| [view] | The Invitational players, with their awards |
| [view] | Top 4 player, David Price |
| [view] | Finalist Ben Rubin |
| [view] | Jon Finkel, 2000 Magic Invitational champion, with Mark Rosewater |
| [view] | Mark Rosewater gives Noah Boeken the third-place award |
| [view] | Its a GRINDSTONE |
| [view] | The graveyard after a long game |
| [view] | Spectators crowd around the finals |
| [view] | Ben Rubin is Superman. In German, its said Ubermensch. |
| [view] | Ben Rubin is flabbergasted |
| [view] | Kai Budde watches Finkel play his way out of a rocky start |
| [view] | Jon Finkel stares down a bad situation |
| [view] | Ben Rubin plays against Jon Finkel in the finals |
| [view] | Finkel plays, under the watchful eye of the trophy |
| [view] | Jon Finkel, Invitational champion |
| [view] | Will the real Zvi Mowshowitz please stand up |
| [view] | The chicks dig Ben Rubin - Australias a great country for Magic celebrities |
| [view] | A panoramic shot of the Invitees |
| [view] | Thousands of screaming female fans congregated around the site, early this morning, hoping to catch a glimpse of teen idol Jon Finkel |
| [view] | Chris Pikulas Juzam faces off against Trevor Blackwells Kird Ape |
| [view] | Gary Wise gives Ben Rubin The Stare |
| [view] | Bob Maher and Kai Budde look over their cards |
| [view] | Zvi Mowshowitz pitches a card to Force of Will |
| [view] | Alex Shvartsman plays against finalist Jon Finkel |
| [view] | Gary Wise plays against Noah Boeken |
| [view] | The final rounds of the Invitational |
| [view] | Ben Rubin comes across the table... to count Dave Prices graveyard |
| [view] | Alex Shvartsman vs. Chris Pikula |
| [view] | Darwin Kastle has been one of the few competitors able to beat Jon Finkel |
| [view] | Ben Rubin is fighting a WAY uphill battle |
| [view] | Ishiis hand isnt very good against Finkels Stasis |
| [view] | Jon Finkel and Yoshikazu Ishii deal with Stasis. Finkel piloted Zak Dolans much maligned deck to 3-0 |
| [view] | Finkel proudly casts Sirens Call with a Kismet in play, killing two creatures |
| [view] | Maher and Blackwell concentrate on a permanent-ridden board. Note the Wizards School on Mahers side |
| [view] | Scott Larabee consults with Mark Rosewater about the Invitational results |
| [view] | Zvi reveals all the components of the combo to Alex, prompting a concession |
| [view] | Gerardo Godinez Estrada changes Ryan Fullers life total after hitting him with a Black Knight |
| [view] | Zvi puts on a happy face, while looking for a way to go off |
| [view] | Bobs hand is full of sideboard cards |
| [view] | Bob Maher shows off a laughable second Fountain of Youth from Michael Locontos deck |
| [view] | Gary Wise sez Its in the bag. Last year, he finished 16th. This year, hes practically assured 15th or better |
| [view] | Alexs Crater Hellion is about to get medieval on Gerardo |
| [view] | Casey McCarrel vs. Tom Chanpheng, played by Alex Shvartsman and Gerardo Godinez |
| [view] | Spectators, including Your Move Games Dave Humpherys, watch Price vs. Maher |
| [view] | Trevor Blackwell sideboards |
| [view] | Bad times all around: Wise is almost Necro locked, while Finkel draws Old Man of the Sea after Old Man of the Sea |
| [view] | Kastle beats Shvartsman |
| [view] | Maher vs. Long, played by Pikula and Mowshowitz |
| [view] | Blackwell draws a Pestilence, smashing Ishii |
| [view] | Slemr vs. Blumke, played by Ishii and Blackwell |
| [view] | Price has Survival of the Fittest while Bob Maher has an Ivory Tower |
| [view] | Dave Price plays Bob Maher |
| [view] | Darwin had his choice of two decks: Rade or Eskeland |
| [view] | Bob Maher considers clubbing Dave Price. Dave tries to dissuade him |
| [view] | Players chat with Sideboard reporter Matt Vienneau and Sideboard publisher Jeff Donais before the auction |
| [view] | Bob Maher gracefully bows out of the bidding |
| [view] | Finkel and Rubin discuss the decks |
| [view] | Ryan Fuller moves so quickly that hes blurred |
| [view] | Gary Wise bows out of the bidding |
| [view] | Yoshikazu Ishii unexpectedly gets caught with Slemrs Five Color Black deck |
| [view] | The players line up by seed to determine the order of the Auction |
