Guillaume Matignon
Age: 29
Hometown: Bordeaux, France
Occupation: Unemployed
Number of times playing on the Pro Tour: Don’t know
How did you qualify for Pro Tour-San Juan? Pro Level 4
Number of GP/PT Top 8s: None of that
Other previous Magic accomplishments: Doing pretty good at Nationals every year.
What was your record by format?
Block Constructed: 7-0-3
Booster Draft: 5-1
How did you prepare for Pro Tour-San Juan? Who did you prepare with?
Tested with Guillaume Wafo-Tapa as usual. Didn’t find anything good. I took the deck of Jeremie Dezani two days before the Pro Tour and worked on it with Oli Ruel.
How many hours do you spend on Magic Online in an average week?
Between 0 and 4.
What Block Constructed deck did you play and why?
UGR Tokens because I didn’t find anything better than that.
What is your preferred Rise of the Eldrazi draft strategy?
Never go white. Anything else is fine. I actually pretty much try to draft green decks.
What’s your favorite part of the Pro Tour coming to San Juan?
Enjoying a trip with friends.
Brad Nelson
Age: 24
Hometown: Fargo, ND
Occupation: Grinder
Number of times playing on the Pro Tour: 4
How Did You Qualify for Pro Tour – San Juan? Pro Level
Number of GP/PT Top 8s: 2/1
Other previous Magic accomplishments: 1st GP DC, 1st MOCS 3 2010, GP MN Top 4, 9th PT Honolulu, Nats Alternate 2009
What was your record by format?
Block Constructed: 6-2-2
Booster Draft: 6-0
How did you prepare for Pro Tour – San Juan? Who did you prepare with?
I played more Magic than I have ever in my life. ChannelFireball crew.
How many hours do you spend on Magic Online in an average week?
How many hours are in an average week? That much.
What Block Constructed deck did you play and why?
Monument Green
What is your preferred Rise of the Eldrazi draft strategy?
Stay open at all times.
What’s your favorite part of the Pro Tour coming to San Juan?
Getting to share a room with Luis Scott-Vargas.
Jeremy Neeman
Age: 20
Hometown: Canberra, Australia
Occupation: Student
Number of times playing on the Pro Tour: 2
How Did You Qualify for Pro Tour – San Juan? PTQ
Number of GP/PT Top 8s: 1 GP top 8, no PT top 8
Other previous Magic accomplishments: 2 Nationals Top 8s
What was your record by format?
Block Constructed: 7-2-1
Booster Draft: 5-1
How did you prepare for Pro Tour–San Juan? Who did you prepare with?
Drafted a lot online with Team Canberra. Resident genius deckbuilder Daniel Unwin designed my block deck.
How many hours do you spend on Magic Online in an average week?
I don’t have an account so not many, although I do draft on friends’ accounts a bit.
What Block Constructed deck did you play and why?
UWr Fish, cause it is SWEET
What is your preferred Rise of the Eldrazi draft strategy?
Base green splashing removal
What’s your favorite part of the Pro Tour coming to San Juan?
It’s a tropical paradise, what’s not to like?
Josh Utter-Leyton
Age: 24
Hometown: Rohnert Park, CA
Occupation: Software Engineer
Number of times playing on the Pro Tour: 9
How Did You Qualify for Pro Tour – San Juan? Online PTQ
Number of GP/PT Top 8s: 0/1
Other previous Magic accomplishments: Never won a match in my life
What was your record by format?
Block Constructed: 7-1-2
Booster Draft: 5-1
How did you prepare for Pro Tour – San Juan? Who did you prepare with?
Testing at Channel Fireball’s shop leading up to GP DC and the Channel Fireball beach house the week before the PT.
How many hours do you spend on Magic Online in an average week?
15
What Block Constructed deck did you play and why?
RUG – Jace is the best card in the format, and RUG is the best Jace deck
What is your preferred Rise of the Eldrazi draft strategy?
Green ramp
What’s your favorite part of the Pro Tour coming to San Juan?
