Top 8 at GP Stuttgart. Lorwyn Limited.

GP Stuttgart is over, and we have a new leader for the Player of the Year race: Shuhei Nakamura, Japanese level five pro, is the winner of the first big batch of points this year. His unorthodox draft strategy took him to a win, with a deck that met very mixed reactions among the spectators. However, it’s hard to argue with success. His runner-up, Robert van Medevoort, failed to produce his Profane Command in the finals, but he had a pretty good deck (which you can of course find here in the coverage).

The host country Germany brought about half of all competitors to the trade fair in Sindelfingen, and two of them made Top 8. Marc Vogt had a remarkable run with a clean 12-0 and just one bye, and Raul Porojan made his second GP Top 8 after GP Strasbourg. We saw a number of old favorites, as well as some rising stars here in Strasbourg. Marijn Lybaert was among them, missing Top 8 by a hair. The Belgian kid was trumped only by his National champion Fried Meulders, who notched a Top 8 appearance on his virtual achievemets badge.


GP Stuttgart was the biggest individual Grand Prix this year, and just as big as GP Amsterdam. Lorwyn Limited is over as a format, because the next event in the Magic year will be the Morningtide prereleases. Stay tuned to magicthegathering.com, where we will pick up with the Player of the Year race after that, and see if Shuhei Nakamura defends his early lead across the many formats of Pro Tours and Grand Prix in 2008!
//---------------------------------------------------------------//

Name: Joel Calafell
Age: 19
Residence: Barcelona, Spain
Occupation: Student

Number of GP Top 8s: 1

Number of PTs played: 4

Biggest Magic success: Top 16 at GP Bilbao 2005, co-designer of the deck "Cepmacio Breakfast" (not sure if this is a success)

Tournament result: 13-2

How did you prepare for the tournament? Made two drafts on MTGO the day before leaving

Joel Calafell
Main Deck
40 cards
4 Island
3 Mountain
7 Plains
1 Shimmering Grotto
1 Vivid Crag
1 Vivid Creek
17 lands
1 Avian Changeling
1 Flamekin Harbinger
1 Flamekin Spitfire
1 Galepowder Mage
1 Goldmeadow Harrier
1 Hillcomber Giant
1 Kithkin Greatheart
1 Kithkin Harbinger
1 Kithkin Healer
1 Mulldrifter
2 Oaken Brawler
2 Pestermite
1 Plover Knights
1 Purity
16 creatures
2 Glimmerdust Nap
1 Lash Out
1 Neck Snap
1 Wanderer's Twig
1 Whirlpool Whelm
1 Wings of Velis Vel
7 other spells
//---------------------------------------------------------------//

Name: Patrizio Golia
Age: 17
Residence: Forlí, Italy
Occupation: Student

Number of GP Top 8s: 0

Number of PTs played: 0

Biggest Magic success: Day 2 at GP Firenze, Italian "Under 15" National Champion 2005, 5 PTQ Top 8, 20th at Italian Nationals 2006.

Tournament result: 13-2, with two byes, and an 11-0 after his 2-2 start.

How did you prepare for the tournament? Magic Online


Patrizio Golia
Main Deck
40 cards
10 Island
7 Plains
17 lands
1 Avian Changeling
1 Deeptread Merrow
1 Fallowsage
1 Inkfathom Divers
1 Judge of Currents
1 Kinsbaile Balloonist
1 Merrow Harbinger
1 Sentinels of Glen Elendra
1 Silvergill Adept
1 Silvergill Douser
1 Stonybrook Angler
1 Sygg, River Guide
2 Tideshaper Mystic
1 Veteran of the Depths
1 Wispmare
16 creatures
1 Aquitect's Will
1 Crib Swap
1 Neck Snap
2 Ponder
1 Summon the School
1 Triclopean Sight
7 other spells
//---------------------------------------------------------------//


Name: Shuuhei Nakamura
Age: 26
Residence: Edge of Osaka, Japan
Occupation: Pro traveler

Number of GP Top 8s: 11?

Number of PTs played: 20+?

Biggest Magic success: I got 3rd in Limit's qualifier tournament (the 1st and 2nd get invited to the Limit's tournament). [It's the biggest invitation only event in Japan.]

Tournament result: Day one: 7-1-1, Day two: 3-0, 2-1

How did you prepare for the tournament? I was playing all GPs using Lorwyn. I like blue!

Shuuhei Nakamura
Main Deck
40 cards
6 Forest
1 Gilt-Leaf Palace
8 Island
1 Shimmering Grotto
1 Swamp
17 lands
1 Amoeboid Changeling
1 Black Poplar Shaman
1 Changeling Titan
1 Cloudcrown Oak
1 Deeptread Merrow
1 Fallowsage
1 Inkfathom Divers
1 Merrow Harbinger
1 Merrow Reejerey
1 Pestermite
1 Sentinels of Glen Elendra
1 Silvergill Douser
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Stonybrook Angler
1 Thorntooth Witch
15 creatures
1 Broken Ambitions
1 Eyeblight's Ending
1 Fertile Ground
1 Fistful of Force
1 Gilt-Leaf Ambush
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Runed Stalactite
1 Springleaf Drum
8 other spells
//---------------------------------------------------------------//

Name: Marc Vogt
Age: 20
Residence: Freising, Germany
Occupation: Student

Number of GP Top 8s: 1

Number of PTs played: 0

Biggest Magic success: Second at a Prerelease event with more than 100 people

Tournament result: 12-1-2; 3-0 in the first draft with a Goblins/Faeries deck, 0-1-2 in the second draft with W/U Changeling

How did you prepare for the tournament? Playing a lot of Etherlords II!