| [view] | Mark Rosewater briefs the players before the Auction |
| [view] | Pikula blows his breath as he realizes he cant stay in the bidding for Champhengs 1996 Worlds deck |
| [view] | Mike Long bows out of the race for his PT-Paris Prosbloom deck, exclaiming Three Wishes |
| [view] | A wide shot of the competitors |
| [view] | Auctioneer Mark Rosewater sorts out some confusion |
| [view] | Gerardo Godinez Estrada waited for Chris Pikula to fold, to get Jakub Slemrs 1997 World Championship deck |
| [view] | Dave Price couldnt hold onto his own deck |
| [view] | Wizards staff, Skaff Elias and Craig Cudnohufsky |
| [view] | Sideboard reporter, Randy Buehler |
| [view] | Players have been anticipating the Auction format all week |
| [view] | Invitational participants Zvi Mowshowitz and Mike Long look over the decklists for the Auction of Champions |
| [view] | Gary Wise puts the smack down on Darwin Kastle |
| [view] | Price and Maher discuss auctioning strategies as the bidding winds down |
| [view] | Darwin Kastle bows out of the bidding for Brian Seldens deck. Brians deck was a Survival-Recurring Nightmare deck, a well-known favorite of Kastle |
| [view] | Bob Maher nervously twists a bottle while thinking |
| [view] | Dave Red Eye Price nominated his PT-LA winning Sligh deck |
| [view] | Rubin wins his deck |
| [view] | Jon Finkel passes the bid to Ben Rubin |
| [view] | Bob Maher pronounces his bid clearly |
| [view] | Players in the Auction fold quickly for the less powerful decks |
| [view] | A wide view of the lobby area |
| [view] | Rubin laughs, while Jeff Donais records the contents of the draft |
| [view] | Rubin and Mowshowitz give the draft pool a staredown |
| [view] | Blackwell and Long share a laugh. Last time they drafted together, Long was disqualified |
| [view] | Boeken points at the Dream Coat, definitely the strangest card in the pack |
| [view] | Shvartsman and Maher contemplate the draft situation |
| [view] | Gary Wise drafts against Ryan Fuller |
| [view] | Players frantically traded, in preparation for the Grand Prix |
| [view] | Outside the venue |
| [view] | Spectators watch the action |
| [view] | Gerardos having a good time |
| [view] | Zvi Mowshowitz plays against Gerardo Godinez |
| [view] | Noah Boeken handed Alex Shvartsman his first loss of the week |
| [view] | Dave Price plays Jon Finkel |
| [view] | Yoshikazu Ishii plays a match against Bob Maher, Jr |
| [view] | A tired Ryan Fuller against a tired Chris Pikula |
| [view] | Guess whos behind these placards |
| [view] | A very rarely seen Sword of the Chosen, played by David Price |
| [view] | Tons of crazy cards. On Gerardo Godinezs side, Multani, Maro Sorcerer, Verderaloth, The Ancient, Stalking Shambler, Mageta the Lion and Sustaner Falconer. On Zvis side, Sliver Queen |
| [view] | Kai Budde is checking out the situation |
| [view] | Kai is unsure which pile is better |
| [view] | Ben Rubin is eyeing a Disturbed Burial |
| [view] | Both Pikula and Fuller have to read Arensons Aura, which was reprinted in Invasion as Teferis Care |
| [view] | Zvi Mowshowitz prepares a split |
| [view] | Mike Long evaluates a split |
| [view] | Jon Finkel is edgy |
| [view] | Jon Finkel is surprised |
| [view] | Jon Finkel plays Dave Price while Skaff Elias watches |
| [view] | Darwin Kastle ponders a split |
| [view] | A closeup of one of the draft packs - note the FIVE legends |
| [view] | Shvartsman looks over the piles |
| [view] | Noah Boeken is in your face |
| [view] | Mike Long and Darwin Kastle have a relaxed chat |
| [view] | Long defeats Price and they shake hands. The two have been sometime-bitter rivals for years |
| [view] | Meteor Storm gives Mike Long a large measure of control |
| [view] | Kai Budde contemplates which card he should cast |
| [view] | Finkel vs. Budde. Both players are very methodical and thoughtful |
| [view] | Gerardo Godinez Estrada with a smile. Gerardo is the highest ranked player in Latin America |
| [view] | Trevor Blackwell looks over his draft |
| [view] | Noah Boeken |
| [view] | Fuller leans over the table at Boeken, Jeff Donais covers |
| [view] | Yoshikazu Ishii plays against current leader, Alex Shvartsman |
