Masashiro Kuroda
Age: 25
Hometown: Osaka, Japan
Occupation: Salesperson
Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour: 4
How did you qualify for Pro Tour Tokyo? : Over 20 PT points
Number of GP/PT top 8s: 7 GP top 7s, 1 PT championship
What was your record on Day 1? 6-1
Day 2? 5-1-2
Did you have a consistent draft style, and what was it?
No hate drafting!
Of the decks you drafted this weekend, which was your favorite deck, and why?
The third draft's U/W deck
What is the most underrated Champions of Kamigawa card? Most overrated?
Reverse the Sands / Kodama's Reach
Do you have any interesting stories from the first 15 rounds?
I dealt lethal damage, and then I conceded the game! (I hadn't noticed that I had dealt lethal damage at the time)
What was your travel itinerary for getting to this Pro Tour? When did you arrive in Japan? Who did you travel with?
I came here by car with my teammates
What do you think of your chances in the Top 8?
I will win again in Japan.
Terry Soh
Age: 18
Hometown: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Occupation: Student
Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour: 10?
How did you qualify for Pro Tour Tokyo? Pro points.
Number of GP/PT top 8s: 2 GP top 8s, 1 Worlds 2004 Top 8
What was your record on Day 1? 6-1
Day 2? 5-1-2
Did you have a consistent draft style, and what was it? I always draft black, white, or red. I tend to avoid blue and green.
Of the decks you drafted this weekend, which was your favorite deck, and why? I drafted a R/B deck that contained Kiki-Jiki and two copies of Blind with Anger! That rocks!
What is the most underrated Champions of Kamigawa card? Most overrated?
Waking Nightmare is most underrated. The dragons are overrated. All my draft decks so far have never had a dragon.
Do you have any interesting stories from the first 15 rounds?
A few times, Kiki-Jiki attacked all alone and won me a game!
What do you think of your chances in the Top 8?
If I can draft R/B or W/B, that's really cool and I will be confident.
Shu Komuro
Age: 22
Hometown: Tokyo
Occupation: Part timer
Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour: 1
How did you qualify for Pro Tour Tokyo? I won a PTQ.
Number of GP/PT top 8s: 2
Other Previous Magic Accomplishments: Winner, 2003 GP Yokohama; top 4 at 2005 GP Osaka
What was your record on Day 1? 6-1
Day 2? 5-2-1
Did you have a consistent draft style, and what was it?
Not hate drafting.
Of the decks you drafted this weekend, which was your favorite deck, and why?
My third draft's G/R deck was very strong.
What is the most underrated Champions of Kamigawa card? Most overrated?
Reverse the Sands is horribly underrated. Jugan, the Rising Star and Ryusei, the Falling Star are overrated.
Do you have any interesting stories from the first 15 rounds?
Versus Anton Jonsson, I topdecked like crazy.
What was your travel itinerary for getting to this Pro Tour? When did you arrive in Japan? Who did you travel with?
I came here with my friends.
What do you think of your chances in the Top 8?
If I can make a good deck, I might win.
Frank Karsten
Age: 20
Hometown: Eindhoven, Netherlands
Occupation: Student
Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour: 25
How did you qualify for Pro Tour Tokyo? Pro Tour points
Number of GP/PT top 8s: 5 GP top 8s
Other previous Magic accomplishments: Very consistent PT finishes
What was your record on Day 1? 6-1
Day 2? 5-2-1
Did you have a consistent draft style, and what was it?
I use "the list", the pick order list I made. It holds all cards in the set, sorted in order of how good they are.
Of the decks you drafted this weekend, which was your favorite deck, and why?
My last (fifth) deck, because it was the best and it put me in the Top 8.
What is the most underrated Champions of Kamigawa card? Most overrated?
Most underrated: Moss Kami. Overrated? Ryusei.
Do you have any interesting stories from the first 15 rounds?
I flipped Bushi Tenderfoot!
What was your travel itinerary for getting to this Pro Tour? When did you arrive in Japan? Who did you travel with?
I got in on Wednesday evening, and am leaving Monday. My itinerary is from Dusseldorf to Frankfurt to Tokyo to Nagoya, for a total of 18 hours. I came with Jelger Wiegersma and Ruud Warmenhoven.
What was the funniest thing you heard or saw in the Players Lounge?
Gabe Walls.
What do you think of your chances in the Top 8?
I like my chances. I feel I have a decent understanding of this draft format.
Jarno Harkonen
Age: 23
Hometown: Helsinki, Finland
Occupation: Student
Number of times playing on the PT: 5
How did you qualify for Pro Tour Tokyo? GP Helsinki
Number of GP/PT top 8s: 0
What was your record on Day 1? 6-1
Day 2? 5-2-1
Did you have a consistent draft style, and what was it?
