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Pro Tour Dark Ascension Preview – Canadians

Hey guys!

We decided it would be a good idea given the increase in coverage at the upcoming Pro Tour to provide a little preview of what you will see next weekend. We would like to introduce you to the Canadian players qualified for this Pro Tour, so you can root for your fellow countrymen during the coverage and on the live chat. We are working very hard practicing for the upcoming Pro Tour, and we hope that you see a bunch of these faces on the coverage through the weekend, hopefully at the top tables.

We present to you the Canadians playing at Pro Tour Dark Ascension in Honolulu!

Name: Andrew Noworaj
Age: 26
Location: Ottawa, Ontario

How long have you been playing Magic: Since Revised – I opened Dual Lands in booster packs and traded them away for Morphlings and Spiritmongers.
How you qualified: Grand Prix Montreal

How many Pro Tours have you played: Four prior to Honolulu 2012.

Any Previous Magic Accomplishments: Top 8 Canadian Nationals 2006, Top 4 Grand Prix Montreal 2011

Favorite card from Dark Ascension: Faithless Looting is a card I’m excited to play. Sorin, Lord of Innistrad is also awesome.

Favorite Format: Cube Draft is my favorite overall, Legacy is pretty awesome and the occasional Vintage tournament is spicy! I also have a fondness for any format with a good Zoo deck.

Name: Francis Cormier
Age: 35
Location: Montreal, Quebec

How long have you been playing Magic: I did crack some Arabian Nights booster back in the days…so yeah forever.

How you qualified: Won a PTQ

Number of Pro Tours: Will be number 9

Previous Magic accomplishments: 18th PT San Diego 2010

Favorite card from Dark Ascension: Strangleroot Geist

Favorite format: limited of any kind

Name: Dominic Morel
Age: 32
Location: Quebec City ,Quebec

How long have you been playing Magic: since 1993 (18 years)

How you qualified: GP Montreal top 16

How many Pro Tours have you played: 0

Any Previous Magic Accomplishments:

Favorite card from Dark Ascension: Grim Backwoods, Vault of the Archangel

Favorite Format: Limited Draft-Sealed

Name: Robert Anderson
Age: 27
Location: H3Z (Westmount, Quebec)

How long have you been playing Magic: Competitively since Onslaught, Non-Competitively since Revised (Skipping Urza’s through Odyssey)

How you qualified: I am qualified by not doing well in an event in 3 months (PWPs)

Number of Pro Tours: Will be my 4th

Any Previous Magic accomplishments: 57th PT Philly, Day 2 a bunch of GPs and 3 PTQ wins. 2007 Provincial Champ (yay)

Favorite card from Dark Ascension: Tragic Slip

Favorite Format: Draft

Name: Jared Maguire
Age: 24
Location: Calgary, Alberta

How long have you been playing Magic: The first booster pack I ever bought contained a Sensation Gorger. (Morningtide)

How you qualified: I’m a grinder. I made 58th place worldwide in last season’s Planeswalker Points competitive totals.

How many Pro Tours have you played: I’m a pro tour virgin.

Any Previous Magic Accomplishments: It’s hard to gauge accomplishments as a grinder – there is more value in volume of games won rather than specific games won. That said, I went 35-11 in side events at worlds and top 8’d two PTQs last season. I also smashed Raphael Levy at GP San Diego by getting the turn 2 stalker, turn 3 cleaver every time. Easy game.

Favorite card from Dark Ascension: Thalia, Guardian of Thraben.

Favorite Format: I should say Limited as that’s how I qualified, but I know a true pro would say Mental Magic.

Name: Martin-Eric Gauthier
Age: 26
Location: Longueuil, Quebec

How long have you been playing Magic: 15 Years

How you qualified: PTQ

How many Pro Tours have you played: 2

Any Previous Magic Accomplishments: I suck

Favorite card from Dark Ascension: Counterlash

Favorite Format: Extended

Name: Julien Perrault
Age: 26
Location: Montreal, Quebec

How long have you been playing Magic: Since the Ice Age.