| [view] | A happy Pikula goes for his draw |
| [view] | Bob Maher sorts through his very multicolored hand while playing Chris Pikula |
| [view] | Players are trading everywhere |
| [view] | Outside of the main Invitational area, players prepare for the GP Sydney Trial |
| [view] | More players in the lobby |
| [view] | Spectators watch Gary Wise and Trevor Blackwell draft |
| [view] | A view of the Invitational floor |
| [view] | Ryan Fuller trades with a local player. While Ryan pulled out tons of cards, including Millstone and Hatred, the other trader couldnt find anything interesting |
| [view] | FIRE |
| [view] | Gary Wise looks over his base black deck |
| [view] | Ishii looks over his possible deck, during construction |
| [view] | Yoshikazu Ishii laughs as the first cards are opened |
| [view] | Mike Long and Dave Price share a laugh |
| [view] | Ben Rubin works on dividing the piles. The cards were all multicolored in the first pack, making it difficult |
| [view] | Boeken and Lynn watch Fuller divide the piles. |
| [view] | Bob Maher and Chris Pikula Solomon Draft |
| [view] | Players compete in day two of the Invitational, in the background, Gary Wise stretches |
| [view] | Godinez and Long shake after a good match |
| [view] | Kastle asks a rules question - Brady Dommermuth and Mark Rosewater handle it |
| [view] | Wise, with his two card library, wonders how he can win the game |
| [view] | Gary removes an incapacitated Outpost token |
| [view] | Though it is uncommon to spend such a powerful spell on a token creature, Alex was forced to deck Wise, because of Wises powerful sideboard |
| [view] | Alex Shvartsman taps twelve Mountains to Fireblast, under three Chills. Shvartsman successfully killed the Outpost token and went on to win the match |
| [view] | Ben Rubin thinks about the game |
| [view] | Lots of Legacys Allures in Mowshowitz vs. Finkel |
| [view] | Trevor Blackwell sez Chill is a good card |
| [view] | Blackwell counts his land because of Chill |
| [view] | Price Parches Boekens Fireslinger |
| [view] | Price is not happy with his draw. Sideboards Randy Buehler observes |
| [view] | Noah Boeken of the Netherlands |
| [view] | Maher goes to draw against Fuller |
| [view] | The Invitational is full of good humor, despite the competitive nature of the participants |
| [view] | Jamie Lynn leans in to watch Bob Maher |
| [view] | The soldiers rally - and awesome board shot of Gary vs. Shvartsman |
| [view] | Ryan Fuller uses Wasteland |
| [view] | Chris Pikulas recurring creatures stare down Buddes arsenal of squirrels |
| [view] | Darwin Kastle has several good creatures, including Avalanche Riders, a card of his own design |
| [view] | Players ponder a complex board |
| [view] | Australian Ben Seck reports on Boeken vs. Price |
| [view] | The Kai Budde sweater |
| [view] | Darwin Kastle adjusts his life total |
| [view] | Ishii plays Kastle while a young Australian watches |
| [view] | From the other side |
| [view] | The game-ending stack - 11 cards deep |
| [view] | Bob has as many Outposts as Plains |
| [view] | Gary forms a Outpost regiment |
| [view] | Bob Maher considers his massive army |
| [view] | Gary Wise and Bob Maher, Jr. play a Counterpost mirror - with tons and ton of soldier tokens |
| [view] | Zvis looking good against Longs red deck |
| [view] | Maher and Wise played a drawn out Counterpost mirror match |
| [view] | Shvartsman vs. Fuller |
| [view] | All Europe: Boeken vs. Budde |
| [view] | Yoshikazu Ishii vs. Dave Price |
| [view] | Chris Pikula vs. Darwin Kastle in a Survival mirror match |
| [view] | Rubin vs. Godinez |
| [view] | Kastle thinks |
| [view] | Mark Rosewater and Paul Barclay |
| [view] | The Jon Finkel |
| [view] | Counterpostin fiend, Gary Wise |
| [view] | Gary Wise is on the ropes |
| [view] | Ishii has a good laugh with his opponent |
| [view] | Japans Yoshikazu Ishii |
| [view] | Kai Buddes squirrel tokens |
| [view] | Bob Mahers sideboard |
| [view] | Zvis Tradewind is having trouble with Kais squirrels |
| [view] | Gerardo Godinez chose to play aggressive red |
| [view] | Kai Budde taps an Island with Opposition |
| [view] | A rarely seen Soldevi Digger |
