KAI BUDDE
Class of: 2007
Hometown: Hamburg, Germany
Debut: Pro Tour-Mainz 1997
Career winnings: $352,620
Lifetime Pro Points: 475
"The German Juggernaut" ... Winner of five individual Pro Tours and two Team Pro Tours, four more titles than any other player ... Four-time Player of the Year ... All-time leader in lifetime Pro Points and career money winnings ... Formed legendary Phoenix Foundation team with Dirk Baberowski and Marco Blume ... Won 2001 Magic Invitational, crafting Voidmage Prodigy.
KAI BUDDEPROFILE
One of the most common posts in any thread about the Hall of Fame has gone something along the lines of: "OMG! How can you have a Pro Tour Hall of Fame without Kai Budde?"
It is pretty hard to imagine a Magic Pro Tour of Hall of Fame and not immediately think of Kai Budde, and even harder still to imagine that he accomplished everything in his career despite not playing on the Pro Tour until Mainz in 1998—making him ineligible until this class.
While the German Juggernaut has the second-most Top 8 appearances of all time, he emerged from those Top 8s as the winner in seven of nine tries. Those seven wins are not just more wins than anyone else in the history of the game; you have to add up the wins of the next three players on the Pro Tour winners list to equal the number of Kai's wins. His string of wins was so preposterous that he literally made Eric Taylor eat his hat. (Eric made a public wager that Kai could not possibly win Pro Tour–New Orleans. One timely Morphling later and Eric was reaching for the ketchup.)
Not surprisingly Kai won the Player of the Year title four times (three of those being in consecutive years). He is also the Lifetime Pro Points leader with a gap of more than 90 points between him Jon Finkel, who is No. 2 on the list. Along the way he also racked up seven Grand Prix wins. Among his 14 GP Top 8s, he never finished worse than third. Not enough? How about three quarterfinal Masters appearances with one win?
The numbers are simply staggering, and to think it all began with a trip to a Pro Tour Qualifier for the second Pro Tour in New York.
"I won a PT Qualifier in Hamburg," recalled Kai, who eventually would move to that part of Germany. "I still remember a guy, who was the self-proclaimed best Type 2 player in Germany back then, passing me a Kor Chant while he took a 2/2 creature for with a Disrupting Scepter ability. He was playing 6/6/6 mana with six of those being Plains. That Kor Chant won me the semifinals."
Kai had the option of playing in either the Masters or Juniors division of that event, but based on comparing himself with some of the local players in Cologne, he did not feel confidant that he was ready to slug it out with the older players.
"I did not exactly have high expectations going into the event. Back then I was not nearly the best player in Cologne. Frank Adler had won the Mirage 'prerelease' PT a while back and there were several others that were just better. (That Pro Tour) was the final stop of the PT that had both a Masters and Juniors division and they called this the Junior World Championship. Figuring that I was not going to do very well in the main event, I just used my qualification to play in the Juniors tournament. I 4-0'd my first draft but then dropped two straight in the next including being shot down by an Aladdin's Ring. If I won one of those two matches, I would have been Top 8 with a draw but after winning my last round to go 1-2 in that draft, I finished top 16, if I remember correctly."
That Top 16 was good enough to get Kai qualified for the next Pro Tour. While he played in the Junior division, Kai later realized that he was playing against some Master-level talent.
"A few years later the DCI added their match by match database and I saw that in that Juniors Division my opponents in the first draft included Jamie Parke and Brian Kibler, and one of my losses in the second was Eric Philipps. So the opponents there turned out to be able to play Magic pretty well a few years later."
Kai remembered barely squeaking into Day Two of his first 'grown-up' Pro Tour in Mainz, Germany. It all came down to a crucial third game in the final round:
"My opponent had me pretty much beaten. I was horribly mana flooded, he had two creatures and four lands in play and I had 11 lands and my last card in hand was a land. Now if he played one of the creatures in his hand, he would have 100 percent won. He decided to go with a Mana Severance though, removing all the lands in his deck from the game as he figured he could not possibly lose if he never drew a land again."
"My next draw was Capsize. He had two relevant permanents and his four lands would never again in the game allow him to play more then two threats at once and he had no tricks/burn in his blue/white deck to get out of the Capsize lock."
With such an impressive resume it would seem unfathomable for Kai to not be enshrined in the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, but when you are talking about a process that involves gamers there is always some concern. Because it was such a tough ballot there had been speculation that some voters would assume that everyone else was voting for Kai and therefore could use their five votes on other players.
"To be honest, when I read that they are going to introduce a Pro Tour Hall of Fame, I liked my chances to eventually make it. After the voting started I was slightly worried that either people did not vote me as I would get in anyway or that I just stopped too long ago to get enough votes," admitted Kai. "But after reading a few of the voting articles, I felt pretty safe."
What does getting into the Hall of Fame mean for Kai?
