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Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa
Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa
Demographics
Nickname PV, PVDDR
Born September 29, 1987
Residence Porto Alegre, Brazil
Nationality {BRA} Brazilian
Professional Career
Pro Tour debut 2003 World Championships (Berlin)
Top Finishes 17 (3 wins)
GP top 8s 24 (2 wins)
Awards
Hall of Fame
Player of the Year
World Champion
PT Champion

Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa is a Brazilian professional Magic player and member of Tempo Storm. He was the 2016–17 Player of the Year, and with fourteen Pro Tour top eights to his name, including wins at PT San Juan 2010 and at PT Hour of Devastation, Damo da Rosa is one of the most successful Magic players of all time. He became World Champion in 2020. He is depicted on the Player Spotlight card Elite Spellbinder, released in Strixhaven: School of Mages.[1]

Professional play[ | ]

Damo da Rosa started playing Magic in 1995, age eight, after reading an advertisement for the game in a magazine.[2] He started playing in tournaments very early on, and played Brazilian Nationals for the first time in 2000. At Grand Prix Rio de Janeiro in 2001, he went 5–2, but failed to make it to day two due to poor tiebreakers. At GP Curitiba the same year, he had earned three byes due to having a high DCI rating, and brought Battle of Wits. He didn't do well in the event, but was featured on coverage and gained some recognition.[3] He then joined some online leagues for play on Apprentice, and started making a name for himself in the online community.[2]

His first Pro Tour experience came in 2003, when he qualified for the World Championships in Berlin by virtue of being ranked among the top eight players in Latin America, though some suspected him for faking tournaments in order to boost his rating.[2] Playing Mirari's Wake in Standard and Goblins in Extended, he finished 55th in the event, good enough for a money finish. A year later, he once again found himself qualified on rating for the World Championships. He couldn't afford the flight to San Francisco, however, so he won one through a tournament where the prize was a flight to Worlds to spectate the event.[4] This time he finished 46th. At GP Porto Alegre 2004, his hometown Grand Prix, Damo da Rosa posted his first premier event top eight, finishing 6th.[5] He then qualified for Pro Tour London 2005, where he finished 55th.

Paulo vitor damo da rosa

Damo da Rosa's Pro Tour Player Card from the Lorwyn expansion

The 2006 season would prove to be Damo da Rosa's breakout year. He qualified for Pro Tour Honolulu via a PTQ; the PTQs starting to award plane tickets instead of $500 made the trip possible, and he went on to finish 20th in the event after losing the last round, where he played for top eight.[4] At the following PT in Prague, he started the event 10–2, but went 0–3 in the final draft to finish 30th. At Pro Tour Charleston, Damo da Rosa rose to fame by finishing runner-up alongside teammates Willy Edel and Celso Zampere, eventually losing in the finals to the Japanese team of Tomoharu Saito, Shōta Yasooka, and Tomohiro Kaji. Damo da Rosa now went to the last two Pro Tours of the season as one of the Player of the Year contenders. He won the 2006 Brazilian National championships, finished 42nd at PT Kobe, and at the 2006 World Championships, he dominated the first three days of competition, locking up a top eight berth three rounds before the end of the Swiss rounds. By reaching the final, he'd also become the Player of the Year,[6] but he lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Makihito Mihara in a famous five-game match. In the fifth game, Damo da Rosa mulliganed to five and looked like he was going to lose, but Mihara miscounted his mana when trying to go off with Dragonstorm; failing would almost certainly have left Damo da Rosa winning, but he cast Repeal on Damo da Rosa's Savannah Lions, which drew him into his third Rite of Flame, which gave him enough mana to cast Dragonstorm and win the match.[7] Damo da Rosa ended the season on 51 Pro Points, enough for Level 6 - the highest - in the Pro Players Club.

Over the next years, Damo da Rosa established himself as one of the top players in the game. At Pro Tour Geneva, he finished in the money again, achieving a record of nine money finishes in nine total Pro Tours played, though the streak ended at the next Pro Tour, PT Yokohama. He didn't top eight a Pro Tour in 2007, but in 2008, he posted his third and fourth, at PT Hollywood and at the 2008 World Championships, respectively; on both occasions he lost in the quarterfinals. In 2009, he won the Brazilian National championships again, and his fifth Pro Tour top eight came at PT Austin 2009, but he once again lost in the quarterfinals, playing Dark Depths combo in Extended.[8]

