Whether it was Abzan Aggro at Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir, Esper Dragons at Pro Tour Dragons of Tarkir, UR Ensoul Artifact at Pro Tour Origins or Colorless Eldrazi at Pro Tour Oath of the Gatewatch, each of the last several Pro Tours have featured powerful innovative decks coming from the core Face to Face Games team and we should expect nothing less this upcoming weekend when the group battles at Pro Tour Shadows over Innistrad in Madrid!
This edition of the team sees the return of Brian Braun-Duin to the squad along with the exciting addition of Steve Rubin (the quiet Pro Tour crusher)!
Team Face to Face Games
Braun-Duin
Damo Da Rosa
Floch
Hayne
Holiday
McClain
Nakamura
Pardee
Rubin
Saporito
Sigrist
Stern
Strasky
Wilson
**********
Player Name: Brian Braun-Duin
Hometown: Winchester, VA
Current Residence: Roanoke, VA
Age: 29
Occupation: Writer at ChannelFireball.com
Twitter Handle: @braunduinit
Magic Online Account: BBD
Invitation Source: Silver Invite
Pro Level: Silver
Lifetime Pro Points: 102
Current Pro Points: 25
Notable Finishes: 4 Grand Prix Top 8’s, two Grand Prix wins.
Favorite Magic Card: Foil Squire
Favorite Format (and why): Legacy. Small decisions matter so much and there is so much play to it.
Most Memorable Moment: Beating Jon Stern in the finals of GP Louisville.
**********
Player Name: Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa
Hometown: Porto Alegre
Current Residence: Porto Alegre
Age: 28
Occupation: Magic player
Twitter Handle: @pvddr
Magic Online Account:
Invitation Source: Hall of Fame
Pro Level: Platinum
Lifetime Pro Points: 5xx. Wotc website isnt letting me log in so don’t know the exact number
Current Pro Points: 50
Notable Finishes: 10 PT top8s!
Favorite Magic Card: Vendilion Clique
Favorite Format (and why): Block Constructed, because cards that would normally be bad become good due to a more constrained card pool. But I also like Sealed/Draft a lot, Legacy and some Standard formats.
Most Memorable Moment: My first PT top 8 in Charleston
**********
Player Name: Ivan Floch
Hometown: Bratislava, Slovakia
Current Residence: Bratislava, Slovakia
Age: 30
Occupation: Professional tourist
Twitter Handle: @IvanFloch19
Invitation Source: Platinum, 2nd finish PT Atlanta
Pro Level: Platinum
Lifetime Pro Points: 286
Current Pro Points: 39
Notable Finishes: PT Magic 2015 winner, GP Lisbon winner, Team Champion Worlds Chiba 2010
Favorite Magic Card: Upheaval
Favorite Format (and why): draft right now, I like the new format and synergies between cards
Most Memorable Moment: Winning Team Worlds in Chiba 2010, it was a big thing back then when a small country like Slovakia could beat every magic power-houses. Since then other small countries have made their mark too, but World Magic Cup makes it easier now. We won it before WMC has been introduced. It was also my first big victory – a proof I can do it.
**********
Player Name: Alexander Hayne
Hometown: Montreal, QC, Canada
Current Residence: Westmount, QC, Canada
Age: 27
Occupation: Wizard
Twitter Handle: @insaynehayne
Invitation Source: Platinum
Pro Level: Platinum
Lifetime Pro Points: 250
Current Pro Points: 43
Notable Finishes:
– PT AVR Champion
– GP Krakow 2015 Champion
– GP Atlantic City 2015 (2nd)
– GP Vancouver 2015 (4th)
– GP Calgary 2013 Champion
– GP Vancouver 2014 Champion
– GP Kyoto 2013 Champion
– GP Strasbourg 2013 (3rd)
– GP Montreal 2011 (2nd)
– 2012 Rookie of the Year
– 2015 Canadian National Team
– 2014 Canadian National Team
– 2012 Canadian National Team (Captain)
Favourite Magic Card (and why): Gifts Ungiven, (pre-Unburial Rites), the whole card is a puzzle for you to outwit your adversary into getting what you want
Favourite Format (and why): Cube – It never gets boring
Most memorable Magic moment: Winning PT Avacyn Restored
**********
Name: Nathan Holiday
Hometown: Santa Cruz, CA
Residence: Santa Cruz, CA
Age: 25
Occupation: Magic Player / Student
Twitter: @pseudo_nathan
MTGO: pseudo_nathan
Inv Source: Platinum
Pro Level: Platinum
Lifetime Points: 101
Current Points: 19
Notable Finishes: Top 16 PT Vancouver, Four GP Top 8
Favorite Card: Second Sunrise
Format: Triple KTK or INN draft. Great sets with a lot of interaction and creativity. I hope new Innistrad will be as good!
Memorable moment: Winning my first GP day two at GP San Diego 2013 with Eggs.
**********
Player Name: Josh McClain
Hometown: Johnston, IA
Current Residence: Iowa city, IA
Age: 26
Occupation: Student
Magic Online Account: Good_Game
Twitter Handle: @Good_Game_
Invitation Source: Gold
Pro Level: Gold
Lifetime Pro Points: 135
Current Pro Points: 26
Notable Finishes:
– GP Providence 2015 (T8)
– GP Detroit 2013 (1st)
– GP Miami 2013 (2nd)
– Pro Tour Born of the Gods (11th)
– GP Oakland (T8)
Favourite Magic Card (and why): Kitchen Finks
Favourite Format (and why): Modern
Most memorable Magic moment: Chording for Orzhov Pontiff to save my team from a Grapeshot on camera vs. Gaudenis at PT Born of the Gods
**********
Player Name: Shuhei Nakamura
Hometown: Maybe Tokyo, Japan?
