October 12 2015
Top 5 Cards by Adam StyborskiCapturing a weekend of tales and battles is impossible with just a handful of cards, but the five from Grand Prix Madison cover the beginnings of the lessons from Sealed Deck and Draft. Catch up...
Pro Tour Hall of Fame player Raphaël Lévy took a more colorful road to victory at Grand Prix Madison, defeating 2014 Magic Online Champion Magnus Lantto in the finals.
TOP 8 COVERAGE
Raphaël Lévy picked up his fifth lifetime Grand Prix victory in Madison, taking down a Top 8 filled with competitors like fellow Pro Tour Hall of Fame member and fourth-ranked Paul Rietzl, two-time Grand Prix winner Samuel Pardee and, in the finals, the 2014 Magic Online Champion Magnus Lantto.
While devoid and other colorless cards become the breakout strategy in the two drafts to determine Top 8, Lévy's winning approach eschewed that for more colorful threats and answers. Throughout Sealed and Draft, three colors wasn't an unusual option to appear in action despite the clear preference for two-colors when it was possible. Lévy's last deck didn't feature any way to fix his mana but it didn't stop the power of his converge cards from clinching the win.
With the first hurdle of the Wisconsin the run complete all eyes looked forward to more action at Pro Tour Battle for Zendikar. With a fresh Grand Prix win under his belt, Lévy was just one of the many players eager to aim even higher the following weekend. Congratulations again to now five-time Grand Prix winner Raphaël Lévy, champion of Grand Prix Madison!
October 12 2015
Top 5 Cards by Adam StyborskiCapturing a weekend of tales and battles is impossible with just a handful of cards, but the five from Grand Prix Madison cover the beginnings of the lessons from Sealed Deck and Draft. Catch up...
October 12 2015
Finals: Raphaël Lévy vs. Magnus Lantto by Corbin Hosler“At least a European will win this, right?” Raphaël Lévy asked his opponent as they shuffled up for the final match of Grand Prix Madison. “Let’s show these Americans how it’s...
October 12 2015
TOP 8 DECKLISTS by Adam StyborskiWant to see what rose to the top of Grand Prix Madison? Then take a look at the Top 8 competitors' decklists! ...
DAY 2 COVERAGE
1,820 players started the day at Grand Prix Madison, and after nine rounds of Battle for Zendikar Sealed Deck just 205 have returned for the Sunday showdown. Leading off for the day were seven undefeated players: 2015 Magic Online Champion Magnus Lantto, Ashwin Ugale, Scott Markeson, Pro Tour Hall of Fame elect Willy Edel, Samuel Pardee, Patrick Kopp and Libang Yu.
With the first lessons of the Sealed format ringing out it’s time to turn our ears and eyes on Battle for Zendikar Draft. Two drafts – six rounds – stand between the 205 and a new Grand Prix Top 8. Join Randy Buehler, Rich Hagon and Marshall Sutcliffe watching Magic’s biggest names draft all day long on Twitch.tv/magic.
October 11 2015
A Week in Wisconsin by Corbin HoslerIt began across the world. The Battle for Zendikar was joined, with Zendikari and Eldrazi battling for supremacy across the plane. More locally, in game stores and kitchen tables, players began to...
October 11 2015
Digesting Battle for Zendikar Draft by Corbin HoslerThe first that comes to mind is Nettle Drone. The category? It's not best common, or best red card, or even ugliest Eldrazi in the set. Instead, Nettle Drone is an example of a card that is much...
October 11 2015
Drafting With… Paul Rietzl by Corbin Hosler“This is my first time drafting this. Can I have extra time to read the cards?” Sorry, fourth-ranked player in the world and hall of famer Paul Rietzl, that's not quite how it works here on...
DAY 1 COVERAGE
1,820 players started the day at Grand Prix Madison, and after nine rounds of Battle for Zendikar Sealed Deck just 205 will return for the Sunday showdown. Leading that pack are 7 undefeated players: 2015 Magic Online Champion Magnus Lantto, Ashwin Ugale, Scott Markeson, Pro Tour Hall of Fame elect Willy Edel, Samuel Pardee, Patrick Kopp and at 8-0-1 Libang Yu.
With the first lessons of the Sealed format ringing out it’s time to turn our ears and eyes on Battle for Zendikar Draft. You can join Randy Buehler, Rich Hagon and Marshall Sutcliffe watching some of Magic’s biggest names draft beginning at 9 AM CDT (10 AM EDT, 7 AM PDT, 4 PM CEST) on Twitch.tv/magic.
October 11 2015
Day 1 Undefeated Decklists by Adam StyborskiFrom 1,820 players and nine rounds of Battle for Zendikar Sealed Deck emerged just seven undefeated players from Day 1 at Grand Prix Madison. These were decks that they took to Sealed...
October 11 2015
The Exploration of Battle for Zendikar by Corbin HoslerWalking by Daniel Cecchetti's table, the Grand Prix Miami champion looked to be in trouble. His opponent had just resolved Turn Against and used Cecchetti's own creature to knock him down to 2...
October 11 2015
First Lessons on Battle for Zendikar Sealed Deck by Adam StyborskiBattle for Zendikar had been in the wild for just over a week, with its Magic Online Prerelease just beginning over the Grand Prix Madison weekend. If you run that math on that you’ll find...