"First of all it means I am going to play some tournaments again, which I am looking forward to," replied the inveterate gamer. "Playing in big events has always been the most fun to me, but I was definitely not going through the PTQ circuit again or try to keep up Level 3 if I should make it there at some point. For a long time I devoted most of my time to Magic and to that extent, I don't want to and won't be able to do that again. Being voted into the Hall of Fame shows me that the people who did those votes recognize the time and effort I put into playing Magic and believe I should be a future part of the Pro Tour as well, which makes me feel even better about looking back at my time on the Pro Tour."
This means we can look forward to seeing Kai play in New York this December. Could we be looking forward to a tenth Top 8 as well?
"I am definitely going to play in Worlds. I already made sure I would get enough days off work, in case I got into the Hall of Fame," Kai confirmed. "I don't think I am going to miss many Pro Tours that are within a 6-8 hour flight's reach. I am not a big fan of flying to Japan and back just for a few days over there. Chances are I will not attend many events in Asia. Other then that I plan to attend most Pro Tours/Worlds if my work schedule allows and the format seems fun. For example I have high doubts I will ever attend a 2HG event, but I won't miss European or East Coast Limited tournaments. And making a Top 8... sure, why not? I still think I know how to play those cards. Also if you play in enough PTs, odds are you get lucky sooner or later. I've been fortunate enough in the past when I needed it, why not again in the future?"
"As I already suggested, I appreciate getting the votes to make it a lot," said Kai when asked if there was anyone in particular he wished to thank. "Other then that I think the people that helped me get there during my time on the PT know who they are. The list is too long and includes family, friends and even teachers who allowed me to take time off school to travel and play in events, so I am not going to list everyone here. Thanks, guys."
THE POWER OF KAI
Pro Tour: Player of the Year in 1998-99, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03 Grand Prix: Masters: |
KAI BUDDEDECKLISTS
Sorcery (4)
4 WildfireArtifact (28)
4 Cursed Scroll 4 Fire Diamond 4 Grim Monolith 2 Mishra's Helix 4 Temporal Aperture 4 Thran Dynamo 4 Voltaic Key 2 Worn PowerstoneSideboard (15)
1 Mishra's Helix 2 Boil 3 Earthquake 1 Phyrexian Processor 2 Rack and Ruin 2 Shattering Pulse 4 SpellshockRed (21)
4 Covetous Dragon 4 Wildfire 2 Boil 3 Earthquake 2 Rack and Ruin 2 Shattering Pulse 4 SpellshockColorless (54)
3 Ancient Tomb 4 City of Traitors 13 Mountain 1 Karn, Silver Golem 3 Masticore 4 Cursed Scroll 4 Fire Diamond 4 Grim Monolith 3 Mishra's Helix 4 Temporal Aperture 4 Thran Dynamo 4 Voltaic Key 2 Worn Powerstone 1 Phyrexian Processor6 (4)
4 WildfireRare (31)
4 City of Traitors 4 Covetous Dragon 4 Cursed Scroll 4 Grim Monolith 3 Mishra's Helix 4 Temporal Aperture 4 Wildfire 3 Earthquake 1 Phyrexian ProcessorInstant (32)
3 Brainstorm 4 Counterspell 4 Force of Will 4 Frantic Search 4 High Tide 4 Impulse 4 Meditate 1 Stroke of Genius 4 TurnaboutBlue (46)
3 Brainstorm 4 Counterspell 4 Force of Will 4 Frantic Search 4 High Tide 4 Impulse 4 Meditate 3 Merchant Scroll 1 Stroke of Genius 4 Turnabout 3 Blue Elemental Blast 4 Hydroblast 3 Ophidian 1 PalinchronBlack (3)
3 Yawgmoth's WillRed (4)
4 PyroblastCommon (37)
11 Island 3 Brainstorm 4 Counterspell 4 Frantic Search 3 Merchant Scroll 4 Hydroblast 1 Mountain 3 Ophidian 4 PyroblastRare (24)
4 Thawing Glaciers 4 Underground Sea 3 Volcanic Island 4 Force of Will 4 Meditate 1 Stroke of Genius 3 Yawgmoth's Will 1 PalinchronMythic (4)
4 ImpulseCreature (22)
2 Defiant Falcon 2 Defiant Vanguard 4 Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero 3 Longbow Archer 4 Ramosian Sergeant 2 Ramosian Sky Marshal 1 Rebel Informer 3 Steadfast Guard 1 Thermal GliderInstant (4)
4 Wax // WaneArtifact (4)
4 Chimeric IdolEnchantment (4)
4 Parallax WaveSideboard (15)
1 Defiant Vanguard 4 Armageddon 1 Lightbringer 3 Mageta the Lion 3 Seal of Cleansing 3 Wrath of GodWhite (40)
