For your pleasure, an interview with top French player Nicolas Labarre, who, as you probably already know, made top 8 in this year's Worlds!

Enjoy...

Q: When did you first learn about Magic, and how did you feel about the game?
A: I think I first read about Magic in a game magazine called Casus Belli. The author of the article was quit enthusiastic, but the whole concept seemed ridiculous to me, I just could not see the point of the "collectible" aspect. However, as soon as I actually tried it (just before The Dark), I got addicted...

Q: Is Magic big in France?
A: It is really hard to tell, as far as I am concerned, since I live away from Paris, and I do not attend PTQs, being already qualified. However, it seems to me that the game has known a peak of popularity, a few years ago, but that the number of tournament players has been decreasing regularly from that point. There are definitely numerous casual players, but the tournaments do not seem to attract them anymore.

On the other hand, there are numerous high profile players in France, and those do not intend to stop playing in a near future...

Q: Please tell me about your Magic tournament highlights.
A: My best accomplishment so far was to reach the final at the PT Rome, playing Merfolk, in the first PT that I attended. When the tournament began on Friday morning, nobody knew who I was, and on Saturday night, all the French were celebrating and congratulating me. Not surprisingly, it is my favorite Magic moment. My two other Top Eights felt good also (especially since I knew I would have the opportunity to play Cluster Bomb in quarter-finals of Worlds), but they lacked the surprise effect.

On the opposite, my most frustrating moment was to lose the final of GP Tours against Alex Shvarstman. I really thought I would win it, and I was playing in my hometown, in front of my friends and my family... well, reaching the final was fine, but when I lost, I felt I was deprived of something I deserved.


Q: A bit of personal background. Are you married? Current job? Interests outside Magic?
A: Well, I am an English student, I live with Marie-Laure Saulnier, but we are not married. As to my other interests, I write some Science-Fiction, I read a lot and I love cinema. I also try to update a web page (http://calenh.ctw.net) and I spend way to much time playing old video games on emulators (I mean, really OLD games, like Galaga or Pengo...)


Q: Do you trade online?
A: I never have.


Q: How many cards do you own?
A: Honestly, I do not have the faintest idea. Somewhere between 5,000 and 20,000 probably, but it is really hard to tell, since they are scattered between (un)numerous places and boxes. I am regularly trying to get rid of some of them...


Q: I've noticed a lot of top players do not seem to own a lot of their own cards. Yet they always seem to have all of the top cards to put decks together. I assume you all loan cards to each other, but where do they come from? Do a few of the players have tons of cards to loan to the others?
A: Actually, there are different possibilities; I do know a few top French players who own four copies of almost any card in almost any expansion. Most of the time, however, it is fairly easy to borrow cards prior to the PT from people who are not playing in it. The drawback of that plan is that you have to know in advance what kind of deck you will be playing, and if you want to make last minute changes, you'd better hope that the "four of each" person will not be playing the same deck as you.

Usually, I try to borrow all the cards I might need in advance, since I will generally only miss a few of those. Writing for the European Sideboard has the distinct advantage of releasing you of the burden of exchanging and buying...

Q: Who is the strongest player in the World?
A: Prior to the World Championship, I would probably have answered Budde, being European myself, but now there seems to be no question that Finkel is really the best player right now.

Q: What is your favorite color?
A: Blue. I really like blue. To my mind, there is a real horrendous situation in Magic: You know you have won the game unless your opponent pulls out something really improbable. Then you see him draw, smile, and play the very card that you did not want him to have (as a sidenote, that was exactly what happened to me in that final in Tours). If you have a Counterspell in your hand, that just can not happen. Thus, I like blue.

Q: What were your results at Worlds?
A: Last year, I was 51st, with average results each day, and I was a bit frustrated. It was the only time when I Qualified, before this year's Top 8.

Q: What did you think of the Dark Ritual extended banning?
A: When I first read about it (as well as Mana Vault), I was really happy, since it meant the end of "First turn, ritual, Necro, draw four cards, go!", and it is only recently, when I started thinking about extended again, that I realized how much the format has been affected by this banning. They might as well have banned mono-black, be it Suicide or Control or Pox or whatever...

It looks like a high price to pay to get rid of Necropotence. I am still glad the DCI took care of the problem, but I have come to think that banning Necropotence would probably have been a better solution (and it would have been consistent with the banning of Yawgmoth's Bargain).

Q: Do you have a personal opinion of Mike Long?
A: I wish I had one, but I've never played against him, and I did not witness his "controversial" matches, so I can not really say anything about him.

I did lend him a Ribbon Snake for the Masques portion of the World Championship, though.

Q: Who is the prettiest female Magic player?
A: Undoubtedly, Marie-Laure Saulnier. Not only is she the only female player to have reached the top 4 of a major event (Team GP Cannes), but she is also excessively nice and pretty. Additionally, she happens to be my girlfriend.

Q: Who is the best looking male Magic player? (A couple of lighter questions.)
A: This one is tougher. It depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking for the playboy/top-model style, then Svend Gertsteen is the only player I know who may fit in this category. If you are looking for a stylish, well-dressed, good-looking player, then try Andre Konstanzer. Finally, if you are looking for a guru, Jesus Bernabeu from Spain would be perfect.

I'm afraid there are not many American players in contention...

Q: What is your favorite format - Draft, Constructed, Standard...?
A: I really enjoy fun formats rather than regular ones. I often play for ante with special 400+ cards decks, and I really enjoy two-on-two. Among the regular formats, I really like team draft more than any other. It requires a lot of skill, it's really fun to do, and playing on a team is extremely enjoyable.

Q: Thank you for your time!
A: Not at all...

I hope you enjoyed this nice interview, and stay tuned for more great interviews to come!

Sean Erik Ponce
Deranged Dad