Luis Scott-Vargas
Encyclopedia
Luis Scott-Vargas is a professional Magic: the Gathering
player from Oakland
, CA
, USA
. His accomplishments include 7 Grand Prix top 8's (4 wins), and 5 Pro Tour top 8's (1 win). As well as being a prominent player of the game, Luis is also known for writing about the game. He was a writer for StarCityGames.com, and now edits ChannelFireball.com, a Magic: the Gathering shop and strategy website.
in 2004
for Pro Tour: San Diego, and has been an active competitor in major Magic: the Gathering
events since.
Luis' breakout performance would come at the 2006 US Nationals, where LSV would win a play-off to take third place and earn a place on the US Nationals team with Paul Cheon and Benjamin Lundquist. The US Nationals team would finish 13th in the team competition at the 2006 World Championship.
Luis would go on to win US Nationals in 2007, leading a US Nationals team featuring Thomas Drake and Michael Bennett. The US National team would finish in 25th place at the 2007 World Championship. Luis would also win Grand Prix San Francisco that season, taking his first Grand Prix title.
The 2008 season
would bring even greater success for Luis. Luis would Top 8 Grand Prix Philadelphia before going on to make his first Pro Tour Top 8 at Pro Tour Berlin. Luis would reach the finals of the Pro Tour where he defeated Matej Zatlkaj to win his first, and so far only, Pro Tour title. Luis would then continue his success by winning his second Grand Prix event at Grand Prix Atlanta. By the end of the year Luis had amassed 58 Pro points, placing him in joint second place in the Player of the Year race alongside Olivier Ruel
.
The 2009 season
would see another strong set of results for Luis. He would win his third Grand Prix in as many years at Grand Prix Las Vegas at the start of the season. Then Luis would make his second career Pro Tour Top 8 at Pro Tour Kyoto, again Luis reached the finals but this time lost to Gabriel Nassif
. Luis would round out his year with another Grand Prix Top 8 at Grand Prix Seattle. He finished in 7th place for the 2009 Player of the Year race with 52 Pro Points.
The 2010 season
would be the first time since 2006 that Luis would not win a major event. However, despite not winning any events Luis did manage to make a Grand Prix and a Pro Tour Top 8, at Grand Prix Sydney and Pro Tour San Diego. Luis currently holds the record for the longest undefeated run at a Pro Tour after going 17-0 at Pro Tour San Diego, before losing in the semifinals to eventual winner Simon Görtzen. For the second consecutive year, Luis placed seventh in the Player of the Year standings at the end of the season.
The 2011 season
was a very successful one for Luis. He won Grand Prix: Kansas City and advanced to the Top 8 of US Nationals, Pro Tour Nagoya and the 2011 World Championship. This would be the first season that Luis would Top 8 two Pro Tour events, and the first time he made Top 8 of a World Championship
. Luis only needed to win his quarterfinal match against Richard Bland at the World Championship to overtake Owen Turtenwald
and win the Player of the Year title. He lost 2-3 to Bland leading to Owen Turtenwald winning the Player of the Year title and Luis taking second place. Also in 2011, Luis was invited to take part in the third annual Magic Online Community Cup. The Community Cup is a special event held by Wizards of the Coast
in which prominent members of the Magic Online
community are invited to the Wizards of the Coast
offices to play in a tournament against staff. Luis was picked for the Community Cup for his contribution to the community through draft videos and his articles and work for ChannelFireball.com. Ultimately, it was the Community Team that won the tournament defeating the Wizards Team and winning the Community Cup as well as a prize for the Magic Online community.
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 from Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, CA
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. His accomplishments include 7 Grand Prix top 8's (4 wins), and 5 Pro Tour top 8's (1 win). As well as being a prominent player of the game, Luis is also known for writing about the game. He was a writer for StarCityGames.com, and now edits ChannelFireball.com, a Magic: the Gathering shop and strategy website.
Magic: The Gathering
Luis Scott-Vargas first qualified for the Pro TourPro 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...
in 2004
Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour season 2003–04
The 2003–04 Pro Tour season was the ninth season of the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour. On 23 August 2003 the season began with parallel Grand Prixs in Yokohama and London. It ended on 5 September 2004 with the conclusion of the 2004 World Championship in San Francisco...
for Pro Tour: San Diego, and has been an active competitor in major 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...
events since.
Luis' breakout performance would come at the 2006 US Nationals, where LSV would win a play-off to take third place and earn a place on the US Nationals team with Paul Cheon and Benjamin Lundquist. The US Nationals team would finish 13th in the team competition at the 2006 World Championship.
Luis would go on to win US Nationals in 2007, leading a US Nationals team featuring Thomas Drake and Michael Bennett. The US National team would finish in 25th place at the 2007 World Championship. Luis would also win Grand Prix San Francisco that season, taking his first Grand Prix title.
