Zvi Mowshowitz
| Zvi Mowshowitz | |
|---|---|
| Demographics | |
| Born | January 8, 1979 |
| Residence | New York City, United States |
| Nationality |
 American |
| Professional Career | |
| Pro Tour debut | Pro Tour Los Angeles 1998 |
| Top Finishes | 4 (1 win) |
| GP top 8s | 9 (2 wins) |
| Awards | |
| Hall of Fame | |
| PT Champion | |
Zvi Mowshowitz is a former Magic: The Gathering professional player, columnist, and Magic R&D intern.
Professional play
Zvi made Top 8 at 4 Pro Tour events, winning PT Tokyo 2001. He also made Top 8 at 8 Grand Prix events, winning 2 of them. His wins were at GP New Orleans 2003 and GP Pittsburgh 2003 (as part of the team Illuminati). Zvi has 236 Pro Points, amongst the Top 20 all time, and was voted into the Magic Invitational in 2004. His most notable decks include TurboZvi and My Fires. Ben Bleiweiss once said that Zvi "has broken more engine cards than any other player in Magic history". These include Yawgmoth's Bargain and Dream Halls. For his efforts, Zvi was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.
Accomplishments
| Season | Event type | Location | Format | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 | Grand Prix | Boston | Block Constructed | 5–6 September 1998 | 4 |
| 1998–99 | Pro Tour | New York | Block Constructed | 30 April–2 May 1999 | 3 |
| 1998–99 | Grand Prix | Washington, D.C. | Limited | 19–20 June 1999 | 4 |
| 1998–99 | Nationals | Standard and Booster Draft | 2–4 July 1999 | 4 | |
| 1998–99 | Worlds | Yokohama | National team | 4–8 August 1999 | 1 |
| 2000–01 | Grand Prix | Manchester | Limited | 7–8 October 2000 | 8 |
| 2000–01 | Pro Tour | Chicago | Standard | 1–3 December 2000 | 7 |
| 2000–01 | Pro Tour | Tokyo | Block Constructed | 16–18 March 2001 | 1 |
| 2000–01 | Masters | Barcelona | Block Constructed | 1–4 May 2001 | 4 |
| 2001–02 | Masters | New Orleans | Booster Draft | 31 October–3 November 2001 | 5 |
| 2001–02 | Grand Prix | New Jersey | Team Limited | 29–30 June 2002 | 2 |
| 2002–03 | Grand Prix | New Orleans | Extended | 3–4 January 2003 | 1 |
| 2002–03 | Grand Prix | Boston | Limited | 22–23 February 2003 | 7 |
| 2002–03 | Masters | Yokohama | Extended | 8–11 May 2003 | 5 |
| 2002–03 | Grand Prix | Pittsburgh | Team Limited | 31 May–1 June 2003 | 1 |
| 2003–04 | Grand Prix | Atlanta | Standard | 29–30 August 2003 | 5 |
| 2012–13 | Grand Prix | Portland | Modern | 11–12 May 2013 | 3 |
→ Source: Wizards.com
Pro Tour Results
| Season | Pro Tour | Format | Finish | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | Los Angeles | Block Constructed | 12 | $3,310 |
| 1998–99 | Chicago | Booster Draft | 279 | |
| 1998–99 | Rome | Extended | 152 | |
| 1998–99 | Los Angeles | Rochester Draft | 38 | $840 |
| 1998–99 | New York | Block Constructed | 3 | $10,000 |
| 1998–99 | Worlds (Tokyo) | Special | 69 | |
| 1999–00 | Washington, D.C. | Team Limited | 38 | |
| 1999–00 | London | Booster Draft | 10 | $3,750 |
| 1999–00 | Chicago | Extended | 269 | |
| 1999–00 | Los Angeles | Booster Draft | 202 | |
| 1999–00 | New York | Block Constructed | 12 | $3,310 |
| 1999–00 | Worlds (Brussels) | Special | 10 | $5,560 |
| 2000–01 | New York | Team Limited | 82 | |
| 2000–01 | Chicago | Standard | 7 | $8,000 |
| 2000–01 | Los Angeles | Rochester Draft | 295 | |
| 2000–01 | Tokyo | Block Constructed | 1 | $30,000 |
| 2000–01 | Barcelona | Booster Draft | 319 | |
| 2000–01 | Worlds (Toronto) | Special | 14 | $3,800 |
| 2001–02 | New York | Team Limited | 3 | $6,000 |
| 2001–02 | New Orleans | Extended | 187 | |
| 2001–02 | San Diego | Rochester Draft | 35 | $1,100 |
| 2001–02 | Osaka | Block Constructed | 60 | $540 |
| 2001–02 | Nice | Booster Draft | 185 | |
| 2001–02 | Worlds (Sydney) | Special | 12 | $4,500 |
| 2002–03 | Boston | Team Limited | 21 | |
