Frank Karsten (Magic: The Gathering player)

Frank Karsten
Born (1984-06-19) June 19, 1984
Residence Eindhoven, Netherlands[1]
Nationality Netherlands Dutch
Pro Tour debut Worlds 2000
Winnings US$197,403[2]
Pro Tour wins (Top 8) 0 (3)[3]
Grand Prix wins (Top 8) 0 (7)[4]
Lifetime Pro Points 418[5]
Planeswalker Level 50 (Archmage)

Frank Karsten (born 19 June 1984[1]) is a Dutch Magic: The Gathering player. He is known for his methodical thought process, having played one of the longest single games to be played (partially) on camera.[6] His achievements include three Pro Tour Top 8 appearances, including a second-place finish at the 2005 World Championships, and six Grand Prix Top 8s.[7] He is a member of the Magic: The Gathering Hall of Fame.[8]

Career

Frank Karsten's magic career began in 2000 with a number of near misses. He made the top eight of the Dutch National Championship, and finished fifth, one spot short of making the national team. However, this finish qualified him for the European Championship, where he finished ninth, one spot short of the elimination rounds. These finishes ensured that despite the near misses, Karsten qualified for the World Championships on rating.

The following season, Karsten played four of six Pro Tours. Off tour, he made the top eight of Grand Prix Cologne, and the Dutch National Championship. This time he made the national team.

In 2001-02, Karsten made his breakout performance. Alongside Victor van den Broek, and Jelger Wiegersma, he finished third at the Masters Series held at Pro Tour Osaka.[9] In spite of this performance, his other finishes on the Pro Tour were largely unimpressive, with a 42nd-place finish in the main event at Osaka being his best finish that year.

Over the next two years, Karsten put up solid but unremarkable finishes. The best of these were a fifth place at Pro Tour Boston 2002, once again with Victor van der Broek and Jelger Wiegersma, and a tenth-place finish at Pro Tour San Diego 2004. In addition, he top eighted Grand Prix Zürich, Birmingham, and London in 2003-04.

In 2005, Karsten finally made the top eight of a Pro Tour. At Pro Tour Nagoya, he finished sixth, losing to a play that may or may not have been a bluff by his opponent, Terry Soh of Malaysia.[10] When the Pro Tour returned to Japan for the World Championships that year, Karsten made the top eight yet again. His quarterfinal match against Ding Leong is remembered as having one of the longest single games. In the end, Karsten made it as far as the final match, before losing to Katsuhiro Mori.[11]

After 2005, Karsten returned to performing well without standing out. His most memorable result was probably at Pro Tour Yokohama 2007. He finished tenth at the event despite playing with a bucket at his feet, because he was ill.[12]

2008, Karsten made his third Pro Tour top eight, at the World Championship in Memphis. He lost in the semifinal to Tsuyoshi Ikeda.[13] This Top 8 was largely known because the card choices for the Standard deck he played were chosen entirely by mathematical formula, based on previous Top 8 deck lists, rather than thorough playtesting.[14] In 2009, Karsten was inducted into the Pro Tour Hall of Fame alongside Kamiel Cornelissen and Antoine Ruel, receiving 44.79% of the votes.[8]

Accomplishments

 Season   Event type   Location   Format   Date   Rank 
1999–00 Nationals Netherlands Standard and Booster Draft 2000 5
2000–01 Grand Prix Cologne Limited 24–25 February 2001 6
2000–01 Nationals Netherlands Standard and Booster Draft 2001 3
2001–02 Masters Osaka Team Limited 14–17 March 2002 3
2003–04 Grand Prix London Block Constructed 22–24 August 2003 8
2003–04 Grand Prix Birmingham Booster Draft 27–28 March 2004 3
2003–04 Grand Prix Zürich Booster Draft 26–27 June 2004 4
2005 Pro Tour Nagoya Rochester Draft 28–30 January 2005 6
2005 Grand Prix Salt Lake City Block Constructed 27–28 August 2005 5
2005 Grand Prix Mexico City Block Constructed 3–4 September 2005 3
2005 Worlds Yokohama Standard and Booster Draft 30 November–4 December 2005 2
2006 Nationals Netherlands Standard and Booster Draft 8–10 September 2006 5
2008 Nationals Netherlands Standard and Booster Draft 15–17 August 2008 4
2008 Worlds Memphis, Tennessee Standard and Booster Draft 11–14 December 2008 7
2016-17 Grand Prix Rotterdam Team Limited 12–13 November 2016 2

Last updated: 3 December 2016
Source: Wizards.com

Other accomplishments

References

  1. 1 2 Frank Karsten 2007 Pro Player card (from the Magic: The Gathering Lorwyn expansion)
  2. ↑ "Top 200 All-Time Money Leaders". Wizards of the Coast. 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2014-12-06.
  3. ↑ "Lifetime Pro Tour Top 8s". Wizards of the Coast. 2014-08-07. Retrieved 2014-12-06.
  4. ↑ "Lifetime Grand Prix Top 8s". Wizards of the Coast. 2014-07-28. Retrieved 2014-12-06.
  5. ↑ "Planeswalker Points (requires login)". Wizards of the Coast. 2014-12-06. Retrieved 2014-12-06.
  6. ↑ http://linfotoutcourt.com/le-grand-prix-paris-de-magic-bourget/
  7. ↑ http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/tabletop/columns/hexproof/12425-Jeskai-Decks-Fill-Four-Pro-Tour-Top-8-Spots#&gid=gallery_3355&pid=1
  8. 1 2 3 "Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour Hall of Fame 2009 Ballot". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
  9. ↑ "Pro Tour Osaka Masters Coverage". Wizards of the Coast. 2002-03-14. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
  10. ↑ "Komuro Finishes the Rochester". Wizards of the Coast. 2005-01-30. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
  11. ↑ "Worlds 2005: Japan's Crowning Achievement". Wizards of the Coast. 2005-12-04. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
  12. ↑ Knutson, Ted (2007-05-21). "Iron Man Magic". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
  13. ↑ "Malin, Team USA Crowned Kings of Magic". Wizards of the Coast. 2008-12-14. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
  14. ↑ Karsten, Frank. "A Standard Meta-Analysis for Worlds". manamaze.com. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
Preceded by
Raymond Veenis		 Dutch National Champion
2014 		Succeeded by
Jelger Wiegersma
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