The dust has settled, and Jesse Nguyen stands alone as our newest Champion. Nguyen went 5-2 in Swiss, losing to Lobo Rodriguez's Machina Gadget deck in Round 4 and Jon Sturick's Frog Monarch deck in Round 5. After being in danger of missing the cut at 3-2, Nguyen was determined to win out and did so.
In his Top 16 Match, Nguyen defeated his older Riders on the Storm teammate Ciro Saldarelli. Saldarelli went 6-1 in Swiss with Chaos Plant, but Nguyen was unfazed and won to advance to the Top 8.
In the Top 8, Nguyen had what was probably his toughest match in the tournament. Up against Michael Steinman and his Gravekeeper deck, Nguyen was a clear underdog. Many had picked Steinman to win the entire tournament, but Nguyen pulled through after 3 intense games.
In the Top 4, Nguyen took on Gar Logan and his interesting, trap heavy X-Saber deck. He managed easily and won the match in 2 games. On the other side of the Top 4, a stunning upset took place. Brandon McClain knocked out the undefeated favorite to win, Andrew Tenjum. The finals were set.
Jesse Nguyen won the finals match, due to some rough draws Game 1 from McClain and his lack of side deck options for the matchup. 98 players down, and Nguyen stood strong as our newest Champion!
Final Standings:
1st Place: Jesse Nguyen (Frog Monarch)
2nd Place: Brandon McClain (Gravekeeper)
3rd Place: Andrew Tenjum (X-Saber)
4th Place: Gar Logan (X-Saber)
5th Place: Nicholas K (Blackwing)
6th Place: Michael Steinman (Gravekeeper)
7th Place: Jon Sturick (Frog Monarch)
8th Place: Ash Slaughter (Hero Beat)
9th Place: Ciro Saldarelli (Chaos Plant)
10th Place: Nathan Soowal (Gravekeeper)
11th Place: Mitch Noggle (Monarch)
12th Place: David Hagensen (Chaos Plant)
13th Place: Ryan Segovia (X-Saber)
14th Place: Anthony DiBona (Worm)
15th Place: Chris Schwarz (Machine)
16th Place: Cooster Rogburn (Gravekeeper)
Congratulations to all 16 players, and to the newest Champion! We hope you will all join us for Grand Prix Championship Sydney, which begins May 17th. Sign-ups are currently in progress, so go to DuelistGroundz and sign up in the tournament forum today! The field should be interesting, with Hidden Arsenal 4, Extreme Victory, and T.G. Hyper Librarian. We should see plenty of innovation, and regardless of the outcome it will definitely be exciting. Please check back then for Coverage!
Until the next event,
-DGZ Coverage Staff
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