Power Rankings Gary Wise The following article was researched and written before PTLA 2000. As a result, the attitudes of some of the voters may have changed, and as a result, there will be a post-LA poll later this month. The power rankings will be a monthly feature on Sideboard Online, so if you have any particular ideas (all-time best, limited or constructed for example) feel free to let us know. These power rankings tabulates the beliefs of some of the world's most knowledgeable observers of the Pro Tour. These people have watched countless matches and played against the World's best, and as a 'sport' without a full time press corps, the label of 'expert' falls to them. Our voters were: Randy Buehler - PT Champ and WotC employee, Formerly of Team CMU, Seattle Sigurd Eskeland - PT Veteran and limited specialist, Team Mogg Squad, Norway Zvi Mowshowitz - US Team member and deck-building expert, Team Mogg Squad, New York Darwin Kastle - PT points leader for the 1999-2000 season, Team Your Move Games, Boston Raphael Levy - Two-time top 8 finisher, France Worth Wollpert - Top 8 finisher, Team Deadguy, Ohio Valley Tony Dobson - Top 8 finisher, England Kim Eikefet - PT Columnist, Norway Jakub Slemr - World Champion, Team Mogg Squad, Czech Republic Terry Tsang - Top 8 finisher, Western Canada Dave Humpherys - Team PT Champ, Your Move Games, Boston Mark Rosewater - R & D, Seattle Satoshi Nakamura - APAC Champion, Japan Kai Budde - Player of the Year, Team CCC, Germany Alex Shvartsman - 7 time GP top 8 finisher, PT coverage, New York Tom Guevin - PT finalist, Dojo Columnist, New England David Price - PT Champ, Dojo Columnist, Team Deadguy, Philadelphia Donnie Gallitz - PT Veteran, Star City Columnist, Southeastern USA In the selection of these voters we tried to represent every major area while not having too dense a representation in any one area. We also tried to make sure that readers would know our voters, lending credibility to the survey. The system we used awarded 50 points for a first place vote, 49 for a second place etc, with each player who received votes having their highest ranking removed so to avoid errors in judgement, much like the system used in judging figure skating. The criteria we gave our judges on which to base their decisions were as follows: Which player (s) upon participating in any given Pro Tour of an unnamed format would have the best chance of winning/doing well? They were also asked to ignore personal differences with other players and to include suspended players in their votes. Also, they were promised secrecy and were asked to comment on players they felt they knew well. Our thanks to the voters for their time and effort. Here then are the top 50 Magic players in the world, as voted by the above list. I hope that you enjoy comparing this list to your own personal opinions, and that you'll keep checking the Sideboard for lists in months to come, including a post-LA revision. Jon Finkel - Was there any doubt? Apparently yes. To quote Tom Guevin, "Jon is on the serious downside of his career, having done nothing since LA". With a top 16 finish at both World Championships and PT Chicago, I wouldn't go that far, but he's not the dominant Finkel of lore. School and social pursuits have cut into his playing time, and as a result, the once invincible Finkel has been deemed human by our voters. Where Jon used to be #1 in everyone's minds and hearts, he's now slumped down as far as 6th on some ballots. Kai Budde - "While I suspect that my ranking for Kai is not uncommonly high I have watched him play a great deal of time in recent months. Although Kai's credentials are maybe the highest in the game, I don't think people really understand what makes him (and in my opinion Finkel being the only other player ) simply better at the game than anyone else. He is always calm and seems to be in complete control right from turn one, his understanding of the best play and how the cards interact is quite amazing, especially when you watch a game and he does something that you had not even considered. That is probably the mark of true greatness" - Tony Dobson Darwin Kastle - "With Player of the Year within his grasps, Darwin is surrounded daily by a YMG crowd at its peak of enthusiasm for the game. This environment keeps him on top of all the relevant formats and his playing skills polished. Another top performance has to place him in contention for the #1 slot. His deck choices generally revolve around aggressive themes moderated by past successes and his instincts. He is very quick to discern what works for him and tune those strategies towards consistency" -Dave Humpherys Steve