| [view] | Maher and Finkel played very similar decks |
| [view] | Jon Finkel, currently undefeated, is pleased |
| [view] | Noah Boeken vs. Ben Rubin |
| [view] | Ben Rubin thinks about his hand. Behind him, Dave Humpherys observes |
| [view] | Ryan Fuller vs. Zvi Mowshowitz |
| [view] | Finkel explains something to Chris Pikula |
| [view] | Chris Pikula is exciting |
| [view] | Mark Rosewater reads the pairings |
| [view] | Trevor Blackwell is doing his Michael Jackson impression |
| [view] | A large crowd has gathered to watch the matches |
| [view] | Being Ben Rubin |
| [view] | Look Its Ben Rubin |
| [view] | Whatever |
| [view] | Jon Finkel is 3-0 |
| [view] | Defending champion Pikula asks Finkel if he has any Pokemon to trade |
| [view] | Chris Pikula shows Finkel the door. |
| [view] | Alex Shvartsman kills one of Kai Buddes smaller creatures with a Berserk |
| [view] | Mike Long vs. Gary Wise |
| [view] | Trevor Blackwell concentrates on the game, while Noah Boeken works on his modeling career |
| [view] | Kai Budde is a past World Champion |
| [view] | The Ben Seck and competitior Alex Shvartsman |
| [view] | Mike Long attacks |
| [view] | Gary Wise is a thoughtful player |
| [view] | Early Nguyen and Worth Wollpert look on as Ben Rubin plays |
| [view] | Bob Maher Jr. vs. Ben Rubin |
| [view] | GP Dallas Champion Matt Vienneau reports on Zvi Mowshowitz and Dave Price |
| [view] | Jon Finkel vs. Ryan Fuller |
| [view] | Being Zvi Mowshowitz |
| [view] | Bob Maher passes the turn |
| [view] | Dave Price, looking like a deer in headlights |
| [view] | Zvi Mowshowitz gives Dave Price the Stare |
| [view] | Jon Finkel tells a joke |
| [view] | and Ryan Fuller sees the humor |
| [view] | Old chums Chris Pikula and Mike Long, two previous Invitational winners |
| [view] | Players must adjust to the strange playtest cards |
| [view] | Ryan Fuller examines cards in deck building |
| [view] | Jon Finkel plays Illicit Auction. Hes the only player using it, out of ten red players. |
| [view] | Closeup of Hells Caretaker |
| [view] | Spectators crowd around Zvi Mowshowitz and Dave Price while Mark Rosewater makes a ruling |
| [view] | Darwin Kastle looks over the board |
| [view] | GP Helsinki Champion, Noah Boeken |
| [view] | Yoshikazu Ishii plays against Noah Boeken |
| [view] | Panoramic shot of all the invitees |
| [view] | Blue and white ended up with some powerful cards like Argivian Archaeologist and Clone in the Duplicate Limited. |
| [view] | Old rivals Chris Pikula and Mike Long share a rare laugh together |
| [view] | More laughter |
| [view] | Rules lawyers Brady Dommermuth and Paul Barclay discuss the interaction between phasing and echo |
| [view] | Invitees are using mock-up cards - these are the same templates used to playtest new sets. |
| [view] | Alex Shvartsman builds |
| [view] | Ryan Fuller examines a strangely-costed Fanning the Flames |
| [view] | A view of the Invitational floor |
| [view] | Yoshikazu Ishii, Japans top ranked player |
| [view] | The Great One, Bob Maher, Jr. |
| [view] | Dave Price and Darwin Kastle build |
| [view] | Gerardo Godinez looks over the cards for Duplicate Limited |
| [view] | Trevor Blackwell |
| [view] | Noah Boeken |
| [view] | Jon Finkel |
| [view] | Ryan Fuller |
| [view] | Gerardo Godinez Estrada |
| [view] | Yoshikazu Ishii |
| [view] | Darwin Kastle |
| [view] | Mike Long |
| [view] | Invitational favorite, Jeff Donais |
| [view] | Invitational favorite, Scott Larabee |
| [view] | The Sydney Opera House, Sydneys most famous landmark, was built in the 1970s. You might have heard about it during the Olympics. |
| [view] | Its not easy coming up with twenty different captions that all say Look The Sydney Opera House |
| [view] | Ryan Fullers a dreamboat. |
| [view] | Jeff Donais thinks its raining. |
| [view] | Gary Wise sez Im king of the world. |
| [view] | Gary Wise sez WHASSSUP |
| [view] | A passing boat - the Astro Venus |
| [view] | Finkel is in love... with Jeff Donais |
| [view] | Jon Finkel, Ultimate Fighting Champion |
| [view] | Yoshikazu Ishii looks like a champ. |
| [view] | Zvi does the Humpty Dance |
| [view] | Zvis getting jiggy wit it |
| [view] | Macarena Master, Zvi Mowshowitz |
