Raphael Levy
Age: 25
Hometown: Toulouse, France
Occupation: Teacher / Internet Columnist
Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour: A couple...
How did you qualify for Pro Tour-Yokohama? Top 50 in Geneva!
Number of GP/PT Top 8s: 13 GP Top 8's / 3 PT Top 8's
Other previous Magic accomplishments: Top 50 in Geneva. Lucky. (Also member of the Magic Pro Tour Hall of Fame)
What deck are you playing and why?
A mono-red burn deck called "Make It Rain." It seemed to be the most adapted deck to the format.
How did you prepare for the event? Who did you prepare with?
I playtested on Magic Online a little to have an idea about the field. The REAL playtesting came on Thursday when I had a VERY close idea of what the field would be. Julien Nuijten showed me the deck I wanted to see... the best one!
What was the key card in your deck and why?
Keldon Marauders, a two-casting cost creature / burn spell.
What advice would you have for players using your deck archetype in a Pro Tour Qualifier?
Avoid Wall of Roots if possible.
Road to the Top 8
2-0 Szleifer, Gadiel
2-0 Kotrla, Jan
2-0 Yamanishi, Mamoru
2-0 Pui, Boon Keng
1-2 De Rosa, Antonino
0-2 Page, Benjamin
2-0 Zhou, George
2-1 Summersberger, Helmut
0-2 Künzler, Matthias
2-1 Yasutomi, Hiroto
2-0 Murray, Stephen
2-0 Saitou, Tomoharu
2-0 Nakatani, Haruki
2-0 Fujita, Tsuyoshi
2-0 Echeverría Paredes, José Luis
0-0-99 Herberholz, Mark
Record: 12-3-1
Record vs. Top 8: 1-0-1
Sebastian Thaler
Age: 20
Hometown: Germany
Occupation: Car salesman
Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour: 6
How did you qualify for Pro Tour-Yokohama?
Level 4 of Pro Players Club
Number of GP/PT Top 8s: 3 Grand Prix
Other previous Magic accomplishments:
6rh at Pro Tour-Charleston, 18th at Pro Tour-Geneva, 4 GP Top 16,
What deck are you playing and why?
Red-green land destruction with splash black for Void
How did you prepare for the event? Who did you prepare with?
On Magic Online and especially with Helmut Summersberger
What was the key card in your deck and why?
Bogardan Hellkite, it's the best creature in the format
What advice would you have for players using your deck archetype in a Pro Tour Qualifier?
Test it a lot, it's difficult to play
Road to the Top 8
1-2 Miglioranza, Simone
2-1 Woods, Tyler
2-0 Yasutomi, Hiroto
0-2 Thompson, Mike
2-0 Katayama, Takahiro
2-0 Birklid, Steven
2-0 Nixon, Brandon
2-1 Sadeghpour, Johan
2-1 Rubin, Ben
2-1 Soh, Terry
1-2 Fujita, Tsuyoshi
1-2 Hall, Zack
2-0 Weng, Ruei-Yi
2-1 Kotrla, Jan
2-1 Young, Dane
2-1 Fujita, Osamu
Record: 12-4
Record vs. Top 8: 0-0
Paulo Carvalho
Age: 20
Hometown: Coimbra, Portugal
Occupation: Student
Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour: 3
How did you qualify for Pro Tour-Yokohama?
Ranking
Number of GP/PT Top 8s:
0 Grand Prix, 2 Pro Tour
Other previous Magic accomplishments:
Top 8 of Worlds 2006
What deck are you playing and why?
Red-green. These are the colors I like the most and I wanted to play a deck of my own.
How did you prepare for the event? Who did you prepare with?
Magic Online
What was the key card in your deck and why?
Mwonvuli Acid-Moss, Stormbind, Akroma. Because they're just good.
What advice would you have for players using your deck archetype in a Pro Tour Qualifier?
Use Dead/Gone in the sideboard.