How you qualified: Won a PTQ.

How many Pro Tours have you played: 1

Any Previous Magic Accomplishments: Won a PTQ!

Favorite card from Dark Ascension: Geralf’s Messenger

Favorite Format: Draft, then Legacy.

Name: Frederic Mercier
Age: 32
Location: Montreal, Quebec

How long have you been playing Magic: Played for 17 years

How you qualified: Qualified with PWP top ranking (both lists)

How many Pro Tours have you played: This will be my 1st PT

Any Previous Magic Accomplishments: Day 2 in GP montreal and GP Orlando

Favorite card from Dark Ascension: Tragic Slip

Favorite Format: Draft (Loved Rochester, too bad its gone)

Name: Marcel Angelo Zafra
Age: 23
Location: Edmonton Alberta

How long have you been playing Magic: Guildpact Pre Release was my first sanctioned tournament

How you qualified: Does getting 2nd at 2 PTQs count? lol Top 100 PWP

How many Pro Tours have you played: This is going to be my 8th

Any Previous Magic Accomplishments: 17th PT austin, 4th 2011 Canadian nationals

Favorite card from Dark Ascension: Ray of Revelation

Favorite Format: standard and draft

Name: Ben Moir
Age: 17
Location: Ottawa, Ontario

How long have you been playing Magic: Started around Darksteel

How you qualified: PTQ

How many Pro Tours have you played: 0

Any Previous Magic Accomplishments: nope

Favorite card from Dark Ascension: Huntsman of the Fells

Favorite Format: Legacy

Name: Alexander Hayne
Age: 23
Location: Westmount, Quebec

How long have you been playing Magic: Around Ravnica

How you qualified: GP Montreal top 16 + Planeswalker Points

How many Pro Tours have you played: This will be my 3rd

Any Previous Magic Accomplishments: GP Montreal Finalist, 56th Worlds 2011, Top 64 GP Orlando

Favorite card from Dark Ascension: Faithless Looting for actually playing, Zombie Apocalypse for design/flavour

Favorite Format: Cube, not close

Name: David Caplan
Age: 23
Location: Halifax (originally Toronto)

How long have you been playing Magic: Since Urza’s Saga

How you qualified: Pro Tour Finish

How many Pro Tours have you played: This is my third

Any Previous Magic Accomplishments: Top 8 GP Chicago 2009, Top 4 Worlds 2011, 4th Magic Online Worlds 2011, Top 4 Legacy Worlds 2009, Top 4 Legacy Worlds 2007, 1st CMT Halifax 2012, 1st CMT Ottawa 2011

Favorite card from Dark Ascension: Grafdigger’s Cage

Favorite Format: Vintage

Name: Marc Anderson
Age: 24
Location: Toronto

How long have you been playing Magic: Since Odyssey

How you qualified: Pro level 4

How many Pro Tours have you played: 1

Any Previous Magic Accomplishments: 2nd Provincials 2011, 1st Nationals 2011, 12th Worlds 2011

Favorite card from Dark Ascension: Gravecrawler I guess?

Favorite Format: Any of TSP/TSP/TSP, ROE/ROE/ROE or INN/INN/INN draft.

Name: Bo Brian Su
Age: 26
Location: Edmonton, Alberta

How long have you been playing Magic: Playing for 10+ years

How you qualified: Won the Modo PTQ on Christmas morning.

Previous PT experience: only PT Nagoya

Previous Accomplishments: None!

Favorite Card in Dark Ascension: Tower Geist

Format: Champions, Champions, Betrayers Draft

Name: Sergio Ferry
Age: 33
Location: Vancouver, BC

How long have you been playing Magic: My DCI has 6 digits…Started on Unlimited Edition (but stayed many years without playing after Mirrodin, returned just before…scars of Mirrodin)

How you qualified: PWP, no worlds list

How many Pro Tours have you played: This will be the 1st one, I lost in two PTQ finals…and the guys who won on both of them didn’t go!
Any Previous Magic Accomplishments: 5 times Regional winner in Rio de Janeiro, Many top 8 PTQ’s including Seattle last year, top 40 GP Montreal Last year, day two GP Toronto last year

Favorite card from Dark Ascension: Probably my colleagues will be talking about the all stars card, so I would like to mention the new black removal, Tragic Slip, it not only will play in constructed in my opinion, but also will enable black again in draft, since it is a common removal. It is super cost effective, instant speed and -13 / -13 is nuts!!