(8) Joe Lavrenz, 2-0
(4) Andrew Maine
(5) Raphaël Lévy, 2-0
(6) Samuel Pardee
(2) Magnus Lantto, 2-0
(3) Paul Rietzl
(7) Jérémy Dezani
(1) Jon Graham, 2-0
(8) Joe Lavrenz
(5) Raphaël Lévy,2-0
(2) Magnus Lantto, 2-1
(1) Jon Graham
(5) Raphaël Lévy, 2-0
(2) Magnus Lantto
Note: final standings reflect the number of players participating in the event, not the number of preregistered players.
article Grand Prix Madison 2015 October 12, 2015
by Adam StyborskiCapturing a weekend of tales and battles is impossible with just a handful of cards, but the five from Grand Prix Madison cover the beginnings of the lessons from Sealed Deck and Draft. Catch up...
article Grand Prix Madison 2015 October 12, 2015
Finals: Raphaël Lévy vs. Magnus Lantto
by Corbin Hosler“At least a European will win this, right?” Raphaël Lévy asked his opponent as they shuffled up for the final match of Grand Prix Madison. “Let’s show these Americans how it’s...
article Grand Prix Madison 2015 October 12, 2015
by Adam StyborskiWant to see what rose to the top of Grand Prix Madison? Then take a look at the Top 8 competitors' decklists! ...
article Grand Prix Madison 2015 October 12, 2015
Semifinals: Jon Graham vs. Magnus Lantto
by Corbin HoslerJon Graham had already accomplished more than he had expected, flying through Day 2 of Grand Prix Madison with an undefeated record thanks to one of the less-flashy-but-plenty-powerful archetypes...
article Grand Prix Madison 2015 October 12, 2015
Semifinals: Raphaël Lévy vs. Joe Lavrenz
by Adam StyborskiThe Pro Tour Hall of Fame isn't where players go to retire: It's where the game's greatest go to keep playing. Raphaël Lévy was among the best longtime players, and adding yet another Grand Prix...
article GRAND PRIX MADISON 2015 October 12, 2015
by Corbin HoslerWith all eight players done constructing their final draft deck of the day, the Top 8 took off with a bang, as each vied to complete the first step toward the championship title and the...
article Grand Prix Madison 2015 October 12, 2015
by Adam StyborskiLearn more about Grand Prix Madison's Top 8 competitors by taking a look through their profiles! Joe Lavrenz Age: 35 Hometown: Fond du Lac, WI Previous Magic Accomplishments: None (This is...
article Grand Prix Madison 2015 October 11, 2015
by Corbin HoslerIt began across the world. The Battle for Zendikar was joined, with Zendikari and Eldrazi battling for supremacy across the plane. More locally, in game stores and kitchen tables, players began to...
article Grand Prix Madison 2015 October 11, 2015
Digesting Battle for Zendikar Draft
by Corbin HoslerThe first that comes to mind is Nettle Drone. The category? It's not best common, or best red card, or even ugliest Eldrazi in the set. Instead, Nettle Drone is an example of a card that is much...
article GRAND PRIX MADISON 2015 October 11, 2015
by Corbin Hosler“This is my first time drafting this. Can I have extra time to read the cards?” Sorry, fourth-ranked player in the world and hall of famer Paul Rietzl, that's not quite how it works here on...
article GRAND PRIX MADISON 2015 October 11, 2015
by Adam StyborskiFrom 1,820 players and nine rounds of Battle for Zendikar Sealed Deck emerged just seven undefeated players from Day 1 at Grand Prix Madison. These were decks that they took to Sealed...
article GRAND PRIX MADISON 2015 October 11, 2015
The Exploration of Battle for Zendikar
by Corbin HoslerWalking by Daniel Cecchetti's table, the Grand Prix Miami champion looked to be in trouble. His opponent had just resolved Turn Against and used Cecchetti's own creature to knock him down to 2...
article GRAND PRIX MADISON 2015 October 11, 2015
First Lessons on Battle for Zendikar Sealed Deck
by Adam StyborskiBattle for Zendikar had been in the wild for just over a week, with its Magic Online Prerelease just beginning over the Grand Prix Madison weekend. If you run that math on that you’ll find...
article Grand Prix Madison 2015 October 10, 2015
The Lands of Battle for Zendikar
by Corbin HoslerAri Lax stared down at his board. A careful study of his opponent’s creatures and a quick glance at the top of his deck — and with no cards in hand — he knew he needed exactly one type of...
article Grand Prix Madison 2015 October 10, 2015
by Corbin HoslerWhat commons do you most want to open? While it's the powerful and rare cards that get most of the headlines, the backbone of any good Limited deck is its commons. A few copies of a strong...
article Grand Prix Madison 2015 October 10, 2015
The Anchors of Battle for Zendikar
by Corbin HoslerEvery Magic format is unique, and Battle for Zendikar is no exception. While some Sealed Deck formats can be fairly straightforward, Magic's newest set offers plenty of room for exploration. While...
article Grand Prix Madison 2015 October 10, 2015
Grand Prix Trial Winning Decklists
by Adam StyborskiNeed byes for an upcoming Grand Prix? Your local game store may have a Grand Prix Trial scheduled, and if you arrive at an event still in need the Trials that run Friday are your last chance to...
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