All Hail Scott-Vargas the Omnipotent!
There's something about U.S. Nationals that clearly agrees with Luis Scott-Vargas. What started last year as a breakthrough performance continued this year as the California (and Magic Online) resident improved on his third-place performance in 2006 by winning the whole thing this time around. Piloting a deck with the Brine Elemental/Vesuvan Shapeshifter "Pickles" lock supplemented by Arcanis the Omnipotent, Scott-Vargas drew cards to his heart's content as he defeated 2004 champion Craig Krempels in the quarterfinals, meatgrinder survivor Michael Bennett in the semis, and then Thomas Drake in the finals.
With National Teams expanding to four members this year, Scott-Vargas, Bennett, and Drake are joined by Michael Jacob. While all the names may not be immediately recognizable to the world Magic community, this foursome could end up being quite fearsome. Scott-Vargas and Jacob are full-time game players, while Drake and Bennett hail from Virginia Beach, playing at the same store and even sharing a car ride to Baltimore for the weekend.
Congratulations also to Greg Poverelli, the winner of the Magic Scholarship Series. Poverelli defeated Peter Montalbano to take home a $10,000 scholarship check. The four days of Magic Weekend 2007 are over, but the big wins, rough beats, fabulous prizes, and great memories should last at least until next summer, when the U.S. again focuses its mana-tapping, creature-summoning, card-playing fervor at Magic Weekend in Chicago.
US Nationals
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Quarterfinals |
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Semifinals |
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Finals |
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Champion |
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Thomas Drake
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Thomas Drake, 3-1
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| 8 |
Antonino De Rosa
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Thomas Drake, 3-1
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| 4 |
Conrad Kolos
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Michael Jacob, 3-2
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Luis Scott-Vargas, 3-2
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| 5 |
Michael Jacob
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| 2 |
Craig Krempels
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Luis Scott-Vargas, 3-2
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| 7 |
Luis Scott-Vargas
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Luis Scott-Vargas, 3-1
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| 3 |
Michael Bennett
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Michael Bennett, 3-1
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| 6 |
Thomas Huteson
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MSS Championship
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Quarterfinals |
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Semifinals |
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Finals |
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Champion |
| 1 |
Ryan Ward
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Ryan Ward, 2-1
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| 8 |
Alec Nezin
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Peter Montalbano, 2-0
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| 4 |
Peter Montalbano
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Peter Montalbano, 2-1
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Greg Poverelli, 2-0
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| 5 |
DJ Kastner
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| 2 |
Greg Poverelli
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Greg Poverelli, 2-0
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| 7 |
Jacob Gosche
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Greg Poverelli, 2-0
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| 3 |
Tim Landale
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Tim Landale, 2-1
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| 6 |
Jonathan Benson
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By Brian David-Marshall, Randy Buehler and Bill Stark | Last Updated: 6:35 PM (Sat)
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EVENT COVERAGE
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INFORMATION
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Finals: "You Have What, Like, a Million Cards?"
Thomas Drake vs. Luis Scott-Vargas by Nate Price
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Semifinals: Mulligan to What?
Luis Scott-Vargas vs. Michael Bennett by Bill Stark
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Semifinals: He's Got the Touch
Michael Jacob vs. Thomas Drake by Tom Fowler
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Quarterfinals: Grinding Out a Victory
Michael Bennett vs. Thomas Huteson by Tom Fowler
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Quarterfinals: The Big Comeback
Michael Jacob vs. John "Conrad" Kolos by Brian David-Marshall
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Quarterfinals: The Big Topdeck
Antonino De Rosa vs. Thomas Drake by Bill Stark
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Quarterfinals: You Mean He Can Attack, Too?
Luis Scott-Vargas vs. Craig Krempels by Nate Price
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Feature: The Top 8 Player Profiles
by Staff
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Decklists: The Top 8 Decks
by Staff
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Decklists: The Top Standard Decklists
by Staff
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Feature: Card-by-Card Breakdown of Top Decks
by Staff
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MSS Finals: Blood of the Martyr
Greg Poverelli vs. Peter Montalbano by Nate Price
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MSS Semifinals: "CRAIG JONES!"
