Articles

Victoria 2000

As I was talking to Justin West the other day, he came up with the concept of writing a report on magic for Victoria for this year. I thought this was a great idea, and since I haven't seen a posting from him yet, I thought that I might as well write one.

The year 2000 has been a definite transition year for magic in Victoria. We have seen a change in the image of the tourneys here, and I believe it is a change for the better.

No longer is Melbourne totally dominated by the most experienced players. When I first started playing magic, I went into the late All Star Cards store and bought a single starter of 5th Edition. Although I didn't realise it at the time, the five other people who happened to be in the shop with me when I bought that starter were quite possibly five of the best players in Victoria for that time. They were Craig Sheppard (who actually sold me the cards), Glenn Shanley, John Ou, Stephen Campbell and Andrew McDonald. Back then, these players had so much of a stigma about how good they were, that just getting a game out of any of them was like a full blown magic rush. The reason for this was because these guys won everything (well, 99% anyway), and that kind of success deserves some attention.

Now, I'm not saying that these guys have lost any of their skills for the game. Although Craig has been retired for a little while now, the other four players are still making splashes in tournament scenes. Of course, we all know of Stephen's status as reigning national champion. John Ou finished 9th at GP Sydney this year, making two 9th places at Australian GP's (Bad beats). Andrew McDonald has made many Top 8's at PTQ's and GP trials and also won two prereleases in two days (I couldn't believe it when I found out he had won the second one as well). Glenn Shanley has just come back from overseas having come third in an invasion prerelease where he couldn't even read the cards! These guys are still amazing at what they do, and I am still wary of them when I play them.

And let's not forget a couple of the long-term magic players who weren't in that room that day. Justin West is still a force, having a top eight at Nats this year, winning the nemesis prerelease, and just recently winning a qualifying place to PT Tokyo. John Brugman has also had a good year, having a good showing at Nats, making numerous top 8's here in Victoria and coming second in the '99 state championship (Yes, it was held in 2000, I know that is really weird).

So, with the successes that these guys are having, what has changed? The fact is that these guys used to Dominate Victoria, whereas now, they are still in the top bracket, but no longer own it. The young guns of Victoria have arrived, en mass, and are gradually taking away the lime light from the staple players.

I guess first mention should probably go to Shun Jiang. This guy has become somewhat of a power house in Melbourne magic, and for a time there was no-one who could displace him from the top of the Swiss position in Victorian Tourneys. Unfortunately for him though, the top of the Swiss seems to be somewhat of a curse, as he has been unable to convert most of these top 8 places into tournament wins. I think that maybe I might have something to do with this, since whenever Shun and I meet in normal rounds, he crushes me like a small insect, but in top eight, I definitely seem to have the moxey over him. Secondly, we have Joe Connolly, the sole Victorian representative in the top eight for GP Sydney (you know, the guy who benefited from the John Ou / Dave Humphries draw). Once again, whenever Joe is in a gaming hall, people are wary of playing him. He has made numerous top eights this year, and, unfortunately for him, has seen many defeats in the final match of tourneys. He also won the Prophecy Prerelease, a not too shabby effort.

Andrew Grain, our feature match hero, has also had a bright year. Andrew won Victorian 2000 state Championships this year, earning himself free entry to tournaments for a year, and a cool feature match table with his name above it at any tournament he attends. He also won a PT qualifier early in the year, and has made numerous top eight appearances also. He is also a bit of an oddity as far as deck tech is concerned. Although I'm not here to discuss deck choices, for someone like me who get upset with people who use bad deck synergy, anyone who plays decks that include Thawing Glaciers and Back to Basics main deck, or Rising Waters and Rath's edge main deck, is an absolute nightmare to talk strategy with!

Rob Nadebaum is another player who has basically come out of nowhere to achieve great results. At his first tournament, he placed in the top eight for masques block constructed, and won a GP trial for Sydney. He has also made top eight on other occasions, and for a guy who has only been playing competitive magic for a short time this is fairly impressive.

Jarron Puszet is another that has shined this year. He won States ('99, not 2000) and, although I'm not sure which, finished either 10th or 11th at Nats this year. He has also won a PTQ, and at one point was ranked in the top ten for Australian rankings. He's also my teammate, although that is probably the worst of his credentials. He is also another person who challenges my reasoning skills when it comes to talking tech. I used to think that the reason I have so many encounters with people who disagree with my ideas is because they were just too stupid to understand me. With guys like Andrew Grain and Jarron playing better magic than I am at the moment, maybe it's because I'm just too stupid to realise that I'm stupid. From Jarron, there is definitely a formula to our discussions, with each one usually resulting in one of the following three answers:

1) Well, I've tested it, and it's sub-optimal
2) But... Blue can just deal with everything
3) But... Masticore is just better

How can you argue with logic like that?

