All seven podcasts found here.
Podcast 1, Pre-production
[starting after 14 minutes]
RH: Guillaume Wafo-Tapa, good morning to you.
GWT: Good morning.
RH: Are you well?
GWT: I'm okay.
RH: "I'm okay." Okay, how about the deck? Is that in good shape?
GWT: I think the deck is very good.
[Someone walks by a squeals.]
RH: Yes, it is Guillaume Wafo-Tapa. You're right, my friend. Someone's very excited to be here. So tell us a bit about it. I know you were testing a while ago in Brussels with Remi Fortier. He was sort of playing a bit with you, and at that point, he said to us, Look, we're really struggling and we can't find a control deck that we really like, there doesn't seem to be anything particularly exciting out there. Do you think you've got a winner this time?
GWT: I think we've got a winner. It's pretty hard to handle Faeries when you're playing control, but I think the deck is fine.
RH: Okay, and is it a control deck?
GWT: Yeah.
RH: Wow, can't wait to see that. Ladies and gentlemen Guillaume Wafo-Tapa in the house. Thank you very much indeed. Best of luck, Guillaume.
Podcast 2 and 3, L.A. 3.0
[starts in podcast 2 after 16 minutes]
Wafo-Tapa is playing Mandee Peralta (Faeries).
Wafo-Tapa is playing slowly but Rich says that this can be expected.
Wafo-Tapa's deck is all foil.
Peralta counters a Firespout.
Peralta has Visions suspended and two Bitterblossoms.
Wafo-Tapa has been saving up storage mana.
He resolves Chameleon Colossus and a Makeshift Cloudthresher.
He passes with two cards in hand.
He kills Peralta with Cloudthresher.
1-0, Wafo-Tapa.
Peralta Thoughtseizes.
Wafo-Tapa is holding Wispmare, Cloudthresher, and other spells.
Wafo-Tapa builds mana.
Peralta resolves Ancestral Visions.
Someone casts Thoughtseize.
Wafo-Tapa has a lot of mana.
Peralta has 5 power of Faeries and a Visions at four counters.
Peralta wins.
1-1.
Peralta plays Spellstutter Sprite with no targets.
Peralta gets Mistbind Clique
Wafo-Tapa gets a Makeshift Mulldrifter.
Wafo-Tapa wins somehow.
2-1.
Post-game interview with Mandee Peralta:
- He was comfortable playing against Wafo-Tapa.
- "You have to play to get better."
- He Thoughtseized Wafo-Tapa game three and got scared then.
- He dealt with a lot of Wafo-Tapa's threats.
- But then he lost to Oona off the top.
Podcast 4, The Colour of Magic
[starts after 24 minutes]
Rich Hagon and Ted Knutson do some math about how good Wafo-Tapa is. They say he wins two matches out of three in a Constructed Pro Tour, which is as good a rate as Jon Finkel usually gets. Then, based on an 8-0 day one record, they give him 40-1 odds of sweeping the Pro Tour.
Podcast 6, And the Clock Strikes Thirteen
1:20 - Rich points out that Wafo-Tapa made a winning streak of nineteen "non-Finkel" Pro Tour matches between Kuala Lumpur and Hollywood.
24:00 - Rich asks Marijn Lybaert if he expects to make top 8. Marijn says there are too many good players, and that a pro can only expect to make top 8 in every tenth or twentieth PT.
Marijn: I don't think -- if you top eight one every year, that's just like ... Guillaume Wafo-Tacos is the only one that can do that.
Rich: I saw what you did there. He's a pretty exceptional Magic player, and you obviously get to be near him quite a lot, because you're on the top tables with him quite a lot. Is he one of the best we've seen?
Marijn: I think he is, but it's mainly because he plays so much. He doesn't do anything else but play ten hours a day. Anyone who does that can be really good; I think that makes the difference. When I was in school last year I played very much, so at the end of the season I was doing good. But now I've got work; I've got a lot of things to do. Without so much testing, you're not prepared for everything and things you don't expect happen.
Rich: And he does seem pretty prepared for everything.
Marijn: Yeah, he knows everything. He will tell you, "You've got five cards in your hand? That's that, that, that, that, and that." He'll know that.
Marijn makes excuses, tries to insult Wafo-Tapa, but won't just admit that he is not as good. Other people have played Magic ten hours a day before, but none of those players are the best player. Wafo-Tapa is the best player and is also psychic.