Favorite Format: Limited / Draft … it’s all about combat tricks, deck building skills and perception…

Name: Mani Davoudi
Age: 20
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia

How long have you been playing Magic: I started playing in October-November of 2007, just after the release of Lorwyn

How you qualified: Won the Sealed PTQ in Vancouver

How many Pro Tours have you played: This would be my second

Any Previous Magic Accomplishments: Canadian Nationals Top 8 2011

Favorite card from Dark Ascension: Sorin, Lord of Innistrad

Favorite Format: Cube draft

Name: Rich Hoaen
Age: 26
Location: Toronto

How long have you been playing Magic: 15 years

How you qualified: Won GP Montreal

How many Pro Tours have you played: A lot

Any Previous Magic Accomplishments: A lot

Favorite card from Dark Ascension:

Favorite Format: Draft, duh.

Name: Dinh Nguyen
Age: 25
Location: Toronto

How long have you been playing Magic: I started playing magic in Invasion and stopped in Odyssey I think. I then played on and off. I got back into magic more regularly during Rise of the Eldrazi

How you qualified: I qualified by winning a PTQ in Toronto.

How many Pro Tours have you played: This will be my first pro tour, and my second professional level event, as I made it to day two for GP Montreal. I’m not sure if Top 8 PTQ counts as professional play.

Favourite Dark Ascension card: Fling

Favourite Format: a tie between draft and sealed.

Name: Sammy T
Age: 25
Location: Oakville, Ontario

How long have you been playing Magic: 5 years

How you qualified: GP Pittsburgh 10th place finish

How many Pro Tours have you played: 1 but qualified and didn’t go to Berlin 2008, Nagoya 2011, Worlds 2011

Any Previous Magic Accomplishments: PT Paris 50th, GP Toronto 11th, GP Atlanta 22nd, Numerous Day 2s at GPs

Favorite card from Dark Ascension: Drogskol Captain

Favorite Format: Vintage

Name: Daniel Hieu Pham
Age: 25
Location: Kobe, Japan (Originally from Toronto, Ontario)

How long have you been playing Magic: Since Tempest block (1998 – the release of Stronghold to be exact)

How you qualified: Top 8 Grand Prix Shanghai

How many Pro Tours have you played: 2 (Pro Tour Paris and Nagoya)

Any Previous Magic Accomplishments: Top 8 GP Shanghai, Top 16 GP Barcelona, Top 64 GP Hiroshima, Top 100 PT Nagoya

Favorite card from Dark Ascension: Sanctuary Cat (whacha’ya know ’bout Squire?!)

Favorite Format: Limited (although I started playing Magic with a strong love for Standard)

Name: Daniel Grenier
Age: 32
Location: Montreal, Quebec

How long have you been playing Magic: since Alara Blcok

How you qualified: Planeswalker Points ( Ginding at Face to Face Games)

How many Pro Tours have you played: 0

Any Previous Magic Accomplishments: Face to Face Games tournament shark.

Favorite card from Dark Ascension: Thoughtscour

Favorite Format: Whatever the tournament of the day is at Face.

Unfortunately we couldn’t get the information about the other 2 qualified Canadians, Paul MacKinnon, and Robert Lombardi.

Well, that’s Team Canada for Pro Tour Dark Ascension! Hopefully we will all have a good showing, and for those of you at home watching, thanks for cheering for us, and watch for updates via our twitter accounts and Manadeprived tweets/facebook group.

David Caplan @goobafish88
Alexander Hayne @insaynehayne

@manadeprived

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