Josh Wagener is the 2003 U.S. National Champion! Though going into the finals of the event everyone in the building assumed he would come out second, Wagener showed them all with a definitive 3-0 win over Gabe Walls. A virtual unknown going into this event, Wagener had only been seen in the quarterfinals of Grand Prix - Boston earlier this year. Hemmed in by pros on all sides, his was the last name you expected to see in lights at Sunday's close.
In the quarters he faced Brian Kibler, and his Red-Green Beats made short work of the dragonmaster's mono-black aggro deck. Meanwhile Justin Gary pulled out the upset win over Jon Finkel in the battle of the former champions, and Wagener bashed him too. Walls was enjoying a similarly easy road, overcoming first Mike Turian and then Jordan Berkowitz (who had just dispatched his former mentor and Dark Jedi Master Neil Reeves) and making it look like child's play. So while Gary got to best Berkowitz for a spot on the team in the playoff, Wagener and Walls faced off for the title. Pundits gave Walls an easy win in three. It was not to be.
It should be noted that last year and the year before, the U.S. team has been composed of a veteran and two "randoms", only to win and finish second. It might be premature to write off the U.S. in the teams competition this year. Congratulations to Josh Wagener, Gabe Walls and Justin Gary, the 2003 U.S. National Team!
Top 8 Final Standing
| 1. Joshua Wagener |
$25,000 |
| 2. Gabe Walls |
$12,500 |
| 3. Justin Gary |
$6,000 |
| 4. Jordan Berkowitz |
$5,000 |
| 5. Neil Reeves |
$3,300 |
| 6. Brian Kibler |
$3,000 |
| 7. Jon Finkel |
$2,250 |
| 8. Michael Turian |
$2,000 |
(Click here for complete final standings)
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Quarterfinals |
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Semifinals |
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Finals |
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Champion |
| 1 |
Neil Reeves |
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Jordan Berkowitz, 3-1 |
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| 8 |
Jordan Berkowitz |
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Gabe Walls, 3-1 |
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| 4 |
Michael Turian |
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Gabe Walls, 3-0 |
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Joshua Wagener, 3-0 |
| 5 |
Gabe Walls |
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| 2 |
Brian Kibler |
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Joshua Wagener, 3-1 |
| 7 |
Joshua Wagener |
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Joshua Wagener, 3-1 |
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| 3 |
Jon Finkel |
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Justin Gary, 3-1 |
| 6 |
Justin Gary |
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3rd/4th-Place Playoff
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Jordan Berkowitz |
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Justin Gary, 3-1 |
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Justin Gary |
Junior Super Series Coverage
| EVENT COVERAGE |
INFORMATION |
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Finals: Gabe Walls vs. Joshua Wagener
by Toby Wachter
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Feature: Vintage Draft
by John Stephens
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Feature: Live-Action Magic
by Laura Mills
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3/4-Place Playoff: Jordan Berkowitz vs. Justin Gary
by Toby Wachter
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Semifinals: Jordan Berkowitz vs. Gabe Walls
by Toby Wachter
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Semifinals: Joshua Wagener vs. Justin Gary
by Brian David-Marshall
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Quarterfinals: Neil Reeves vs. Jordan Berkowitz
by Josh Bennett
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Quarterfinals: Michael Turian vs. Gabe Walls
by Toby Wachter
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Quarterfinals: Brian Kibler vs. Joshua Wagener
by Alex Shvartsman
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Quarterfinals: Jon Finkel vs. Justin Gary
by Brian David-Marshall
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Feature: Top 8 Profiles and Predictions
by Ed Fear
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Decklists: Top 8 Decks
by Sideboard Staff
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Feature: Final Team Standings
by Brian David-Marshall
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Feature: Day 2 Recap
by Toby Wachter
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Round 12: Jordan Berkowitz vs. Paul Rietzl
by Brian David-Marshall
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Round 12: Tom Guevin vs. Chris DeMaci
by Toby Wachter
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Round 11: Justin Gary vs. Joshua Wagener
by Toby Wachter
