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Martin Jůza
Martin Juza
Demographics
Nickname Juzám
Born June 8, 1987
Residence Plzeň, Czech Republic
Nationality {CZE} Czech
Professional Career
Pro Tour debut Pro Tour New Orleans 2003
Top Finishes 4 (0 wins)
GP top 8s 32 (5 wins)
Awards
Hall of Fame

Martin Jůza is a Czech professional player. He has four Pro Tour top eights, but has experienced the most success on the Grand Prix stage, winning five events in a total of 32 top eight appearances, making him the player with the most Grand Prix top eights in the history of the game, tied with Shuhei Nakamura. In 2017, he was voted into the Hall of Fame.[1]

Professional play[ | ]

Jůza made his Pro Tour debut in 2003, at PT New Orleans, where he played a Psychatog deck to a 3–5 finish. He finished sixth at the Czech National Championships later that season, but since neither the fourth-place finisher nor the fifth-place finisher could go to Worlds, Jůza was invited, but he ultimately failed to finish in the money. He won Czech Nationals both the following year (2005) and in 2006, and made other occasional Pro Tour appearances, but good results kept eluding him. A fourth-place finish at 2007 Nationals earned him an invitation to his fourth consecutive World Championships. Jůza had considered retiring from professional play following the event, but a 34th-place finish, good enough for $1,100 and an invitation to the following season's Pro Tour Kuala Lumpur, kept him going.[2]

The 2008 season was Jůza's breakout year on the Pro Tour. After finishing tenth at Pro Tour Kuala Lumpur, he placed 19th at PT Hollywood, and at PT Berlin, he got his first top eight, losing to teammate Sebastian Thaler in the quarterfinals to finish sixth.[3] With another money finish at the 2008 World Championships, Jůza hit Level 7, the second highest level in the Pro Players Club.

His success continued during the following season. Jůza missed the top eight of Pro Tour Kyoto on tiebreakers,[4] and after narrowly missing the money at PT Honolulu, he made his second Pro Tour top eight in Austin, playing Domain Zoo in Extended. He lost 2–3 to Naoki Shimizu to finish seventh.[5] Additionally, Jůza had been taking to flying all over the world to play in Grand Prix events, finishing in the top eight of three, and after another money finish at the 2009 World Championships, he ended up third in the Player of the Year race and Level 8 in the Pro Players Club.

In the following years, Jůza kept traveling to Grand Prix events, and experienced tremendous success in these, winning events in Portland and Hiroshima, as well as two in Bochum. He also maintained his high level in the Pro Players Club, but failed to make additional Sunday appearances at the Pro Tour stage. In the 2013–14 season, Jůza needed a top 16 at the last Pro Tour of the year, PT Magic 2015, to keep his Platinum status; he did so by finishing eleventh.[6] However, after the 2014–15 season, after having enjoyed Platinum (or the equivalent) status in the Pro Players Club for six seasons in a row, Jůza had to settle for Gold level despite making it to the top eight of four Grand Prix events that season. He made two Grand Prix top eights in 2015–16, and once again finished with Gold level in the Pro Players Club.

The 2016-17 started out moderately for Jůza, with no Grand Prix top eights but a good 11-5 finish at Pro Tour Kaladesh. For the Pro Tour Team Series, Jůza joined team ChannelFireball Fire, and proved his worth in the premiere event at Pro Tour Aether Revolt, where he finished 8th. Jůza's finish allowed him to lock Platinum early in the final Grand Prix stretch of the season. Later that year, he was voted into the Hall of Fame, having received 66.4% of the votes. He also won the Draft Master title for 2016–17, earning himself an invitation to the 2017 World Championship.

2017-18 was also a very good year for Jůza, as he finished in the top eight of four Grand Prix events, bringing up his total to 30, and surpassing Shuhei Nakamura to become the player with the most Grand Prix top eights of all time. He also finished runner-up at Pro Tour 25th Anniversary with teammates Josh Utter-Leyton and Ben Stark, and qualified for the 2018 World Championship. At Grand Prix Las Vegas 2018, Jůza won a qualifier tournament for a triple Beta Rochester draft, where he opened a Time Walk and was ultimately defeated by Luis Scott-Vargas in the semifinals. In December 2018, it was announced that Jůza would be one of the 32 players joining the upcoming 2019 Magic Pro League. Because he finished in the Top 20, he could continue in the 2020 Season.

