(Note: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of MiseTings staff, or anyone else for that matter. Thank You. - MB)

The World Championships came to a close a week ago, and the latest 'internet buzz' is that the strong showing by the players from Latin America (including Carlos Romao winning the whole enchilada) indicates that that particular region of the world is now a force to be reckoned with. While it is true that this event showcased a marked improvement from El Mages Latinos, let there be no doubt. I'll take my chances against one of those taco-eating, llama-riding, sombrero-wearers any day of the week.


Thinking about Worlds this year, I was taken back to the Spring of 1999, and Grand Prix San Francisco. Toward the end of the tournament, Bryan Hubble began singing a song as the pairings were being put up. The only words to this song were, "I want a Mexican..." Note that he did not say, "I want a Frenchman..." or "I want a New Zealander..." (although perhaps he should have). Clearly, from this episode we can derive that there is a historical basis for Latin American sucky-ness when it comes to playing the Magical Cards.

Furthermore, the strategic advantage enjoyed by most players against those from this poor region of the world is only enhanced in the hours immediately after lunchtime. That's right, as most of us know, players from Central and South America tend to take siestas after lunch. This daytime napping makes it extremely hard for them to concentrate, and oftentimes they don't show up for the round at all! Given this indisputable fact, who wouldn't want to check the pairings for a round at 2:00 pm and see the name "Pablo Ramirez" for their opponent?

Many people are making a big to-do about how Romao "outplayed" everyone in the Psychatog mirror match by not countering his opponents' card drawing. I have a highly likely counter-theory that I would like to put forth. Simply, Romao did not know that you could counterspell card drawing! It may sound absurd, but if I had a nickel for every time a guy named Gonzalez tried to cast cards from his graveyard like they were in his hand, or a guy named Sanchez told me that you couldn't counterspell artifacts, I would probably be running Wizards of the Coast right now! The fact of the matter is that Latin American players simply don't know the rules that well. I'm not sure if it's the language barrier or the fact that they are too busy humming the latest Ricky Martin tune that prevents them from fully comprehending all the intricacies of the rules. At any rate, I'm sure that someone told Romao this fact after the end of the tournament, to which he doubtlessly proclaimed, "Ay Carumba!"

I'm sure that we will see more and more Latinos at Magic tournaments from now on. I base this on the fact that the pay for coffee pickers is going up due to internal pressure in the US (and it's widely known that about 80% of South America works in the coffee industry), so many young men in places like Columbia and Peru will now have the needed funds to pursue their dreams of Magical cards. Let it be known that I welcome their presence, not only because it adds cultural diversity to the scene, but because it means more pseudo-byes for me en route to another top 8. The next time I see a Latin in a magic tournament, I'll probably say something like, "Bienvenidos! I hope you enjoy our wonderful game!" followed immediately by, "There's some water on that table over there. Could you please wipe it off?"

Discuss this article in the Magic: the Gathering Forums!

(Note: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of MiseTings staff, or anyone else for that matter. Thank You. - MB)

The World Championships came to a close a week ago, and the latest 'internet buzz' is that the strong showing by the players from Latin America (including Carlos Romao winning the whole enchilada) indicates that that particular region of the world is now a force to be reckoned with. While it is true that this event showcased a marked improvement from El Mages Latinos, let there be no doubt. I'll take my chances against one of those taco-eating, llama-riding, sombrero-wearers any day of the week.


Thinking about Worlds this year, I was taken back to the Spring of 1999, and Grand Prix San Francisco. Toward the end of the tournament, Bryan Hubble began singing a song as the pairings were being put up. The only words to this song were, "I want a Mexican..." Note that he did not say, "I want a Frenchman..." or "I want a New Zealander..." (although perhaps he should have). Clearly, from this episode we can derive that there is a historical basis for Latin American sucky-ness when it comes to playing the Magical Cards.

Furthermore, the strategic advantage enjoyed by most players against those from this poor region of the world is only enhanced in the hours immediately after lunchtime. That's right, as most of us know, players from Central and South America tend to take siestas after lunch. This daytime napping makes it extremely hard for them to concentrate, and oftentimes they don't show up for the round at all! Given this indisputable fact, who wouldn't want to check the pairings for a round at 2:00 pm and see the name "Pablo Ramirez" for their opponent?

Many people are making a big to-do about how Romao "outplayed" everyone in the Psychatog mirror match by not countering his opponents' card drawing. I have a highly likely counter-theory that I would like to put forth. Simply, Romao did not know that you could counterspell card drawing! It may sound absurd, but if I had a nickel for every time a guy named Gonzalez tried to cast cards from his graveyard like they were in his hand, or a guy named Sanchez told me that you couldn't counterspell artifacts, I would probably be running Wizards of the Coast right now! The fact of the matter is that Latin American players simply don't know the rules that well. I'm not sure if it's the language barrier or the fact that they are too busy humming the latest Ricky Martin tune that prevents them from fully comprehending all the intricacies of the rules. At any rate, I'm sure that someone told Romao this fact after the end of the tournament, to which he doubtlessly proclaimed, "Ay Carumba!"

I'm sure that we will see more and more Latinos at Magic tournaments from now on. I base this on the fact that the pay for coffee pickers is going up due to internal pressure in the US (and it's widely known that about 80% of South America works in the coffee industry), so many young men in places like Columbia and Peru will now have the needed funds to pursue their dreams of Magical cards. Let it be known that I welcome their presence, not only because it adds cultural diversity to the scene, but because it means more pseudo-byes for me en route to another top 8. The next time I see a Latin in a magic tournament, I'll probably say something like, "Bienvenidos! I hope you enjoy our wonderful game!" followed immediately by, "There's some water on that table over there. Could you please wipe it off?"

Discuss this article in the Magic: the Gathering Forums!