn spells or countermagic," Michael Bonde explained when the video coverage team...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 25, 2014
by Frank KarstenOliver Polak-Rottmann won the previous European Grand Prix in Europe with Mono-Blue Devotion. Since then, Nightveil Specter and Tidebinder Mage had rotated out of Standard, and he switched to...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 25, 2014
DECK TECH: SIDISI-WHIP WITH THORALF SEVERIN
by Frank Karsten"The best card in the deck is Hornet Queen, and it works best with Whip of Erebos ... these are the two cards that make the deck," Thoralf Severin explained when the video coverage team recorded a...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 25, 2014
by Tobi HenkeWhile neither Martin Jůza nor Thoralf Severin can be called a stranger to the feature match area, Jůza's accomplishments clearly dwarf Severin's. Jůza has a whopping 18 Grand Prix Top 8s to his...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 25, 2014
by Wizards of the CoastWe asked a couple of players what they believe to be the three best decks in Standard at the moment. And one should value their input, seeing as these four can boast a combined four Pro Tour Top...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 25, 2014
METAGAME OF THE THREE-BYE PLAYERS
by Frank KarstenWith approximately a thousand players in the room, there's no chance we could tell you about the whole of the Day 1 metagame. Something we can tell you about, however, are the deck choices of all...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 25, 2014
THE TOP 12 CARDS IN KHANS OF TARKIR FOR STANDARD
by Frank KarstenKhans of Tarkir has had a huge impact on virtually every Constructed format, with powerful cards slotting into any number of decks. But let me zoom in on Standard. That's the format at this...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 25, 2014
by Tobi HenkeWe asked a couple of players what they believe to be the three most-played decks at this Grand Prix. And one should value their input, seeing as these four can boast a combined four Pro Tour Top...
article GRAND PRIX STOCKHOLM 2014 October 25, 2014
GRAND PRIX TRIAL WINNING DECKLISTS
by Frank KarstenYesterday, a lot of players competed in the Grand Prix Trials to earn two byes in the main event, and Elvish Mystic was out in force: as many as 13 out of the 17 winning decklists were playing...
We use cookies on this site to personalize content and ads, provide social media features and analyze web traffic. By clicking YES, you are consenting for us to set cookies. (Learn more about cookies)