Road to the Top 8
2-0 Henke, Tobias
2-0 Oberg, Kenny
0-2 Lowry, William
2-1 Vieren, Peter
2-0 Yoon, Soo Han
2-0 Ferrari Spampinato, Gonzalo
2-0 Pelcak, John
2-1 De Rosa, Antonino
2-1 Fujita, Tsuyoshi
2-0 Young, Dane
2-1 Echeverría Paredes, José Luis
0-2 Herberholz, Mark
1-2 Wafo-tapa, Guillaume
2-1 Asahara, Akira
2-1 Morita, Masahiko
0-0-99 Mitamura, Kazuya
Record: 12-3-1
Record vs. Top 8: 0-2-1
Guillaume Wafo-Tapa
Age: 25
Hometown: Nantes
Occupation: Playing Magic
Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour: 10
How did you qualify for Pro Tour-Yokohama? Pro Level 4
Number of GP/PT Top 8s: 2
What deck are you playing and why?
I'm playing Dralnu because it's good and because it is the kind of control deck I like. Though it's not very original, I could not come up with anything else.
How did you prepare for the event? Who did you prepare with?
I playtested a week in Aix-en-Provence with Pierre Canali, Bastien Perez, and Johnathan Rispal and then with the Ruel brothers a few days before the tournament.
What was the key card in your deck and why?
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth - it makes the deck work.
What advice would you have for players using your deck archetype in a Pro Tour Qualifier?
Don't play with my sideboard, it's crap.
Road to the Top 8
2-0 Haugaard Meineche, Jon
2-1 Kaji, Tomohiro
0-2 Kiwanont, Sukhum
2-0 Schmeußer, Simon
2-0 Thompson, Mike
1-2 Maaten, Rogier
2-0 Tenenbaum, Amiel
2-0 Shiozu, Ryouma
2-0 Brackmann, Aaron
2-1 Hron, Mike
2-1 Saitou, Tomoharu
1-0 Echeverría Paredes, José Luis
2-1 Carvalho, Paulo
0-2 Herberholz, Mark
1-2 Karsten, Frank
2-1 Pelcak, John
Record: 12-4
Record vs. Top 8: 2-1
Kazuya Mitamura
Age: 26
Hometown: Chiba
Occupation: Student
Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour: 6
How did you qualify for Pro Tour-Yokohama? Level 3
Number of GP/PT Top 8s: 2 PT
Other previous Magic accomplishments: LoM Champ
What deck are you playing and why?
Blue-black. It is the best deck in the format.
How did you prepare for the event? Who did you prepare with?
Takuo Satou and Ryuichi Arita
What was the key card in your deck and why?
Brine Elemental - It gives you easy wins.
What advice would you have for players using your deck archetype in a Pro Tour Qualifier?
Practice.
Road to the Top 8
2-0 Wada, Atsushi
1-1 Dougherty, Robert
2-0 Tracy, Kyle
2-1 Yasooka, Shouta
2-0 Chan, Tiago
2-0 Scott-Vargas, Luis
2-1 Chun, Bo Ruad
2-1 Brackmann, Aaron
1-2 Echeverría Paredes, José Luis
0-2 Karsten, Frank
2-0 Kitayama, Masaya
2-0 Pelcak, John
2-0 Lybaert, Marijn
2-1 Ruel, Olivier
2-0 Herberholz, Mark
0-0-99 Carvalho, Paulo
Record: 12-2-1
Record vs. Top 8: 2-0-1
Tomoharu Saito
Age: 23
Hometown: Tokyo
Occupation: Pro Magic Player
Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour: Over 15
How did you qualify for Pro Tour-Yokohama? Level 6
Number of GP/PT Top 8s: 6 GP, 4 PT
Other previous Magic accomplishments: Pro Tour Champ
What deck are you playing and why?
I played Pizza Stompy (my design). It's actually good against blue-black, White Weenie, and Mono-red.