Tim Landale vs. Greg Poverelli by Bill Stark
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MSS Semifinals: True Masters
Peter Montalbano vs. Ryan Ward by Nate Price
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MSS Quarterfinals: Quarterfinals Roundup
by Bill Stark
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Decklists: The Top 8 MSS Decks
by Staff
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News: Leveling Up, Judge Style
by Tom Fowler
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Photo Feature: The Game of the Year
by Kelly Digges and Craig Gibson
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Round 14: Powerhouse Rematch
Antonino De Rosa vs. Luis Scott-Vargas by Tim Aten
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Round 14: On the Precipice
Cedric Phillips vs. Brad Nelson by Bill Stark
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Round 13: Sometimes the Bear Gets You
Thomas Huteson vs. John May by Tom Fowler
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Round 13: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Antonino De Rosa vs. Gerry Thompson by Nate Price
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Round 12: Drawing Fire
Pat Chapin vs. Kyle Sanchez by Tim Aten
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Round 12: Order in the Court
Steve Sadin vs. Craig Krempels by Bill Stark
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Feature: The View from the Top
by Nate Price
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Feature: All Roads Lead to Nationals
by Tom Fowler
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Round 11: The Divinyls
Thomas Drake vs. Steve Sadin by Nate Price
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Artist Profile: Dan Scott
by Jake Theis
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Artist Profile: Daarken
by Jake Theis
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Round 10: Winner Winner
Paul Cheon vs. Antonino De Rosa by Tim Aten
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Feature: Magic Weekend Mad Man
by Bill Stark
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Photo Essay: The Day the Round Clock Stood Still
by Nate Price and Craig Gibson
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Round 9: Forty What?
Thomas Drake vs. Craig Krempels by Nate Price
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Round 8: Fire in the Sky
Luis Scott-Vargas vs. Steve Sadin by Nate Price
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Round 8: The 4-3 Blues
Mike Hron vs. Billy Moreno by Rich Hoaen
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Draft Viewer: Draft 2, Pod 1
by Staff
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Round 7: Shipping Gifts Downstream
Osyp Lebedowicz vs. Michael Jacob by Nate Price
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Round 7: Time is Not on His Side
Ervin Tormos vs. Luis Scott-Vargas by Bill Stark
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Feature: Standard Metagame Breakdown
by Bill Stark
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Round 6: Renewing Regionals Rivalries
Michael Jacob vs. Steven Collett by Rich Hoaen
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Feature: Tenth Edition's Sudden Impact
by Kelly Digges
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Round 5: In Harmony
Craig Krempels vs. Alex Majlaton by Bill Stark
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Feature: We Were the Champions
by Nate Price
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Feature: Interesting Rulings and Scenarios
by Tom Fowler
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Round 4: Wait, What Year Is It?
Ben Lundquist vs. Luis Scott-Vargas by Nate Price
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Draft Report: Pod 1
by Staff
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Draft Viewer: Draft 1, Pod 1
by Staff
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Round 3: One of These Days, Sadin…
Steve Sadin vs. Ben Rubin by Bill Stark
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Round 2: Lightning Victory
Billy Moreno vs. Osyp Lebedowicz by Nate Price
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Decklists: Grinder Decks
by Staff
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Feature: Learning From the Grinders
by Nate Price
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Round 1: Already Champions
Gadiel Szleifer versus Mike Hron by Bill Stark
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Feature: Sights of Round One
by Tom Fowler
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Info: U.S. National Championship Fact Sheet
by Event Coverage Staff
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Info: Magic Scholarship Series Championship Fact Sheet
by Event Coverage Staff
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Info: Magic Weekend Fact Sheet
by Event Coverage Staff
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| 1. Luis Scott-Vargas |
$5,000 |
| 2. Thomas Drake |
$3,000 |
| 3. Michael Bennett |
$2,000 |
| 4. Michael Jacob |
$2,000 |
| 5. Craig Krempels |
$1,000 |
| 6. Conrad Kolos |
$1,000 |
| 7. Thomas Huteson |
$1,000 |
| 8. Antonino De Rosa |
$1,000 |
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