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Round 11: Mike Turian vs. Paul Rietzl
by Brian David-Marshall
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Feature: Gunslinging – Two-Headed Giant
by Josh Bennett
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Round 10: Zvi Mowshowitz vs. Antonino De Rosa
by Toby Wachter
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Feature: Standard Metagame Breakdown
by Josh Bennett
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Round 9: Zvi Mowshowitz vs. Brian Hegstad
by Brian David-Marshall
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Round 9: Zev Gurwitz vs. Justin Gary
by Toby Wachter
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Round 8: Brian Kibler vs. David Humpherys
by Brian David-Marshall
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Round 8: Neil Reeves vs. Mike Turian
by Toby Wachter
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Round 7: Darwin Kastle vs. William Jensen
by Josh Bennett
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Draft 2: Brian Kibler, Paul Rietzl, and David Humpherys
by Brian David-Marshall
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Draft 2: Neil Reeves
by Toby Wachter
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Draft 2: Table 1 Picks
by Brian David-Marshall
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Draft 2: Pods
by Sideboard Staff
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Decklists: All Standard Decks
by Sideboard Staff
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Feature: Day 1 Recap
by Toby Wachter
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Feature: Regionals Team Standings
by Brian David-Marshall
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Round 6: Eric Franz vs. Gerard Fabiano
by Josh Bennett
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Round 6: Neil Reeves vs. Alex Shvartsman
by Brian David-Marshall
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Feature: JSS'ers at Nationals
by Toby Wachter
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Round 5: Jon Finkel vs. Michael Pustilnik
by Toby Wachter
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Round 5: Michael Turian vs. Matt Linde
by Randy Buehler
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Round 4: Michael Turian vs. Phil Freneau
by Brian David-Marshall
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Round 4: Brian Kibler vs. Peter Szigeti
by Josh Bennett
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Draft 1: Brian Kibler
by Toby Wachter
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Draft 1: Table 1 Picks
by Brian David-Marshall
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Draft 1: Pods
by Sideboard Staff
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Round 3: Phil Freneau vs. Ben Rubin
by Josh Bennett
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Round 3: Frank Gilson vs. Peter Szigeti
by Toby Wachter
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Round 2: Eugene Harvey vs. Brad Taulbee
by Brian David-Marshall
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Round 2: Craig Krempels vs. Tom Guevin
by Toby Wachter
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Round 1: Ken Ho vs. Matt Ranks
by Josh Bennett
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Round 1: Neil Reeves vs. Eric Franz
by Toby Wachter
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Feature: New Format
by Randy Buehler
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Info: Nationals Player List
by Sideboard Staff
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Recap: Grinders Overview
by Brian David-Marshall
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Grinder Decklists: Grinder 5 Top 4 Decklists (Standard)
by Sideboard Staff
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Grinder Decklists: Grinder 4 Top 4 Decklists (Sealed)
by Sideboard Staff
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Grinder Decklists: Grinder 3 Top 4 Decklists (Standard)
by Sideboard Staff
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Grinder 2 Finals: David Chung vs. Paul Rietzl
by Brian David-Marshall
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Grinder 2 Finals: Will Chamberlain vs. Brock Parker
by Josh Bennett
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Grinder Decklists: Grinder 2 Top 4 Decklists (Sealed)
by Sideboard Staff
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Grinder 1 Finals: Brad Rowell vs. Brian Stark
by Toby Wachter
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Grinder 1 Finals: Bryn Kenney vs. Jon Barnes
by Brian David-Marshall
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Grinder 1 Sealed Deck: David Williams
by Brian David-Marshall
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Grinder Decklists: Grinder 1 Top 8 Decklists (Standard)
by Sideboard Staff
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Info: Fact Sheet
by Sideboard Staff
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