Current Residence: Vancouver
Age: 34
Occupation: Pro Magic Player
Magic Online Account: astarisk
Twitter Handle: @nakashu_
Invitation Source: Hall of Fame
Pro Level: Gold
Lifetime Pro Points: A lot
Current Pro Points: Not a lot
Favourite Magic Card (and why): Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Favourite Format (and why): Generally draft, maybe Vintage (because I just won a tournament)
Most Memorable Magic Moment: The last Pro Tour. It was time to say goodbye for me, but Magic never lets me.
**********
Player Name: Sam Pardee
Hometown: Berkeley, CA
Current Residence: Berkeley, CA
Age: 26
Occupation: Web Designer
Magic Online Account: Smdster
Twitter Handle: @Smdster
Invitation Source: Silver
Pro Level: Silver
Lifetime Pro Points: 140
Current Pro Points: 36
Notable Finishes:
– GP Detroit 2015 (1st)
– GP Krakow 2015 (T8)
– GP Charlotte 2015 (T8)
– GP Denver 2015 (3rd)
– GP Portland 2013 (1st)
– GP Albuquerque 2013 (2nd)
– GP Toronto 2012 (2nd)
– GP Madison (T8)
Favourite Magic Card (and why): Gavony Township, makes your bad creatures great
Favourite Format (and why): Modern, the games are very interactive and it feels easiest to get an edge
Most memorable Magic moment: Going 12-0 in Toronto after punting my win-and-in in Chicago the week before.
**********
Player Name: Steve Rubin
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Current Residence: Pittsburgh, PA
Age: 24
Occupation: High School Boys Varsity Ultimate Frisbee Coach, Part-time Student, Magic Player
Twitter Handle: @RubinZoo
Magic Online Account: Sturvedog
Invitation Souce: Platinum
Pro Level: Platinum
Lifetime Pro Points: 110
Current Pro Points: 24
Notable Finishes:
– three Grand Prix Top 8s
Favorite Magic Card: Ingot Chewer
Favorite Format (and why): Team Draft, because that’s how I got into playing Magic.
Most Memorable Moment: Climbing Oahu’s Diamond Head Summit Trail with teammates and friends after PT Hawaii.
**********
Player Name: Thiago Saporito
Hometown: Santo Andre
Current Residence: Santo Andre
Age: 22
Occupation: MTG Player
Twitter Handle: @bolov0
Magic Online Account: bolov0
Invitation Source: Platinum
Pro Level: Platinum
Lifetime Pro Points: 106
Current Pro Points: 38
Notable Finishes: PT Khanks Top8
Favorite Magic Card: Kitchen Finks
Favorite Format (and why): Standard
Most Memorable Moment: First PT T8
**********
Player Name: Mike Sigrist
Hometown: Weymouth MA
Current Residence: Mansfield MA
Age: 32
Occupation: Student
Magic Online Account: CHRISTIAN LAETTNER
Twitter Handle: @MSigrist83
Invitation Source: Platinum
Pro Level: Platinum
Lifetime Pro Points: 172
Current Pro Points: 33
Notable Finishes:
– PT Magic Origins (2nd)
– Player of the Year 2015
– Team USA 2015 (Captain)
– GP Montreal 2015 Champion
– PT Khans of Tarkir (T4)
– PT Portland 2014 (26th)
– GP Washington DC 2014 (1st)
– GP Richmond 2014 (3rd)
– PT Boston 2008 (7th)
Favourite Magic Card (and why): Living Death, played my first constructed tournament
Favourite Format (and why): Limited (draft), the games and decks are always fresh.
Most memorable Magic moment: Winning Grand Prix Washington D.C.
**********
Player Name: Jon Stern
Hometown: Montreal
Current Residence: Montreal
Age: 38
Occupation: Magic
Twitter Handle: @JonSternMTL
Invitation Source: Silver
Pro Level: Silver
Lifetime Pro Points: 166
Current Pro Points: 21
Notable Finishes:
GP Atlanta 2014 – 1st
GP Atlantic City 2013 – 1st
GP Louisville 2013 – 2nd
GP Vancouver 2014 – Top 4
GP Toronto 2012 – Top 8
Favourite Magic Card (and why): Aquamoeba. Some tides need no moon.
Favourite Format (and why): Rochester Draft – rewards planning ahead and adjusting on the fly
Most Memorable Magic Moment: Winning GP Atlantic City
**********
Player Name: Ondrej Strasky
Hometown: Ceske Budejovice
Current Residence: Prague
Age: 20
Occupation: Magic player
Twitter Handle: @ondrejstrasky
Magic Online Account: straca3
Invitation Source: Platinum
Pro Level: Platinum
Lifetime Pro Points: 103
Current Pro Points: 36
Notable Finishes: 2 PT top 8s
Favorite Magic Card: Daze
Favorite Format (and why): changes every week
Most Memorable Moment: winnning a match vs Thiago Saporito
**********
Player Name: Jacob Wilson
Hometown: San Francisco
Current Residence: Vancouver
Age: 20
Occupation: Magic Player
Magic Online Account: feefyfohfum
Twitter Handle: @JacobWilson95
Invitation Source: Platinum
Pro Level: Platinum
Lifetime Pro Points: 183
Current Pro Points: 35
Notable Finishes:
– 2 Pro Tour top 8s
– 6 Gp top 8s including 2 team wins
Favourite Magic Card (and why): Oracle of Mul Daya, my first constructed deck was RUG in standard.
Favourite Format (and why): Legacy, Daze is so much fun! Every deck is very consistent and powerful
Most Memorable Magic Moment: 2nd Place at PT Born of the Gods
Mana Deprived is the #1 Magic: the Gathering Site in Canada.