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Sam Black
Sam Black
Demographics
Nickname Vicalis
Born June 1, 1982
Residence Madison, Wisconsin, United States
Nationality {USA} American
Professional Career
Pro Tour debut Pro Tour Honolulu 2006
Top Finishes 3 (0 wins)
GP top 8s 19 (1 win)

Samuel Black is a former American professional Magic: The Gathering player.

Description[ | ]

With three Pro Tour top eights, 16 Grand Prix top eights, a top four at the World Championship, as well as a Team World Championship win in 2008, Black has been successful at the professional stage, but he is also a renowned deckbuilder, drafter and innovator; his creations include the Black-Red-White Aristocrats deck that won Tom Martell Pro Tour Gatecrash in 2013.[1] Upon the retirement of Pro Points system, he was in the top 20 of accumulated points, and only one of two who weren't in the Hall of Fame. Prior to his win at GP Louisville 2016 alongside teammates Justin Cohen and Matt Severa, Black had been the player with the most Grand Prix top eight finishes without a win; Louisville was his 13th Grand Prix top eight appearance. In 2020, he accepted a short term consultation position with Play Design for Modern Horizons 2.[2]

With the change to the Organized Play system, Black stepped away from the competitive side of Magic. He creates the YouTube podcast series "Drafting Archetypes", utilizing MTG Arena data and personal experience to analyze draft formats.

Accomplishments[ | ]

Season Event type Location Format Date Rank
2008 Nationals Chicago Standard and Booster Draft 1–3 August 2008 2
2008 Worlds Memphis National team 11–14 December 2008 1
2009 Grand Prix Singapore Extended 21–22 March 2009 7
2009 Grand Prix Barcelona Standard 23–24 May 2009 4
2010 Grand Prix Gothenburg Limited 28–29 August 2010 7
2011 Pro Tour Philadelphia Modern and Booster Draft 2–4 September 2011 3
2012–13 Grand Prix Atlanta Legacy 30 June–1 July 2012 8
2012–13 Grand Prix Yokohama Limited 2–3 March 2013 3
2013–14 Pro Tour Dublin Standard and Booster Draft 11–13 October 2013 3
2013–14 Grand Prix Louisville Standard 19–20 October 2013 5
2013–14 Grand Prix Washington, D.C. Legacy 16–17 November 2013 4
2013–14 Grand Prix Albuquerque Standard 22–23 November 2013 5
2014–15 Grand Prix Nashville Team Limited 1–2 November 2014 4
2014–15 Grand Prix Ottawa Limited 22–23 November 2014 6
2015–16 Worlds Seattle Special 27–30 August 2015 4
2015–16 Grand Prix Atlanta Limited 14–15 November 2015 7
2015–16 Grand Prix Charlotte Modern 21–22 May 2016 7
2016–17 Grand Prix Louisville Team Limited 10–11 September 2016 1
2016–17 Grand Prix Vancouver Modern 18–19 February 2017 4
2016–17 Pro Tour Kyoto Standard and Booster Draft 28–30 July 2017 3
2017–18 Grand Prix Seattle Legacy 6–7 April 2018 3
2017–18 Grand Prix Columbus Team Limited 28–29 April 2018 4
2018–19 Grand Prix Oakland Modern 5–6 January 2019 7
2018–19 Grand Prix Tampa Modern 16–17 March 2019 8
2018–19 Grand Prix Providence Team Limited 25–26 May 2019 3

Source: Wizards.com

Pro Tour Results[ | ]

List of the Pro Tour results and winnings of Sam Black
Season Pro Tour Format Finish Winnings
2006 Honolulu Standard 401
2006 Kobe Booster Draft 110
2007 Geneva Booster Draft 118
2007 San Diego Two-Headed Giant Booster Draft 48
2008 Kuala Lumpur Booster Draft 188
2008 Worlds (Memphis) Special 123
2009 Kyoto Standard and Booster Draft 27 $1,700
2009 Honolulu Block Constructed and Booster Draft 170
2009 Austin Extended and Booster Draft 177
2009 Worlds (Rome) Special 399
2010 San Diego Standard and Booster Draft 24 $2,000
2010 San Juan Block Constructed and Booster Draft 67
2010 Amsterdam Extended and Booster Draft 90
2010 Worlds (Chiba) Special 55 $600
2011 Paris Standard and Booster Draft 26 $1,800
2011 Nagoya Block Constructed and Booster Draft 330
2011 Philadelphia Modern and Booster Draft 3 $15,000
2011 Worlds (San Francisco) Special 195
2012 Dark Ascension in Honolulu Standard and Booster Draft 22 $2,000
2012 Avacyn Restored in Barcelona Block Constructed and Booster Draft 120
2012–13 Return to Ravnica in Seattle Modern and Booster Draft 253
2012–13 Gatecrash in Montreal Standard and Booster Draft 117
2012–13 Dragon's Maze in San Diego Block Constructed and Booster Draft 91
2013–14 Theros in Dublin Standard and Booster Draft 3 $12,500
2013–14 Born of the Gods in Valencia Modern and Booster Draft 310
2013–14 Journey into Nyx in Atlanta Block Constructed and Booster Draft 79
2013–14 Magic 2015 in Portland Standard and Booster Draft 313
2014–15 Khans of Tarkir in Honolulu Standard and Booster Draft 85
2014–15 Fate Reforged in Washington, D.C. Modern and Booster Draft 17 $2,500
2014–15 Dragons of Tarkir in Brussels Standard and Booster Draft 12 $5,000
2014–15 Magic Origins in Vancouver Standard and Booster Draft 48 $1,500
2015–16 Battle for Zendikar in Milwaukee Standard and Booster Draft 28 $1,500
2015–16 Oath of the Gatewatch in Atlanta Modern and Booster Draft 49 $1,500
2015–16 Shadows over Innistrad in Madrid Standard and Booster Draft 40 $1,500
2015–16 Eldritch Moon in Sydney Standard and Booster Draft 38 $1,500
2016–17 Kaladesh in Honolulu Standard and Booster Draft 351
2016–17 Aether Revolt in Dublin Standard and Booster Draft 271
2016–17 Amonkhet in Nashville Standard and Booster Draft 52 $1,000
2016–17 Hour of Devastation in Kyoto Standard and Booster Draft 3 $15,000
2017–18 Ixalan in Albuquerque Standard and Booster Draft 139
2017–18 Rivals of Ixalan in Bilbao Modern and Booster Draft 342
2017–18 Dominaria in Richmond Standard and Booster Draft 253
2017–18 25th Anniversary in Minneapolis Team Constructed 136
2018–19 Guilds of Ravnica in Atlanta Standard and Booster Draft 189
2018–19 Mythic Championship Cleveland 2019 Standard and Booster Draft 138 $500

Source: Wizards.com

External links[ | ]

References[ | ]

  1. Sam Black (February 2, 2013). "Building The Aristocrats by Sam Black". StarCityGames. Retrieved on 2015-09-22.
  2. Sam Black (June 3, 2021). "Cataloging My Work On Modern Horizons 2". StarCityGames.
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