One of the most alluring things for outside players in reading event coverage is deck lists; this is one line of reasoning behind the hybrid limited/constructed pro tours in this season. More to the point, it means that if you, as a competitor, have access to the coverage during the event, you may well have access to an opponent’s complete deck list.
Over at his blog, Bill Stark talks about an ethical move on the part of Mark Herberholz and Mike Jacobs heading into the top eight at GP Los Angeles:
So let’s say you’re Mike Jacobs and Mark Herberholz, both champions (Heezy at the aforementioned PT-Honolulu, Mike at US Nats this past year), and you’ve just made the Top 8 of a Grand Prix. You both have 3G cell phones capable of accessing the Internet, and you
Category Archives: Grand Prix Los Angeles 2009
Grand Prix Los Angeles 2009 – Day two curiosities
As I mentioned , the industrious BIll Stark has given us all the day two deck lists from GP Los Angeles 2009. Over at Top 8 Magic, Brian has already posted deck lists for the ninth through twentieth places. I took a quick look through the list earlier today and rather than chasing top finishers, pulled some deck lists that stood out from the others.
Click through to the extended entry to see some of the more unexpected builds, including Time Spiral non-allstar Roiling Horror as a finisher in a Martyr deck, and many other intriguing card choices.
GP Los Angeles 2009 deck lists
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Courtesy of Bill Stark. Thanks, Bill!
Click here for Day 2 deck lists from GP Los Angeles.
Good job, Luis
Good on Luis (Scott-Vargas), representing Northern California yet again with a back-to-back Grand Prix win.
Here’s the coverage from Grand Prix Los Angeles 2009
That’s Luis’s third GP win, which is pretty good.
Also notable in the top eight is Asher Hecht, whose name I recognize from Top 8 Magic podcasts (and, of course, Michael Jacob and former PT champion Mark Herberholz).
Copied from this part of the day two coverage, here’s the archetype breakdown for day two at the GP:
Faeries 29
Affinity 11
Death Cloud 11
GRW Zoo 9
Zoo 9
Burn 8
TEPS
Shakedown cruise — GP Trial test run
I teased my deck design for today’s GP Trial yesterday. I viewed the trial as basically a test run, to give my build a shakedown run against players who had actually brought their A game.
As it happened, the shakedown run shook the deck apart, and highlighted some important problems with the deck. More in the extended.
Off to the GP Trial
I’ll be heading off tomorrow to one of the last two GP Trials in our area for GP Los Angeles. The GPTs start at noon this Saturday and Sunday at local super-venue, Superstars.
My tool of choice tomorrow:
Grand Prix Los Angeles 2009 – information
Sunmesa events has begun posting information about Grand Prix Los Angeles 2009. This event, scheduled for January 17th and 18th, with GP Trials on the 16th, will be in the Extended format. There are also a number of side events, including a PTQ for Honolulu (and, as always, the top competitors in the GP proper will receive invites to that Pro Tour).
Click here for the GP Los Angeles 2009 information site
Notes on the event, in brief:
- Pre-register to receive for the venue hotel and get a free draft
- First 650 participants receive a Stoic Angel play mat
- GP trials start at 12pm on the 16th and are 32-player, single-elimination flights
- First two GP trials of the day are half price
- Side events include a PTQ and a bunch of other stuff
- Guest artist is Volkan Baga
All in all, it sounds quite good. If I can, I’ll be attending, and will hope to hit one or more GP trials. Ideally, I’d attend a local one well ahead of the event. Superstars is having one tomorrow (that is, Saturday, December 13th), but I can’t make it. The Sunmesa site promises to list other GP trials soon, so check the site and maybe find one in your area. If you can manage it, a three-round GP bye is pretty nice.
If you’re in the Los Angeles area around mid-January, it’s worth popping by to give the GP a shot, check out the side events, see (and maybe play against) some pros, and just have a good time.