日本語の取材へ

The past may have been on everyone's timeshifted minds this week at Pro Tour - Kobe, but it was a glimpse into the future that demanded attention.

A masterful final game by 17-year-old Jan-Moritz Merkel earned him a championship in his first appearance on the Pro Tour. A native of Hamburg, Germany, Merkel harkened back to the days of the legendary Kai Budde in winning the first individual Pro Tour for his country since 2003.

Drafting a blue-green creature-heavy deck with strong morph undertones, Merkel faced Willy Edel's army of saprolings in the Kobe finals. Merkel captured victory by morphing his Brine Elemental after Edel's miscalculated alpha strike. That locked Edel's defenses and the pseudo-Time Walk allowed Merkel's Errant Ephemeron to strike twice to seal the win.

In discussing Magic's past and future, you can't ignore its present. For the last two seasons, the Japanese have dominated the game like so many Kais. Reigning Player of the Year Kenji Tsumura was one of three who defended their nation's home turf in the Pro Tour-Kobe Top 8, but he, Tomoharu Saito, and Takahiro Suzuki all fell in the quarterfinals.

That left Merkel to dispatch Bastien Perez and Edel to triumph over Thomas Didierjean in the semifinals. Edel was hoping to add a first-place trophy to his runner-up finish as part of Raaala Pumba at Pro Tour-Charleston earlier this season, but time wasn't on his side.

A few months ago, Jan-Moritz Merkel was heading to a Pro Tour Qualifier with dreams of walking amongst the giants. His time has arrived: he's a Pro Tour champion.