Yay domestic PTs!
Koutarou Ootsuka
Age: 27
Hometown: Kobuchi
Occupation: PP
Number of times playing on the Pro Tour: 20 or more
How Did You Qualify for Pro Tour – San Juan? PPC
Number of GP/PT Top 8s: GP 7 / PT 1
Other previous Magic accomplishments: Win Nationals 2003
What was your record by format?
Block Constructed: 6-3-1
Booster Draft: 6-0
How did you prepare for Pro Tour – San Juan? Who did you prepare with?
In my room, with Magic friends.
How many hours do you spend on Magic Online in an average week?
About 20 hours.
What Block Constructed deck did you play and why?
GW Eldrazi deck because it’s strong to UW
What is your preferred Rise of the Eldrazi draft strategy?
3 Color draft
What’s your favorite part of the Pro Tour coming to San Juan?
Playing Draft
Noah Swartz
Age: 21
Hometown: Highland Park, IL
Occupation: Student
Number of times playing on the Pro Tour: 2
How did you qualify for Pro Tour-San Juan? PTQ (Dark Depths/Thopter Combo)
Number of GP/PT Top 8s: 0
Other previous Magic accomplishments: 54th at Pro Tour-Honolulu, Top 8 Legacy World Championships, Magic Online Live Series 1st
What was your record by format?
Block Constructed: 10-0
Booster Draft: 2-4
How did you prepare for Pro Tour-San Juan? Who did you prepare with?
My constructed deck came from Zvi Mowshowitz and his testing group and I drafted on Magic Online and throughout the week while enjoying the Puerto Rican rain.
How many hours do you spend on Magic Online in an average week?
Very dependent on homework and my test schedule. Over the summer it will be much more.
What Block Constructed deck did you play and why?
Monogreen BEATS because it beat Monored and Eldrazi and thus was well positioned in the format.
What is your preferred Rise of the Eldrazi draft strategy?
I’m most comfortable with UW and RG but I’ll go for whatever is open.
What’s your favorite part of the Pro Tour coming to San Juan?
The flurry of testing a brainstorming that pervades the pro community the week leading up to the Pro Tour, as well as seeing many of my friends who I only get to see a few times each year.
Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa
Age: 22
Hometown: Porto Alegre, Brazil
Occupation: Student/player
Number of times playing on the Pro Tour: 23?
How did you qualify for Pro Tour-San Juan? Pro points.
Number of GP/PT Top 8s: 6/6
Other previous Magic accomplishments: Two-time Brazilian national champion.
What was your record by format?
Block Constructed: 8-2 (started 0-2!)
Booster Draft: 5-1
How did you prepare for Pro Tour-San Juan? Who did you prepare with?
Played with my online friends and with the ChannelFireball.com crew.
How many hours do you spend on Magic Online in an average week?
Zero.
What Block Constructed deck did you play and why?
URG with Ruinblasters main because it has game against everything and beats the other control decks (UW, etc.).
What is your preferred Rise of the Eldrazi draft strategy?
I like Grixis full of removal, if I can’t then Gxx.
What’s your favorite part of the Pro Tour coming to San Juan?
Getting to know a place I probably would never visit otherwise.
Andrea Giarola
Age: 18
Hometown: Milan, Italy
Occupation: Student
Number of times playing on the Pro Tour:
How did you qualify for Pro Tour-San Juan? 1
Number of GP/PT Top 8s: 0
Other previous Magic accomplishments: None
What was your record by format?
Block Constructed: 7-1-2
Booster Draft: 5-1
How did you prepare for Pro Tour-San Juan? Who did you prepare with?
With all the Italians qualified for the Pro Tour in our hotel.
How many hours do you spend on Magic Online in an average week?
10
What Block Constructed deck did you play and why?
I played Monored because it had a very good maindeck.
What is your preferred Rise of the Eldrazi draft strategy?
RG mana ramp or GB with many removal spells and big creatures.
What’s your favorite part of the Pro Tour coming to San Juan?
The night with my Italian friends.