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]

Benjamin Stark
NicknamesBenS
ResidenceTamarac, Florida, United States
NationalityAmerican
Pro Tour debut1999 Pro Tour London
WinningsUS$266,765[1]
Pro Tour wins (Top 8)1 (5)[2]
Grand Prix wins (Top 8)2 (23)[3]
Lifetime Pro Points451[4]
Planeswalker Level50 (Archmage)

Magic: The Gathering edit

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]

Stark took a break from the game, not returning until late 2009.[7] Since his return, Ben Stark has been considered a Limited expert.[8][9]

Stark went on to have great success in the 2011 Pro Tour Season, reaching the finals of Grand Prix Atlanta[10] and winning his first Pro Tour at Pro Tour Paris.[11] 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.[12]

The 2012-13 Pro Tour Season was another very successful season for Stark. Stark made the Top 8 of four Grand Prix events, including a win at Grand Prix Indianapolis,[13] and made his fourth Pro Tour Top 8 at Pro Tour Gatecrash.[14] Stark's performance left him with a season total of 61 Pro Points, placing him 5th in the Player of the Year race, and an invite to the 2013 World Championship, where he made it into the Top 4 players after the Swiss rounds of the World Championship.[15] Stark lost to Shahar Shenhar in the semifinals of the World Championship taking 3rd Place overall.

Achievements edit

Top 8 appearances edit

 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
2016–17 Grand Prix New Jersey Standard 11-12 March 2017 4
2016–17 Grand Prix Mexico City Team Limited 7-9 April 2017 1
2017–18 Grand Prix Atlanta Standard 11-12 November 2017 2
2018–19 Pro Tour Minneapolis Team Limited 3-5 February 2018 2

Last updated: 5 August 2018
Source: Event Coverage at Wizards.com

References edit

  1. ^ "Top 200 All-Time Money Leaders". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  2. ^ "Lifetime Pro Tour Top 8s". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  3. ^ "Lifetime Grand Prix Top 8s". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
  4. ^ "Planeswalker Points (requires login)". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 16 December 2014.[dead link]
  5. ^ "Magic Pro Tour Hall of Fame 2013 Results". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  6. ^ Channel Fireball Profile
  7. ^ Magic TV: Extra – Interview with Ben Stark
  8. ^ Vitor Damo da Rosa, Paulo (8 July 2013). "Hall of Fame 2013 Candidates – Ben Stark". ChannelFireball.com. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  9. ^ David-Marshall, Brian (9 December 2011). "Pro Tour Cup Holders". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 7 January 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
  10. ^ Grand Prix Atlanta Coverage
  11. ^ Pro Tour Paris Coverage
  12. ^ Hagon, Rich (29 October 2011). "Player of the Year 2011: Why Japan Will Win". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 1 November 2011. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
  13. ^ "Ben Stark is the Grand Prix Indianapolis 2012 Champion!". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 26 December 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  14. ^ "Pro Tour Gatecrash 2013". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  15. ^ "2013 World Championship Event Coverage". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 1 August 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2013.