League play[ | ]

Season Rank
2019 Magic Pro League 18
2020 Magic Pro League 9
2020-21 Magic Pro League 5
2021–22 Rivals League 36

Accomplishments[ | ]

Season Event type Location Format Date Rank
2005 Nationals Czech Republic Standard and Booster Draft 2005 6
2005 Nationals Czech Republic Standard and Booster Draft 2005 1
2006 Nationals Czech Republic Standard and Booster Draft 2006 1
2007 Nationals Czech Republic Standard and Booster Draft 2007 4
2008 Pro Tour Berlin Extended 31 October–2 November 2008 6
2009 Grand Prix Brighton Limited 8–9 August 2009 2
2009 Grand Prix Bangkok Limited 22–23 August 2009 2
2009 Pro Tour Austin Extended and Booster Draft 16–18 October 2009 7
2009 Grand Prix Tampa Bay Limited 24–25 October 2009 8
2010 Grand Prix Portland Limited 11–12 September 2010 1
2010 Grand Prix Bochum Limited 30–31 October 2010 1
2010 Grand Prix Nashville Limited 20–21 November 2010 7
2011 Grand Prix Denver Limited 19–20 February 2011 2
2011 Grand Prix Kobe Extended 23–24 April 2011 7
2011 Grand Prix Santiago Limited 22–23 October 2011 5
2011 Grand Prix Hiroshima Standard 29–30 October 2011 1
2012 Grand Prix Madrid Limited 25–26 February 2012 8
2012–13 Grand Prix Manila Standard 16–17 June 2012 6
2012–13 Grand Prix Philadelphia Limited 27–28 October 2012 3
2012–13 Grand Prix Bochum Standard 17–18 November 2012 1
2012–13 Grand Prix Sydney Limited 19–20 January 2013 6
2013–14 Grand Prix Providence Team Limited 8–9 June 2013 4
2013–14 Grand Prix Prague Limited 31 August–1 September 2013 5
2013–14 Grand Prix Hong Kong Limited 19–20 October 2013 2
2014–15 Grand Prix Strasbourg Limited 29–30 November 2014 3
2014–15 Grand Prix Manila Standard 3–4 January 2015 7
2014–15 Grand Prix Mexico City Limited 31 January–1 February 2015 7
2014–15 Grand Prix Seville Standard 14–15 February 2015 5
2015–16 Grand Prix London Standard 15–16 August 2015 7
2015–16 Grand Prix Paris Standard 19–20 March 2016 4
2016–17 Pro Tour Dublin Standard and Booster Draft 3–5 February 2017 8
2016–17 Grand Prix Bologna Limited 6–7 May 2017 2
2016–17 Grand Prix Cleveland Team Limited 24–25 June 2017 2
2017–18 Grand Prix Metz Limited 26–27 August 2017 2
2017–18 Grand Prix Providence Team Limited 30 September–1 October 2017 1
2017–18 Grand Prix Birmingham Standard 12–13 May 2018 4
2017–18 Grand Prix Las Vegas Modern 15–16 June 2018 3
2017–18 Pro Tour Minneapolis Team Constructed 3–5 August 2018 2
2018–19 Grand Prix Mexico City Limited 6–7 October 2018 6
2018–19 Grand Prix Atlanta Modern 3–4 November 2018 5

Source: Wizards.com

Pro Tour results[ | ]