2 Defiant Falcon 3 Defiant Vanguard 4 Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero 3 Longbow Archer 4 Ramosian Sergeant 2 Ramosian Sky Marshal 3 Steadfast Guard 1 Thermal Glider 4 Parallax Wave 4 Armageddon 1 Lightbringer 3 Mageta the Lion 3 Seal of Cleansing 3 Wrath of GodBlack (1)
1 Rebel InformerGreen (4)
4 Wax // Wane3 (14)
3 Defiant Vanguard 4 Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero 1 Rebel Informer 1 Thermal Glider 4 Chimeric Idol 1 LightbringerCommon (33)
16 Plains 2 Defiant Falcon 3 Defiant Vanguard 4 Ramosian Sergeant 3 Steadfast Guard 1 Thermal Glider 1 Lightbringer 3 Seal of CleansingRare (31)
4 Brushland 2 Dust Bowl 4 Rishadan Port 4 Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero 2 Ramosian Sky Marshal 1 Rebel Informer 4 Parallax Wave 4 Armageddon 3 Mageta the Lion 3 Wrath of GodInstant (22)
4 Accumulated Knowledge 2 Brainstorm 1 Capsize 4 Counterspell 3 Fire // Ice 4 Force of Will 1 Impulse 3 IntuitionArtifact (4)
4 Sapphire MedallionEnchantment (4)
4 Illusions of GrandeurBlue (42)
4 Accumulated Knowledge 2 Brainstorm 1 Capsize 4 Counterspell 4 Donate 3 Fire // Ice 4 Force of Will 4 Illusions of Grandeur 1 Impulse 3 Intuition 4 Merchant Scroll 1 Hibernation 2 Hydroblast 3 Morphling 2 Stroke of Genius2 (23)
4 Accumulated Knowledge 4 Counterspell 3 Fire // Ice 1 Impulse 4 Merchant Scroll 4 Sapphire Medallion 3 Pyroclasm4 (4)
4 Illusions of GrandeurCommon (35)
14 Island 4 Accumulated Knowledge 2 Brainstorm 1 Capsize 4 Counterspell 4 Merchant Scroll 2 Hydroblast 4 PyroblastRare (32)
4 Shivan Reef 4 Volcanic Island 4 Donate 4 Force of Will 4 Illusions of Grandeur 3 Intuition 4 Sapphire Medallion 3 Morphling 2 Stroke of GeniusMythic (1)
1 ImpulseCreature (20)
4 Arcbound Ravager 4 Arcbound Worker 4 Disciple of the Vault 4 Frogmite 4 Myr EnforcerSorcery (4)
4 ThoughtcastSideboard (15)
1 Thirst for Knowledge 3 Detonate 3 Electrostatic Bolt 4 Pyroclasm 4 Somber HoverguardBlack (4)
4 Disciple of the VaultColorless (47)
4 Darksteel Citadel 3 Glimmervoid 4 Great Furnace 4 Seat of the Synod 4 Vault of Whispers 4 Arcbound Ravager 4 Arcbound Worker 4 Frogmite 4 Myr Enforcer 4 Chromatic Sphere 4 Skullclamp 4 Welding Jar1 (22)
4 Arcbound Worker 4 Disciple of the Vault 4 Chromatic Sphere 4 Skullclamp 3 Detonate 3 Electrostatic Bolt3 (3)
3 Thirst for Knowledge4 (4)
4 Frogmite5 (4)
4 Thoughtcast6 (4)
4 Somber Hoverguard7 (4)
4 Myr EnforcerCommon (51)
4 Darksteel Citadel 4 Great Furnace 4 Seat of the Synod 4 Vault of Whispers 4 Arcbound Worker 4 Disciple of the Vault 4 Frogmite 4 Myr Enforcer 4 Chromatic Sphere 4 Thoughtcast 4 Welding Jar 3 Electrostatic Bolt 4 Somber HoverguardSorcery (2)
2 Gaea's BlessingInstant (24)
4 Brainstorm 4 Counterspell 3 Fact or Fiction 1 Forbid 4 Force of Will 4 Impulse 4 Swords to PlowsharesArtifact (3)
3 Powder KegEnchantment (4)
4 Oath of DruidsLand (24)
1 Adarkar Wastes 4 Flood Plain 1 Savannah 2 Treetop Village 4 Tropical Island 4 Tundra 4 Volcanic Island 4 WastelandSideboard (15)
1 Powder Keg 2 Aura Blast 4 Call of the Herd 3 Hydroblast 3 Pyroblast 2 Samite MinistrationBlue (24)
1 Morphling 4 Brainstorm 4 Counterspell 3 Fact or Fiction 1 Forbid 4 Force of Will 4 Impulse 3 HydroblastRed (3)
3 PyroblastColorless (28)
1 Adarkar Wastes 4 Flood Plain 1 Savannah 2 Treetop Village 4 Tropical Island 4 Tundra 4 Volcanic Island 4 Wasteland 4 Powder Keg2 (22)
4 Counterspell 2 Gaea's Blessing 4 Impulse 4 Oath of Druids 4 Powder Keg 2 Aura Blast 2 Samite MinistrationUncommon (14)
4 Flood Plain 2 Treetop Village 4 Wasteland 1 Spike Feeder 1 Forbid 2 Samite MinistrationRare (32)
1 Adarkar Wastes 1 Savannah 4 Tropical Island 4 Tundra 4 Volcanic Island 1 Morphling 1 Spike Weaver 4 Force of Will 4 Oath of Druids 4 Powder Keg 4 Call of the HerdEnchantment (11)
4 Collective Restraint 2 Destructive Flow 1 Goblin Trenches 1 Overgrown Estate 2 Pernicious Deed 1 Yawgmoth's AgendaSideboard (15)
1 Destructive Flow 1 Legacy Weapon 1 Overgrown Estate 2 Pernicious Deed 1 Void 3 Addle 3 Penumbra Bobcat 3 SpiritmongerMulti colored (17)
3 Destructive Flow 1 Goblin Trenches 1 Ordered Migration 2 Overgrown Estate 4 Pernicious Deed 3 Void 3 SpiritmongerColorless (27)
