Martin Jůza
Class of: 2017
Hometown: Plzen, Czech Republic
Debut: Pro Tour New Orleans 2003
Lifetime Pro Points: 563
- The first player from the Czech Republic to be inducted into the Pro Tour Hall of Fame
- Goes into the Hall of Fame tied for the most Grand Prix Top 8s with 28
- First of three career Pro Tour Top 8s came at PT Berlin 2008
- Regarded as one of the best Limited players in the game
- Invited to the 2017 World Championship as the Draft Master
The Czech Republic’s Martin Jůza made his Pro Tour debut at New Orleans in 2003. The format was old Extended. Jůza remembers feeling outclassed on deck technology and raw power as he and a handful of other Czech players showed up playing Psychatog while other players were casting Tinker to find Goblin Charbelchers.
"My first opponent played Food Chain," recalled Jůza of those first baby steps that would eventually lead him to the Hall of Fame. "I did not even know what that card did. I had never seen it before in my life. We were obviously super unprepared and had no idea what was going on. My first Pro Tour was really me being a tourist, just enjoying getting to travel. I was only sixteen."
Martin played off and on the Pro Tour for the next couple of seasons and found himself wondering about the role Magic was going to play in his life as he entered his twenties. As 2007 wound down with the World Championship in New York, a strong finish earned him an invite to the first Pro Tour of the next season in Kuala Lumpur.
"I figured I would go, and if I didn’t do well, then I would just stop playing," said Jůza of his mindset going into the 2008 season. "I got 30 minutes of sleep before Day 1 and somehow I went X-0 and lost playing for Top 8. I also lost playing for Top 8 of the next one, but qualified for the next PT. And the next one was Berlin..."
Pro Tour Berlin marked the first Top 8 of Martin Jůza’s suddenly surging Magic career, and his playtest group was one of several that found the breakout deck for that tournament: Elves.
"Before Berlin, the internet really started to become a thing, and about a month before the Pro Tour we saw an Elf deck which looked really interesting," said Jůza. "I built it and we played a bunch of games, and we realized it was insane. It was just the most powerful deck we had ever played."
The Czech players felt like they had found the golden ticket and were very paranoid about other people finding their secret deck, but quickly found out that they were not alone in the discovery of the deck and that it was one of the most prevalent decks in the field.
"We were super paranoid but eventually we went to the Pro Tour and we found out that obviously half the people there knew about it. Eventually I made the Top 8 and it suddenly looked like this was something I could do."
The most exciting part of that phase of his career, when he was constantly chaining together Platinum finishes—the highest level in the Pro Tour Players Club, which means you are invited to everything and receive appearance fees at each event—was getting to travel all over the world. Jůza became a fixture on the Grand Prix circuit. He goes into the Hall of Fame with 28 Top 8s at that level of competition, which ties him with fellow Hall of Famers—and road warriors—Olivier Ruel and Shuhei Nakamura for the most such finishes in the history of the game.
Jůza would add another PT Top 8 to his résumé at Pro Tour Austin in 2009, but the Sunday stage eluded him for several years afterward. As the 2016–17 season was getting under way, Jůza was again thinking about what role Magic was playing in his life. He and a good friend had opened an escape room in Prague, and for the first time in recent memory he had fallen short of Platinum.
As he watched his contemporaries Yuuya Watanabe and Owen Turtenwald get inducted into the Hall of Fame prior to PT Kaladesh, he thought about all the players who said they wanted to vote for him if he only had one more big finish. He looked at the most successful players in the game and realized that he could still learn something from them. In the past, he had coasted on natural talent, but success in the wake of hard work by Turtenwald and Jůza’s countryman Lukas Blohon served as inspiration for Jůza going into the season.
"They weren’t really asking that much of me, and I realized I could try a little harder this year to see if I could get that and achieve something really big," recalled Jůza of his Hall of Fame aspirations. "Clearly I could see that if I tried a little harder that big things could happen. I knew I could have been standing up there with them if I had tried a little bit harder."