The 2008 season
Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour season 2008
The 2008 Pro Tour season was the thirteenth season of the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour. It began on 15 December 2007, with Grand Prix Stuttgart, and ended on 14 December 2008, with the 2008 World Championship in Memphis. The season consisted of twenty-one Grand Prixs, and four Pro Tours, located...
would bring even greater success for Luis. Luis would Top 8 Grand Prix Philadelphia before going on to make his first Pro Tour Top 8 at Pro Tour Berlin. Luis would reach the finals of the Pro Tour where he defeated Matej Zatlkaj to win his first, and so far only, Pro Tour title. Luis would then continue his success by winning his second Grand Prix event at Grand Prix Atlanta. By the end of the year Luis had amassed 58 Pro points, placing him in joint second place in the Player of the Year race alongside Olivier Ruel
Olivier Ruel
Olivier Ruel is one of the most successful professional Magic: The Gathering players. He holds the record for most Grand Prix Top 8’s, and is one of twenty players with five or more Pro Tour top 8’s. After 2010 Pro Tour San Juan Olivier surpassed Kai Budde as the leader in lifetime Pro Points...
.
The 2009 season
Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour season 2009
The 2009 Pro Tour season was the fourteenth season of the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour. It began on 17 January 2009 with Grand Prix Los Angeles, and ended on 22 November 2009 with the conclusion of the 2009 World Championship in Rome. The season consisted of nineteen Grand Prixs, and four Pro...
would see another strong set of results for Luis. He would win his third Grand Prix in as many years at Grand Prix Las Vegas at the start of the season. Then Luis would make his second career Pro Tour Top 8 at Pro Tour Kyoto, again Luis reached the finals but this time lost to Gabriel Nassif
Gabriel Nassif
Gabriel Nassif is a French professional card player. He is known for his continuous success on the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour and was the 2004 Pro Tour Player of the Year. He also enjoys playing poker, having moderate success at the World Series of Poker in recent years...
. Luis would round out his year with another Grand Prix Top 8 at Grand Prix Seattle. He finished in 7th place for the 2009 Player of the Year race with 52 Pro Points.
The 2010 season
Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour season 2010
The 2010 Pro Tour season was the fifteenth season of the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour. It began on 13 February 2010 with Grand Prix Oakland, and ended on 12 December 2010 with the conclusion of the 2010 World Championship in Chiba, Japan. The season consisted of eighteen Grand Prixs, and four Pro...
would be the first time since 2006 that Luis would not win a major event. However, despite not winning any events Luis did manage to make a Grand Prix and a Pro Tour Top 8, at Grand Prix Sydney and Pro Tour San Diego. Luis currently holds the record for the longest undefeated run at a Pro Tour after going 17-0 at Pro Tour San Diego, before losing in the semifinals to eventual winner Simon Görtzen. For the second consecutive year, Luis placed seventh in the Player of the Year standings at the end of the season.
The 2011 season
Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour season 2011
The 2011 Pro Tour season was the sixteenth season of the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour. It began on 22 January 2011 with Grand Prix Atlanta, and ended on 20 November 2011 with the conclusion of the 2011 World Championship in San Francisco...
was a very successful one for Luis. He won Grand Prix: Kansas City and advanced to the Top 8 of US Nationals, Pro Tour Nagoya and the 2011 World Championship. This would be the first season that Luis would Top 8 two Pro Tour events, and the first time he made Top 8 of a World Championship
Magic: The Gathering World Championship
The Magic: The Gathering World Championships have been held annually since 1994. It is the most important tournament in the game of Magic: The Gathering, offering to the winner a cash prize of $45,000. Originally open to all competitors, Worlds is now an invitation-only event and the last Pro Tour...
. Luis only needed to win his quarterfinal match against Richard Bland at the World Championship to overtake Owen Turtenwald
Owen Turtenwald
Owen Turtenwald is a professional Magic: The Gathering player. He has achieved a number of accolades during his career including the 2010 Vintage World Championship and the 2011 Player of the Year.-Magic: The Gathering:...
and win the Player of the Year title. He lost 2-3 to Bland leading to Owen Turtenwald winning the Player of the Year title and Luis taking second place. Also in 2011, Luis was invited to take part in the third annual Magic Online Community Cup. The Community Cup is a special event held by Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
in which prominent members of the Magic Online
Magic: The Gathering Online
Magic: The Gathering Online or Magic Online is a direct video game adaptation of Magic: The Gathering, utilizing the concept of a virtual economy in order to preserve the collectible aspect of the card game. It is played through an Internet service operated by Wizards of the Coast, which went...
community are invited to the Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games...
offices to play in a tournament against staff. Luis was picked for the Community Cup for his contribution to the community through draft videos and his articles and work for ChannelFireball.com. Ultimately, it was the Community Team that won the tournament defeating the Wizards Team and winning the Community Cup as well as a prize for the Magic Online community.