7 Forest 5 Island 2 Llanowar Wastes 2 Mountain 1 Plains 3 Swamp 1 Yavimaya Coast 4 Chromatic Sphere 2 Legacy Weapon3 (17)
3 Destructive Flow 1 Goblin Trenches 4 Harrow 2 Overgrown Estate 4 Pernicious Deed 3 Penumbra Bobcat4 (4)
4 Collective Restraint7 (2)
2 Legacy WeaponCommon (40)
7 Forest 5 Island 2 Mountain 1 Plains 3 Swamp 4 Chromatic Sphere 4 Harrow 4 Lay of the Land 3 Void 4 Worldly Counsel 3 Penumbra BobcatRare (23)
2 Llanowar Wastes 1 Yavimaya Coast 4 Collective Restraint 3 Destructive Flow 1 Goblin Trenches 2 Legacy Weapon 2 Overgrown Estate 4 Pernicious Deed 1 Yawgmoth's Agenda 3 SpiritmongerInstant (18)
3 Brainstorm 4 Demonic Consultation 1 Firestorm 4 Force of Will 2 Pyroblast 4 Vampiric TutorArtifact (4)
4 Mox DiamondBlack (22)
4 Demonic Consultation 4 Duress 4 Necropotence 4 Vampiric Tutor 2 Massacre 4 Phyrexian Negator1 (26)
3 Brainstorm 4 Demonic Consultation 4 Duress 3 Firestorm 4 Pyroblast 4 Vampiric Tutor 4 Annul5 (4)
4 Force of WillRare (26)
4 Badlands 4 Underground Sea 3 Donate 3 Firestorm 4 Force of Will 4 Illusions of Grandeur 4 Vampiric TutorCreature (1)
1 PalinchronInstant (29)
2 Arcane Denial 1 Brainstorm 4 Counterspell 4 Force of Will 3 Frantic Search 4 High Tide 4 Impulse 1 Mystical Tutor 3 Stroke of Genius 3 TurnaboutBlue (45)
1 Palinchron 2 Arcane Denial 1 Brainstorm 4 Counterspell 4 Force of Will 3 Frantic Search 4 High Tide 4 Impulse 3 Merchant Scroll 1 Mystical Tutor 3 Stroke of Genius 4 Time Spiral 3 Turnabout 4 Hydroblast 4 OphidianRed (4)
4 PyroblastCommon (42)
16 Island 2 Arcane Denial 1 Brainstorm 4 Counterspell 3 Frantic Search 3 Merchant Scroll 4 Hydroblast 1 Mountain 4 Ophidian 4 PyroblastRare (21)
4 Thawing Glaciers 3 Volcanic Island 1 Palinchron 4 Force of Will 3 Stroke of Genius 4 Time Spiral 2 Null RodSorcery (47)
4 Allied Strategies 1 Balance 1 Braingeyser 4 Contract from Below 1 Demonic Tutor 1 Diabolic Tutor 4 Duress 1 Fireball 1 Gamble 4 Land Grant 1 Merchant Scroll 1 Mind Twist 1 Regrowth 1 Restock 4 Sleight of Hand 1 Time Spiral 1 Time Walk 4 Time Warp 1 Timetwister 1 Tinker 4 Vindicate 1 Wheel of Fortune 3 Wrath of God 1 Yawgmoth's WillInstant (64)
4 Abeyance 1 Ancestral Recall 4 Brainstorm 2 Burnout 4 Counterspell 1 Crop Rotation 4 Dismantling Blow 1 Enlightened Tutor 4 Fact or Fiction 4 Fire // Ice 4 Force of Will 4 Impulse 1 Intuition 2 Lat-Nam's Legacy 4 Mana Drain 2 Misdirection 1 Mystical Tutor 3 Peek 4 Pyroblast 2 Red Elemental Blast 2 Shattering Pulse 1 Stroke of Genius 4 Tithe 1 Vampiric TutorArtifact (44)
4 Barbed Sextant 1 Black Lotus 4 Chromatic Sphere 3 Fellwar Stone 1 Grim Monolith 1 Grinning Totem 4 Jeweled Bird 1 Mana Vault 1 Memory Jar 4 Mind Stone 4 Mox Diamond 1 Mox Emerald 1 Mox Jet 1 Mox Pearl 1 Mox Ruby 1 Mox Sapphire 2 Sky Diamond 1 Sol Ring 4 Urza's Bauble 4 Urza's BlueprintsEnchantment (7)
1 Browse 1 Land Tax 1 Mind Over Matter 1 Necropotence 2 Seal of Cleansing 1 Sylvan LibraryLand (77)
3 Adarkar Wastes 4 Bad River 4 Badlands 4 Bayou 3 City of Brass 4 Flood Plain 12 Island 1 Library of Alexandria 1 Mountain 3 Plains 1 Plateau 1 Savannah 4 Scrubland 1 Strip Mine 4 Swamp 4 Thawing Glaciers 1 Tolarian Academy 4 Tropical Island 4 Tundra 3 Underground River 4 Underground Sea 4 Volcanic Island 3 WastelandWhite (20)
4 Abeyance 1 Balance 4 Dismantling Blow 1 Enlightened Tutor 1 Land Tax 2 Seal of Cleansing 4 Tithe 3 Wrath of GodBlue (59)
4 Allied Strategies 1 Ancestral Recall 1 Braingeyser 4 Brainstorm 1 Browse 4 Counterspell 4 Fact or Fiction 4 Fire // Ice 4 Force of Will 4 Impulse 1 Intuition 2 Lat-Nam's Legacy 4 Mana Drain 1 Merchant Scroll 1 Mind Over Matter 2 Misdirection 1 Mystical Tutor 3 Peek 4 Sleight of Hand 1 Stroke of Genius 1 Time Spiral 1 Time Walk 4 Time Warp 1 Timetwister 1 TinkerBlack (14)
4 Contract from Below 1 Demonic Tutor 1 Diabolic Tutor 4 Duress 1 Mind Twist 1 Necropotence 1 Vampiric Tutor 1 Yawgmoth's WillRed (13)
2 Burnout 1 Fireball 1 Gamble 4 Pyroblast 2 Red Elemental Blast 2 Shattering Pulse 1 Wheel of FortuneGreen (16)
4 Uktabi Orangutan 4 Wall of Blossoms 1 Crop Rotation 4 Land Grant 1 Regrowth 1 Restock 1 Sylvan LibraryColorless (121)