His third Pro Tour Top 8 came soon thereafter at PT Aether Revolt in 2017, when his Jund Energy deck—a deck he was the only person among his teammates to play—and drafting prowess carried him to the Sunday stage. As he played out the year, he continued to dominate at the Grand Prix level. He was also the dominant drafter at the Pro Tour, and he won the Draft Master invite to the World Championship. He finally got the call informing him that he had been voted into the Hall of Fame, becoming the first player in Magic history from the Czech Republic to earn that honor.
"I am in a place where I am amazed and super happy. It obviously means a lot—it is a lifetime achievement award, " said a grateful Jůza. "And it feels really nice to be rewarded for something you have been doing for a long time. It gives you a sense of satisfaction."
"There are way too many people to even mention," he said in regard to the people he wanted to thank. "Certainly the people that influenced me the most are Lukas Blohon, Raphaël Lévy—who has become one of my really good friends outside of Magic—Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa, Frank Karsten, Shuhei Nakamura, and the whole ChannelFireball team. It is hard to single anybody out since everybody is great. Ben Stark is someone else who I have really connected to on a personal level. The whole Czech community is really great and for sure I want to thank them."
Martin Jůza still plans to play Magic at the same pace he has always pursued it, and you can expect to see him showing up at Grand Prix in whatever far-flung corners of the globe they are held. With so many of his goals achieved in the season leading up to his Hall of Fame election, there was only one thing that remained on his to-do list.
"I would like to win a Pro Tour, obviously," said the Hall of Famer with a grin.
Featured Decklists
Creature (33)
4 Wirewood Symbiote 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Birchlore Rangers 4 Heritage Druid 4 Nettle Sentinel 4 Essence Warden 4 Wirewood Hivemaster 1 Viridian Shaman 1 Predator Dragon 1 Elvish Champion 2 Elvish VisionarySorcery (4)
4 Glimpse of NatureSideboard (15)
1 Viridian Shaman 3 Umezawa's Jitte 3 Thorn of Amethyst 2 Naturalize 1 Ethersworn Canonist 1 Tar Fiend 1 Orzhov Pontiff 1 Voidstone Gargoyle 1 Burrenton Forge-Tender 1 Gaddock TeegBlack (1)
1 Tar FiendRed (1)
1 Predator DragonGreen (43)
4 Wirewood Symbiote 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Birchlore Rangers 4 Heritage Druid 4 Nettle Sentinel 4 Essence Warden 4 Wirewood Hivemaster 2 Viridian Shaman 1 Elvish Champion 2 Elvish Visionary 4 Glimpse of Nature 4 Chord of Calling 2 NaturalizeColorless (25)
2 Summoner's Pact 1 Pendelhaven 4 Temple Garden 4 Horizon Canopy 8 Forest 3 Umezawa's Jitte 3 Thorn of Amethyst1 (29)
4 Wirewood Symbiote 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Birchlore Rangers 4 Heritage Druid 4 Nettle Sentinel 4 Essence Warden 4 Glimpse of Nature 1 Burrenton Forge-Tender2 (16)
4 Wirewood Hivemaster 2 Elvish Visionary 3 Umezawa's Jitte 3 Thorn of Amethyst 2 Naturalize 1 Ethersworn Canonist 1 Gaddock Teeg5 (1)
