Gauntlet Thrown!

by News | posted at 2010-08-30 19:21:00
tagged: MTG, Magic, Magic the Gathering, Gabe Walls, Jeff Cunningham, Astral Slide

In an email to TheStarkingtonPost.com, longtime pro Magic player and writer Jeff Cunningham revealed a challenge to settle a longtime rivalry between himself and fellow Pro Tour player Gabe Walls. The email's contents:

"A latest chapter is soon to be added to the long standing, vitriol-fueled rivalry between Magic veterans Jeff Cunningham (Top 8 PT San Diego '01) and Gabe Walls (Top 8 Worlds '03). 

In a match at Pro Tour Houston in 2002, neither Jeff, Gabe, the table judge, nor the head judge, were able to deduce whether Jeff or Gabe had won their match, and so the two were forced to accept a draw. Later, when they were paired at Pro Tour San Diego in 2005, Gabe Walls would go 'all-in' on a ludicrous Tooth of Chiss Goria bluff early in the match and be promptly called, resulting in an early exit for Walls, and the temporary upper hand for Cunningham. Later that year, however, at Pro Tour Seattle 2005, by a cruel twist of fate both Walls and Cunningham would end up on the same team. Walls would go 0-6 in outlandish fashion (strong evidence suggests intentionally) and, in doing so, and obliterating Cunningham's chances at the tournament, perhaps earning the last laugh.

...Until now.

Answering the call to Walls' Facebook boast of a dominating victory over Paul Rietzl in a Blue/Green Madness vs Astral Slide circa 2003 match series, Cunningham proposed a rematch. Cunningham's classic U/G Madness against Walls' Nationals Top 8 Slide in a best of 9 match series. If Walls wins, Cunningham must attend a North American Grand Prix of Walls' choice, and must publish a report on the series, in all of its what-would-be humiliating detail. 

If Cunningham wins, Walls must purchase physical copies of both decks, and sign the Slide deck, to be ebayed as "Duel Decks: Walls vs Cunningham" for literally DFI.

Be sure to tune in to Magic Online to catch the action!

Monday, August 30th, 9:00PM PST (3+ matches)

Tuesday, August 31st, 9:00PM PST (3+ matches)

Wednesday, September 1st, 9:00PM PST (if neccessary)

MagicAcademy (Jeff Cunningham) vs Clone4 (Gabe Walls), Tournament Practice room."

Jeff's recounting of the match in question can be found on StarCityGames.com here. It is generally regarded as one of his best pieces, part of a series entitled "Untold Legends of the Million Dollar Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour."

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