In 2010, for PT San Diego, Damo da Rosa joined Team ChannelFireball alongside players such as Luis Scott-Vargas, David Ochoa, and Josh Utter-Leyton.[9] At the very next Pro Tour, PT San Juan, Damo da Rosa, in his sixth top eight, not only escaped the quarterfinals for the first time in an individual event; he went all the way and took the title, defeating Guillaume Matignon 3–2 in the finals.[10] He came close to the Player of the Year title again when he later in the same season top eighted the 2010 World Championships in Chiba, but Guillaume Matignon got his revenge from San Juan by defeating Damo da Rosa in the semifinals.[11] Had Damo da Rosa won the match, he would have been the Player of the Year. In 2011, Damo da Rosa won his first Grand Prix event, at GP Singapore, playing the infamous Caw-blade deck. He also once again made it to the top eight at the World Championships, but was eliminated in the quarterfinals. At the very next event, he placed runner-up at Pro Tour Dark Ascension behind Brian Kibler. His results qualified him for the 2012 Players Championship (later renamed the World Championship), an exclusive high-stakes 16-player tournament; he there finished third. At Pro Tour Return to Ravnica, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, having earned 85.7% of the votes. Only 25 years old at the time, he was then the youngest player to have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The next couple of seasons were a disappointment for Damo da Rosa. He failed to post significant finishes on the Pro Tour, and indeed only made it to Silver level in the Pro Players Club. As such, he strongly considered quitting, and start playing a different game instead.[9] However, the 2014–15 season was a successful one. Although he didn't finish in the top eight of any Pro Tours, he made the top eight of three Grand Prix events, winning one, and put up a strong 13th-place finish at Pro Tour Dragons of Tarkir. Most of his top finishes during this season were with the deck called Esper Dragons, to which he credits the revitalizing of his Magic career.[9] At the next season's Pro Tour Battle for Zendikar, Damo da Rosa posted his 10th career Pro Tour top eight, a figure only Jon Finkel and Kai Budde had reached before him. Damo da Rosa's renewed success culminated with an amazing 2016–17 season, where he at Pro Tour Aether Revolt picked up his eleventh top eight, surpassing Budde, before claiming his second Pro Tour title at PT Hour of Devastation, simultaneously becoming the Player of the Year for the first time in his career. In December 2018, it was announced that Damo da Rosa would be one of the 32 players joining the upcoming 2019 Magic Pro League.

Damo da Rosa's 2019 performance was average for the first five large tournaments, but with the higher cut he was in danger of relegation. However, a second-place finish at Mythic Championship VI Richmond and a top 8 at Mythic Championship VII meant he could continue in the 2020 Season, and qualified for the 2019 World Championship which he won, immortalized on the Strixhaven: School of Mages card Elite Spellbinder. He continued performing strongly in the following year, ending 2nd in the 2020-21 Magic Pro League. This qualified him to defend his title in the 2021 World Championship.[12] He finished 10th place.

Although Damo da Rosa ended second place in the 2021–22 Magic Pro League, he didn't qualify for the World Championship of that year, as five Rivals were ahead and both leagues competed for the same slots.[13]

League play[ | ]

Season Rank
2019 Magic Pro League 5
2020 Magic Pro League 4
2020-21 Magic Pro League 2
2021–22 Magic Pro League

Accomplishments[ | ]