1 Voidstone GargoyleCommon (28)
4 Llanowar Elves 4 Birchlore Rangers 4 Nettle Sentinel 4 Essence Warden 2 Elvish Visionary 8 Forest 2 NaturalizeUncommon (16)
4 Wirewood Symbiote 4 Heritage Druid 4 Wirewood Hivemaster 2 Viridian Shaman 1 Pendelhaven 1 Burrenton Forge-TenderRare (23)
1 Predator Dragon 1 Elvish Champion 4 Glimpse of Nature 4 Chord of Calling 2 Summoner's Pact 3 Umezawa's Jitte 3 Thorn of Amethyst 1 Ethersworn Canonist 1 Tar Fiend 1 Orzhov Pontiff 1 Voidstone Gargoyle 1 Gaddock TeegSorcery (4)
4 Tribal FlamesLand (21)
4 Arid Mesa 4 Scalding Tarn 4 Marsh Flats 2 Verdant Catacombs 1 Temple Garden 1 Blood Crypt 1 Stomping Ground 1 Godless Shrine 1 Steam Vents 1 Mountain 1 Sacred FoundrySideboard (15)
3 Oblivion Ring 3 Kitchen Finks 3 Ghost Quarter 2 Umezawa's Jitte 1 Yixlid Jailer 1 Ravenous Trap 1 Tormod's Crypt 1 Duergar Hedge-MageColorless (27)
4 Arid Mesa 4 Scalding Tarn 4 Marsh Flats 2 Verdant Catacombs 1 Temple Garden 1 Blood Crypt 1 Stomping Ground 1 Godless Shrine 1 Steam Vents 1 Mountain 1 Sacred Foundry 3 Ghost Quarter 2 Umezawa's Jitte 1 Tormod's Crypt1 (26)
4 Wild Nacatl 4 Steppe Lynx 4 Kird Ape 4 Goblin Guide 4 Lightning Bolt 3 Path to Exile 3 Might of Alara2 (16)
4 Tarmogoyf 3 Gaddock Teeg 4 Tribal Flames 2 Lightning Helix 2 Umezawa's Jitte 1 Yixlid Jailer4 (1)
1 Ravenous TrapUncommon (26)
4 Kird Ape 4 Lightning Bolt 3 Path to Exile 2 Lightning Helix 3 Oblivion Ring 3 Kitchen Finks 3 Ghost Quarter 1 Yixlid Jailer 1 Ravenous Trap 1 Tormod's Crypt 1 Duergar Hedge-MageMythic (24)
4 Tarmogoyf 4 Arid Mesa 4 Scalding Tarn 4 Marsh Flats 2 Verdant Catacombs 1 Temple Garden 1 Blood Crypt 1 Stomping Ground 1 Godless Shrine 1 Steam Vents 1 Sacred FoundryCreature (19)
4 Greenbelt Rampager 4 Scrapheap Scrounger 4 Longtusk Cub 4 Voltaic Brawler 1 Rishkar, Peema Renegade 2 Tireless TrackerSorcery (4)
4 Attune with AetherSideboard (15)
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance 2 Nissa, Vital Force 2 Tireless Tracker 1 Shock 4 Fatal Push 2 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship 3 Verdurous GearhulkBlack (4)
4 Fatal PushGreen (23)
3 Nissa, Vital Force 4 Greenbelt Rampager 4 Longtusk Cub 1 Rishkar, Peema Renegade 4 Tireless Tracker 4 Attune with Aether 3 Verdurous GearhulkColorless (31)
4 Scrapheap Scrounger 3 Heart of Kiran 2 Fleetwheel Cruiser 4 Aether Hub 4 Blooming Marsh 4 Game Trail 1 Cinder Glade 4 Forest 2 Mountain 1 Swamp 2 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship2 (17)
4 Scrapheap Scrounger 4 Longtusk Cub 4 Voltaic Brawler 2 Harnessed Lightning 3 Heart of KiranUncommon (22)
4 Longtusk Cub 4 Voltaic Brawler 2 Harnessed Lightning 4 Unlicensed Disintegration 4 Aether Hub 4 Fatal PushRare (23)
4 Greenbelt Rampager 4 Scrapheap Scrounger 1 Rishkar, Peema Renegade 4 Tireless Tracker 2 Fleetwheel Cruiser 4 Blooming Marsh 4 Game TrailMythic (16)
4 Chandra, Torch of Defiance 3 Nissa, Vital Force 3 Heart of Kiran 1 Cinder Glade 2 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship 3 Verdurous GearhulkCreature (19)
