Mihara, Dutch Crowned World Champions!

日本語の取材へ | Français

Hunted Dragon … Hunted Dragon … Bogardan Hellkite … Bogardan Hellkite …and after the storm of dragons had cleared, Japan's Makihito Mihara claimed the title of 2006 Magic: The Gathering World Champion!

The stage here in Paris had been set for a different sort of immortality with Gabriel Nassif and Katsuhiro Mori each chasing legendary goals, but it is Mihara who can now add his name to the list of Magic World Champions. After lurking near the top of the standings for the last few major events, Mihara broke through with a Dragonstorm deck that regularly grabbed victory when crushing defeat seemed imminent.

Mihara took down Player of the Year hopeful Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa in the quarterfinals, shocked native son Gabriel Nassif in the semifinals, and then swept aside countryman Ryo Ogura to win his first title and give Japan back-to-back World Champions. Shouta Yasooka could also breathe a sign of relief after the quarterfinal losses of da Rosa and Tiago Chan, which gave Yasooka the 2006 Player of the Year title.

Japan's stranglehold on the major titles was not complete like last year, however. The Netherlands brought two Pro Tour champions to Paris in Kamiel Cornelissen and Julien Nuijten, but it was relative unknown Robert van Medevoort who sealed the deal for the Dutchies by dispatching Shouhei Yamamoto to send the team title back to Europe.

Five days in Paris showcased the best the game has to offer - thousands of players and fans packing the fantastic location at the Louvre, five new Hall of Famers inducted, nail-biting Sunday play, thrilling comebacks, timely topdecks, stunning new deck tech, and so much more. Congratulations to all the 2006 champions, and we'll see you at Pro Tour-Geneva in 2007!

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