Mike Turian is the Grand Prix Columbus Champion!
As his farewell tour nears its conclusion he put a crowd pleasing bow on the largest North American Grand Prix on record. Things started off on Saturday morning with 854 players queuing up for the $25,000 in prize money that was given away this weekend. There were so many players that the Day Two cut allowed 128 players through the velvet ropes.
After six rounds of draft--and fifteen rounds overall--the cut to Top 8 was a brutal one. Only one player with as many as three losses made it to the final table. Kate Stavola, Matt Larson, Craig Krempels, Brandon Rickard, Aaron Lipczynski, Cedric Phillips, and even Pro Tour Boston winner Brock Parker had to feel intimidated as they sat down to draft with the most well known member of CMU.
Top 8 Final Standing
| 1. Michael Turian |
$2,400 |
| 2. Craig Krempels |
$1,700 |
| 3. Aaron Lipczynski |
$1,200 |
| 4. Cedric Phillips |
$1,000 |
| 5. Kate Stavola |
$800 |
| 6. Matt Larson |
$800 |
| 7. Brandon Rickard |
$800 |
| 8. Brock Parker |
$800 |
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(Click here for complete final standings)
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They would have been even more leery had they seen him open Grab the Reins and Skullclamp--you couldn't ask for two better opens--and his red-white deck made short work of everyone in his path right up to and including his CMU/TOGIT teammate Craig Krempels in the finals.
One of the big stories this weekend was the breakout performance of Kate Stavola. She come into the tournament without the benefit of any byes and only lost one match all weekend until she met up with Mike Turian in the semi-finals. She was also an amateur and won an additional $1,500 for her impressive efforts.
With a few exceptions scattered about the globe this event marked the close of the Qualifier season for Pro Tour San Diego. Next up is Team Limited season for Pro Tour Seattle and the Grand Prix in Washington DC.
See you all there in April!
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Quarterfinals |
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Semifinals |
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Finals |
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Champion |
| 1 |
Aaron Lipczynski
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Aaron Lipczynski, 2-0
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| 8 |
Matt Larson
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Michael Turian, 2-0
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| 4 |
Kate Stavola
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Michael Turian, 2-0
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Michael Turian, 2-0
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| 5 |
Michael Turian
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| 2 |
Brandon Rickard
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Cedric Phillips, 2-0
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| 7 |
Cedric Phillips
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Craig Krempels, 2-0
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| 3 |
Craig Krempels
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Craig Krempels, 2-1
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| 6 |
Brock Parker
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EVENT COVERAGE
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INFORMATION
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Final: Mike Turian vs. Craig Krempels
by Brian David-Marshall
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Semifinals: Mike Turian vs. Aaron Lipczynski
by Ted Knutson
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Quarterfinals: Brock Parker vs. Craig Krempels
by Brian David-Marshall
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Quarterfinals: Kate Stavola vs. Mike Turian
by Ted Knutson
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Draft Report: Top 8 Drafting With Brock Parker
by Duncan McGregor
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Feature: The Top 8 Player Profiles
by Ted Knutson
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Decks: The Top 8 Decklists
by Event Coverage Staff
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Info: Top 8 Introduction
by Event Coverage Staff
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Round 15: Matt Linde vs. Brian Gates
by Ted Knutson
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Round 14: Jordan Berkowitz vs. Aaron Lipczynski
by Brian David-Marshall
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Round 14: Craig Krempels vs. Gerry Thompson
by Duncan McGregor
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Round 14: Eugene Harvey vs. Matt Linde
by Ted Knutson
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Round 13: Bob Maher vs. Steven Wolfman
by Brian David-Marshall
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Draft Report: Drafting With Kate Stavola
by Ted Knutson
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Draft Report: Drafting With Bob Maher
by Duncan McGregor
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Round 13: Pods
by Event Coverage Staff
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Ask The Pros: Draft Achetypes in Darksteel
by Ted Knutson
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Round 12: David Williams vs. Jonathan Becker
by Duncan McGregor
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Round 11: Bob Maher vs. Brian Kibler
by Brian David-Marshall
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Round 10: Eugene Harvey vs. Mike Turian
by Duncan McGregor
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Round 10: Ben Rubin vs. Nathan Heiss
by Brian David-Marshall
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Draft Report: Drafting With Eugene Harvey and Mike Turian
by Duncan McGregor
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Round 9: Pods
by Event Coverage Staff
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Info: Player List
by Event Coverage Staff
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Info: Day Two Introduction
by Event Coverage Staff
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Info: Day One Wrap-Up
by Event Coverage Staff
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Round 9: Antonino de Rosa vs. Ken Krouner
by Duncan McGregor
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Deck Tech: Following Up With Rob Dougherty
by Brian David-Marshall
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Decks: Day One Undefeated Decks
by Event Coverage Staff
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Ask The Pros: Play or Draw?
by Duncan McGregor
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Round 8: Jon Sonne vs. Mike Pustilnik
by Brian David-Marshall
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Round 7: Patrick Sullivan vs. Ken Krouner
by Duncan McGregor
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Round 7: Kate Stavola vs. JB Smith
by Brian David-Marshall
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Round 6: Matt Linde vs. Timothy Aten
by Duncan McGregor
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Round 5: Eugene Harvey vs. Ben Rubin
by Brian David-Marshall
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Round 4: Neil Reeves vs. Matt Vienneau
by Brian David-Marshall
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Deck Tech: Deck Building With Rob Dougherty
by Brian David-Marshall
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Deck Tech: Shuffology
by Brian David-Marshall
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Info: Player List
by Event Coverage Staff
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Info: Day One Introduction
by Event Coverage Staff
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Info: Fact Sheet
by Event Coverage Staff
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