4 Arbor Elf 4 Avacyn's Pilgrim 4 Craterhoof Behemoth 3 Deathrite Shaman 4 Somberwald SageInstant (4)
4 Grisly SalvageLand (23)
6 Forest 2 Gavony Township 2 Hallowed Fountain 4 Overgrown Tomb 1 Shimmering Grotto 4 Temple Garden 4 Woodland CemeterySideboard (15)
4 Angel of Serenity 2 Cavern of Souls 3 Loxodon Smiter 2 Restoration Angel 4 ThragtuskBlack (3)
3 Unburial RitesGreen (27)
4 Arbor Elf 4 Avacyn's Pilgrim 4 Craterhoof Behemoth 4 Somberwald Sage 3 Mulch 4 Tracker's Instincts 4 ThragtuskColorless (25)
6 Forest 2 Gavony Township 2 Hallowed Fountain 4 Overgrown Tomb 1 Shimmering Grotto 4 Temple Garden 4 Woodland Cemetery 2 Cavern of SoulsRare (24)
3 Deathrite Shaman 4 Somberwald Sage 2 Gavony Township 4 Woodland Cemetery 2 Cavern of Souls 3 Loxodon Smiter 2 Restoration Angel 4 ThragtuskMythic (18)
4 Craterhoof Behemoth 2 Hallowed Fountain 4 Overgrown Tomb 4 Temple Garden 4 Angel of SerenityCreature (22)
4 Birds of Paradise 4 Avacyn's Pilgrim 4 Mirran Crusader 4 Hero of Bladehold 2 Blade Splicer 2 Geist-Honored Monk 2 Mikaeus, the LunarchSorcery (3)
3 OverrunArtifact (2)
2 MortarpodEnchantment (3)
3 Oblivion RingSideboard (15)
1 Garruk Relentless 1 Oblivion Ring 2 Thrun, the Last Troll 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite 1 Fiend Hunter 2 Sword of Feast and Famine 2 Sword of War and Peace 2 Naturalize 2 Celestial Purge 1 Garruk, Primal HunterWhite (25)
3 Elspeth Tirel 4 Mirran Crusader 4 Hero of Bladehold 2 Blade Splicer 2 Geist-Honored Monk 2 Mikaeus, the Lunarch 4 Oblivion Ring 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite 1 Fiend Hunter 2 Celestial PurgeGreen (20)
4 Garruk Relentless 4 Birds of Paradise 4 Avacyn's Pilgrim 3 Overrun 2 Thrun, the Last Troll 2 Naturalize 1 Garruk, Primal HunterColorless (30)
2 Mortarpod 8 Forest 4 Plains 4 Gavony Township 4 Razorverge Thicket 4 Sunpetal Grove 2 Sword of Feast and Famine 2 Sword of War and Peace3 (15)
4 Mirran Crusader 2 Blade Splicer 4 Oblivion Ring 1 Fiend Hunter 2 Sword of Feast and Famine 2 Sword of War and Peace7 (1)
1 Elesh Norn, Grand CenobiteRare (24)
4 Birds of Paradise 4 Mirran Crusader 2 Blade Splicer 2 Geist-Honored Monk 4 Gavony Township 4 Razorverge Thicket 4 Sunpetal GroveMythic (21)
4 Garruk Relentless 3 Elspeth Tirel 4 Hero of Bladehold 2 Mikaeus, the Lunarch 2 Thrun, the Last Troll 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite 2 Sword of Feast and Famine 2 Sword of War and Peace 1 Garruk, Primal HunterPlaneswalker (1)
1 Gideon, Ally of ZendikarCreature (21)
4 Warden of the First Tree 4 Sylvan Advocate 4 Anafenza, the Foremost 4 Siege Rhino 3 Den Protector 2 Wingmate RocEnchantment (2)
2 SilkwrapLand (26)
4 Shambling Vent 4 Windswept Heath 4 Wooded Foothills 4 Flooded Strand 2 Llanowar Wastes 2 Canopy Vista 1 Sunken Hollow 1 Smoldering Marsh 2 Forest 2 PlainsSideboard (15)
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar 1 Den Protector 3 Duress 3 Transgress the Mind 3 Self-Inflicted Wound 2 Hallowed Moonlight 1 Arashin ClericWhite (10)
3 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar 2 Wingmate Roc 2 Silkwrap 2 Hallowed Moonlight 1 Arashin ClericColorless (29)
