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
Mana Deprived is the #1 Magic: the Gathering Site in Canada.