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In a climactic end to the Magic: The Gathering World Championship held in Las Vegas, Jean-Emmanuel Depraz triumphed, clinching his first Worlds title.
The victory comes two years after French star, Depraz’s last major appearance in the tournament, with his performance showing he remains the top dog in Magic: The Gathering.
Meanwhile, Simon Nielsen edged out the competition to be crowned Player of the Year, after an exceptionally consistent 2023.
The grand finale unfolded in the Standard format, showcasing an eclectic range of decks among the top eight contenders. In a single-elimination, best-of-five series, players had the option to incorporate sideboards after the second game.
The esports tournament, the largest Magic gathering of the year, not only conferred Nielsen with Player of the Year but also marked the initiation of phase two in the improvement of the Standard format. Depraz, piloting his Esper Legends deck, eventually secured the much-coveted World Championship title.
Esper Midrange emerged as the most popular deck, competing alongside other formidable decks like Domain Ramp and Esper Legends. Despite strong performances by Hall of Famer Reid Duke and Willy Edel, both players fell during the quarterfinals, paving the way for the final clash between Depraz’s Esper Legends and Kazune Kosaka’s Esper Midrange.
Depraz, who previously finished as runner-up in the 2020-2021 MTG World Championship, entered the final match with palpable determination. He commanded the first two games, sweeping Kosaka with a 3-0 match-win to clinch his first Worlds title.
Nielsen, who made it to the top eight on the second day, took the rest of the day to prepare for the critical matchups ahead. The competition for Player of the Year had narrowed down to Nielsen and Duke by the final day.
Nielsen’s quarterfinal match against Lorenzo Terlizzi was anticipated to be a challenging one. However, he benefited significantly from playing the first game, sealing his win when Terlizzi couldn’t find his footing. A victory in this pivotal game paved the way for Nielsen to be named Player of the Year, especially following Duke’s own quarterfinal loss.
Depraz, as part of his prize for winning, will have the unique honour of being featured on an MTG card next year.