O'Mahoney-Schwartz - While Finkel is likely the world's #1 limited player, Steve O has to be a close second. Winning last year's PTLA and finishing runner up at PT Mainz, Steve is widely recognized as one of the top two drafters in the game. Like his partner Finkel, Steve is in his first year in University, so his play/practice time has been cut dramatically. PTLAV should let the world know how that affects his play. Kyle Rose - "Nobody is as good across multiple formats this year than Kyle. The secret to Kyle's success lies in the fact that his play style is direct and efficient. Consistent decks and players win consistently. Kyle has elevated his game to the top of the Magic Universe with his US Nationals, Worlds and PT London finishes. The part of Kyle's game that people have recently begun to overlook (and that is their mistake) is his skills as a deck builder. Kyle constructed the past TWO US Nationals winning decks as well as the deck that Matt Linde took to the top eight of this years World Championships. One of Kyle's greatest strengths is his ability to not be rattled. 'Grace under pressure' most aptly describes this pro tour Champion." - Donnie Gallitz Casey McCarrel - "Casey is a top pro but his suspension has made his status in the future a question mark. His past finishes have made him deserving of a placing this high in the rankings. Anyone who was in the running for player of the year while skipping a PT has to be near the top. He has the skills to the best player in the game." - Terry Tsang Bob Maher - "I rated Bob #16 on my list and think that this will be among the lower ratings he will receive from everyone due to his amazing finishes over the last month or two. I hesitated to place him in the top 10 because all of Bob's top finishes are in Extended. A strong finish in a title tournament of another format will easily place him among the top 5 players in the game currently." - Alex Shvartsman "The more I watch him play, the more impressed I am. There are those that make it look easy; Bob makes it look really hard. He's not afraid to cut things as close as possible, or wait until the last second, long after I would have, and it wins him more games than you'd think, consistently outplaying his opponents. The only reason he isn't even higher is that I haven't had a chance to watch him outside of Extended. If he can adopt, he goes straight into the top ten." - Zvi Mowshowitz "The rest of the Magic community is getting a first hand look at what those of us on the Pro Tour have known all along. Bob Maher is damn good. No one else in the history of the game has won two back to back premier events in the same format. Maher is the hottest player in the game today. Bob's strength comes from his ability to assess a situation and then break it down, dissect it if you will, and then formulate his road to victory. Maher's play style is full of intricate decisions that have to be made perfectly in order to win. No one else does it so well" - Donnie Gallitz Dirk Baberowski - "Another Competitor who I think I have placed much higher than on anyone elses list. While his finishes may not be as impressive as others, he has had the same sort of consistent high finishes as Jacob, while never necessarily winning. I always see Dirk on the top few tables and rarely does he ever completely screw up and drop out of a tournament, I guess consistency matters more to me than to most." - Tony Dobson "The reason I rated him only 5th this time (after 2nd in the last vote!) is that he is getting slowly but constantly out of the game. For example he was talked into going to PT-Chicago this year by some people on IRC, otherwise he wouldn't have gone and missed a top 8 after almost NO play-testing and using a deck that he threw together some days before the PT. After he won the very first PT he played in (Chicago '98) he proceeded to have a rather weak season by missing day 2 on the next two PTs. Then it went straight upwards for Dirk finishing 2nd in GP Amsterdam and getting plain retarded draws in the finals of the European-champs where he played an absolutely broken combo-deck (Drake/Altar) that he designed to a 2nd place finish once again. After a 10th in the team PT he went on to a top 32 finish in London and top 8 in Chicago but by now it looks like he is quitting the game as he plans to not attend both GP-Madrid and PT-LA, which is 'his' format, booster draft." -Kai Budde Alan Comer - "I have rated Alan very highly because of his ability to take virtually any deck to a stellar finish. I have seen him pull off wins with underdog decks like Turbo Land that no other player would be likely to achieve. This and