3 Adarkar Wastes 4 Bad River 4 Badlands 4 Bayou 3 City of Brass 4 Flood Plain 12 Island 1 Library of Alexandria 1 Mountain 3 Plains 1 Plateau 1 Savannah 4 Scrubland 1 Strip Mine 4 Swamp 4 Thawing Glaciers 1 Tolarian Academy 4 Tropical Island 4 Tundra 3 Underground River 4 Underground Sea 4 Volcanic Island 3 Wasteland 4 Barbed Sextant 1 Black Lotus 4 Chromatic Sphere 3 Fellwar Stone 1 Grim Monolith 1 Grinning Totem 4 Jeweled Bird 1 Mana Vault 1 Memory Jar 4 Mind Stone 4 Mox Diamond 1 Mox Emerald 1 Mox Jet 1 Mox Pearl 1 Mox Ruby 1 Mox Sapphire 2 Sky Diamond 1 Sol Ring 4 Urza's Bauble 4 Urza's Blueprints1 (52)
1 Ancestral Recall 4 Barbed Sextant 4 Brainstorm 4 Chromatic Sphere 4 Contract from Below 1 Crop Rotation 4 Duress 1 Enlightened Tutor 1 Fireball 1 Gamble 4 Jeweled Bird 1 Land Tax 1 Mana Vault 1 Mind Twist 1 Mystical Tutor 3 Peek 4 Pyroblast 2 Red Elemental Blast 4 Sleight of Hand 1 Sol Ring 4 Tithe 1 Vampiric Tutor2 (53)
4 Wall of Blossoms 4 Abeyance 1 Balance 1 Braingeyser 2 Burnout 4 Counterspell 1 Demonic Tutor 3 Fellwar Stone 4 Fire // Ice 1 Grim Monolith 4 Impulse 4 Land Grant 2 Lat-Nam's Legacy 4 Mana Drain 1 Merchant Scroll 4 Mind Stone 1 Regrowth 2 Seal of Cleansing 2 Shattering Pulse 2 Sky Diamond 1 Sylvan Library 1 Time Walk3 (19)
4 Uktabi Orangutan 4 Dismantling Blow 1 Intuition 1 Necropotence 1 Stroke of Genius 1 Timetwister 1 Tinker 4 Vindicate 1 Wheel of Fortune 1 Yawgmoth's Will5 (17)
1 Sliver Queen 4 Allied Strategies 4 Force of Will 1 Memory Jar 2 Misdirection 1 Restock 4 Time WarpCommon (70)
12 Island 1 Mountain 3 Plains 4 Swamp 2 Mystic Snake 4 Barbed Sextant 4 Brainstorm 4 Chromatic Sphere 4 Counterspell 1 Crop Rotation 4 Dismantling Blow 4 Duress 1 Grinning Totem 4 Land Grant 2 Lat-Nam's Legacy 1 Merchant Scroll 3 Peek 4 Pyroblast 2 Seal of Cleansing 2 Shattering Pulse 4 Sleight of HandUncommon (46)
4 Bad River 4 Flood Plain 3 Wasteland 4 Uktabi Orangutan 4 Allied Strategies 1 Browse 2 Burnout 1 Diabolic Tutor 1 Enlightened Tutor 3 Fellwar Stone 4 Fire // Ice 1 Fireball 4 Mind Stone 2 Red Elemental Blast 1 Regrowth 2 Sky Diamond 1 Sol Ring 4 Urza's BaubleRare (110)
3 Adarkar Wastes 4 Badlands 4 Bayou 3 City of Brass 1 Library of Alexandria 1 Plateau 1 Savannah 4 Scrubland 1 Strip Mine 4 Thawing Glaciers 1 Tolarian Academy 4 Tropical Island 4 Tundra 3 Underground River 4 Underground Sea 4 Volcanic Island 1 Sliver Queen 4 Abeyance 1 Ancestral Recall 1 Balance 1 Black Lotus 1 Braingeyser 4 Contract from Below 1 Demonic Tutor 4 Force of Will 1 Gamble 1 Grim Monolith 1 Intuition 4 Jeweled Bird 1 Land Tax 4 Mana Drain 1 Mana Vault 1 Mind Over Matter 1 Mind Twist 2 Misdirection 1 Mox Emerald 1 Mox Jet 1 Mox Pearl 1 Mox Ruby 1 Mox Sapphire 1 Restock 1 Stroke of Genius 1 Sylvan Library 1 Time Spiral 1 Time Walk 1 Timetwister 4 Tithe 4 Urza's Blueprints 1 Vampiric Tutor 4 Vindicate 1 Wheel of Fortune 3 Wrath of God 1 Yawgmoth's WillMythic (24)
4 Wall of Blossoms 4 Fact or Fiction 4 Impulse 1 Memory Jar 4 Mox Diamond 1 Mystical Tutor 1 Necropotence 4 Time Warp 1 TinkerKAI BUDDECAREER STATISTICS
BY FORMAT
Format | W | L | D | BYE | Matches | Win % |
Limited | 355 | 169 | 32 | 85 | 641 | 63.85% |
Constructed | 344 | 184 | 28 | 52 | 608 | 61.87% |
Total | 699 | 353 | 60 | 137 | 1249 | 62.86% |
BY EVENT TYPE
Event | W | L | D | BYE | Matches | Win % |
Worlds | 77 | 49 | 3 | 0 | 129 | 59.69% |
Pro Tour | 218 | 107 | 22 | 4 | 351 | 62.82% |
Nationals | 53 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 79 | 67.09% |
Continental Championship | 41 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 72 | 57.75% |
Masters | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 40.00% |
Grand Prix | 299 | 138 | 27 | 132 | 596 | 64.44% |
PT Juniors | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 71.43% |
Total | 699 | 353 | 60 | 137 | 1249 | 62.86% |
By Event
Event | Date | Finish | W | L | D | BYE | Matches | Win % |
Grand Prix-Amsterdam | 3/22/1997 | 18 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
Pro Tour-New York (Juniors) | 5/30/1997 | n/a | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
Pro Tour-Mainz | 12/5/1997 | 52 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Lyon | 2/7/1998 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Antwerp | 4/25/1998 | 39 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 2 | ||
