Tom Martell
Birth dateMay 7, 1982 (age 44)
ResidenceSanta Monica, California[1]
NationalityAmerican
DebutPro Tour Chicago 2000
Winnings$151,125[2]
Pt top 81 (2)[3]
Gt top 83 (9)[4]
Lifetime pro points284[5]
Pw level47 (Archmage)

Tom Martell (born May 7, 1982) is an American Magic: The Gathering player. He won Pro Tour Gatecrash in 2013.[6] His other notable finishes include another Pro Tour top 8 at Pro Tour Paris 2011, as well as three Grand Prix 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, Martell was invited to play at Jon Finkel's apartment,[7] 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,[8] which he qualified for via the Last Chance Qualifier.[9] Martell finished 32nd in the event,[10] 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 in the final.[11] He joined Team ChannelFireball prior to Pro Tour Amsterdam. Martell ended the 2010 Pro Tour season on 25 points,[12] 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.[13] Like the rest of the ChannelFireball team members, he played 'Caw-Blade', losing to teammate Ben Stark in the quarterfinals. Martell failed to make the top 8 of any more professional events in 2011, and finished the season on 29 points,[14] 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,[15] and in 2013, he went on to win Pro Tour Gatecrash. His win qualified him for the 2013 World Championship, where he finished 12th.[16] In 2014, he won his second Grand Prix event, in Sacramento,[17] 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 for the second year in a row, where he finished 16th.[18]

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.[19]

Since his departure from the Magic: The Gathering scene, he has worked at Riot Games' esports division.[20]

References

  1. ^ "Player Profile: Tom Martell". Wizards of the Coast. 2013-08-04. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-03.
  2. ^ "Top 200 All-Time Money Leaders". Wizards of the Coast. 2014-07-15. Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-03.
  3. ^ "Lifetime Pro Tour Top 8s". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on April 16, 2016. Retrieved 2014-09-03.
  4. ^ "Lifetime Grand Prix Top 8s". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-03.
  5. ^ "Planeswalker Points". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2014-09-03.[dead link]
  6. ^ "Martell Calls Down Reckoning at Pro Tour". Wizards of the Coast. 2013-02-17. Archived from the original on June 22, 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-03.
  7. ^ "2014 World Championship Competitors: Tom Martell". Wizards of the Coast. 2014-10-28. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  8. ^ "Secret Origins". Wizards of the Coast. 2013-12-13. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  9. ^ "Round 2: Monumental". Wizards of the Coast. 2010-05-28. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  10. ^ "Pro Tour–San Juan Final Standings". Wizards of the Coast. 2010-05-28. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  11. ^ "Saito's Legacy Continues!". Wizards of the Coast. 2010-08-01. Archived from the original on June 23, 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  12. ^ "2010 Pro Tour Player of the Year Standings". Wizards of the Coast. 2011-02-12. Archived from the original on November 1, 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  13. ^ "Stark Flies High with Planeswalkers in Paris". Wizards of the Coast. 2011-02-13. Archived from the original on June 22, 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  14. ^ "2011 Pro Tour Player of the Year Standings". Wizards of the Coast. 2011-11-23. Archived from the original on November 1, 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  15. ^ "Martell's Victory Lingers in Indianapolis". Wizards of the Coast. 2012-03-11. Archived from the original on June 22, 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  16. ^ "Youth Served in a Flash". Wizards of the Coast. 2013-08-04. Archived from the original on June 22, 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  17. ^ "Martell Displays Mastery of Theros in Sacramento". Wizards of the Coast. 2014-01-19. Archived from the original on June 23, 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
  18. ^ "2014 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 14 STANDINGS". Wizards of the Coast. 2013-12-03. Archived from the original on December 6, 2014. Retrieved 2014-12-04.
  19. ^ "PLAYER OF THE YEAR STANDINGS: 2014-15". MAGIC: THE GATHERING. Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2015-08-08.
  20. ^ "Tom Martell | LinkedIn". Retrieved 9 October 2021.