his previous tournament accomplishments speak of tremendous amount of skill. Of all players who have not yet won a Pro Tour, Alan would be my #1 choice to do so." - Alex Shvartsman Dave Humpherys - 'Dave Humpherys is larger than life. I remember when I started playing Magic competitively, Dave was THE guy. I used to quiz him incessantly on what it was like to win tournaments, finish ninth on the Pro Tour...anything that he had more experience than I had in. Every community has that one player who is held up on a pedestal, and while I'm probably better known worldwide, in Massachusetts, Dave is that player. Truly one of the best the game has ever seen.' - Darwin Kastle Zvi Mowshowitz - Probably the hardest worker the Pro Tour has ever seen, Zvi may be the best teammate a player could have on tour. Working literally hours a day on deck design, draft strategy or whatever he feels he needs to work on, Zvi is constantly trying out new, unorthodox ideas that seem to pan out. Sharing deck tech with his Mogg Squad team mates, Zvi has been the originator of such decks as the Chicago Brown deck, the Fluctutor deck at PTNY and the T2 Bargain deck he made famous. The only reason Zvi ranks this low on the list are poor (by his standards) performances at Worlds and Chicago, but look for him to rebound with a strong LA. Justin Gary - "While he is currently a bit isolated from regular practice at Dartmouth, he still keeps churning out top 16s and top 32s at will. He is eager to put more time into the game. When school's out expect him to really put up some top showings, especially if he's able to move into closer proximity to other top PT players. His ability to easily "cram" for big events by quickly learning a variety of decks and draft strategies should keep him near the top regardless." - Dave Humphreys Tommi Hovi - A little known fact about the PT's only two-time champion is that PT Rome almost didn't happen. Going into Rome, Tommi needed a top 16 finish to stay on the gravy train, and failure to do so would likely have resulted in his quitting. To this day, Tommi is one of the game's best, tempered only by a lack of interest in his fellow competitors. It should be interesting to see how Tommi, who has done little playing with Masques, will do in LA. Billy Jensen - "What can I say? This kid has talent. He has an innate understanding of draft and he plays exceptionally well. He's been fairly successful as of late and I expect him to be even more successful in the future. What's his greatest strength? He's got the confidence and experience of Pro Tour veterans combined with youthful energy and a genuine love for the game. He's on top of the Magic world right now." - Dave Price Mark LePine - No one knows better than I do the amount of talent this kid has. Still a middle-of-the-road teen, Mark is one of the most talented players in the game. Key for Mark is allowing that talent to overrun a lack of maturity that comes in tandem with youth. If he doesn't get bored of the game in the near future, Mark will eventually be a PT champ. Jakub Slemr - "I feel that I may have ranked him especially high. Maybe I am looking too far back but when I think of Jacob and the number of high finishes in both limited and constructed I find it hard to think of many people with such accomplishments. I believe that his accomplishments may have been overlooked due to the fact that he always seems to come in second (invitational, European Championships etc.) and so has been overshadowed somewhat by the champion's win rather than Jacobs repeated high finish." Gary Wise - "I remember when Gary used to suck. He traded things like Dwarven Traders and played "neat" combos. When the hell did he become the best limited player on the planet, that's what I want to know. There's a reason Wise is known for his LIMITED SKILLZ: Perhaps it's all the play testing Gary does. Maybe I should try it." - Erik Taylor Svend Geertsen - "When I think of Svend I always have to smile. I mean who plays at worlds turn 1 fledging osprey and is serious about it??? For him there are usually two ways to spend a PT: either he makes top 8 or he goes out all night with Chapin, Sochon and whoever is willing to travel to clubs and bars all night until 9 am ... Unfortunately he also takes a break off the tour a he travels through America for 3 months and won't attend the invitational nor PT-New York this year. He promised to be back for Euros and worlds though" Raphael Levy - One of the less consistent players on the gravy train, you never know which Raphael is going to show up: the one who was out of contention day 1 of Worlds 1999, or the one who finished top 8 at