Gran Prix-Zurich | 5/30/1998 | n/a | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | ||
1998 European Championship | 7/11/1998 | n/a | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
1997-98 Season | 39 | 22 | 2 | 3 | 66 | 61.90% | ||
Pro Tour-Chicago | 9/25/1998 | 19 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1 | ||
Grand Prix-Birmingham | 10/17/1998 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
Pro Tour-Rome | 11/13/1998 | 126 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Barcelona | 2/6/1999 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 3 | ||
Pro Tour-Los Angeles | 2/26/1999 | 51 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | ||
Pro Tour-Washington D.C. | 3/5/1999 | 10 | ||||||
Grand Prix-Vienna | 3/13/1999 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
Grand Prix-Oslo | 4/10/1999 | 97 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
Pro Tour-New York | 4/30/1999 | 27 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Amsterdam | 5/15/1999 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 3 | ||
1999 European Championship | 7/9/1999 | 156 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | ||
1999 World Championships | 8/15/1999 | 1 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
1998-99 Season | 82 | 27 | 16 | 15 | 140 | 65.60% | ||
Pro Tour-London | 10/15/1999 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Milan | 11/5/1999 | 33 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 3 | ||
Grand Prix-Tours | 11/27/1999 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
Pro Tour-Chicago | 12/3/1999 | 51 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Madrid | 1/29/2000 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 3 | ||
Pro Tour-Los Angeles | 2/4/2000 | 98 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Frankfurt (Teams) | 4/8/2000 | n/a | ||||||
Pro Tour-New York | 4/14/2000 | 42 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | ||
2000 Germany Nationals | 6/3/2000 | n/a | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Copenhagen | 6/17/2000 | 67 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | ||
2000 European Championship | 7/15/2000 | 54 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | ||
2000 World Championships | 8/4/2000 | 120 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | ||
1999-2000 Season | 77 | 46 | 6 | 12 | 141 | 59.69% | ||
Grand Prix-Porto | 9/23/2000 | 75 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | ||
Pro Tour-New York (Teams) | 9/28/2000 | 28 | ||||||
Masters-New York | 9/28/2000 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Manchester | 10/7/2000 | 90 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
Grand Prix-Firenze | 11/25/2000 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
Masters-Chicago | 11/30/2000 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
Pro Tour-Chicago | 12/1/2000 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Amsterdam | 1/13/2001 | 18 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | ||
Pro Tour-Los Angeles | 2/2/2001 | 25 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Cologne | 2/24/2001 | 38 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 3 | ||
Pro Tour-Tokyo | 3/16/2001 | 85 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Göteborg | 3/24/2001 | 25 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 3 | ||
Masters-Barcelona | 5/3/2001 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
Pro Tour-Barcelona | 5/4/2001 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | ||
2001 Germany Nationals | 5/26/2001 | 21 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | ||
2001 European Championship | 6/30/2001 | 25 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Columbus (Teams) | 7/28/2001 | 43 | ||||||
2001 World Championships | 8/10/2001 | 44 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | ||
2000-01 Season | 104 | 50 | 8 | 18 | 180 | 64.20% | ||
Grand Prix-London | 9/1/2001 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
Pro Tour-New York (Teams) | 9/7/2001 | 1 | ||||||
Grand Prix-Oslo | 9/22/2001 | 33 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | ||