| [view] | Youve got to sell it SELL IT |
| [view] | Mike Long beats down on Mr. DCI, Jeff Donais |
| [view] | Mike Long dreams of his Valerie. Sorry ladies, hes off the market. |
| [view] | Bob Maher pretends hes won. Behind him, its a cloudy day in Sydney |
| [view] | Pucker up |
| [view] | Dave Price sez whats a matter, you |
| [view] | Sideboards own Alex Shvartsman |
| [view] | Jeff Donais taunts Invitee Ben Rubin with the trophy |
| [view] | Trevor Blackwell is a sweetheart |
| [view] | Darwin Kastle is a manly man |
| [view] | The Opera House |
| [view] | Sydney, Australia |
| [view] | The Sydney Harbor Bridge |
| [view] | The Invitees |
| [view] | Random.bird |
| [view] | Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge |
| [view] | More focus on the bridge |
| [view] | The players, together |
| [view] | Staff Photographer Craig Cudnohufsky organizes a photo session |
| [view] | Darwin Kastle, Laura Waniuk and The Ben Seck |
| [view] | Zvi and co. scout the hotel. |
| [view] | Kai Budde in the rain |
| [view] | Baby Rosewater plays with the always controversial Mike Long. |
| [view] | Jon Finkel poses with his Magic Invitational competitor shirt. |
| [view] | Australias own Ben Seck. Ben has taken to calling himself, Hollywood after he appeared on a nationwide television program discussing Magic as part of the PR for Grand Prix Sydney. |
| [view] | Trevor Blackwell. Pro Tour Champ |
| [view] | Gerardo Godinez, top player from Mexico and Pro Tour regular. |
| [view] | Ryan Fullers signficant other Jamie Lynn. Jamie Lynn is a good Magic player herself and has made day two at several Grand Prix. |
| [view] | Bob Maher keeps reminding himself, I am a Pro Tour Champion |
| [view] | Alex Shvartsman, Randy Buehler and Zvi Mowshowitz at the player meeting. |
| [view] | World Champion Jon Finkel has had just about enough of Matt Vienneaus humor. |
| [view] | Bob Maher takes notes and plans for the weekend. |
| [view] | Former World Champion and one of the friendliest Germans you will ever meet, Kai Budde. Kai is sporting his traditional conservative sweater look today. |
| [view] | David Price claims he is having a bad hair day, so he hides his hair for this shot. |
| [view] | The group of players listens intently to Mark Rosewaters speech. |
| [view] | Darwin Kastle mugs for the camera. |
| [view] | Top Japanese player, Yoshikazu Ishii. |
| [view] | Rachel Rosewater plays with the Meddling Mage card. She will be a mage herself once she gets a little older. |
| [view] | Pikula was presented with an advance copy of Meddling Mage. The coveted Magic Invitational prize of having your own card created is one that players will fight hard to win. |
| [view] | Chris Pikula poses with a glass encased copy of the Planeshift card Meddling Mage. The card has striking artwork featuring Pikula as a mage. This is one card that was actually improved after it was submitted by a Magic Invitational Champion. |
| [view] | Maher, Finkel, Vienneau and Fuller. |
| [view] | Gary Wise admired Pikulas creation Meddling Mage. Gary noted, Last year I was only 15 spots away from being able to create a card myself |
| [view] | Mark Rosewater explains the Magic Invitational procedures during the player meeting. Beside Mark are his wife Lora and child Rachel. Zvi Mowshowitz is in the background, considering stealing the child. |
| [view] | European Champion Noah Boeken with Pro Tour Chicago 1999 Champion and Pro Player of the Year Bob Maher and Pro Tour regular Ben Rubin. |
| [view] | 2000 Canadian National Champion and Pro Tour regular, Ryan Fuller. |
| [view] | A close up of David Prices passport. |
| [view] | Matt discusses winning Grand Prix Dallas without ever playing blue. Randy once again states, The rule is: The is no rule. They giggle like schoolgirls afterwards. |
| [view] | Mark Rosewater gets into the Australian spirit with this classy chapeau. |
| [view] | Jamie Lynn and Canadian National Champion and her beau Ryan Fuller. |
| [view] | Grand Prix Dallas Champion and Sideboard reporter Matt Vienneau stares down Magic developer Randy Buehler. |
| [view] | David Price showed us his Passport photo. He was a real hippie back then |