Andrew Gordon is another strong young player with many positives to his game. Andrew finished second at States 2000, and topped the Swiss at regionals, only to lose with bad luck playing Bargain. He has been making top 8's as well, although school commitments and his living location (in Melbourne, Eltham, where Andrew lives, is practically the opposite side of the map to Camberwell, where the tourneys are). The other member of Team Heaven, Andrew has shown me all about losing on the internet (I just can't win on-line), and although he would tell you he isn't a major threat in tournaments, people better watch out for him in the near future because this guy is teched up.

And finally, Simon Henry. Simon has had a huge year this year, qualifying for Nationals through the meat grinder, and then going on to do very well in the main event, finishing in the money at GP Sydney and making top 8's left right and centre. He is also one of the most excited players of magic I have ever seen. When he's happy, you know he is. When he's concentrating, the look of determination on his face is unbelievable. When he's IDing his way to 9th place at States, it is almost comical to watch (Sorry Simon, but even you must see the funny side of that).

This is but a small sample of players who have risen to stardom over the last year. The great thing about this is the fact that they have created a new era of competition. For example:

Regionals 2000 was won by James Ritchie, a player of the new era.

Andrew Grain did not only win 2000 States, but second place was Andrew Gordon, meaning that the final was dominated by the new regime

In tournaments in Victoria, watch out for these guys! These fellas are the new power in town.

So what does this mean for magic in Victoria?

I believe it means a few things. Firstly, it means that magic is certainly not dead in Victoria. With all the new blood coming through, I can only see it getting stronger from now on. These players bring a whole new spin to the community here. They are different, exciting, daring, they aren't solidly cemented into certain styles of play, and they are relatively innovative, giving Melbourne magic the boost that it certainly needed. These are all good things.

But, unfortunately, I can see a bad side. When I first played, The great players I mentioned earlier were like gods and I played in the hope of being like that one day. I think now that Melbourne magic has lost some of that idolism. That is bad. It just isn't the same to idolise the top Pro players, who are people who you never see in real life if you are just starting out. In my first six months of playing, I used to visit All Star Cards nearly everyday. I had one deck when I started, the same one that every new player has, with big fat creatures, some burn, and not enough mana. I would go in there and get crushed time and time again. Craig Sheppard would crack out some broken tournament deck that he had heard about (it was hilarious the one day I went in there and he said he needed a pen and paper to play me, and then smacked me up with Prosbloom). Stephen Campbell would dazzle me with some mad creation of his using Amber Prison or Glenn would slap me around with some finely tuned aggression deck. I lost more games in that first six months of playing than I have in the rest of the time I've played, well, at least I would estimate as much.

But the importance of those six months of losing is so obvious to me now. I learnt more from that time than I have from any other magic endeavour that I have undertaken. Now, that type of scenario is lost, simply because of the flood of good young players. Firstly it is because those players are not godlike anymore, because people have seen them be beaten, and secondly, I think the younger players don't realise that when they turn down games with new players, they are actually turning players away from the game. I know this article started off as a year in review, but I think it is important to address this issue.

If you are a good player, play against new players who want a game. The new player of today may just become the guy you most fear at a tournament tomorrow.

Anyway, I'll end the advice speech here.

Overall though, I think Melbourne is going great guns at the moment. We have a good player base, we have three stores that provide places to both buy singles and hang out to play magic. They are Card Heaven (who, incidentally, rock the house - although I may be a bit biased), The Dungeon of Magic, and Mind Games in the city. I have also heard vaguely of a fourth store. Now, I don't know where it is or what it is called exactly, but I'm sure the proprietor will most probably read this, so if they could get in touch with me, I would love to find out where you are.

And finally, we have some of the best tournament organisers around. Mark Brown is an exceptional TO. Not just because he is a great judge and well organised, but because he one of the nicest and most patient people I have the privilege of knowing. I have never seen Mark roll his eyes at any rules question, no matter how mundane it may be, and he always has time at tourneys for you to have a chat to him about nearly any topic you like. I think that tournaments in Melbourne will not be the same once he has finished running them, but I can understand his wanting to play more and his commitments with work make it hard for him as well. Russell Alphey, our other TO of note, is also a tremendous coordinator of Melbourne magic, and although he may not have the rules know how of Mark, he definitely makes up for it with his enthusiasm for the game, and his willingness to help anyone who needs it. Melbourne magic could not be where it is without these two people.

So where do we go from here?

I hope magic in Victoria will only improve. We've upped the number of prereleases we have on release of new sets from one to three, with two in Melbourne and one in Bendigo. Players are enthusiastic about playing for cash, prizes and glory, and new players are sprouting up from the most unexpected places. I just hope that I can keep up with the times.

Anyway, enough from me. Take care.

Tom Haddy

Team Heaven