Frank Karsten (Magic: The Gathering player)

Frank Karsten
Born	June 19, 1984
Residence	Eindhoven, Netherlands[1]
Nationality	Dutch
Pro Tour debut	Worlds 2000
Winnings	US$197,403[2]
Pro Tour wins (Top 8)	0 (3)[3]
Grand Prix wins (Top 8)	0 (7)[4]
Lifetime Pro Points	418[5]
Planeswalker Level	50 (Archmage)

Frank Karsten (born 19 June 1984^[1]) is a Dutch Magic: The Gathering player. He is known for his methodical thought process, having played one of the longest single games to be played (partially) on camera.^[6] His achievements include three Pro Tour Top 8 appearances, including a second-place finish at the 2005 World Championships, and six Grand Prix Top 8s.^[7] He is a member of the Magic: The Gathering Hall of Fame.^[8]

Career

Frank Karsten's magic career began in 2000 with a number of near misses. He made the top eight of the Dutch National Championship, and finished fifth, one spot short of making the national team. However, this finish qualified him for the European Championship, where he finished ninth, one spot short of the elimination rounds. These finishes ensured that despite the near misses, Karsten qualified for the World Championships on rating.

The following season, Karsten played four of six Pro Tours. Off tour, he made the top eight of Grand Prix Cologne, and the Dutch National Championship. This time he made the national team.

In 2001-02, Karsten made his breakout performance. Alongside Victor van den Broek, and Jelger Wiegersma, he finished third at the Masters Series held at Pro Tour Osaka.^[9] In spite of this performance, his other finishes on the Pro Tour were largely unimpressive, with a 42nd-place finish in the main event at Osaka being his best finish that year.

Over the next two years, Karsten put up solid but unremarkable finishes. The best of these were a fifth place at Pro Tour Boston 2002, once again with Victor van der Broek and Jelger Wiegersma, and a tenth-place finish at Pro Tour San Diego 2004. In addition, he top eighted Grand Prix Zürich, Birmingham, and London in 2003-04.

In 2005, Karsten finally made the top eight of a Pro Tour. At Pro Tour Nagoya, he finished sixth, losing to a play that may or may not have been a bluff by his opponent, Terry Soh of Malaysia.^[10] When the Pro Tour returned to Japan for the World Championships that year, Karsten made the top eight yet again. His quarterfinal match against Ding Leong is remembered as having one of the longest single games. In the end, Karsten made it as far as the final match, before losing to Katsuhiro Mori.^[11]

After 2005, Karsten returned to performing well without standing out. His most memorable result was probably at Pro Tour Yokohama 2007. He finished tenth at the event despite playing with a bucket at his feet, because he was ill.^[12]

2008, Karsten made his third Pro Tour top eight, at the World Championship in Memphis. He lost in the semifinal to Tsuyoshi Ikeda.^[13] This Top 8 was largely known because the card choices for the Standard deck he played were chosen entirely by mathematical formula, based on previous Top 8 deck lists, rather than thorough playtesting.^[14] In 2009, Karsten was inducted into the Pro Tour Hall of Fame alongside Kamiel Cornelissen and Antoine Ruel, receiving 44.79% of the votes.^[8]

Accomplishments

Season	Event type	Location	Format	Date	Rank
1999–00	Nationals	Netherlands	Standard and Booster Draft	2000	5
2000–01	Grand Prix	Cologne	Limited	24–25 February 2001	6
2000–01	Nationals	Netherlands	Standard and Booster Draft	2001	3
2001–02	Masters	Osaka	Team Limited	14–17 March 2002	3
2003–04	Grand Prix	London	Block Constructed	22–24 August 2003	8
2003–04	Grand Prix	Birmingham	Booster Draft	27–28 March 2004	3
2003–04	Grand Prix	Zürich	Booster Draft	26–27 June 2004	4
2005	Pro Tour	Nagoya	Rochester Draft	28–30 January 2005	6
2005	Grand Prix	Salt Lake City	Block Constructed	27–28 August 2005	5
2005	Grand Prix	Mexico City	Block Constructed	3–4 September 2005	3
2005	Worlds	Yokohama	Standard and Booster Draft	30 November–4 December 2005	2
2006	Nationals	Netherlands	Standard and Booster Draft	8–10 September 2006	5
2008	Nationals	Netherlands	Standard and Booster Draft	15–17 August 2008	4
2008	Worlds	Memphis, Tennessee	Standard and Booster Draft	11–14 December 2008	7
2016-17	Grand Prix	Rotterdam	Team Limited	12–13 November 2016	2

Last updated: 3 December 2016
Source: Wizards.com

Other accomplishments

• Magic: The Gathering Hall of Fame class of 2009^[8]

References

1. Frank Karsten 2007 Pro Player card (from the Magic: The Gathering Lorwyn expansion)
2. "Top 200 All-Time Money Leaders". Wizards of the Coast. 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2014-12-06.
3. "Lifetime Pro Tour Top 8s". Wizards of the Coast. 2014-08-07. Retrieved 2014-12-06.
4. "Lifetime Grand Prix Top 8s". Wizards of the Coast. 2014-07-28. Retrieved 2014-12-06.
5. "Planeswalker Points (requires login)". Wizards of the Coast. 2014-12-06. Retrieved 2014-12-06.
6. http://linfotoutcourt.com/le-grand-prix-paris-de-magic-bourget/
7. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/tabletop/columns/hexproof/12425-Jeskai-Decks-Fill-Four-Pro-Tour-Top-8-Spots#&gid=gallery_3355&pid=1
8. "Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour Hall of Fame 2009 Ballot". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
9. "Pro Tour Osaka Masters Coverage". Wizards of the Coast. 2002-03-14. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
10. "Komuro Finishes the Rochester". Wizards of the Coast. 2005-01-30. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
11. "Worlds 2005: Japan's Crowning Achievement". Wizards of the Coast. 2005-12-04. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
12. Knutson, Ted (2007-05-21). "Iron Man Magic". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
13. "Malin, Team USA Crowned Kings of Magic". Wizards of the Coast. 2008-12-14. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
14. Karsten, Frank. "A Standard Meta-Analysis for Worlds". manamaze.com. Retrieved 2009-11-11.