RENTON, WA - In a move bound to disappoint many in the Middle East, Wizards of the Coast's Mark Rosewater announced the cancellation of Grand Prix: Baghdad. This "Breaking News" was carried live by CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News as part of their commitment to 24-hour war coverage. At the press conference, Mark Rosewater cited the repeated Coalition bombing as a central reason for the change. He apologized to "all of our Arab friends" and confused reporters by ending the press conference with, "May all your GPS-guided bombs hit their intended targets."

It was widely held that GP: Baghdad, scheduled less than two weeks from today, was to be the grand finale of the Coalition's so-called "Shock and Awe" campaign. While U.S. President George W. Bush has released no official statement, White House Speaker Ari Fleischer noted the administration's “dismay" with Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and parent company Hasbro, Inc. "The decision to cancel this glorious U.S.-sponsored international tournament of solidarity is a regrettable one, but is not being viewed as major setback in the liberation of the Iraqi people," said Fleischer. Anonymous sources close to the White House, however, worry that Saddam Hussein will be able to exploit this move with propaganda pointing to the weakness of the American gaming industry.

Forsythe reports that morale is still "high."

The news has reportedly also dampened the spirits of the Coalition Troops currently engaging the enemy in southern Iraq. Aaron Forsythe, a Sideboard reporter embedded in the U.S. 3rd Infantry, reports that while morale is still high, some soldiers have lost their motivation for the push to Baghdad. "Sure, it annoys the hell out of me," commented Private Greg Morton, "I've been hauling my 243-card Battle of Wits deck from Kuwait City and now there's no tournament." Lieutenant Tyrone Franks had some bitter comments as well, "I heard Aaron is trying to set up some shitty 'Intramural Championships,' but I know I'm not going to waste my time sitting around playing with a bunch of Australian and British scrubs, let alone that one weird Slovakian soldier. Why the hell is he here, anyway?"

Perhaps the biggest losers in all of this are Middle East players who were looking forward to their first chance to shine on the international stage. Since there were few American or European pros expected to be traveling to Baghdad, the tournament was likely to feature some of the best players from surrounding countries like Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait and Israel. National pride has been building for weeks as Iraqi teams have been putting the finishing touches on their secret “Opp-oppression” deck. "Guiltfeeder is just tech," claimed an Iraqi gamer last week at Ramadan Gaming's Friday Night Magic.

Wizards of the Coast has no other major tournaments planned for the Middle East region, but has not conclusively ruled out the possibility in the future.

Discuss this article in the Magic: the Gathering Forums!

RENTON, WA - In a move bound to disappoint many in the Middle East, Wizards of the Coast's Mark Rosewater announced the cancellation of Grand Prix: Baghdad. This "Breaking News" was carried live by CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News as part of their commitment to 24-hour war coverage. At the press conference, Mark Rosewater cited the repeated Coalition bombing as a central reason for the change. He apologized to "all of our Arab friends" and confused reporters by ending the press conference with, "May all your GPS-guided bombs hit their intended targets."

It was widely held that GP: Baghdad, scheduled less than two weeks from today, was to be the grand finale of the Coalition's so-called "Shock and Awe" campaign. While U.S. President George W. Bush has released no official statement, White House Speaker Ari Fleischer noted the administration's “dismay" with Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and parent company Hasbro, Inc. "The decision to cancel this glorious U.S.-sponsored international tournament of solidarity is a regrettable one, but is not being viewed as major setback in the liberation of the Iraqi people," said Fleischer. Anonymous sources close to the White House, however, worry that Saddam Hussein will be able to exploit this move with propaganda pointing to the weakness of the American gaming industry.

Forsythe reports that morale is still "high."

The news has reportedly also dampened the spirits of the Coalition Troops currently engaging the enemy in southern Iraq. Aaron Forsythe, a Sideboard reporter embedded in the U.S. 3rd Infantry, reports that while morale is still high, some soldiers have lost their motivation for the push to Baghdad. "Sure, it annoys the hell out of me," commented Private Greg Morton, "I've been hauling my 243-card Battle of Wits deck from Kuwait City and now there's no tournament." Lieutenant Tyrone Franks had some bitter comments as well, "I heard Aaron is trying to set up some shitty 'Intramural Championships,' but I know I'm not going to waste my time sitting around playing with a bunch of Australian and British scrubs, let alone that one weird Slovakian soldier. Why the hell is he here, anyway?"

Perhaps the biggest losers in all of this are Middle East players who were looking forward to their first chance to shine on the international stage. Since there were few American or European pros expected to be traveling to Baghdad, the tournament was likely to feature some of the best players from surrounding countries like Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait and Israel. National pride has been building for weeks as Iraqi teams have been putting the finishing touches on their secret “Opp-oppression” deck. "Guiltfeeder is just tech," claimed an Iraqi gamer last week at Ramadan Gaming's Friday Night Magic.

Wizards of the Coast has no other major tournaments planned for the Middle East region, but has not conclusively ruled out the possibility in the future.

Discuss this article in the Magic: the Gathering Forums!