Pojo's Magic The Gathering
The Godfather of Texas Magic

The Godfather's Official Handicapping Guide to the Event Horizons
Invitational 2001

The field for the 2001 EHI is now set. Since there are always large sums of money wagered on the outcome of this event, the Godfather of Texas Magic (Rob Lawing) is providing this wagering guide for all of the teeming millions. This is not intended to be the only EHI guide published, just the only correct one.
We will evaluate all the players in the same order as they are listed on the EH website and then provide a predicted order of finish at the end. So with out further ado…

Skye Thomsen- An imported damnyankee and last year's champion, Skye is dangerous in all formats and has great instincts for the game. He is also the sexiest Texas Guildmage and sometimes uses his allure to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Lately Skye has not been playing much at all and this could be problematic in the Limited and T2 formats.
Lan D. Ho- Well known funny looking guy who is one of the Godfather's ace hit men. Lan won the first EHI over James Stroud in a stunning upset. Lan is a fantastic constructed player who doesn't give up much at limited. I'm not sure that Lan has had much time to devote to the formats this year but I suspect his friends like Dan Clegg (greatness) and Brian Kibler (also greatness) will be available to lend a hand if needed.
Henry Morrow- Louisiana state champ and EHI rookie. I don't know a lot about Henry since I first met him a few weeks ago at GP-Houston. If you want to get a picture of Henry in your mind think of Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn's character in Fast Times at Ridgemont High duuudde) He did beat a solid field at his state championship including all the Louisiana players you will read about here, but the EHI is a wicked mistress who hates rookies. This is probably a dues paying year for him.
Bryan Lyons- As his 11th place finish at PT-New Orleans shows, this guy can play the game at a very high level. Another EHI rookie, Bryan is a Texas Guildmage who has talent in both constructed and limited. The only big question is whether this Wichita Falls pretty boy can tame the EHI when she doesn't want to be tamed. Bryan is a great guy and will be fun to have there. The only other question is what will Bryan wear without Robbie Howell to do his laundry?
Adrian Sayers- One of the truly great magic players of all time. He used to be a member of the now defunct Austin Knights but now is pretty much of a PT gravy trainer. He is solid in all formats but Limited seems to be his strength. His 3-year history at the EHI shows he has had a lot of bad luck there, especially against the Godfather, but in a field without Dave Williams or James Stroud it could be Sayers year.
Brian Hubble- Mr. Hubble is quite probably the best magic player in Texas who isn't on DCI suspension. He has beaten me so horribly in so many formats over the last 6 years that I feel like the Afghan army fighting B-52s with slingshots and camel dung. He can play any format anytime or anyplace. I heard that he has a special surprise for the New Horizons constructed deck and that he doesn't like EHI rookies. Watch out for this guy.
Trent Boneau- Another rookie but this guy also has a PhD, which means that he has no sense at all. But seriously Trent is a really fine magic player who has put several PT and Nats appearances under his belt in the last couple of years. It seems to me that he is better at limited than constructed but has no problems with either. If I were looking to pick a dark horse in this event it would be Trent. However for Trent to win he has to avoiding beating himself by overanalyzing situations. If you think the last statement shows some great insight, it doesn't. Trent discusses it n his Pojo article about the EHI. You should read it.
Jason Krysak- Jason is a well-liked guy in the Texas MTG community. He is witty and a little dorky in a way that makes him fun to be around. He is also a rookie so even though he is a funny guy nobody will talk to him at the tourney. Jason was 1/3 of the Austin area team that went to PT-NY last year. His instincts for limited are good but he has done some struggling in constructed lately. He will keep things entertaining at the event as always. He has a big hill to climb to win this year.
Duy Nguyen-Duy is another rookie and a guy I don't know real well. He has been in several PTQ top 8s this year and from what I have seen he is a good player. He plays with a good group of people and so he should be primed up and ready when the time comes. One of the best things about this tournament is getting to know new people so maybe will all get to know Duy better this year. Oh yeah I forgot to tell you that his name is pronounced a lot like "Zvi" but aside from the way his name is pronounced I don't see much resemblance between the 2.
