Tom Martell (born May 7, 1982) is an American
Magic: The Gathering player. He won
Pro Tour ''Gatecrash'' in 2013.
His other notable finishes include another
Pro Tour top 8 at
Pro Tour Paris 2011, as well as three
Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
wins.
Career
Martell qualified for a few Pro Tours in the early 2000s, but without putting up any major finishes; he disappeared from the professional scene, and quit playing Magic for some time. However, after finishing college and moving to
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, Martell was invited to play at
Jon Finkel
Jon Finkel (born May 18, 1978)Jon Finkel 2006 Pro Player card (from the Magic: The Gathering Time Spiral expansion) is an American ''Magic: The Gathering'' and poker player. Finkel is one of the most decorated players in the history of professio ...
's apartment,
where many of the best players in the area came to play. Martell's first Pro Tour after returning to the game was
Pro Tour San Juan 2010,
which he qualified for via the Last Chance Qualifier.
Martell finished 32nd in the event,
qualifying himself for the next Pro Tour. A couple of months later, Martell got his first Grand Prix top 8 by finishing 2nd at Grand Prix Columbus, losing to
Tomoharu Saito
is one of the most successful professional Magic: The Gathering players and the owner of Hareruya Store in Tokyo.
Career
Saitou debuted at Pro Tour Chicago 2000. An 83rd-place finish meant he fell just short of making money. Later the same seas ...
in the final.
He joined
Team ChannelFireball prior to
Pro Tour Amsterdam. Martell ended the 2010 Pro Tour season on 25 points,
earning him invitations to all the Pro Tours in 2011.
The
2011 Pro Season started well for Martell, with him earning his first Pro Tour top 8 at
Pro Tour Paris.
Like the rest of the
ChannelFireball team members, he played 'Caw-Blade', losing to teammate
Ben Stark
Benjamin "Ben" Stark is an American Magic: The Gathering player. His career accomplishments include back to back Pro Tour Top 8s in 2004 and winning Pro Tour Paris in 2011. In 2013, he was voted into the Magic: The Gathering Hall of Fame.
Ma ...
in the quarterfinals. Martell failed to make the top 8 of any more professional events in 2011, and finished the season on 29 points,
one shy of level 6 in the Pro Players Club.
In the following seasons, Tom Martell established himself as one of the top professional players. He won his first Grand Prix at GP Indianapolis 2012,
and in 2013, he went on to win
Pro Tour ''Gatecrash''. His win qualified him for the
2013 World Championship, where he finished 12th.
In 2014, he won his second Grand Prix event, in Sacramento,
earning much praise from the commentators for his play and his decisions during the top 8 booster draft. He finished the season with enough points to qualify for the
World Championship
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
for the second year in a row, where he finished 16th.
The
2014–15 season was a disappointing one for Martell. He did finish in the top 8 of two Grand Prix, at GP Nashville and GP Vancouver, but his Pro Tour finishes were unspectacular, his best result being a 57th-place finish at
Pro Tour ''Dragons of Tarkir''. As a result, he didn't finish the year with enough points to reach Platinum status in the
Pro Players Club for another season, but he did get enough for Gold.
Since his departure from the Magic: The Gathering scene, he has worked at
Riot Games
Riot Games, Inc. is an American video game developer, publisher and esports tournament organizer based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in September 2006 by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill to develop ''League of Legends'' and went on t ...
' esports division.
Achievements
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martell, Tom
Living people
American Magic: The Gathering players
Stanford University alumni
Columbia Law School alumni
1982 births