Guillaume Matignon
Encyclopedia
Guillaume Matignon is a professional trading card game player from Bordeaux
, France
. He has earned numerous accolades during his career including the World of Warcraft TCG 2007 World Championship and the Magic: The Gathering
2010 World Championship.
in 1994. Guillaume claims to have received the 34th DCI number issued in France and to have played in France's very first sanctioned event.
Matignon's name first came to the attention of the Magic: The Gathering
community as one of the men credited with designing Pierre Canali's Affinity deck, which he used to win Pro Tour Columbus 2005. In particular, Matignon was credited with the addition of to the deck, a card Canali said 'made all the difference'. Matignon's personal breakout performance came at the 2006 France National Championship where he made the Top 8, losing to Selim Creiche in the quarterfinals. Matignon claims that this result made him more serious about Magic and he started to attend every Pro Tour
. Matignon would continue to have great success at the France National Championships going on to win the 2007 event, take 3rd place in the 2009 event, and take 2nd in the 2010 event.
in the finals. These results combined with his 2nd place French Nationals finish and other strong finishes throughout the year resulted in Matignon coming in joint first place alongside Brad Nelson
in the 2010 Player of the Year race. This led to an unprecedented Pro Player of the Year tie-breaker contest. The 2010 Player of the Year race was decided in a special Player of the Year Match held at Pro Tour Paris 2011. Brad Nelson won the match 4-2 and became the official 2010 Pro Player of the Year, leaving Matignon to take second place.
and featured over 400 participants. Matignon would go on to win the event becoming the inaugural World Champion and earning himself $100,000, the largest single prize in TCG history. As a result of this achievement, Guillaume Matignon is the current holder of the World Record
for the 'Greatest Cash Prize for a Trading Card Game'.
website that Guillame Matignon and his long-time friend and fellow professional Magic: The Gathering
player Guillaume Wafo-Tapa
had admitted responsibility for the leak of all the cards that would be contained in the upcoming New Phyrexia
set. Matignon was apologetic about the leak, revealing that it was caused when he shared the 'God Book' of all the cards in the set, which he had received in order to write an article on the set for French magazine Lotus Noir, with Wafo-Tapa. As a result, Guillaume Matignon was suspended from the DCI for three years. Guillaume Wafo-Tapa, Martial Moreau, and David Gauthier (the three other players involved in the leak) were also suspended until October 2012.
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He has earned numerous accolades during his career including the World of Warcraft TCG 2007 World Championship and the Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
2010 World Championship.
Magic: The Gathering
Guillaume Matignon started playing Magic: The GatheringMagic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
in 1994. Guillaume claims to have received the 34th DCI number issued in France and to have played in France's very first sanctioned event.
Matignon's name first came to the attention of the Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
community as one of the men credited with designing Pierre Canali's Affinity deck, which he used to win Pro Tour Columbus 2005. In particular, Matignon was credited with the addition of to the deck, a card Canali said 'made all the difference'. Matignon's personal breakout performance came at the 2006 France National Championship where he made the Top 8, losing to Selim Creiche in the quarterfinals. Matignon claims that this result made him more serious about Magic and he started to attend every Pro Tour
Pro Tour (Magic: The Gathering)
The Pro Tour is the highest form of competitive play for the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game. It consists of a series of payout tournaments held throughout the world, each requiring an invitation to participate. Every PT awards a total of $230,000 in cash prizes, with $40,000 going to...
. Matignon would continue to have great success at the France National Championships going on to win the 2007 event, take 3rd place in the 2009 event, and take 2nd in the 2010 event.
2010 Player of the Year Race
Matignon's greatest success would come in 2010, in which he reached the finals of Pro Tour San Juan, and won the 2010 World Championship defeating long-time friend Guillaume Wafo-TapaGuillaume Wafo-Tapa
Guillaume Wafo-Tapa is a French Magic: The Gathering player. Best known for winning Pro Tour Yokohama in 2007, Wafo-Tapa's career has featured three other Pro Tour top eights, and six Grand Prix top eights...
in the finals. These results combined with his 2nd place French Nationals finish and other strong finishes throughout the year resulted in Matignon coming in joint first place alongside Brad Nelson
Brad Nelson (Magic: The Gathering player)
Brad Nelson is an American Magic: The Gathering player. Also known by his Magic: The Gathering Online name, FFfreaK, he has two Pro Tour top eights, and four Grand Prix top eights, including a win. In the quarter finals of Pro Tour Amsterdam 2010, he became one of only three players to have beaten...
in the 2010 Player of the Year race. This led to an unprecedented Pro Player of the Year tie-breaker contest. The 2010 Player of the Year race was decided in a special Player of the Year Match held at Pro Tour Paris 2011. Brad Nelson won the match 4-2 and became the official 2010 Pro Player of the Year, leaving Matignon to take second place.
Accomplishments
World of Warcraft TCG
Guillaume Matignon took part in the first ever World of Warcraft TCG World Championships in 2007. The event took place from the 30th November to 2nd December in San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
and featured over 400 participants. Matignon would go on to win the event becoming the inaugural World Champion and earning himself $100,000, the largest single prize in TCG history. As a result of this achievement, Guillaume Matignon is the current holder of the World Record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
for the 'Greatest Cash Prize for a Trading Card Game'.
Controversy
On 28th April 2011, it was reported on the Magic: The GatheringMagic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
website that Guillame Matignon and his long-time friend and fellow professional Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
player Guillaume Wafo-Tapa
Guillaume Wafo-Tapa
Guillaume Wafo-Tapa is a French Magic: The Gathering player. Best known for winning Pro Tour Yokohama in 2007, Wafo-Tapa's career has featured three other Pro Tour top eights, and six Grand Prix top eights...
had admitted responsibility for the leak of all the cards that would be contained in the upcoming New Phyrexia
New Phyrexia
New Phyrexia is a Magic: The Gathering expansion set that was released May 13, 2011. It is the third set of the Scars of Mirrodin block, which returns to the plane of Mirrodin, previously visited in the Mirrodin block that concluded in 2004...
set. Matignon was apologetic about the leak, revealing that it was caused when he shared the 'God Book' of all the cards in the set, which he had received in order to write an article on the set for French magazine Lotus Noir, with Wafo-Tapa. As a result, Guillaume Matignon was suspended from the DCI for three years. Guillaume Wafo-Tapa, Martial Moreau, and David Gauthier (the three other players involved in the leak) were also suspended until October 2012.