Worlds 1998. A very strong constructed player, Raphael is also one of the best drafters in France. With a top 16 in Mainz and a 17th place finish in London, Raphael keeps coming back, with more than two years on the gravy train. Pat Chapin - "He's wildly inconsistent, having lost his deck multiple times, and lost his ability to build one on multiple others. But when he comes to play, he's exceptional. His attitudes toward many things in the game are unique. In addition, if nothing else, the famous Chapin Set that he created shows a great grasp of what makes the game tick. If he'd known Davis' deck before the last round, he might well be the Chicago champion." - Zvi Mowshowitz Mike Turian - One of the top five limited players on the planet, Mike is the top rated player on this list without a top 8 finish. For more than a year now the PT has awaited the Pittsburgh native's breakthrough tourney, but that could arguably have been GP Washington or PT Washington, where the spotlight didn't shine nearly as brightly as it would in a singles PT. It may be possible that the constant pressure of not having a top 8 could be hurting him, but Mike comes off as carefree as any player on tour, so that seems unlikely. Ben Rubin - Like Levy and Chapin, Ben is an incredible talent who just doesn't seem to show up for every PT. With three top 8's he'd be much higher on this list if not for the fact that he actually fell off the PT this summer due to lacklustre performances. Mature beyond his years, Ben's 16 year old mind sometimes has trouble with the acceptance of doctrines other than his own, but he seems to be improving that aspect of his game. Should be a gravy-trainer for years to come. Brian Hacker - That this guy is one of the biggest stars on the PT is obvious, but what may not be so obvious is the horrible year he's had. Looking at the invite list for NY, we see that Brian has indeed fallen off the gravy train, but it seems likely he'll qualify on DCI rating. Hacker, one of the great personalities in the game's history, may be losing some of his touch due to his newfound devotion to poker, which he plays far more often than Magic. Was this just a bad year or is Brian being passed by players who just want it more than he does? Only time will tell. Mike Long - "Though we haven't heard from Long in a while, it is impossible to leave him off ANY initial rankings. Once you decide to include him, it is impossible to leave him out of the top ten. His achievements in Magic are legendary. Were Magic to ever have a hall of fame, Long would be at the top of the list with other such notables as Mark Justice, Olle Rade and Jon Finkel. Long is my favorite to win the invitational this year, making him the ONLY player to achieve this feat twice. What many people don't realize about Long is that he is a skilled deck builder as well as player. Rarely does he construct a deck from scratch but his insights into works in progress are amongst the finest I've ever seen." - Donnie Gallitz "I put Mike Long 5th because I was told to vote on how likely each player was to win a tournament that they show up for. Mike is one of the most talented players in the history of the game. However, if I was supposed to vote on how likely each player is to win a certain tournament, Mike would only come in twenty or thirtieth because his odds of showing up are significantly less than 50/50. He's turned most of his attention to his store and away from his playing career. On the one hand it's nice to see that top players can turn Magic into a legitimate career, but on the other hand the game will miss it's most charismatic star if he ever hangs it up for good." - Randy Buehler Gary Krakower - 'So many good finishes and so much experience' is how Tom Guevin sums up Krakower. Having first hand experience of Gary as a play test partner, I find it really surprising that he hasn't made his top 8 yet. Gary doesn't play on the Pro Tour for money or fame, but for the thrill of competition. With 2 Nationals wins to go with his two GP finals appearances, Gary is a top 8 waiting to happen. Christian Lhurs - One of the most solid players on Tour, Christian actually considers himself to be more of a limited player than constructed, despite making top 8 in the last two Constructed PTs. Due to his very limited english skills, he isn't known too well by most of the non-German PT participants. With three years of university left, Christian's M:tG career looks like it could stay on the rise for some time. Sturla Bingen - It's amazing how far talent can take a player. Sturla, a former European Champion and PT top 8 finisher, can play either limited or constructed, it