Bob Maher, Jr. is the Grand Prix - Detroit Champion! Battling through a field of mono-white control, Slide, and above all Goblins, Maher smashed face with a Red-White Control deck that a lot of people were calling "Slideless Slide". Designed by Brian Kowal, someone Maher considers something of a Block Constructed wizard, the deck dumps slides and Exalted Angels for more land and control cards. In fact, his bustigation was total. The deck went completely undefeated, scooping to Severa to get him into the Top 8, and then drew with Shvartsman. Once in the Top 8, his wrecking streak continued.

First he cleared out Derek Starleaf and his Mono-White Control deck. He drew Shvartsman in the semifinals, who had merciless crushed Severa's Goblins with his mono-red "Bad Form" control deck. Shvartsman was already polishing the trophy in his mind, but Maher saw the matchup as drastically in his favor. Two short games later Maher was in the finals. He drew the Former Champ, Eugene Harvey. Harvey's Slide deck had served him well, besting Mark Herberholz in a mirror-match quarterfinals, and then did the same trick again against Josh Ravitz, who had punished Morgan Douglass in the quarters for playing Goblins.

The finals was riveting. In the first game Harvey ripped like a fiend after a hard-cast Decree of Annihilation, but Maher battled back to win, stunning the crowd. The second saw Maher battle back from a huge board disadvantage, then catch Harvey with a cycled Decree while his Eternal Dragon was removed from the game by Astral Slide. Harvey extended the hand to the applause of the crowd. Congratulations to Bob Maher, Jr., Grand Prix - Detroit Champion!

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Top 8 Final Standing  1.  Robert Maher $2,400  2.  Eugene Harvey $1,700  3.  Joshua Ravitz $1,200  4.  Alex Shvartsman $1,000  5.  Mark Herberholz $800  6.  Matt Severa $800  7.  Morgan Douglass $800  8.  Derek Starleaf $800 (Click here for complete final standings)

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