Antoine Ruel
Encyclopedia
Antoine RuelAntoine Ruel (born 31 October 1979 in Auberville
, France
) is a professional Magic: The Gathering
player. He has reached the top eight at the Pro Tour four times, including a win in Los Angeles
in 2005. With eighteen Grand Prix top eights, he is in third behind Alex Shvartsman (21) and his brother Olivier
(26).
started playing Magic in 1994. In the 1999-2000 Pro Tour season
, he first began to attract attention in the new teams format alongside his brother and Florent Jeudon. As Phenomène J, they finished eleventh at the first teams Pro Tour in Washington D.C., and followed with a win and Grand Prix Cannes under the name Black Ops. These two finishes qualified the three Frenchmen for a special event called the Magic: The Gathering
Team Challenge. The event featured some very prominent players, with seven of the twelve players involved being future members of the Hall of Fame
. Black Ops won the event, with Antoine defeating Jon Finkel
in the final.
Antoine's first major individual success followed soon after. In September 2000, he won Grand Prix Porto defeating his brother in final. At the 2001 World Championships, Antoine had his first breakthrough at the Pro Tour level with a third place finish. Although, his next high finish at the Pro Tour would not come until 2004, Antoine would continue to make top eight appearances at the Grand Prix Level. In 2004, he made the finals of Pro Tour San Diego, losing to Nicolai Herzog
for whom it was the second Pro Tour win that season. The following year, Antoine won Pro Tour Los Angeles
taking out Japan
ese giants Tsuyoshi Fujita
and Kenji Tsumura
in the quarter- and semifinals respectively. The semifinal match is known for a well played bluff on the part Antoine. He would then go on to sweep American Billy Moreno in the finals in three games. In 2005, he reached the top eight of Pro Tour Honolulu with his brother, making it the first time that brothers had reached the top eight of an individual Pro Tour together. Antoine would lose the quarterfinals to Craig Jones in what has been described as "the most lopsided match in the history of Pro Tour top eights."
In 2009, Antoine was inducted into the Hall of Fame
, alongside Dutch players Frank Karsten
and Kamiel Cornelissen
.
Auberville
Auberville is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) is a professional Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
player. He has reached the top eight at the Pro Tour four times, including a win in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 2005. With eighteen Grand Prix top eights, he is in third behind Alex Shvartsman (21) and his brother Olivier
Olivier Ruel
Olivier Ruel is one of the most successful professional Magic: The Gathering players. He holds the record for most Grand Prix Top 8’s, and is one of twenty players with five or more Pro Tour top 8’s. After 2010 Pro Tour San Juan Olivier surpassed Kai Budde as the leader in lifetime Pro Points...
(26).
Career
Born in Aubervilliers, France, Antoine and his brother OlivierOlivier Ruel
Olivier Ruel is one of the most successful professional Magic: The Gathering players. He holds the record for most Grand Prix Top 8’s, and is one of twenty players with five or more Pro Tour top 8’s. After 2010 Pro Tour San Juan Olivier surpassed Kai Budde as the leader in lifetime Pro Points...
started playing Magic in 1994. In the 1999-2000 Pro Tour season
Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour season 1999–2000
The 1999–2000 Pro Tour season was the fifth season of the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour. It began on 3 September 1999 with Pro Tour Boston and ended on 6 August 2000 with the conclusion of 2000 World Championship in Brussels. The season consisted of twenty Grand Prixs, and six Pro Tours, located in...
, he first began to attract attention in the new teams format alongside his brother and Florent Jeudon. As Phenomène J, they finished eleventh at the first teams Pro Tour in Washington D.C., and followed with a win and Grand Prix Cannes under the name Black Ops. These two finishes qualified the three Frenchmen for a special event called the Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering
Magic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
Team Challenge. The event featured some very prominent players, with seven of the twelve players involved being future members of the Hall of Fame
Magic: The Gathering Hall of Fame
The Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour Hall of Fame was started in 2005 to honor the most successful Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour players. The first inductions came on the tenth anniversary of the first Pro Tour event, and new Hall of Famers will be determined annually...
. Black Ops won the event, with Antoine defeating Jon Finkel
Jon Finkel
Jon Finkel is an American Magic: The Gathering and poker player. In the year 2000, he became the world champion of Magic, as well as being on the team that became the team world champion.-Career:...
in the final.
Antoine's first major individual success followed soon after. In September 2000, he won Grand Prix Porto defeating his brother in final. At the 2001 World Championships, Antoine had his first breakthrough at the Pro Tour level with a third place finish. Although, his next high finish at the Pro Tour would not come until 2004, Antoine would continue to make top eight appearances at the Grand Prix Level. In 2004, he made the finals of Pro Tour San Diego, losing to Nicolai Herzog
Nicolai Herzog
Nicolai Herzog is a professional Magic: The Gathering player from Oslo, Norway. His greatest achievement was winning two consecutive Limited Pro Tours in 2004. Both featured draft formats in the Mirrodin-block...
for whom it was the second Pro Tour win that season. The following year, Antoine won Pro Tour Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
taking out Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese giants Tsuyoshi Fujita
Tsuyoshi Fujita
Tsuyoshi Fujita is a professional Magic: The Gathering player from Osaka, Japan. His most notable finishes include three Pro Tour top eights. He was inducted to the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour Hall of Fame on 5 December 2007...
and Kenji Tsumura
Kenji Tsumura
is a professional Magic: The Gathering player from Japan. He is one of only seven players to have reached the top eight of a Pro Tour more than five times.-Career:...
in the quarter- and semifinals respectively. The semifinal match is known for a well played bluff on the part Antoine. He would then go on to sweep American Billy Moreno in the finals in three games. In 2005, he reached the top eight of Pro Tour Honolulu with his brother, making it the first time that brothers had reached the top eight of an individual Pro Tour together. Antoine would lose the quarterfinals to Craig Jones in what has been described as "the most lopsided match in the history of Pro Tour top eights."
In 2009, Antoine was inducted into the Hall of Fame
Magic: The Gathering Hall of Fame
The Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour Hall of Fame was started in 2005 to honor the most successful Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour players. The first inductions came on the tenth anniversary of the first Pro Tour event, and new Hall of Famers will be determined annually...
, alongside Dutch players Frank Karsten
Frank Karsten (Magic: The Gathering player)
Frank Karsten 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 on camera. His achievements include three pro tour top eight appearances, including a second place finish at the 2005 World...
and Kamiel Cornelissen
Kamiel Cornelissen
Kamiel Cornelissen is a Dutch Magic: The Gathering player. Once a Pro Tour mainstay, he is now considered retired, despite playing the odd event. He is one of eighteen players with five or more Pro Tour top eights, including back to back second place finishes, and a win with teammates Jelger...
.
Top 8 Appearances
Other accomplishments
- Inducted into the Hall of FameMagic: The Gathering Hall of FameThe Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour Hall of Fame was started in 2005 to honor the most successful Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour players. The first inductions came on the tenth anniversary of the first Pro Tour event, and new Hall of Famers will be determined annually...
in 2009