| 2002–03 | Houston | Extended | 139 | |
| 2002–03 | Chicago | Rochester Draft | 254 | |
| 2002–03 | Venice | Block Constructed | 32 | $1,250 |
| 2002–03 | Yokohama | Booster Draft | 140 | |
| 2002–03 | Worlds (Berlin) | Special | 135 | |
| 2003–04 | Boston | Team Limited | 74 | |
| 2003–04 | New Orleans | Extended | 99 | |
| 2003–04 | Kobe | Block Constructed | 164 | |
| 2003–04 | San Diego | Booster Draft | 127 | |
| 2003–04 | Seattle | Team Limited | 19 | $500 |
| 2003–04 | Worlds (San Francisco) | Special | 278 | |
| 2005 | Atlanta | Team Limited | 61 | |
| 2007 | Worlds (New York) | Special | 27 | $1,500 |
| 2008 | Kuala Lumpur | Booster Draft | 192 | |
| 2008 | Hollywood | Standard | 31 | $1,400 |
| 2010 | San Diego | Standard and Booster Draft | 242 | |
| 2010 | San Juan | Block Constructed and Booster Draft | 22 | $2,400 |
| 2011 | Paris | Standard and Booster Draft | 250 | |
| 2011 | Philadelphia | Modern and Booster Draft | 236 | |
| 2012–13 | Gatecrash in Montreal | Standard and Booster Draft | 29 | $1,500 |
| 2012–13 | Dragon's Maze in San Diego | Block Constructed and Booster Draft | 90 | |
| 2013–14 | Magic 2015 in Portland | Standard and Booster Draft | 34 | $1,500 |
| 2014–15 | Fate Reforged in Washington, D.C. | Modern and Booster Draft | 95 | |
| 2014–15 | Dragons of Tarkir in Brussels | Standard and Booster Draft | 86 | |
| 2014–15 | Magic Origins in Vancouver | Standard and Booster Draft | 51 | $1,000 |
| 2015–16 | Battle for Zendikar in Milwaukee | Standard and Booster Draft | 57 | $1,000 |
| 2015–16 | Oath of the Gatewatch in Atlanta | Modern and Booster Draft | 312 | |
| 2016–17 | Amonkhet in Nashville | Standard and Booster Draft | 131 | |
| 2017–18 | 25th Anniversary in Minneapolis | Team Constructed | 97 | |
| 2018–19 | Guilds of Ravnica in Atlanta | Standard and Booster Draft | 412 | |
| 2018–19 | Mythic Championship Cleveland 2019 | Standard and Booster Draft | 471 | $500 |
→ Source: Wizards.com
Columnist
Zvi wrote for Brainburst from 2002 through 2004, for Star City Games, mostly during 2005 and The Play's The Thing column on magicthegathering.com from July 2005 through April 2006. The column addressed game situations which were often complicated.
R&D Intern
Zvi served an internship with Magic R&D from August 2005 through April 2006. He worked on the Time Spiral block and argued that Damnation was a "mistake". He would later explain that he greatly regretted not being able to "build the deck or find the argument that would convince those with the power to pull this card that it should not have been printed."
He chose to quit R&D in April 2006, a decision explained on his blog: "I woke up and realized: I wasn't having any fun. I was having fun talking to my coworkers. I was having fun playing board games with them after work. I was having fun going to lunch with them and talking about stuff. But when it came down to the nuts and bolts of making a game, the same tasks that I'd dedicated myself to for years on end were not something I looked forward to. I was played out. When something went badly in a game of Magic I'd be sad, but when it went right I wouldn't be happy. Every deck and match seemed like another boring chore I had to get through. I was feeling tired all the time without doing anything outside of work beyond wind down, but I still felt I wasn't putting in the kind of work that I was capable of. Finally I realized: I'm just going through the motions. I aint got that swing. I don't want this job."
Designing
Developing
External links
- Zvi's Blog
- Zvi Mowshowitz author archive on Brainburst.com/TCGplayer.com
- Zvi Mowshowitz author archive on Star City Games
- Zvi Mowshowitz author archive on magicthegathering.com
- Lifetime Top Finishes
- Lifetime Grand Prix Top 8s
- Top 200 All-Time Money Leaders