Podcast 7, The Final Cut
3:00 - Wafo-Tapa is playing Aaron Nicastri. Guillaume kills Llanowar Elves and Wren's Run Vanquisher, then evokes Mulldrifter. Nicastri gets Tarmogoyf and man-lands.
4:40 - Nicastri attacks with Tarmogoyf and Mutavault. Guillaume gets a Makeshift Mulldrifter to block. Nicastri scoops.
9:30 - Nicastri Thoughtseizes out a Mannequin.
15:20 - Guillaume has Oona. Nicastri attacks with smaller creatures guys, loses Shriekmaw but gets him to ten. Nicastri is out of gas. Nicastri keeps trying to force damage but Guillaume just makes tokens and outlasts him.
The Oona endgame was drawn out for ten minutes in the coverage, which means it took ten minutes in real life, which gives a sense of just how slowly Wafo-Tapa plays Magic. It's also revealed that Nicastri tried boarding in Damnation against Quick'n Toast.
31:00 - Rich talks to Zvi Mowshowitz about his expectations.
Zvi: You can't realistically expect to, a regular basis, finish with three losses, unless you're Wafo-Tapa, at this point.
Rich: Is he the best player currently playing regularly? (I chose that phrase pretty carefully.)
Zvi: He is by far, as far as I can tell, the best player currently playing. I would take Wafo-Tapa, at this point, over anybody. Finkel is obviously a special case, and he's gonna be an amazing player, but the sheer amount of work Wafo-Tapa does at this point, and the sheer amount of knowledge he has and the expertise he has ... It's possible that he is as good as anyone's ever been right now.
Rich: It's pretty exciting to be around that, really. Certainly from a player who hasn't got Hall of Fame pretensions, to see someone at their peak. Because I never saw you at the absolute peak of your powers, or Jon. I see you now, coming in, going "Yeah, I haven't done a lot of preparation but I'm still going to annhialate almost everyone." So Wafo-Tapa is the modern day version of that, where he appears not to break sweat -- that's the scary bit.
Zvi: He's got the Ferguson act going on. He doesn't have the cowboy hat, but he's just sitting there, doesn't have any expressions. And that's a huge advantage, but at the same time I like to play a different style.
There. I just listened to all seven podcasts and wrote down the Wafo-Tapa highlights. As of writing, he's missed day two at a couple of Grand Prixes; I will put up what I find about those.
If you see or hear anything about Wafo-Tapa's Magic that slips by this blog, please leave a comment and I will probably add it in.
Friday, 20 June 2008
Friday, 13 June 2008
GP Birmingham (Sideboard Text)
22 Wafo-tapa, Guillaume * [FRA] $400 2
Wafo-Tapa always wins money.
round 4 - W, 2-0-0, vs. Sean M. Fitzgerald (IRL)
round 5 - W, 2-1-0, vs. Guy Southcott (ENG)
round 6 - W, ?-?-?, vs. Joel Calafell (ESP)
round 7 - W, 2-0-0, vs. Remi Fortier (FRA)
round 8 - L, 1-2-0, vs. Carlos Santiago (ESP)
round 9 - W, 2-0-0, vs. Cormac Smith (IRL)
round 10 - L, 1-2-0, vs. Raphael Levy (FRA)
round 11 - L, 1-2-0, vs. Michael Duke (ENG)
round 12 - W, 2-0-0, vs. Raul Porojan (DEU)
round 13 - W, 2-0-0, vs. Joaq Tejero Hernandez (ESP)
round 14 - L, 0-2-0, vs. Shuhei Nakamura (JPN)
total matches: 7-4-0
total games: 15-9-0
(The games record would probably be better if the Joel Calafell match was posted.)
This was a kind of boring tournament. Wafo-Tapa got only one coverage match, and he played another lame Manuel Bucher deck. Probably if he'd played one of his own decks, he would have come in first.
(Maybe it will be better in podcasts.)
Round 4 versus Sean Fitzgerald
covered by Tobias Henke
In game one it looks like Fitzgerald is winning the Mulldrifter wars, but Guillaume has card advantage spells (Cryptic Command, Makeshift Mannequin) where Fitzgerald just has regular spells (Smokebraider, Incandescent Soulstoke). Guillaume wins with Cloudthresher.
In game two, Fitzgerald mulligans into a slow start. He evens up the board but then Guillaume gets Mind Spring for six and just takes over.
Also, Manuel Bucher did a deck tech with Tobias Henke. The best part is when he explains the choice of Plumeveil (best card in Shadowmoor) and when he talks about adds Twilight Shepherd (great in B/W Sealed decks).