Masters-New Orleans | 11/1/2001 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
Pro Tour-New Orleans | 11/2/2001 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Biarritz | 11/24/2001 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 3 | ||
Masters-San Diego | 1/10/2002 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
Pro Tour-San Diego | 1/11/2002 | 77 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Lisbon | 1/19/2002 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
Grand Prix-Heidelberg | 2/9/2002 | 27 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | ||
Grand Prix-Antwerp | 3/2/2002 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
Masters-Osaka (Teams) | 3/15/2002 | 1 | ||||||
Pro Tour-Osaka | 3/15/2002 | 24 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1 | ||
Grand Prix-Naples | 4/6/2002 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 3 | ||
Masters-Nice | 5/3/2002 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
Pro Tour-Nice | 5/3/2002 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
2002 Germany Nationals | 5/11/2002 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | ||
2002 European Championship | 6/29/2002 | 22 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 1 | ||
2002 World Championships | 8/16/2002 | 45 | 11 | 7 | 0 | 0 | ||
2001-02 Season | 137 | 50 | 14 | 23 | 224 | 68.16% | ||
Grand Prix-London | 8/31/2002 | 72 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | ||
Pro Tour-Boston (Teams) | 9/27/2002 | 1 | ||||||
Grand Prix-Copenhagen | 10/12/2002 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 3 | ||
Pro Tour-Houston | 11/8/2002 | 118 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
Masters-Houston | 11/10/2002 | 32 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Reims | 11/30/2002 | 29 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 3 | ||
Masters-Chicago | 1/17/2003 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
Pro Tour-Chicago | 1/17/2003 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Sevilla | 2/22/2003 | 30 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | ||
Masters-Venice (Teams) | 3/21/2003 | 5 | ||||||
Pro Tour-Venice | 3/21/2003 | 51 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Prague | 4/12/2003 | 207 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
Pro Tour-Yokohama | 5/9/2003 | 105 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
Masters-Yokohama | 5/11/2003 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
2003 Germany Nationals | 5/31/2003 | 10 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Amsterdam (Teams) | 6/7/2003 | 5 | ||||||
2003 European Championship | 7/6/2003 | 139 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | ||
2003 World Championships | 8/8/2003 | 17 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||
2002-03 Season | 85 | 48 | 7 | 15 | 155 | 60.71% | ||
Grand Prix-London | 8/23/2003 | 31 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | ||
Grand Prix-Atlanta | 8/30/2003 | 118 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
Pro Tour-Boston (Teams) | 9/12/2003 | 4 | ||||||
Grand Prix-Lyon | 10/25/2003 | 25 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 3 | ||
Pro Tour-New Orleans | 10/31/2003 | 42 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Goteborg | 11/22/2003 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 3 | ||
Grand Prix-Munich | 12/6/2003 | 124 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
Pro Tour-Amsterdam | 1/16/2004 | 15 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 1 | ||
Grand Prix-Madrid | 2/21/2004 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 3 | ||
Pro Tour-Kobe | 2/27/2004 | 31 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Birmingham | 3/27/2004 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | ||
Grand Prix-Bochum (Teams) | 4/17/2004 | 41 | ||||||
Pro Tour-San Diego | 5/14/2004 | 238 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
2004 Germany Nationals | 5/23/2004 | 37 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Brussels | 5/29/2004 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 3 | ||
