Ben Stark

Benjamin Stark
Nicknames BenS
Residence Tamarac, Florida, United States
Nationality United StatesAmerican
Pro Tour debut 1999 Pro Tour London
Winnings US$266,765[1]
Pro Tour wins (Top 8) 1 (4)[2]
Grand Prix wins (Top 8) 1 (20)[3]
Lifetime Pro Points 451[4]
Planeswalker Level 50 (Archmage)

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.[5]

Magic: The Gathering

Beginning his career in 1999, Stark first came to prominence in 2004, making back to back Pro Tour Top 8s at Pro Tour Kobe and Pro Tour San Diego.[6]

Despite his success, Stark chose to take a break from the game, not returning to the game until late 2009.[7] During his hiatus, Stark dedicated time to his longtime girlfriend Michelle Cancio. Upon his return he joined the Channel Fireball team,[8] writing articles in a column called 'Stark Reality' for the website. Since his return, Ben Stark has been considered a Limited expert.[9][10]

Stark would go on to have great success in the 2011 Pro Tour Season, reaching the finals of Grand Prix Atlanta[11] and winning his first Pro Tour at Pro Tour Paris.[12] These finishes, along with other strong finishes throughout the season, led Ben to be a front-runner in the 2011 Pro Player of Year race. Ultimately, Ben would finish in joint 3rd place in the Player of the Year standings, alongside Martin Juza, with 56 pro points. Commentators argued that Stark hurt his chances of winning the Player of the Year title by failing to attend US Nationals and certain Grand Prix events.[13]

The 2012-13 Pro Tour Season proved to be another very successful season for Stark. Stark made the Top 8 of four Grand Prix events, including a win at Grand Prix Indianapolis,[14] and made his fourth Pro Tour Top 8 at Pro Tour Gatecrash.[15] Stark's performance left him with a season total of 61 Pro Points, placing him 5th in the Player of the Year race. This also earned Stark an invite to the 2013 World Championship, an exclusive sixteen-person event featuring the top Magic players of the past season. Stark would make it into the Top 4 players after the Swiss rounds of the World Championship, being the only player to go undefeated in the two Limited portions of the tournament.[16] Stark would lose to Shahar Shenhar in the semifinals of the World Championship taking 3rd Place overall.

Achievements

Top 8 appearances

 Season   Event type   Location   Format   Date   Rank 
2003–04 Grand Prix Kansas City, Missouri Rochester Draft 18–19 October 2003 3
2003–04 Grand Prix Anaheim Extended 13–14 December 2003 5
2003–04 Pro Tour Kobe Block Constructed 27–29 February 2004 7
2003–04 Pro Tour San Diego Booster Draft 14–16 May 2004 6
2009 Grand Prix Boston Sealed and Booster Draft 1–2 August 2009 2
2010 Grand Prix Toronto Sealed and Booster Draft 23–24 October 2010 4
2011 Grand Prix Atlanta Extended 22–23 January 2011 2
2011 Pro Tour Paris Standard and Booster Draft 10–13 February 2011 1
2012–13 Grand Prix Atlanta Legacy 30 June–1 July 2012 5
2012–13 Grand Prix San Jose, Costa Rica Sealed and Booster Draft 15–16 September 2012 3
2012–13 Grand Prix Indianapolis Sealed and Booster Draft 22–23 December 2012 1
2012–13 Pro Tour Montreal Standard and Booster Draft 15–17 February 2013 3
2012–13 Grand Prix Charlotte Sealed and Booster Draft 23–24 February 2013 7
2013–14 Grand Prix Providence Team Limited 8–9 June 2013 4
2013–14 Grand Prix Rimini Sealed and Booster Draft 27–28 July 2013 5
2013–14 Worlds Amsterdam Special 31 July–4 August 2013 3
2013–14 Grand Prix Detroit Modern 14–15 September 2013 4
2013–14 Grand Prix Dallas/Fort Worth Standard 7–8 December 2013 4
2014–15 Grand Prix Baltimore Sealed and Booster Draft 13–14 December 2014 3
2014–15 Grand Prix Memphis Standard 21–22 February 2015 2
2014–15 Grand Prix Las Vegas Sealed and Booster Draft 30–31 May 2015 5
2015–16 Grand Prix Detroit Team Limited 15–16 August 2015 2
2015-16 Grand Prix Paris Standard 19-20 March 2016 2
2015-16 Grand Prix Sydney Limited 30-31 July 2016 3
2016-17 Grand Prix Warsaw Standard 29-30 October 2016 6

Last updated: 4 November 2016
Source: Event Coverage at Wizards.com

References

  1. ↑ "Top 200 All-Time Money Leaders". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2014-12-16.
  2. ↑ "Lifetime Pro Tour Top 8s". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2014-12-16.
  3. ↑ "Lifetime Grand Prix Top 8s". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2014-12-16.
  4. ↑ "Planeswalker Points (requires login)". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2014-12-16.
  5. ↑ "Magic Pro Tour Hall of Fame 2013 Results". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  6. ↑ Channel Fireball Profile
  7. ↑ Magic TV: Extra – Interview with Ben Stark
  8. ↑ Channel Fireball website
  9. ↑ Vitor Damo da Rosa, Paulo (8 July 2013). "Hall of Fame 2013 Candidates – Ben Stark". ChannelFireball.com. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  10. ↑ David-Marshall, Brian (9 December 2011). "Pro Tour Cup Holders". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  11. ↑ Grand Prix Atlanta Coverage
  12. ↑ Pro Tour Paris Coverage
  13. ↑ Hagon, Rich (29 October 2011). "Player of the Year 2011: Why Japan Will Win". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
  14. ↑ "Ben Stark is the Grand Prix Indianapolis 2012 Champion!". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  15. ↑ "Pro Tour Gatecrash 2013". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  16. ↑ "2013 World Championship Event Coverage". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
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