really doesn't matter. Thanks to military service, he doesn't really have the time to play Magic outside of Pro Tours, so he usually has around three days to learn an environment before any given PT. Rob Dougherty - "After his successes at PTNY'99 and PTDC, Rob has renewed his passion for tourney play. Earlier in the past year he had to play some "catch up" on some of the formats, card sets, and PT scene. Now, he's pumped up and fully prepared. He's very comfortable in draft and is areal threat to come up with unbeatable decks in fresh formats, where innovation is at a premium. He's also eager to see the Player of the Year crown end up in his store." - Dave Humpherys Nicolas Labarre - "The story of Nicolas' Magic career is quite strange, making top 8 in Rome with his "anti-academy" deck, being paired vs 11 of them, and in NY with his "Please don't give me Tinker" deck, a lot of people were doubting of his skills; but he proved that his PT results were not flukes when he lost in finals, in a Limited event, GP Tours...A first day 2 in limited in LA would be welcome for the "good pairing" master." - Raphael Levy Nikolai Herzog - How can a player be this hit and miss? Herzog started his tear half a year ago with the Norwegian national Championship, which he followed up with the European National Championship. Then, in August, he hit his first top 8 at Worlds, and yet, by the time PT Chicago came around, he wasn't qualified! It should be interesting to see how the rest of the year goes for him. Dave Price - Dave has been in a slump ever since dedicating himself to playing Magic professionally. Time and again, he qualifies through PTQ or GP only to have a lackluster performance at the PT, starting the cycle over again. That said, Dave's love for the game can't be questioned and he's still one of the most popular players on the planet. The Pt wouldn't be the same without him. Alex Shvartsman - "Alex, with his 6 GPs top 8 Finishes (and in the 2 last in date, Tours and Seattle) in both constructed and limited, is still waiting for a PT top 8...Travelling the world for more glory, Alex is a consistent player that deserves to be in the top of this Power Ranking, as he often has strong finishes in PT too ( even if Chicago isn't a good example ;)..." - Raphael Levy Worth Wollpert - It seems that falling of the gravy train around PT Rome was the best thing that could have happened to Worth's career. After winning a PTQ on the first day of Rome, Worth, who has numerous top 16s and 32s to his credit, stormed through PTLA 1999 for his first top 8, finishing off the calendar year with a top 16 finish in Chicago. Always confident, Worth exhibits a mental attitude which always benefits his limited and constructed games. Matt Linde - A highly skilled player, Matt has made a career out of playing other people's decks well. Having successfully fought off his legal problems, Matt can now once again concentrate on playing Magic. Ryan Fuller - Ryan would be rated higher on this list if not for his sketchy reputation, which makes people question how good of a player he really is. Ryan's will to win is surpassed by none, and sometimes leads him to make morally questionable decisions. Equally skilled in Constructed and limited, Ryan looks to be taking a half-year break after LA. Terry Tsang - One of the best liked players on tour, Terry's love for the game looks like it may almost be quenched. Having recently submitted a resume to WotC's Organized play department, it looks like Terry wants to make a career out of M:tG. One of the game's most enthusiastic money drafters, those looking for a partner could do a lot worse. Sigurd Eskeland - Having opted out of PTLA for educational reasons and having yet to qualify for PTNY, this 1999 Invitational participant looks to be slipping further and further away from his goal to make top 8. An excellent drafter, the question is whether he'll be prepared for the draft portion of worlds, as he didn't have to practice for PTLA. Chris Pikula - Having landed a full time job, Chris doesn't have the needed time to practice for the PT anymore, and he knows it. That said, it would be an absolute crime for the PT to lose this three-time top 8 finisher, who is not presently qualified for PTNY. The heart and soul of team Deadguy, if I were WotC, I'd offer Pikula a special invite only because his vibrant personality has been so instrumental in the developing years of the game. Jamie Parke - The only sped to ever register a PT top 8, Parke is a solid player who, as with many teens, finds multiple interests begging for his time. A very strong constructed player, Jamie has grown up with the