Grand Prix-Zurich | 6/26/2004 | 138 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
Pro Tour-Seattle (Teams) | 7/9/2004 | 53 | ||||||
Grand Prix-New Jersey | 8/14/2004 | 29 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 3 | ||
2004 World Championships | 9/3/2004 | 109 | 10 | 8 | 0 | 0 | ||
2003-04 Season | 116 | 65 | 5 | 31 | 217 | 62.37% | ||
Grand Prix-Vienna | 10/9/2004 | 56 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 4 | ||
Pro Tour-Columbus | 10/29/2004 | 234 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Helsinki | 11/6/2004 | 38 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 3 | ||
Grand Prix-Paris | 11/27/2004 | 746 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
Grand Prix-Eindhoven | 2/26/2005 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
Grand Prix-Leipzig | 3/26/2005 | 26 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 3 | ||
Pro Tour-Philadelphia | 5/6/2005 | 27 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | ||
Pro Tour-London | 7/8/2005 | 173 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
2005 Germany Nationals | 8/13/2005 | 25 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | ||
Grand Prix-Copenhagen | 11/5/2005 | 65 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
2004-05 Season | 50 | 36 | 2 | 20 | 108 | 56.82% | ||
2006 World Championships | 11/29/2006 | 175 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | ||
2006 Season | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 50.00% | ||
Grand Prix-Amsterdam (Teams) | 3/11/2007 | 28 | ||||||
2007 Season | ||||||||
KAI BUDDECAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- Known as the German Juggernaut, Kai was a member of Cologne Conjurors Club at the beginning of his career.
- Before going on to dominate the Pro Tour, Kai was the terror of the European Grand Prix circuit with wins in Vienna, Barcelona, and Amsterdam. While those wins were impressive, no one believed that he could replicate that success at the Pro Tour level...
- Playing a Standard deck built around Covetous Dragon, Kai won the 1999 World Championships in Tokyo when he defeated Mark LePine.
- Kai would go on to win a staggering seven Pro Tour titles—that number of wins is equal to the next three players on the PT winners list added together.
- His string of wins was so unprecedented that Eric Taylor had to literally eat his hat after a timely top-deck of Morphling gave Kai the Pro Tour–New Orleans trophy.
- Kai was the captain of the most famous three-person team in history–The Phoenix Foundation, flanked by countrymen Marco Blume and Dirk Baberowski. They won two Pro Tours, made the Top 4 of another, and earned a Masters Series title as well.
- Kai won the Player of the Year title four times, and three years in a row. To put that into perspective, no other player has won that many Pro Tours, let alone Player of the Year titles.
- Kai is on the top of the leaderboard in virtually every category including Pro Tour wins, lifetime Pro Points—with over 90 points between him and the second player on the list—lifetime money winnings, and Player of the Year titles.
- Kai reached the Top 8 of a Grand Prix fourteen times with seven wins and never finished worse than third at a GP once he made the Top 8.
- Kai captained the German National team in 2002 and led them to a Worlds victory over the Eugene Harvey-led U.S. team.
RECORD VS. HALL OF FAME | W | L | D |
Jon Finkel | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Darwin Kastle | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Tommi Hovi | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Alan Comer | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Olle Rade | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Bob Maher | 0 | 3 | 0 |
David Humpherys | 4 | 1 | 1 |
Raphael Levy | 9 | 1 | 1 |
Gary Wise | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Rob Dougherty | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Zvi Mowshowitz | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Tsuyoshi Fujita | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Nicolai Herzog | 5 | 1 | 0 |
Randy Buehler | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Career Total | 36 | 14 | 2 |