I like to draft fast tempo decks, with cheap creatures and good spells.
Of the decks you drafted this weekend, which was your favorite deck, and why?
My second deck. Seven creature pump spells!
What is the most underrated Champions of Kamigawa card? Most overrated?
Matsu-Tribe Decoy; the big creatures are overrated
Do you have any interesting stories from the first 15 rounds?
I won a game where my opponent played Nezumi Cutthroat on the second, third, AND fifth turn. I didn't have any way to deal with them; I just raced them.
What was your travel itinerary for getting to this Pro Tour? When did you arrive in Japan? Who did you travel with?
Helsinki > Frankfurt > Osaka > Nagoya; after the PT, I am going to head to Osaka for a few days.
What was the funniest thing you heard or saw in the Players Lounge?
The Japanese edit of Kill Bill had ... lots of blood.
What do you think of your chances in the Top 8?
I'm going to play badly and win ... because I'm a pig :)
Murray Evans
Age: 18
Hometown: Edmonton, Alberta
Occupation: Student
How did you qualify for Pro Tour Tokyo? PT points
Number of GP/PT top 8s: 2
Other previous Magic accomplishments: I finished in second place at Canadian Nationals twice.
What was your record on Day 1? 6-1
Day 2? 5-2-1
Did you have a consistent draft style, and what was it? R/U splice with Earthshaker, Psychic Puppetry, Battle-Mad Ronin, and other good cards.
Of the decks you drafted this weekend, which was your favorite deck, and why?
R/U in rounds 10 to 12, I got laughed at for playing Battle-Mad Ronin and Psychic Puppetry and then won game 1 versus Mark Z. while opening with five lands, Battle-Mad Ronin, Psychic Puppetry.
What is the most underrated Champions of Kamigawa card? Most overrated?
Battle-Mad Ronin. KABUTO MOTH IS THE MOST OVERRATED CARD OF ALL TIME!
Do you have any interesting stories from the first 15 rounds?
3-0, 3-0, 0-3, 3-0, 2-0-1
What was the funniest thing you heard or saw in the Players Lounge?
Jeff Cunningham writing notes on how subpar the food selection was so he could write a tournament report
What do you think of your chances in the Top 8?
If I draft R/U with at least one Battle-Mad Ronin and one Psychic Puppetry, I will win.
Vasilis Fatouros
Age: 19
Hometown: Athens, Greece
Occupation: Student
Number of Times Playing on the Pro Tour: 3
How did you qualify for Pro Tour Tokyo? PTQ
Number of GP/PT top 8s: 1
Other Previous Magic Accomplishments: GP Brussels T4; GP Rimini T16
What was your record on Day 1? 6-1
Day 2? 5-3
Did you have a consistent draft style, and what was it?
Blue and/or black
Of the decks you drafted this weekend, which was your favorite deck, and why?
My first, a solid U/B deck.
What is the most underrated Champions of Kamigawa card? Most overrated?
I don't know that much about Champions draft.
Do you have any interesting stories from the first 15 rounds?
Masashiro Kuroda could have attacked me for five when I was at five but he didn't, and scooped instead.
What was your travel itinerary for getting to this Pro Tour? When did you arrive in Japan? Who did you travel with?
Athens - Frankfurt - Nagoya; I got here on Wednesday alone.
What was the funniest thing you heard or saw in the Players Lounge?
Kill Bill.
What do you think of your chances in the Top 8?
12.5%
Anton Jonsson
Age: 26
Hometown: Umea, Sweden
Occupation: Between jobs
How did you qualify for Pro Tour Tokyo? Pro points
Number of GP/PT top 8s: Five PT top 8s
Other Previous Magic Accomplishments: Swedish National Champion, 2002
What was your record on Day 1? 7-0
Day 2? 4-4
Did you have a consistent draft style, and what was it?
I drafted blue quite a lot but mostly because that's what was passed to me.
Of the decks you drafted this weekend, which was your favorite deck, and why?
My second deck, since it had two Glacial Rays.
What is the most underrated Champions of Kamigawa card? Most overrated?
Honden of Infinite Rage is the most underrated. Nezumi Graverobber is the most overrated.
Do you have any interesting stories from the first 15 rounds?
When I didn't play my eighth land while holding two lands in hand and then next turn drew Sift the Sands which pulled a Sire of the Storm that I couldn't cast.
What was your travel itinerary for getting to this Pro Tour? When did you arrive in Japan? Who did you travel with?
I got here on Monday to try to get rid of jet lag. It didn't work. I'm heading home Monday. I traveled with Mattias Jorstedt, Simon Carlsson, and Mikael Polgary.
What was the funniest thing you heard or saw in the Players Lounge?
Gabe Walls.
What do you think of your chances in the Top 8?
Good, if I get lucky.