List of the Pro Tour results and winnings of Martin Jůza
Season Pro Tour Format Finish Winnings
2003–04 New Orleans Extended 194
2003–04 Worlds (San Francisco) Special 163
2005 Philadelphia Block Constructed 280
2005 Worlds (Yokohama) Special 70
2006 Kobe Booster Draft 170
2006 Worlds (Paris) Special 133
2007 Valencia Extended 232
2007 Worlds (New York) Special 34 $1,100
2008 Kuala Lumpur Booster Draft 10 $6,500
2008 Hollywood Standard 19 $3,000
2008 Berlin Extended 6 $10,500
2008 Worlds (Memphis) Special 50 $660
2009 Kyoto Standard and Booster Draft 11 $6,000
2009 Honolulu Block Constructed and Booster Draft 83
2009 Austin Extended and Booster Draft 7 $10,000
2009 Worlds (Rome) Special 41 $900
2010 San Diego Standard and Booster Draft 30 $1,450
2010 San Juan Block Constructed and Booster Draft 107
2010 Amsterdam Extended and Booster Draft 115
2010 Worlds (Chiba) Special 40 $950
2011 Paris Standard and Booster Draft 160
2011 Nagoya Block Constructed and Booster Draft 19 $3,000
2011 Philadelphia Modern and Booster Draft 181
2011 Worlds (San Francisco) Special 90
2012 Dark Ascension in Honolulu Standard and Booster Draft 85
2012 Avacyn Restored in Barcelona Block Constructed and Booster Draft 274
2012–13 Return to Ravnica in Seattle Modern and Booster Draft 89
2012–13 Gatecrash in Montreal Standard and Booster Draft 249
2012–13 Dragon's Maze in San Diego Block Constructed and Booster Draft 34 $1,500
2013–14 Theros in Dublin Standard and Booster Draft 105
2013–14 Born of the Gods in Valencia Modern and Booster Draft 181
2013–14 Journey into Nyx in Atlanta Block Constructed and Booster Draft 231
2013–14 Magic 2015 in Portland Standard and Booster Draft 11 $5,000
2014–15 Khans of Tarkir in Honolulu Standard and Booster Draft 212
2014–15 Fate Reforged in Washington, D.C. Modern and Booster Draft 36 $1,500
2014–15 Dragons of Tarkir in Brussels Standard and Booster Draft 190
2014–15 Magic Origins in Vancouver Standard and Booster Draft 122
2015–16 Battle for Zendikar in Milwaukee Standard and Booster Draft 39 $1,500
2015–16 Oath of the Gatewatch in Atlanta Modern and Booster Draft 112
2015–16 Shadows over Innistrad in Madrid Standard and Booster Draft 174
2015–16 Eldritch Moon in Sydney Standard and Booster Draft 46 $1,500
2016–17 Kaladesh in Honolulu Standard and Booster Draft 36 $1,500
2016–17 Aether Revolt in Dublin Standard and Booster Draft 8 $5,000
2016–17 Amonkhet in Nashville Standard and Booster Draft 60 $1,000
2016–17 Hour of Devastation in Kyoto Standard and Booster Draft 35 $1,500
2017–18 Ixalan in Albuquerque Standard and Booster Draft 115
2017–18 Rivals of Ixalan in Bilbao Modern and Booster Draft 81
2017–18 Dominaria in Richmond Standard and Booster Draft 318
2017–18 25th Anniversary in Minneapolis Team Constructed 2 $24,000
2018–19 Guilds of Ravnica in Atlanta Standard and Booster Draft 378
2018–19 Mythic Championship Cleveland 2019 Standard and Booster Draft 38 $1,500

Source: Wizards.com

External links[ | ]

References[ | ]

  1. Brian David-Marshall (July 28, 2017) "Introducing the 2017 Class of the Pro Tour Hall of Fame", magicthegathering.com, Wizards of the Coast
  2. Jarda Bilek (2010-04-04). "Pro Player Profile: Martin Juza". BlackBorder. Retrieved on 2016-05-04.
  3. Dave Guskin (2008-11-02). "PRO TOUR–BERLIN QUARTERFINALS: THE BIGGEST DRAGON THAT EVER WAS". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2016-05-04.
  4. 2009 PRO TOUR–KYOTO: ROUND 14 STANDINGS. Wizards of the Coast (2009-02-27). Retrieved on 2016-05-04.
  5. Marc Calderaro (2009-10-18). "PRO TOUR–AUSTIN QUARTERFINALS: MARCH OF THE CRABS". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2016-05-04.
  6. Martin Jůza (2014-08-04). "2Czech Mate – Locking up Platinum in Portland". ChannelFireball. Retrieved on 2016-05-04.
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