8 Commandments
Manuel Bucher & Guillaume Wafo-Tapa
3 Shriekmaw
4 Kitchen Finks
4 Mulldrifter
3 Cloudthresher
3 Makeshift Mannequin
4 Broken Ambitions
4 Cryptic Command
3 Firespout
1 Plumeveil
2 Austere Command
3 Mind Spring
1 Fire-Lit Thicket
1 Wooded Bastion
3 Mystic Gate
2 Sunken Ruins
2 Forest
3 Island
4 Reflecting Pool
4 Vivid Creek
4 Vivid Grove
2 Vivid Meadow
SB: 1 Cloudthresher
SB: 1 Shriekmaw
SB: 1 Firespout
SB: 3 Plumeveil
SB: 2 Primal Command
SB: 2 Mind Shatter
SB: 3 Jace Beleren
SB: 2 Twilight Shepherd
Bucher has learned his lesson from Hollywood, and now they have four Cryptic Command maindeck.
With a 22nd place finish, Wafo-Tapa is at 26 pro points -- a lock for level six next year (old level four). He is eight points out of the lead in Player of the Year; everyone ahead of him is either a Pro Tour finalist or Shuhei Nakamura.
Wafo-Tapa is still the best player.
Wafo-Tapa always wins money.
round 4 - W, 2-0-0, vs. Sean M. Fitzgerald (IRL)
round 5 - W, 2-1-0, vs. Guy Southcott (ENG)
round 6 - W, ?-?-?, vs. Joel Calafell (ESP)
round 7 - W, 2-0-0, vs. Remi Fortier (FRA)
round 8 - L, 1-2-0, vs. Carlos Santiago (ESP)
round 9 - W, 2-0-0, vs. Cormac Smith (IRL)
round 10 - L, 1-2-0, vs. Raphael Levy (FRA)
round 11 - L, 1-2-0, vs. Michael Duke (ENG)
round 12 - W, 2-0-0, vs. Raul Porojan (DEU)
round 13 - W, 2-0-0, vs. Joaq Tejero Hernandez (ESP)
round 14 - L, 0-2-0, vs. Shuhei Nakamura (JPN)
total matches: 7-4-0
total games: 15-9-0
(The games record would probably be better if the Joel Calafell match was posted.)
This was a kind of boring tournament. Wafo-Tapa got only one coverage match, and he played another lame Manuel Bucher deck. Probably if he'd played one of his own decks, he would have come in first.
(Maybe it will be better in podcasts.)
Round 4 versus Sean Fitzgerald
covered by Tobias Henke
In game one it looks like Fitzgerald is winning the Mulldrifter wars, but Guillaume has card advantage spells (Cryptic Command, Makeshift Mannequin) where Fitzgerald just has regular spells (Smokebraider, Incandescent Soulstoke). Guillaume wins with Cloudthresher.
In game two, Fitzgerald mulligans into a slow start. He evens up the board but then Guillaume gets Mind Spring for six and just takes over.
Also, Manuel Bucher did a deck tech with Tobias Henke. The best part is when he explains the choice of Plumeveil (best card in Shadowmoor) and when he talks about adds Twilight Shepherd (great in B/W Sealed decks).
8 Commandments
Manuel Bucher & Guillaume Wafo-Tapa
3 Shriekmaw
4 Kitchen Finks
4 Mulldrifter
3 Cloudthresher
3 Makeshift Mannequin
4 Broken Ambitions
4 Cryptic Command
3 Firespout
1 Plumeveil
2 Austere Command
3 Mind Spring
1 Fire-Lit Thicket
1 Wooded Bastion
3 Mystic Gate
2 Sunken Ruins
2 Forest
3 Island
4 Reflecting Pool
4 Vivid Creek
4 Vivid Grove
2 Vivid Meadow
SB: 1 Cloudthresher
SB: 1 Shriekmaw
SB: 1 Firespout
SB: 3 Plumeveil
SB: 2 Primal Command
SB: 2 Mind Shatter
SB: 3 Jace Beleren
SB: 2 Twilight Shepherd
Bucher has learned his lesson from Hollywood, and now they have four Cryptic Command maindeck.
With a 22nd place finish, Wafo-Tapa is at 26 pro points -- a lock for level six next year (old level four). He is eight points out of the lead in Player of the Year; everyone ahead of him is either a Pro Tour finalist or Shuhei Nakamura.
Wafo-Tapa is still the best player.
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