4 Shambling Vent 4 Windswept Heath 4 Wooded Foothills 4 Flooded Strand 2 Llanowar Wastes 2 Canopy Vista 1 Sunken Hollow 1 Smoldering Marsh 2 Forest 2 Plains 3 Transgress the Mind2 (23)
4 Sylvan Advocate 4 Den Protector 4 Dromoka's Command 2 Silkwrap 3 Transgress the Mind 3 Self-Inflicted Wound 2 Hallowed Moonlight 1 Arashin ClericRare (24)
4 Sylvan Advocate 4 Siege Rhino 4 Den Protector 4 Dromoka's Command 4 Shambling Vent 2 Llanowar Wastes 2 Hallowed MoonlightMythic (29)
3 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar 4 Warden of the First Tree 4 Anafenza, the Foremost 2 Wingmate Roc 4 Windswept Heath 4 Wooded Foothills 4 Flooded Strand 2 Canopy Vista 1 Sunken Hollow 1 Smoldering MarshCreature (16)
4 Goblin Rabblemaster 4 Mantis Rider 4 Seeker of the Way 1 Soulfire Grand Master 3 Stormbreath DragonSorcery (3)
3 Treasure CruiseInstant (16)
1 Abzan Advantage 1 Dig Through Time 4 Lightning Strike 4 Stoke the Flames 3 Valorous Stance 3 Wild SlashEnchantment (1)
1 Outpost SiegeLand (24)
2 Battlefield Forge 4 Flooded Strand 2 Island 4 Mystic Monastery 2 Plains 4 Shivan Reef 2 Temple of Epiphany 4 Temple of TriumphSideboard (15)
1 Outpost Siege 1 Valorous Stance 3 Anger of the Gods 2 Brimaz, King of Oreskos 3 Disdainful Stroke 2 Elspeth, Sun's Champion 1 Glare of Heresy 2 NegateWhite (15)
1 Abzan Advantage 4 Seeker of the Way 1 Soulfire Grand Master 4 Valorous Stance 2 Brimaz, King of Oreskos 2 Elspeth, Sun's Champion 1 Glare of HeresyRed (23)
4 Goblin Rabblemaster 4 Lightning Strike 2 Outpost Siege 4 Stoke the Flames 3 Stormbreath Dragon 3 Wild Slash 3 Anger of the GodsMulti colored (4)
4 Mantis RiderColorless (24)
2 Battlefield Forge 4 Flooded Strand 2 Island 4 Mystic Monastery 2 Plains 4 Shivan Reef 2 Temple of Epiphany 4 Temple of Triumph1 (3)
3 Wild Slash2 (20)
1 Abzan Advantage 4 Lightning Strike 4 Seeker of the Way 1 Soulfire Grand Master 4 Valorous Stance 3 Disdainful Stroke 1 Glare of Heresy 2 Negate5 (3)
3 Stormbreath Dragon6 (2)
2 Elspeth, Sun's ChampionCommon (17)
1 Abzan Advantage 2 Island 4 Lightning Strike 2 Plains 3 Treasure Cruise 3 Disdainful Stroke 2 NegateUncommon (20)
4 Mystic Monastery 4 Seeker of the Way 4 Stoke the Flames 4 Valorous Stance 3 Wild Slash 1 Glare of HeresyRare (26)
2 Battlefield Forge 1 Dig Through Time 4 Goblin Rabblemaster 4 Mantis Rider 2 Outpost Siege 4 Shivan Reef 2 Temple of Epiphany 4 Temple of Triumph 3 Anger of the GodsMythic (12)
4 Flooded Strand 1 Soulfire Grand Master 3 Stormbreath Dragon 2 Brimaz, King of Oreskos 2 Elspeth, Sun's ChampionVideos
Career Stats
BY FORMAT
Format | W | L | D | Matches | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Limited | 814 | 443 | 36 | 1293 | 63.00% |
Constructed | 777 | 495 | 51 | 1323 | 58.70% |
Total | 1591 | 938 | 87 | 2616 | 60.80% |
BY EVENT TYPE
Event | W | L | D | Matches | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pro Tour | 397 | 281 | 17 | 695 | 57.10% |
Grand Prix | 1185 | 651 | 69 | 1905 | 62.20% |
Total | 1582 | 932 | 86 | 2600 | 60.80% |
Stats are current as of the week of October 3, 2016.