How did you prepare for the event? Who did you prepare with?
Magic Online players, Shingo Kurihara and Tomohiro Kaji
What was the key card in your deck and why?
Timbermare
Road to the Top 8
2-1 Nakamura, Shuuhei
2-1 Yasutomi, Hiroto
0-2 Chun, Bo Ruad
2-1 Soorani, Shaheen
2-0 Ishida, Itaru
2-0 Pearlman, Jonathan
1-2 Fujita, Tsuyoshi
2-0-1 Cheon, Paul
2-0 Rispal, Jonathan
2-1 Page, Benjamin
1-2 Wafo-tapa, Guillaume
0-2 Levy, Raphael
2-1 Michiwaki, Teruyoshi
2-1 Soh, Terry
2-0 Künzler, Matthias
2-0 Ruel, Olivier
Record: 12-4
Record vs. Top 8: 0-2
Mark Herberholz
Age: 23
Hometown: East Lansing Michigan
Occupation: Gamer
Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour: 20-30
How did you qualify for Pro Tour-Yokohama? Level 5 Pro Players Club
Number of GP/PT Top 8s: 3 GPs / 4 PTs
Other previous Magic accomplishments: Won Pro Tour-Honolulu
What deck are you playing and why?
'The Tax Man Cometh' - a blue/black/white control deck. It was the best deck I tested
How did you prepare for the event? Who did you prepare with?
I tested on Magic Online with Gabriel Nassif, Rich Hoaen, Antonino De Rosa, Ben Rubin, Mattias Kettil, Johan Sadeghpour and John Fiorillo.
What was the key card in your deck and why?
Teferi's Moat - nobody was prepared for it!
What advice would you have for players using your deck archetype in a Pro Tour Qualifier?
Practice with it a lot - it's very hard to play.
Road to the Top 8
2-1 Fujii, Toshikazu
2-0 Fornasari, Michele
2-0 Smets, Daan
1-2 Burks, Brandon
2-1 Nakatani, Haruki
2-0 Arita, Ryuuichi
2-1 Künzler, Matthias
2-0 Mahler, Hans
2-1 Soh, Terry
1-1-1 Echeverría Paredes, José Luis
2-0 Chun, Bo Ruad
2-0 Carvalho, Paulo
2-0 Young, Dane
2-0 Wafo-tapa, Guillaume
0-2 Mitamura, Kazuya
0-0-99 Levy, Raphael
Record: 12-2-2
Record vs. Top 8: 2-1-1
Masashi Oiso
Age: 23
Hometown: Nagano (Hiroshima)
Occupation: Student
Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour: Over 20
How did you qualify for Pro Tour-Yokohama?
Pro Players Club level 3 (18 points!)
Number of GP/PT Top 8s: 9 GPs / 6 PT
Other previous Magic accomplishments: National Team Champion
What deck are you playing and why?
A red-green control deck that my friend made.
How did you prepare for the event? Who did you prepare with?
I could not play Magic before the PT! Kazuki Ueno made it on Magic Online
What was the key card in your deck and why?
Wall of Roots... Best. Wall. Ever.
What advice would you have for players using your deck archetype in a Pro Tour Qualifier?
You should mulligan if you have no mana boost.
Road to the Top 8
0-2 Murray, Stephen
2-0 Walsh, Tyler
2-1 Sim, Chapman
2-1 Schauf, Scott
2-1 Hirose, Daisuke
0-2 Morita, Masahiko
2-1 D'Argenio, Dan
2-1 Ishida, Itaru
2-0 Oomens, Wessel
0-2 De Rosa, Antonino
2-0 Chang, Chih-Hsiang
2-0 Page, Benjamin
2-1 Hall, Zack
1-2 Echeverría Paredes, José Luis
2-1 Lybaert, Marijn
2-1 Brackmann, Aaron
Record: 12-4
Record vs. Top 8: 0-0