Marc Vogt
Main Deck
40 cards
7 Mountain
10 Swamp
17 lands
1 Boggart Harbinger
1 Boggart Loggers
1 Dreamspoiler Witches
1 Ghostly Changeling
2 Hornet Harasser
1 Inner-Flame Acolyte
1 Inner-Flame Igniter
1 Mudbutton Torchrunner
1 Shriekmaw
1 Soulbright Flamekin
4 Squeaking Pie Sneak
1 Tar Pitcher
1 Thundercloud Shaman
17 creatures
1 Boggart Birth Rite
2 Eyeblight's Ending
1 Nameless Inversion
1 Peppersmoke
1 Tarfire
6 other spells
//---------------------------------------------------------------//

Name: Raul Porojan
Age: 19
Residence: Freiburg, Germany
Occupation: Student, Basketball coach

Number of GP Top 8s: 2

Number of PTs played: 1

Biggest Magic success: 9th Edition prerelease Top 9 (and of course the Top 2 finish at GP Strasbourg)

Tournament result: 12-1-2; in draft, I played Merfolk because you cannot go worse than 2-1 with them, and red Elementals/Giants because you either go 3-0 or 0-3.

How did you prepare for the tournament? MTGO

Raul Porojan
Main Deck
40 cards
8 Forest
1 Plains
5 Swamp
1 Vivid Grove
1 Vivid Meadow
16 lands
1 Battlewand Oak
1 Briarhorn
1 Changeling Hero
1 Doran, the Siege Tower
1 Elvish Harbinger
1 Leaf Gilder
1 Lys Alana Huntmaster
1 Nath of the Gilt-Leaf
1 Nath's Elite
1 Oakgnarl Warrior
1 Thorntooth Witch
1 Warren Pilferers
2 Woodland Changeling
14 creatures
2 Fertile Ground
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
2 Gilt-Leaf Ambush
1 Lignify
1 Nameless Inversion
1 Neck Snap
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Profane Command
10 other spells
//---------------------------------------------------------------//


Name: Robert van Meedevort
Age: 21
Residence: The Netherlands
Occupation: Student

Number of GP Top 8s: first one

Number of PTs played: 10

Biggest Magic success: Team Worlds Championship 2006

Tournament result: 12-1-2

How did you prepare for the tournament? I did a lot of drafts to prepare for Worlds.

Robert van Medevoort
Main Deck
40 cards
6 Island
3 Plains
1 Shimmering Grotto
7 Swamp
1 Vivid Marsh
1 Vivid Meadow
19 lands
1 Amoeboid Changeling
1 Brion Stoutarm
1 Cloudgoat Ranger
1 Dreamspoiler Witches
1 Fallowsage
1 Ghostly Changeling
2 Judge of Currents
1 Mournwhelk
1 Oona's Prowler
1 Pestermite
1 Shapesharer
1 Sygg, River Guide
1 Thieving Sprite
1 Tideshaper Mystic
15 creatures
1 Footbottom Feast
1 Peppersmoke
1 Ponder
1 Profane Command
1 Wanderer's Twig
1 Weed Strangle
6 other spells
//---------------------------------------------------------------//


Name: Jonathan Bergström
Age: 25
Residence: Mullsjö, Sweden
Occupation: Poet in a truck driver's body

Number of GP Top 8s: First!

Number of PTs played: 4

Biggest Magic success: Lots of Nationals Top 8

Tournament result: Sealed 8-1, Draft 4-0-2

How did you prepare for the tournament? Did a FNM draft. I always build Treefolk Sealed decks, because I love them.


Jonathan Bergström
Main Deck
40 cards
8 Mountain
9 Plains
17 lands
1 Avian Changeling
2 Axegrinder Giant
1 Fire-Belly Changeling
2 Goldmeadow Harrier
1 Hillcomber Giant
1 Inner-Flame Igniter
2 Kinsbaile Skirmisher
1 Kithkin Greatheart
1 Knight of Meadowgrain
2 Mudbutton Torchrunner
1 Plover Knights
1 Stinkdrinker Daredevil
1 Thundercloud Shaman
17 creatures
1 Consuming Bonfire
1 Lash Out
2 Moonglove Extract
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Tarfire
6 other spells
//---------------------------------------------------------------//

Name: Fried Meulders
Age: 22
Residence: Rillaar, Belgium
Occupation: Student

Number of GP Top 8s: 1

Number of PTs played: 12-ish

Biggest Magic success: Belgian Champ 2007, 20th at PT Geneva 2007, Level 3 last season (unfortunately, that doesn't mean anything anymore)

Tournament result: Sealed 7-2, Draft 6-0. I just went with the flow, and played R/U Elementals in the first draft and R/G Giants in the second draft.

How did you prepare for the tournament? MTGO.

Fried Meulders
Main Deck
40 cards
10 Island
7 Swamp
17 lands
1 Aethersnipe
1 Amoeboid Changeling
1 Dreamspoiler Witches
1 Paperfin Rascal
1 Pestermite
2 Ringskipper
2 Sentinels of Glen Elendra
1 Silvergill Douser
2 Skeletal Changeling
3 Spellstutter Sprite
15 creatures
1 Broken Ambitions
1 Faerie Trickery
1 Familiar's Ruse
1 Final Revels
1 Glimmerdust Nap
1 Moonglove Extract
1 Peppersmoke
1 Whirlpool Whelm
8 other spells