Season Event type Location Format Date Rank
2005 Grand Prix Porto Alegre Rochester Draft 20–21 November 2004 6
2006 Pro Tour Charleston Team Constructed 16–18 June 2006 2
2006 Nationals São Paulo Special 9–10 September 2006 1
2006 Worlds Paris Special 29 November–3 December 2006 6
2007 Grand Prix San Francisco Block Constructed 25–26 August 2007 3
2007 Grand Prix Daytona Beach Limited 17–18 November 2007 2
2008 Pro Tour Hollywood Standard 23–25 May 2008 8
2008 Worlds Memphis Special 11–14 December 2008 5
2009 Grand Prix Barcelona Standard 23–24 May 2009 3
2009 Grand Prix Seattle Standard 30–31 May 2009 3
2009 Nationals Brazil Standard and Booster Draft 25–26 July 2009 1
2009 Pro Tour Austin Extended and Booster Draft 16–18 October 2009 8
2010 Grand Prix Houston Extended 3–4 April 2010 6
2010 Pro Tour San Juan Block Constructed and Booster Draft 28–30 May 2010 1
2010 Grand Prix Portland Limited 11–12 September 2010 8
2010 Worlds Chiba Special 9–12 December 2010 3
2011 Grand Prix Providence Legacy 28–29 May 2011 4
2011 Grand Prix Singapore Standard 4–5 June 2011 1
2011 Grand Prix Santiago Limited 22–23 October 2011 6
2011 Worlds San Francisco Special 17–20 November 2011 5
2012 Grand Prix Orlando Standard 14–15 January 2012 3
2012 Pro Tour Honolulu Standard and Booster Draft 10–12 February 2012 2
2012 Grand Prix Baltimore Standard 25–26 February 2012 5
2012–13 Players Championship Indianapolis Special 29–31 August 2012 3
2013–14 Grand Prix Paris Legacy 15–16 February 2014 8
2013–14 Grand Prix Buenos Aires Standard 15–16 March 2014 3
2014–15 Grand Prix Nashville Team Limited 1–2 November 2014 2
2014–15 Grand Prix Kraków Standard 18–19 April 2015 3
2014–15 Grand Prix São Paulo Standard 2–3 May 2015 1
2015–16 Pro Tour Milwaukee Standard and Booster Draft 16–18 October 2015 7
2016–17 Grand Prix Rotterdam Team Limited 12–13 November 2016 4
2016–17 Grand Prix Prague Limited 28–29 January 2017 2
2016–17 Pro Tour Dublin Standard and Booster Draft 3–5 February 2017 6
2016–17 Pro Tour Kyoto Standard and Booster Draft 28–30 July 2017 1
2017–18 Grand Prix Indianapolis Team Limited 20–21 January 2018 2
2017–18 Grand Prix Santiago Team Limited 10–11 March 2018 3
2017–18 Grand Prix Washington, D.C. Team Limited 26–27 May 2018 2
2017–18 Grand Prix Detroit Team Modern 8–9 September 2018 2
2018–19 Grand Prix New Jersey Limited 26–27 January 2019 4
2018-19 Mythic Championship Richmond Standard and Booster Draft 8-10 November 2019 2
2018–19 Mythic Championship Long Beach (MTG Arena) Standard 6-8 December 2019 5
2020 Players Tour Brussels Pioneer and Booster Draft 31 January-2 February 2020 3
2020 Worlds Honolulu Standard and Booster Draft 14-16 February 2020 1

Source: Wizards.com

Pro Tour results[ | ]

List of the Pro Tour results and winnings of Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa
Season Pro Tour Format Finish Winnings
2002–03 Worlds (Berlin) Special 55 $590
2003–04 Worlds (San Francisco) Special 46 $730
2005 London Booster Draft 55 $590
2006 Honolulu Standard 20 $2,800
2006 Prague Booster Draft 30 $1,450
2006 Charleston Team Constructed 2 $12,000
2006 Kobe Booster Draft 42 $850
2006 Worlds (Paris) Special 6 $11,000
2007 Geneva Booster Draft 66 $490
2007 Yokohama Block Constructed 232
2007 San Diego Two-Headed Giant Booster Draft 91
2007 Valencia Extended 225
2007 Worlds (New York) Special 67
2008 Kuala Lumpur Booster Draft 326
2008 Hollywood Standard 8 $9,500
2008 Berlin Extended 37 $1,100
2008 Worlds (Memphis) Special 5 $11,000
2009 Kyoto Standard and Booster Draft 293
2009 Honolulu Block Constructed and Booster Draft 222
2009 Austin Extended and Booster Draft 8 $9,500
2009 Worlds (Rome) Special 61 $540
2010 San Diego Standard and Booster Draft 94
2010 San Juan Block Constructed and Booster Draft 1 $40,000
2010 Amsterdam Extended and Booster Draft 173
2010 Worlds (Chiba) Special 3 $15,000
2011 Paris Standard and Booster Draft 54 $610
2011 Nagoya Block Constructed and Booster Draft 64 $510
2011 Philadelphia Modern and Booster Draft 341
2011 Worlds (San Francisco) Special 5 $11,000
2012 Dark Ascension in Honolulu Standard and Booster Draft 2 $20,000
2012 Avacyn Restored in Barcelona Block Constructed and Booster Draft 154
2012–13 Return to Ravnica in Seattle Modern and Booster Draft 60 $1,000
2012–13 Gatecrash in Montreal Standard and Booster Draft 266
2012–13 Dragon's Maze in San Diego Block Constructed and Booster Draft 235
2013–14 Theros in Dublin Standard and Booster Draft 71 $1,000
2013–14 Born of the Gods in Valencia Modern and Booster Draft 167
2013–14 Journey into Nyx in Atlanta Block Constructed and Booster Draft 34 $1,500
2013–14 Magic 2015 in Portland Standard and Booster Draft 27 $1,500
2014–15 Khans of Tarkir in Honolulu Standard and Booster Draft 112
2014–15 Fate Reforged in Washington, D.C. Modern and Booster Draft 318
2014–15 Dragons of Tarkir in Brussels Standard and Booster Draft 13 $5,000
2014–15 Magic Origins in Vancouver Standard and Booster Draft 105
2015–16 Battle for Zendikar in Milwaukee Standard and Booster Draft 7 $10,000
2015–16 Oath of the Gatewatch in Atlanta Modern and Booster Draft 19 $2,500
2015–16 Shadows over Innistrad in Madrid Standard and Booster Draft 267
2015–16 Eldritch Moon in Sydney Standard and Booster Draft 86
2016–17 Kaladesh in Honolulu Standard and Booster Draft 99
2016–17 Aether Revolt in Dublin Standard and Booster Draft 6 $10,000
2016–17 Amonkhet in Nashville Standard and Booster Draft 125
2016–17 Hour of Devastation in Kyoto Standard and Booster Draft 1 $50,000
2017–18 Ixalan in Albuquerque Standard and Booster Draft 46 $1,500
2017–18 Rivals of Ixalan in Bilbao Modern and Booster Draft 152
2017–18 Dominaria in Richmond Standard and Booster Draft 342
2017–18 25th Anniversary in Minneapolis Team Constructed 28 $3,000
2018–19 Guilds of Ravnica in Atlanta Standard and Booster Draft 169
2018–19 Mythic Championship Cleveland 2019 Standard and Booster Draft 102 $750
2018–19 Mythic Championship VI Richmond Standard 2 $20,000
2018–19 Mythic Championship VII Traditional Standard 5 $12,500
2020 Players Tour Series 1; Brussels Pioneer and Booster Draft 1 $20,000

