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Grand Prix Tokyo 2016, a massive event for the trading card game Magic: The Gathering, was held on May 6 and 8 during Golden Week at Tokyo Big Sight. This was the first time it’s been held in Tokyo in 19 years!
The main event of Grand Prix Tokyo 2016 was a tournament over two days with 3,335 participants. The winner was Riku Kumagai, who took home a prize of $10,000.
Event Name: Grand Prix Tokyo 2016
Dates: May 6 (Fri.) – May 8 (Sun.), 2016
Location: Tokyo Big Sight
Participants: 3,335 (for main event)
Total Prizes: $50,000
Top Prize: $10,000
The Grand Prix is a massive event that anyone can participate in, but participants can also enjoy a lot of side events, as well! Every season has between 40 and 50 competitions, so almost every weekend there is a Grand Prix somewhere in the world. Winners also receive not only a cash prize, but an invitation to the Pro Tour where they can compete against the world’s top players!
The 2016 Grand Prix has changed a bit, with the top prize growing from $4,000 to $10,000, and the overall prize pool growing from $35,000 to $50,000. The conditions to advancing to the second day have also eased from seven wins and up to two losses to six wins and three losses, meaning even more people can fully enjoy the event.
The main event of the tournament saw a horde of people playing with and against the new Shadows Over Innistrad block as the format, which released its first set on April 8.
There were nine matches on Saturday, and 957 competitors were able to win at least six times and move onto day 2 of the competition. On Sunday there were six matches, and the top eight players from those then competed.
This tournament was the first time Riku Kumagai and Kazushige Suzuki had made it to the finals, making it an exciting event for both of them.
This was the first tournament win for Riku Kumagai, who prepared four possible Shadows Over Innistrad decks with his Naya Midrange deck and went on to win the title and $10,000 prize. Both players were also invited to compete in the regional qualifiers for the Pro Tour Eldritch Moon in Australia.
Outside of the main tournament, the whole event spanned over three days and had a lot of smaller events for everyone to enjoy including beginners and veterans. One involved solving riddles, and any players who solved all of the riddles had their pictures taken with the “Shichifukujin Dragon” card, a valuable card with only a single copy in the whole world!
The event was streamed on Niconico, and details were also recorded on the official event page. The next Niconico stream will be of the Pro Tour Eldritch Moon from Aug. 5 (Fri.) to 7 (Sun.).
◆ What is Magic: The Gathering?
*Magic: The Gathering* was released in America in 1993 as the world’s first strategic trading card game. It was designed by Richard Garfield and has since been translated into 11 languages and is played in more than 70 countries by over 20 million people. It has many tournaments all over the world including the World Magic Cup. You collect cards to make decks, summon your strongest creatures, and try to reduce your opponent’s life points to zero to win. New cards also continue to be released, allowing the game to continuously evolve and change for new and exciting challenges.
© 2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Source: @Press