Jeff Taylor-A really cool player from the swamplands of Louisiana. Taylor is a solid player who had a decent finish in the first EHI. He has a new hippie haircut and seems to be really excited about the event. With his skills Jeff could finish anywhere from first to last and not really surprise anyone. I don't think he has been playing too much over the last several months but he showed up and took 2nd at the closed qualifier so he must be doing something right. Taylor is also part of the Godfather's family who can certainly make some offers that can't be refused.
Zach Karthauser-Zach is known as either "The King of the Top Deck" or "That lucky F%$#^n Karthauser" depending on who you asked. He has victimized so many people over the last 3 years that he should be in the witness protection program with Sammy "The Bull" Gravano. If he would just turn off his Pavement CD and practice he could take home several trophies. Zach is another Texas Guildmage and has been working (among other things) with Skye Thomsen, which is never a bad deal. His game has no weakness and he is a definite threat to finish at the top.
Rob "The Godfather" Lawing- What can be written about this guy that hasn't already been written. Another Texas Guildmage and one of 5 three-time invitees whose only weakness is his game. Rumors abound that he only gets invited because the TO wanted to make the other players play for their byes. The other rumor is that he really has an incriminating tape involving Don James and some barnyard animals.
Jeff "The Shaman" Zandi - Jeff is Texas Guildmage number 5 in this year's EHI a fact that I'm sure he is proud of. One of the nicest guys in the MTG world, Jeff has several PT's under his belt and is a solid yet wacky playman. Jeff has slowed his frantic PTQ schedule down some lately, mainly due to his recently becoming a daddy (Hi Lawson !) but still holds mega practice every Wednesday night at his house. Jeff is another somewhat puzzling player in that if he gets a hot streak he could be way up in the standings, but if he catches a cold streak he will be playing like Elvis the long lost 3rd Peatross brother.
Johnathan Pechon- Another fine player and Texas Guildmage, Johnny Boy has PT experience, 2 Grand Prix high money finishes, and years of tournament play on his resume. I haven't gotten to talk with him about the EHI but I know that he is really happy to be invited and will be bringing some of his trademark wacky decks with him. Johnny can be temperamental at times and I think this hurts him. On the other hand he is the only guy I have ever seen who made a GP top 8 when he was comatose with food poisoning for all of day 2. The only other worry I have about Johnny is that he has been spending a bunch of time with the Austin players and may have acquired a particularly loathsome STD.
Donnie "The Guvernor" Paul- This guy is a machine of some kind by day he is a mild mannered stockbroker and by night he is a fine magic player and the governor of Louisiana. Donny is probably better in constructed than limited. I have seen some of his EHI deck ideas and must say they look pretty good. Donny is nearly unbeatable in Louisiana but unfortunately for him this tournament is in Texas. Look for a good finish from him.
Fletcher "The Mean Twin" Peatross- Love or hate the self-proclaimed "Biggest Ass in Texas" and he probably won't care. Fletcher is a veteran player who is respectable in both formats. I know he has worked hard on decks for the EHI and has dreams of winning the big trophy. We will see if those dreams become nightmares.

…And now the odds chart with project order of finish (Guaranteed to be almost right)
Place Odds to Win

1) Bryan Hubble 2.5-1
2) Zach Karthauser 3.5-1
3) Adrian Sayers 4-1
4) Don Paul 7-1
5) Bryan Lyons 8-1
6) Trent Boneau 9-1
7) Skye Thomsen 9-1
8) Jeff Zandi 10-1
9) Johnny Pechon 11-1
10) Lan D. Ho 14-1
11) Jeff Taylor 20-1
12) Duy Nguyen 25-1
13) Fletcher Peatross 50-1
14) Henry Morrow 500-1
15) Jason Krysak (Are you crazy ?)

I did not tell you all where I will finish because I don't like to brag. But I am a lock for the Top 8 and will finally be able to pass the horse ass trophy to someone new this year.

Keep reading the Pojo for more EHI coverage. Thanks to Tim, Don, Shelia, and sometimes Larry for making the EHI the best magic tournament in history.

Be sure and checkout WWW.AGYPSY.COM for a great new magic resource which I will review soon.