Source: Wizards.com

Other Magic-related work[ | ]

Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa has been a long-time writer of the game. He joined Star City Games as a writer after his top eight finish at the 2006 World Championships and later moved to ChannelFireball, which he left in July 2019. He is often considered among the best Magic strategy writers, but has also written other articles, such as on the life of a pro player,[14] and about what to do when playing in your first Pro Tour.[15] Additionally, he has made the occasional Magic Online draft video, and has served as a commentator on coverage.[16]

External links[ | ]

References[ | ]

  1. Wizards of the Coast (March 29, 2021). "The Elite Spellbinder: Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa". Magic.gg.
  2. a b c Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa (2009-07-23). "PV's Playhouse - My Story". Star City Games. Retrieved on 2017-01-30.
  3. Rui Oliveira (2001-12-08). "THE BIGGEST DECK IN THE TOURNAMENT". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2017-01-30.
  4. a b Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa (2009-08-20). "PV's Playhouse - My Story Part 2". Star City Games. Retrieved on 2017-01-30.
  5. Rui Oliveira (2004-11-21). "Quarterfinals: Paulo Rosa vs. Rafael Mendonca". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2017-01-30.
  6. Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa (2009-09-10). "PV's Playhouse - My Story Part 3". Star City Games. Retrieved on 2017-01-30.
  7. Ray Walkinshaw (2006-12-03). "Quarterfinals: One Big Turn". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2017-01-30.
  8. Steve Sadin (2009-10-08). "Pro Tour–Austin Quarterfinals: That's the Spirit". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2017-01-30.
  9. a b c Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa (2017-01-24). "The Formation of Team ChannelFireball Ice". ChannelFireball. Retrieved on 2017-01-30.
  10. Bill Stark (2010-05-30). "Finals: A Champion Levels Up". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2017-01-30.
  11. Monty Ashley (2010-12-12). "2010 Magic: The Gathering World Championships Semifinal Match: Zombie Jamboree". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2017-01-30.
  12. Corbin Hosler (September 29, 2021). "To Be the GOAT Again". Magic.gg.
  13. Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa (May 22, 2022). "To expand a little bit on what I've been feeling re: pro MTG, missing Worlds, and Wotc's stance towards pro players.". Twitter.
  14. Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa (2015-01-13). "The Life of a Pro Player". ChannelFireball. Retrieved on 2017-01-30.
  15. Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa (2016-12-19). "Playing Your First Pro Tour". ChannelFireball. Retrieved on 2017-01-30.
  16. Marc Calderaro (2015-01-31). "WHAT’S THE WAY IN SAN JOSE?". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved on 2017-01-30.
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