![]() The Grand Prix began before the Top 8 and Rietzl was able to draft his deck before having to report to his match against future Hall of Famer Patrick Chapin. He pleaded to be allowed to continue playing in the GP on Sunday. Rietzl explained that he thought his quarterfinal matchup against Patrick Chapin in the Pro Tour was lousy for him and he expected to be dispatched quickly. Despite knowing he was in the Top 8 on Sunday, Rietzl could not resist an opportunity to play more high-level Magic and went 9–1 (including his three byes) on Day One of the GP. On Saturday, there was a Limited Grand Prix that the Pro Tour competitors could compete in, with Day Two running concurrent with the Top 8 of the PT. It was a singular event in the history of the Pro Tour, with the big event starting on Thursday and concluding the Swiss rounds on Friday, with a day off before the Top 8 on Sunday. He has become something of the patron saint for aggro players, with an affinity for decks that attack early and often and put his opponents under pressure right out of the gate, such as the Boros deck he used to Top 8 Pro Tour Paris-on the same Sunday he was playing for a slot in the Top 8 of a Limited Grand Prix held in conjunction with the Pro Tour. Since then, he has made the Top 8 three more times, including his win at Pro Tour Amsterdam 2010 with an aggro deck that has been his signature play style throughout his career. At Pro Tour Honolulu in 2009, he made the first Top 8 of his career. Rietzl's second act began, fittingly enough, in the same city as his Hall of Fame induction ceremony. I just wanted to be a part of the PT and hoped it wouldn't be my last shot." "I loved watching the superstars, but hated that another opportunity to play had passed me by. "I used to both anticipate and dread coverage of Pro Tours," he recalled. He went into the Pro Tour without expectations but also did not want to have to go back for another round at that dreaded Knights of Columbus Hall. Rietzl began his pro career by winning an Extended PTQ for Pro Tour Osaka at the Brighton Knights of Columbus outside Boston-one of the tougher tournament venues to emerge from holding the proverbial blue envelope. ![]() It was a brutal crucible to survive the local tournament circuit in the Northeast when I was a kid, but it made me the player I am today." "Darwin Kastle, Robert Dougherty, Dave Humpherys, Justin Gary, and other lesser-known names like Chad Ellis, Chris Manning, Bruce Cowley, Danny Mandel, Chris Senhouse, and others had a huge influence on me. "I've said it before-if I grew up anywhere but Boston, I never would have seen the success I've had in Magic," said Rietzl about the foundations of what has turned into a Hall of Fame career. When those players were at the very top of their game, Rietzl was just getting started as a promising young kid who had to hold his own against the toughest local tournament scene you could ever imagine. Known as YMG, the Boston-area team already has four other players who have worn the iconic YMG shirt in the Hall of Fame, including Rob Dougherty, Darwin Kastle, Dave Humpherys, and Zvi Mowshowitz. ![]() ![]() The start of his career dates back to the halcyon days of one of the game's first super teams, Your Move Games. Paul Rietzl's life in Magic can be broken up into two sections. ![]()
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