Yokohama, Japan -- The battle to become the best Magic: The Gathering player of all time became even more lopsided this past weekend at the fourth and final Pro Tour stop of the 2002-2003 season.

Budde added a side draft 1st place prize to his resume, while Finkel claimed only a measly Pro Tour 3rd/4th result. While many insiders had considered the merits of Kai Budde and Jon Finkel to be debatable, all doubt has since been erased after another fine showing by Budde, the German Nickname-Stealing Juggernaut, and a disappointing performance by Finkel, the Real American Hero.

Budde’s copious amount of practice (some estimate that he spent roughly 200 hours preparing for both the Masters and Pro Tour events) was clearly in evidence throughout the weekend. Finkel, on the other hand, practiced only a minimal amount of time, logging an estimated 6 hours on Magic: Online in preparation for the event. Clearly, Budde is the better player of the two, since his results are largely the result of excessive hours of practice. Please note that Gary Wise is a notable exception to this list, as he has spent years playing Magic for a living and has yet to make a Top 8 in which he was not riding the coattails of Mike Turian. On the other hand, Finkel merely gets by on his intellect and wits, hardly the mark of a true champion. The truth of this is evidenced in the pathetic 3-0 sweep he suffered at the hands of Mattias Jorstedt (Kai, of course, managed 2-0 wins over all 3 opponents in his triumphant draft).

While Finkel played on Saturday and Sunday in uncomfortable chairs, with lights shining in his eyes and casting the entire area in a depressing glow, Budde tasted the ultimate glory in a much more appropriate atmosphere. In the organized play section under the banner of noble Karakas, Budde and his foes stretched out in lavish accommodations. Spacious tables, comfortable chairs and bits of torn-up Magic cards strewn across the ground like so many rose petals for royalty welcomed Kai. The lion was on the prowl in the majestic safari, and all that witnessed it were forever changed. In constrast, onlookers for Finkel’s matches were crowded together like so many sardines, a veritable Matryushka doll of unshowered, overweight mages.

Finkel’s opponents on Day 3 included a Swede, a Canadian, an Australian, two Japanese, and two Taco-Eaters, hardly a demographic worthy of Yokohama, “Jewel of Japan.” Kai, meanwhile, dominated a field of seven Japanese males in his side draft. It should be noted that these men had the highly advantageous home-field advantage in this matchup, and despite their lack of English knowledge, played excellently (except for one game where Kazuhisa Mosimoro lost 3 creatures to his opponent’s 0 on a mis-timed Slice and Dice).

After the weekend was said and done, Kai boasted an impressive 8 booster packs (4 Onslaught and 4 Legions) from his victory. Finkel came away mostly emptyhanded, with 16 Pro Tour points along with a small cash prize. Onlookers immediately noted that 16 Pro Tour points cannot be used to draft, while Kai’s bounty could be used for 2 drafts, with another 2 packs in reserve.

Finally, after the close of the weekend, Budde wrote an extensive article on Sideboard.com detailing his weekend. The long-winded report featured Budde complaining bitterly about losing to a “bad card” (Commando Raid) in his infinite superiority, clearly overlooking the fact that the Raid is actually quite playable in some decks. Finkel made no such gesture. Perhaps he was embarrassed about his horrendous showing, or his decline in the mind of many onlookers. Kai has indeed set a high standard for his tournament reports, one that cannot be met. Finkel may try, but he will never succeed at making poor Morphling jokes.

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Yokohama, Japan -- The battle to become the best Magic: The Gathering player of all time became even more lopsided this past weekend at the fourth and final Pro Tour stop of the 2002-2003 season.

Budde added a side draft 1st place prize to his resume, while Finkel claimed only a measly Pro Tour 3rd/4th result. While many insiders had considered the merits of Kai Budde and Jon Finkel to be debatable, all doubt has since been erased after another fine showing by Budde, the German Nickname-Stealing Juggernaut, and a disappointing performance by Finkel, the Real American Hero.

Budde’s copious amount of practice (some estimate that he spent roughly 200 hours preparing for both the Masters and Pro Tour events) was clearly in evidence throughout the weekend. Finkel, on the other hand, practiced only a minimal amount of time, logging an estimated 6 hours on Magic: Online in preparation for the event. Clearly, Budde is the better player of the two, since his results are largely the result of excessive hours of practice. Please note that Gary Wise is a notable exception to this list, as he has spent years playing Magic for a living and has yet to make a Top 8 in which he was not riding the coattails of Mike Turian. On the other hand, Finkel merely gets by on his intellect and wits, hardly the mark of a true champion. The truth of this is evidenced in the pathetic 3-0 sweep he suffered at the hands of Mattias Jorstedt (Kai, of course, managed 2-0 wins over all 3 opponents in his triumphant draft).

While Finkel played on Saturday and Sunday in uncomfortable chairs, with lights shining in his eyes and casting the entire area in a depressing glow, Budde tasted the ultimate glory in a much more appropriate atmosphere. In the organized play section under the banner of noble Karakas, Budde and his foes stretched out in lavish accommodations. Spacious tables, comfortable chairs and bits of torn-up Magic cards strewn across the ground like so many rose petals for royalty welcomed Kai. The lion was on the prowl in the majestic safari, and all that witnessed it were forever changed. In constrast, onlookers for Finkel’s matches were crowded together like so many sardines, a veritable Matryushka doll of unshowered, overweight mages.

Finkel’s opponents on Day 3 included a Swede, a Canadian, an Australian, two Japanese, and two Taco-Eaters, hardly a demographic worthy of Yokohama, “Jewel of Japan.” Kai, meanwhile, dominated a field of seven Japanese males in his side draft. It should be noted that these men had the highly advantageous home-field advantage in this matchup, and despite their lack of English knowledge, played excellently (except for one game where Kazuhisa Mosimoro lost 3 creatures to his opponent’s 0 on a mis-timed Slice and Dice).

After the weekend was said and done, Kai boasted an impressive 8 booster packs (4 Onslaught and 4 Legions) from his victory. Finkel came away mostly emptyhanded, with 16 Pro Tour points along with a small cash prize. Onlookers immediately noted that 16 Pro Tour points cannot be used to draft, while Kai’s bounty could be used for 2 drafts, with another 2 packs in reserve.

Finally, after the close of the weekend, Budde wrote an extensive article on Sideboard.com detailing his weekend. The long-winded report featured Budde complaining bitterly about losing to a “bad card” (Commando Raid) in his infinite superiority, clearly overlooking the fact that the Raid is actually quite playable in some decks. Finkel made no such gesture. Perhaps he was embarrassed about his horrendous showing, or his decline in the mind of many onlookers. Kai has indeed set a high standard for his tournament reports, one that cannot be met. Finkel may try, but he will never succeed at making poor Morphling jokes.

Discuss this article in the Magic: the Gathering Forums!