Magic: The Gathering, Part Six

Part One, Part Two

Part Three, Part Four,

Part Five

I woke up in time to feel the morning dew on my ankles as I stepped outside. I had attained the record of seven wins and two losses the day before, qualifying me for day two of the modern Grand Prix Boston-Worcester. I was jubilant during the entire car ride to the event site, feeling so excited to have made it to the second day of competition. My brother and his college friends were coming later to the tournament, taking full advantage of their ability to sleep in after a strenuous day of magic. When I got to the tournament site it looked so empty compared to when I was there yesterday. The main competition had been whittled down from approximately 2,400 players to a mere 278 participants. The tournament hall felt eerie being so quiet, almost cold, filled only with people who were there for the prestige of winning. With fewer participants, the tournament was able to get off to a much quicker start. All of the players were able to fit in only one of the conference halls, condensing much of the foot traffic. In addition, getting to the pairings tables felt like playing on easy mode after having to navigate the rapids of the previous morning. When the judges announced that pairings were up, for round ten, I bussed my way to the pairing board and found my table number. I did not know what to expect, having never been in a grand prix until the day before, let alone a day two of one before. My last major competition was my PTQ which I top eighted in, but after reaching the top eight I was vanquished by my opponent. As I anxiously reached my table number and saw my opponent, I sat down quickly. I needed to stay calm, I was already incredibly proud of myself that I had made it this far, but my ever young heart still believed I could do more. I faced my opponent and played as well as I could. It was a success and I happily took my two-zero win to the judges. I felt pure delight after that win. I was eight and two and had a shot of rattling five wins in a row, and possibly making top eight. I had plenty of time between my win and round eleven, and so was able to rest in my seat and sort out things that I had not fully done yet: I made sure I had enough paper and pencils for keeping track of my life, I found dice, and kept myself hydrated and fed. Round ten was initiated by the judges, and once again I made my way to the pairings board. I felt more confident and had more hope for my success then I had ever had in this tournament. I got to my seat and made pleasantry with my opponent until the judges let the players know they could begin. This was one of the closest games I had all tournament. In the end, it went to three long games, that almost brought us up to full time in the round. My opponent narrowly took the win, leaving me out of top eight contention, with my heart feeling like it had taken a punch. Up to this point, I had always believed I could still do it. That I could still make it to thirteen and two, securing a pro tour invite, and quite possibly making top eight. With this third loss, I no longer could accomplish this goal. Despite this deafening defeat, I knew there were still prizes up for grabs, and even more, my own self-pride. I wanted to see how well I could do, I would not give up. This was my format, and even though it wasn't a perfect day, it would still be a good one. I rattled off two wins separated by a loss so that by the end of round fourteen I was ten and four. In magic, there is the possibilities for draws. Draws can be intentional or can happen by accident, like if time runs out, but all draws give each player one point. In comparison, a win gives three points and a loss gives zero points. In a grand prix the size of Grand Prix Boston-Worcester prizes are awarded all the way down to one hundred and fiftieth place. At the end of round fourteen, I was placed one hundred and forty-first, with thirty points. To secure prize money I could not lose the match, and so when round fifteen was called I could feel my nerves. When I got to the pairing boards I saw I was against Matej Zatlkaj, a professional magic player. After seeing my opponent, I was thrilled, no matter what happened I would be happy. I had the opportunity to not only talk with an extremely talented player, but also play with them. When I got to my table and sat down down across from Matej he proposed an intentional draw. This draw made sense because there were thirty point players going down to one hundred and fifty-sixth place, so if all the thirty point players drew, reaching thirty-one points each, every player would be safe in the money. The only thirty point players who could not draw were those whose tiebreakers were the worst, and so were at one hundred fiftieth place or worse. We quickly drew, and I felt so relieved and ecstatic. I had done it, I had made day two, and moneyed at my first grand prix I ever played. To add a cherry on this already great day, I asked Matej if we could just play for fun and he resounded with an excited yes. I talked with him about magic and we exchanged some info about our life, all the while playing a fun relaxed game. This was more than any hope I ever had for my last match, being pure fun. In the end, I came in one hundred and thirty-fourth, securing my spot in the prize pool. After the main tournament had ended, I was free to walk around the convention hall. By this time my brother Robert and his friends were back at the tournament and were playing side events. I had a blast watching them play, and just relishing in all this weekend brought me. This was the zenith weekend of my magic playing career.

Final Standings of the Tournament, I am rank 134