game, knowing the members of Deadguy since he was thirteen. As long as school allows it, Jamie will be a fixture for years to come. Stephan Valkyser - Not all of the players on the gravy train know who this guy is, but he's slowly making a name for himself. At 34, Stephan is one of the older players on tour, but he's only blossoming now with a top 16 finish at PT Chicago. A self-professed limited specialist, Stephan plays for respect. His landing on this list suggests he's finally starting to get it. Mike Bregoli - With one top 8 under his belt, Bregoli, who before London seemed to be 'that nice guy who maintained the Dojo's 'Q'ed list', has established himself as a real threat at any draft table. Mike is one of the truly good guys on the train, but needs to hit another top 32 if he's going to move up this list. Andre Konstanczer - "Work anyone??? :P Yup, that's it. Andre has a job and works about 60 hours a week! Usually I would now write something like 'who does that?' but I think he likes it and really wants to stay in that firm. Chances that he attends PT-LA are likely to be around 1%, maybe less. As he never really liked cons he probably won't go to PT-NY too and when I asked him if he might play in German Nats this year he was like 'very unlikely ...'.Good for Andre that he has a great job but the bad news is that I keep loosing teammates ..." - Kai Budde Trey Van Cleave - Although some of the voters had reservations about Van Cleave's ethics, his past finishes rank him this high. Eric Lauer - The Mad Genius has disappeared off the face of the earth, missing Chicago and London after a dismal 98-99 season. That said, Lauer is a PT Champion-caliber player who, when focused can dominate, while being one of the best deck builders in the business. The retirement of CMU Spearhead Randy Buehler leaves questions of whether Eric needs Buehler's mature guidance to really produce. Brian Selden - A year and a half removed from his world championship, Selden seems to be fading from the minds of the voters. With a top 32 and a teams final following 1998 Worlds, Brian has shown himself to be capable of brilliance. What the observer often won't see is Brian's dedication to his team, Mogg Squad, a dedication which included Brian's stripping his extended deck at worlds so that teammates would have the needed cards, which he replaced with inferior versions in his deck. A great guy and a solid all around player. Gab Tsang - What can you say about the Juggernaut? Gab only ranks this low because of a lack of desire, as he is still amongst the most feared players on the money draft circuit. "I'll play anyone in a money draft" Says Worth Wollpert, "Anyone except Deadguys and Gab Tsang." A major obstacle for Gab is his dislike of lengthy trips, with travel not agreeing with him, but there's no doubt amongst those who know that, regardless of his dedication, he's still one of the finest players on the planet. Igor Frayman - Slowly, surely, Igor keeps putting up one solid performance after another in the limited PTs. Making a living off of poker and other games, Igor has been around for a long time but has only recently started seeing results. While his constructed performances haven't been brilliant, his limited finishes seem to get better with every showing. A top 8 can't be too far away. Satoshi Nakamura - There are many who would question whether Satoshi is the best player in the orient, but I'm pretty sure that he's passed Toshiki Tsukamoto as the region's best known commodity. Bringing with him an original style and a bevy of interesting outfits, Satoshi gained a lot of respect from his fellow 1998 Invitationalists with his innovative deck designs and friendly attitude. It will be interesting to see if Koichiro Maki finds similar attitudes in Kuala Lampur. Donnie Gallitz - "Per capita the best player in Magic, has anyone ever done so much with so many outside commitments as this guy? Full time job, marriage, coach of youth soccer team, Magic instructor and still has back to back top 32's this year and was co-creator of two of the most dominating decks in the history of the pro tour (Tongo - pt Chicago and R/U Wildfire Tinker from PT NY). Honeymoon to Spain kept him from worlds.) Strong in all formats, Gallitz is making waves after an average 1998 season." - Donnie Gallitz Scott Johns - The unofficial leader of Mogg Squad, Johns has shed the sketchy reputation that dogged him early in his career only to find himself without PT qualification. That said, with 4 top 8 performances, he's obviously one of the best players in the game's history, and now that he's running mindripper.com, he'll be Magicing full time.