Bob Maher Jr.

Bob Maher
NicknameThe Great One[1]
Born (1978-07-10) July 10, 1978 (age 46)
ResidenceMadison, Wisconsin, United States
NationalityUnited States American
Pro Tour debutPro Tour New York 1996 (junior)
1997 Pro Tour Los Angeles (senior)
WinningsUS$157,452[2]
Pro Tour wins (Top 8)1 (4)[3]
Grand Prix wins (Top 8)3 (10)[4]
Median Pro Tour Finish94
Lifetime Pro Points267[5]
Planeswalker Level47 (Archmage)

Robert Maher Jr. (born July 10, 1978[6] in Wisconsin), is a professional Magic: The Gathering player. He picked up the Magic game after sustaining a football injury in high school, and has gone on to become one of the most celebrated players in the game's history, earning the nickname "The Great One". Bob currently owns the Toy and Game distribution company ACD Distribution which is located in Middleton, Wisconsin.

Magic: The Gathering

Maher played in the junior division of the very first Pro Tour in 1996.[7] His first senior Pro Tour would be in Los Angeles in 1997.[7] The 1999–2000 Pro Tour season would be Maher's most successful season. He would win Pro Tour Chicago and Grand Prix Seattle, make the Top 8 of Grand Prix Nagoya and take second place at the 2000 World Championship. Maher's success throughout the season earned him the Pro Player of the Year title.

In 2002, Maher was suspended from the DCI for 6 months for committing tournament fraud. He participated in false tournaments with Jason Moungey and Chad Butterfield and used the rating points gained to qualify for the World Championships.[8]

Maher won the Masters Series in Yokohama in 2003 and the 2004 Magic Invitational, thus becoming the third player to win a Pro Tour, a Grand Prix, a Masters, and an Invitational. Dark Confidant, the card-design he submitted for winning the Invitational, appeared in the Ravnica: City of Guilds set, bearing his likeness. The card has been well received and has seen considerable play in nearly every sanctioned format it has been legal in. In 2010, ChannelFireball.com ranked Dark Confidant as the best Invitational card.[9] In 2006, Maher was inducted into the Magic: The Gathering Hall of Fame as the vote leader in the Class of 2006.[7]

From 2005 to 2014 Maher played only very infrequently on the Pro Tour. He played Pro Tour Journey Into Nyx and Pro Tour Magic 2015, and participated in Pro Tour Fate Reforged as a member of a new team.[10]

Accomplishments

 Season   Event type   Location   Format   Date   Rank 
1998–99 Grand Prix Kansas City Extended 27–28 March 1999 3
1999–00 Pro Tour Chicago Extended 3–5 December 1999 1
1999–00 Grand Prix Seattle Extended 15–16 January 2000 1
1999–00 Grand Prix Nagoya Team Limited 22–23 April 2000 3
1999–00 Worlds Brussels Special 2–6 August 2000 2
2000–01 Masters New York City Extended 29 September–1 October 2000 5
2000–01 Masters Chicago Limited 1-3 December 2000 5
2000–01 Grand Prix Detroit Limited 31 March–1 April 2001 3
2001–02 Grand Prix Montreal Limited 13–14 October 2001 6
2001–02 Masters New Orleans Limited 1–4 November 2001 3
2001–02 Grand Prix Houston Extended 5–6 January 2002 5
2002–03 Pro Tour Boston Team Limited 27–29 September 2002 3
2002–03 Grand Prix Copenhagen Limited 12–13 October 2002 1
2002–03 Pro Tour Houston Extended 8–10 November 2002 7
2002–03 Grand Prix Los Angeles Limited 23–24 November 2002 2
2002–03 Masters Venice Team Limited 21–23 March 2003 3
2002–03 Masters Yokohama Extended 9–11 May 2003 1
2002–03 Grand Prix Detroit Block Constructed 12–13 July 2003 1
2003–04 Invitational Los Angeles Special 11–13 May 2004 1
2005 Invitational Los Angeles Special 17–20 May 2005 8
2006 Grand Prix Madison Team Constructed 25–26 March 2006 3

Last updated: 20 April 2009
Source: Wizards.com

Other accomplishments:

References

  1. ^ Bennett, Josh (January 2002). "Top 8 Profiles". The Sideboard. 8 (44): 6–7.
  2. ^ "Top 200 All-Time Money Leaders". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2014-09-13. Retrieved 2014-12-16.
  3. ^ "Lifetime Pro Tour Top 8s". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2016-04-16. Retrieved 2014-12-16.
  4. ^ "Lifetime Grand Prix Top 8s". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2014-12-16.
  5. ^ "Planeswalker Points (requires login)". Wizards of the Coast. Retrieved 2014-12-16.[dead link‍]
  6. ^ Bob Maher 2007 Pro Player card (from the Magic: The Gathering Lorwyn expansion)
  7. ^ a b c "Pro Tour Hall of Fame profile". Wizards of the Coast. 2006. Archived from the original on December 3, 2008. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  8. ^ "Suspended Player Update". Wizards of the Coast. 2002-01-28. Archived from the original on February 2, 2002. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  9. ^ "Magic TV: Extra – Ranking the Invitational Cards" (Video). ChannelFireball.com. 13 March 2010. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  10. ^ "Top 8 Profiles — Matt Sperling". 4 January 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
Preceded by Pro Player of the Year
1999–2000 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Magic Invitational Champion
2004 		Succeeded by
Malaysia Terry Soh