1996 United States National Championship
- See also United States National Champions.
| 1996 US Nationals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | July 7 and 8, 1996 | |||
| Location | Columbus, Ohio | |||
| Attendance |
122 650+ (including US Open) | |||
| Format | Type II (Standard) | |||
| Winner |
Dennis Bentley George Baxter (finalist) Mike Long (semi-finalist) Matt Place (semi-finalist) | |||
| ||||
The 1996 US National Championship was held directly afterwards 1996 Pro Tour Columbus at the Origins convention. The break-out deck of the event was Turbo Stasis, originally designed by Swede Tommi Hovi, which was played by both Mike Long and Matt Place to Top 4 finishes. It was won by Dennis Bentley playing a 
Necropotence deck.[1][2][3]
Description
Qualifying
There were a number of ways to earn a chance to compete in the 1996 US National Championships.[4] These were:
- The Top 4 players from the US Open tournament:
- Andrew Pacifico
- Kyle Bigos
- Adam Szura
- Bill Macey
- The Top 4 players from the 1995 Nationals:
- The Top 2 Americans from previous Pro Tours:
- The Top 25 DCI-ranked American players:
- Through a Regional Qualifier tournament
Format
The format for the 1996 US Nationals was Type II (Standard) with the following sets legal:
Swiss rounds
Coming into the sixth, and final round, of Swiss there were four undefeated players. George Baxter missed an opportunity to cast a devastating Balance in the deciding game against Mark Justice and their match ended in a draw.[5] This left Jason Zila, who had defeated Bruce Swiney, alone at the top of the table.
Standings
At the end of Swiss rounds the Top 16 places were:[5][6]
| Place | Player | Deck | Color(s) | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Zila | Erhnamgeddon |  
|
6-0 |
| 2 | George Baxter | Titania's Song | 
|
5-0-1 |
| 3 | Mark Justice | Necropotence |
|
5-0-1 |
| 4 | Bruce Swiney | Necropotence |
|
5-1 |
| 5 | Matt Place | Turbo Stasis |
|
5-1 |
| 6 | David Adams | Browse combo |
|
5-1 |
| 7 | Peter Leiher | Necropotence |
|
5-1 |
| 8 | Dennis Bentley | Necropotence |
|
5-1 |
| 9 | Derik Mortimer | Necropotence |
|
5-1 |
| 10 | Travis Thomas | Titania's Song |
|
5-1 |
| 11 | Adam Green | Zoo |
|
5-1 |
| 12 | Rick Latham | Erhnam'N'Burn'Em |
|
5-1 |
| 13 | Chris Gross | "Savanah Burn" |
|
5-1 |
| 14 | Mike Long | Turbo Stasis |
|
4-1-1 |
| 15 | Michael Dove | Turbo Stasis |
|
4-1-1 |
| 16 | Brendon Herzog | Necropotence |
|
4-2 |
Kyle Bigos, who qualified the day before as the US Open runner-up, finished in 17th place. Mark Chalice was 18th, his reputation for finishing just outside the Top 8 of major events not helping him make the Top 16 cut.
Finals
Top 16
- Top seed Jason Zila beat Brendon Hezog
- 2nd seed George Baxter beat Michael Dove
- Mike Long upset 3rd seed Mark Justice
- Chris Gross upset 4th seed Bruce Swiney
- Matt Place beat Rick Latham
- Travis Thomas beat David Adams
- Peter Leiher advanced due to a deck registration error by Adam Green.
- Dennis Bentley beat Derik Mortimer
Top 8
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||||
| 1 | Jason Zila | 1 | |||||||||||
| 8 | Dennis Bentley | 2 | |||||||||||
| 8 | Dennis Bentley | 3 | |||||||||||
| 5 | Matt Place | 2 | |||||||||||
| 13 | Chris Gross | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Matt Place | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Dennis Bentley | 3 | |||||||||||
| 2 | George Baxter | 0 | |||||||||||
| 14 | Mike Long | 2 | |||||||||||
| 10 | Travis Thomas | 0 | |||||||||||
| 14 | Mike Long | 2 | |||||||||||
| 2 | George Baxter | 3 | |||||||||||
| 2 | George Baxter | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Peter Leiher | ||||||||||||
Final standings
| Place | Player | Prize | Points | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dennis Bentley | $ | ||
| 2 | George Baxter | $ | ||
| 3 | Matt Place | $ | ||
| 4 | Mike Long | $ | Second Nationals Top 8 | |
| 5 | Jason Zila | $ | ||
| 6 | Peter Leiher | $ | Second Nationals Top 8 | |
| 7 | Travis Thomas | $ | ||
| 8 | Chris Gross | $ |
References
- ↑ Jeff L. Lin (September 1996). "Fireworks over Columbus (pdf)". Duelist Sideboard # 2, pp. 6,7. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved on July 2, 2025.
- ↑ Michael John Falkner (July 7, 1996). "5:15 EDT National report -- FINALS ARE SET (Usenet post)". Usenet. Retrieved on July 2, 2025.
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (July 1996). "Duelist Companion 23 - Road to the World Title (pdf)". mtghistory.info. Retrieved on June 4, 2025.
- ↑ Corey A. Smith (July 1996). "The U.S. Nationals— Who’s Who This YeaT? (pdf)". Duelist Sideboard #1, pp. 10. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on February 7, 2020. Retrieved on July 2, 2025.
- ↑ a b Daniel Brickwell (July 9, 1996). "Origens Report- Magic Revitalised !? Part 1 (long) (Usenet post)". Usenet. Retrieved on July 2, 2025.
- ↑ Daniel M Gray (July 9, 1996). "Junior final is over!! (Usenet post)". Usenet. Retrieved on July 2, 2025.