Paul Rietzl
| Paul Rietzl | |
|---|---|
| Residence | Los Angeles, CA, United States[1] |
| Nationality |  Vereinigte Staaten |
| Pro Tour debut | 2002 Pro Tour Osaka |
| Pro Tour wins (Top 8) | 1 (4)[2] |
| Grand Prix wins (Top 8) | 2 (9)[3] |
| Lifetime Pro Points | 243[4] |
| Planeswalker Level | 47 (Archmage) |
Paul Rietzl is an American Magic: The Gathering player. His greatest success was his win at Pro Tour Amsterdam in 2010, but his resume includes two more Pro Tour top eights, and nine Grand Prix top eights including two wins.
Magic: The Gathering
Career
Paul Rietzl was a longtime member of Rob Dougherty's Team Your Move Games.[5] Rietzl's first major results was making the Top 8 of Grand Prix Anaheim in 2003, a Top 8 that also featured future Hall of Fame members Ben Stark and Ben Rubin. Rietzl would lose in the quarterfinals to Peter Szigeti taking 6th place in the overall standings. Rietzl would go on to make the Top 8 of the very next Grand Prix in Oakland. Again Paul would lose out in the quarterfinals taking 7th place.
Rietzl would take a break from competitive play but returned with a splash in 2009.[6] Rietzl made his third Grand Prix Top 8 at Grand Prix Chicago 2009. Rietzl would make it to the semifinals this time, losing out to Andrew Probasco, and take third place in the tournament. Rietzl's result at Grand Prix Chicago qualified him for Pro Tour Honolulu 2009. Rietzl prepared for the tournament with various prominent players including Ben Rubin, Gabriel Nassif and Brian Kibler.[7] Rietzl would make his first Top 8 at Pro Tour Honolulu, losing in the semifinals to eventual winner Kazuya Mitamura.[8]
Rietzl would have the biggest success of his career in the 2010 season winning Pro Tour Amsterdam 2010.[9] The Pro Tour was noted for one of the most impressive Sunday rosters in Magic: The Gathering history, which included Kai Budde, Brian Kibler, Guillaume Wafo-Tapa and future Player of the Year Brad Nelson. Rietzl's win would be all the more impressive for the fact that he did not lose a single game within the Top 8, beating Thomas Ma, Michael Jacob and Brad Nelson 3-0 in their best of five game matches. Rietzl prepared for the Pro Tour with various pro players but gave particular to Gabriel Nassif who helped design his deck.[10]
Rietzl would make his third Pro Tour Top 8 in as many years at Pro Tour Paris 2011.[11] Rietzl would defeat Patrick Chapin in the quarterfinals and Vincent Lemoine in the semifinals to face Ben Stark in the finals of the tournament. Ultimately Paul lost 3-1 to Stark finishing in second place.[12]
Top 8 finishes
| Season | Event type | Standort | Format | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | Grand Prix | Anaheim | Extended | 13–14 December 2003 | 6 |
| 2003–04 | Grand Prix | Oakland | Limited | 7–8 February 2004 | 7 |
| 2009 | Grand Prix | Chicago | Legacy | 7–8 March 2009 | 3 |
| 2009 | Pro Tour | Honolulu | Block Constructed and Booster Draft | 5–7 June 2009 | 3 |
| 2010 | Pro Tour | Amsterdam | Extended and Booster Draft | 3–5 September 2010 | 1 |
| 2011 | Pro Tour | Paris | Standard and Booster Draft | 10–13 February 2011 | 2 |
| 2012 | Grand Prix | Seattle-Tacoma | Limited | 3–4 March 2012 | 6 |
| 2012 | Grand Prix | Mexico City | Limited | 24–25 March 2012 | 1 |
| 2012–13 | Grand Prix | Anaheim | Block Constructed | 26–27 May 2012 | 2 |
| 2012–13 | Grand Prix | San Jose | Team Limited | 13–14 October 2012 | 1 |
| 2012–13 | Grand Prix | Portland | Modern | 11–12 May 2013 | 8 |
| 2013–14 | Pro Tour | Dublin | Standard and Booster Draft | 11–13 October 2013 | 6 |
| 2013–14 | Grand Prix | Albuquerque | Standard | 23–24 November 2013 | 8 |
Last updated: 24 November 2013
Source: Event Coverage at Wizards.com
References
- ^ "Grand Prix San Jose Finals Coverage". Wizards of the Coast. October 14, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
- ^ "Lifetime Pro Tour Top 8s". Wizards of the Coast. May 16, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
- ^ "Lifetime Grand Prix Top 8s". Wizards of the Coast. October 14, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
- ^ "Planeswalker Points -- Leaderboard -- Professional". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
- ^ "Grand Prix Anaheim 2003 Top 8 Player Profiles". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ "ChannelFireball Author Profile". ChannelFireball.com. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ "Pro Tour Honolulu 2009 Top 8 Profiles". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ "Semifinals: Pings and Swings". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ "Rietzl Sweeps to Victory in Amsterdam". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ Rietzl, Paul. "A Champion Returns". TCGPlayer.com. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ "Stark Flies High with Planeswalkers in Paris". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
- ^ Willoughby, Tim. "Finals: Paul Rietzl vs. Ben Stark". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
