Akira Asahara has won Grand Prix - Kyoto! Fighting through a field of almost seven hundred competitors, Asahara stood undefeated at the end of Day 1. During Day 2's drafts he assembled some truly sick concoctions to wind up at the final table. There he audibled to an color combination that's just starting to get some serious recognition: Blue-White. Packed with fliers and playing a mean tempo game, his deck was a force to be reckoned with, but it wasn't the only one.
The rest of the Top 8 were some of Japan's finest, and they had put together their own studies in degeneracy. First, Asahara upended Ryouma Shiozu, then stared down the table's most-discussed deck: Akihiro Takakuwa's blue-red. Packed with Lavamancer's Skills and wizards to equip them, his was a deck to be feared. It went to three games, but Asahara was victorious. On the other end of the bracket, Hayashi Tanaka was tearing a path to the finals. His green-red deck had such highlights as double-Timberwatch Elf, Menacing Ogre and Mythic Proportions. He smashed newcomer Yoshiaki Tashiro before stepping on Rookie of the Year leader Masashi Ooiso and his near-mono-white deck.
The finals were tense. The first game went to Asahara on a tempo start, despite a mulligan. The second was all Tanaka thanks to back-to-back Timberwatch Elves. Tanaka mulliganed in the third, and Asahara's fliers had him on the back foot the whole way. No longer just "Japan's Best-Known Deckbuilder", Asahara now has a title of his own. Congratulations to Akira Asahara, Grand Prix - Kyoto Champion!
Top 8 Final Standing
| 1. Akira Asahara (Japan) |
$2,400 |
| 2. Hisaya Tanaka (Japan) |
$1,700 |
| 3. Masashi Ooiso (Japan) |
$1,200 |
| 4. Akihiro Takakuwa (Japan) |
$1,000 |
| 5. Itaru Ishida (Japan) |
$800 |
| 6. Satoshi Nakamura (Japan) |
$800 |
| 7. Ryouma Shiozu (Japan) |
$800 |
| 8. Yoshiaki Tashiro (Japan) |
$800 |
(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 |
Masashi Ooiso |
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Masashi Ooiso,
2-0 |
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| 8 |
Yoshiaki Tashiro |
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Hisaya Tanaka,
2-0 |
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| 4 |
Hisaya Tanaka |
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Hisaya Tanaka,
2-1 |
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Akira Asahara, 2-1 |
| 5 |
Satoshi Nakamura |
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| 2 |
Akira Asahara |
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Akira Asahara,
2-1 |
| 7 |
Ryouma Shiozu |
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Akira Asahara,
2-1 |
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| 3 |
Itaru Ishida |
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Akihiro Takakuwa,
2-0 |
| 6 |
Akihiro Takakuwa |
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| EVENT COVERAGE |
INFORMATION |
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Finals: Akira Asahara vs. Hayashi Tanaka
by Josh Bennett
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Semifinals: Masashi Ooiso vs. Hayashi Tanaka
by Josh Bennett
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Quarterfinals: Itaru Ishida vs. Akihiro Takakuwa
by Josh Bennett
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Decklists: Top 8 Decks
by Sideboard Staff
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Top 8: Top 8 Draft
by Josh Bennett
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Feature: Quick Interviews
by Sideboard Staff
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Round 14: Tomohiro Kaji vs. Ryouma Shiozu
by Josh Bennett
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Round 13: Masashi Ooiso vs. Satoshi Nakamura
by Josh Bennett
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Round 12: Hisaya Tanaka vs. Osamu Fujita
by Josh Bennett
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Info: Draft 2 Pods
by Sideboard Staff
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Round 11: Akihiro Kashima vs. Tarou Kageyama
by Josh Bennett
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Round 10: Tsuyoshi Ikeda vs. Itaru Ishida
by Josh Bennett
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Round 9: Masashiro Kuroda vs. Akira Asahara
by Josh Bennett
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Draft 1: Masashiro Kuroda
by Josh Bennett
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Info: Draft 1 Pods
by Sideboard Staff
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Decklists: Day 1 Undefeated Decks
by Sideboard Staff
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Round 8: Ryo Tamura vs. Olivier Ruel
by Josh Bennett
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Round 7: Nobuaki Shikata vs. Satoshi Nakamura
by Josh Bennett
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Round 6: Masahiko Morita vs. Masashiro Kuroda
by Josh Bennett
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Feature: Sealed Decks of the Pros
by Josh Bennett
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Round 5: Masayuki Higashino vs. Masashiro Kuroda
by Josh Bennett
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Round 4: Masahiko Morita vs. Shuuhei Nakamura
by Josh Bennett
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Round 3: Akihiro Kashima vs. Yuusuke Nakamura
by Josh Bennett
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Round 2: Jinpei Hassaku vs. Kenji Ito
by Josh Bennett
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Sealed Deck: Olivier Ruel
by Josh Bennett
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Decklists: Trial-Winning Decklists
by Sideboard Staff
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Info: Fact Sheet
by Sideboard Staff
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