Making history

In one of my first posts almost eight months ago I wrote a story about how I met five years ago one lonely Danish wizard sitting in one old stony store in the middle of one ancient Spanish city and how our magical journeys continued more or less in parallel up to one future like megacity in the middle of Arabian desert. Our more than ten year lasting passion, dedication and love to magical plays brought us at the end to into an epic battle for eternal honor and glory!!

“What the hell am I talking about?” Of course that about Magic the Gathering!! Collectible card game played all over the world, having its own professionals, Worlds, Pro Tours or National championships.

When I came to Dubai of course one of my first steps went to Rydges hotel where all Magic addicts were hanging out to play, win and lose J Dubai has only about 30 active players so the community is too small to have official qualifications for World championship or Pro circuit tournaments. Fortunately couple of months ago one enterprising French guy Olivier, decided to quit his job and do business in fantasy and card sector in UAE. One of his first initiatives was focused to expand the community. More people are good for the company and for the players also, because we could have bigger tournaments which bring more challenge and more fun from the gameJ It will be a long journey, but we are optimistic and support the gaming by going twice a week to try to grab some fruit from top J

When I came and change my Magic nationality from Czech to Emirates, I instantly became a top ranked player in UAE!! It’s a nice warm feeling, but also brings enemies having more motivation to beat me and have the scalp. But I resisted, competed, conquered and managed in a fierce competition to stay on top till now J

And then the DAY D came. Olivier organized The First Open UAE Championship. For this ear still unofficial, but it didn’t change anything on the fact that no matter what was your ranking, there would be only one champion who takes all the glory!! So on Friday 26.6.2009 22 players registered and the biggest battle in history of UAE could begin J

For me it started in the worst possible way. I thought I had an ok draft deck able to go at least 2:1 (2 win: 1 loss). But I somehow was distracted, unfocused and drinking beer from 12am probably didn’t help it at all, so I lost first two rounds to Trey and Omar!! Tournament didn’t even start and I was one loss from elimination. A disaster, supported by thoughts of two mistakes that could have had cost me two games, which did further work on my diminishing concentration. With a defeatist mood I entered third round. I don’t remember if the game was equal or not, but I managed to win against James.

And then it broke!! With my own design Red/White creature slaughter control hell and probably like fourth beer I miraculously found the lost concentration, my mind cleared, eyes focused and I started to fight back from bottom ranks with new blood. I won the fourth round against Emir. In fifth I drew against my biggest enemies, blue tiny flying bugs (Faeries piloted by Mark) and won the last round over Jay-ar.

“You are playing for Top 8” said the head judge Olivier during last round. “No…really!! The winner will probably advance to Top 8” added Zak already warming up a chair there. “Please…don’t give any false hopes!! We could have only 10 points. It’s not enough!!”         And what was my surprise when I saw standings and my name at the last advancing eight spot J My joy was incredible. The day was saved, expectations made. Everything more would be a bonus. I relieved J Only the tiny piece my mind at the back of my head was quietly pointing out that my odds are actually quite good, because burning forests and shaking plains under dull armies of elephants, elves, soldiers and spirits is my specialtyJ

And it really happened. I easily killed all Tamy’s monsters in quarters, the same Victor’s monsters in semis and I stood in finals facing again…my biggest enemy MARK J Real epic story writing history. If we have played!!

Cards and fun is one thing. But money and prices is another. Winner gets ticket to Bangkok to Grand Prix tournament and the second a box of boosters. The problem was that Mark didn’t want to go, so he conceded because for some reason which I don’t remember now we couldn’t play only for the victory.

So I became the first UAE champion in Magic the Gathering ever. I achieved my biggest victory ever, I won the most valuable prize ever and I won my first trophy ever J Beautiful…but probably only from 90% because we didn’t play. We probably should have for such an important thing L Next year will be different!!

Anyway…history doesn’t ask. But history knows!! See you in Thailand in August 22-24 J

http://www.wizardsofthegulfcoast.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=308

Kralovna kolobezka: Vylet, nevylet

   “When was it for the last time I was out of Dubai for a whole weekend?” I asked myself one week ago. “I can’t even remember!!” Pitiful but true. I was just going one day climbing, kiting, go there, fix that… and weekends were flying away as quickly as they were coming. So I said: “ENOUGH…ENOUGH…ENOUGH…enough!!” It has to change.

          By chance there was a lot of UAE kitesurfers going to Oman this weekend so I set up a plan to follow the crowd. At the end I decided to go alone, because no friends wanted join me and also because I didn’t have a NOC (No Objection Certificate) from my bank that I can take the car abroad.

          This is typical Arabic stuff. This rule is there long time but nobody was enforcing it. But I’ve read that it should change. As demonstration of my good will I asked what I need in order to get this NOC. “You have to deposit all money you owe the bank before you go. When you return, you can take the money back!!” Just silly!! Of course I don’t have that money, because that’s why I borrowed them!! So I went alone. I didn’t want to ruin somebody else’s weekend if they don’t let us through the border.

          I left the office around 5:30pm Thursday and headed to Al Ain. I wanted to go through one borderpost outside of the city, but when I was passing through Al Ain my GPS navigation wanted me to go through another one in city center. So be it and in good mood I joined the queue. “Go to that building get a stamp” officer pointed me towards a low cabin. After five minutes of driving like a rat in a labyrinth between gates and posts I found the right cabin. But obviously bored officer behind old, crapy wooden table said “Here problem. Here only Omanis, Kuwaitis, Emiratis…. You have to go to …blablabla… borderpost.” Just an excuse, because he either didn’t know, didn’t have the stamp or simply didn’t want to bother, which was the most probable reason why I had to return where I originally wanted to go!!

          It was already around 9:30 when I reached the other borderpost. “Go there and fill in the form” told me officer at the gate. “Go there and bring me the white paper” told me another guy when I filled in the form. “Go get your Car registration” third officer send me back to the car. “Ahh…if this guy won’t ask about the NOC, then nobody will” I thought quickly when passing him the registration. But nothing happened and I happily walking away with white paper. “Go get the stamp” told me the first officer. “You can go” finally the guy at the gate stamped my passport and released me towards…Omani borderpost J “Go there, come back, where do you go” played with me this time Omani officers with the typical Arabic slow motion, but they also released me after a while. So I made it J

          It’s 11pm and I have to drive only 600km through unknown territory. At about 2am I drove off the highway 350km further, because any number of Red Bulls couldn’t keep me awake. It was quite funny to wake up next morning, look around and think “Damn, where the hell am I!!”

          

Asylah, Mecca of UAE kitesurfers. Insanely gusty and strong wind, big waves, beach full of dead fish good only for launching kites…kite paradise J When I stepped out of the car and got exposed to hot desert wind full of sand, when I was looking at all those guys literally flying around, wave riding and doing all kinds of freaking tricks and when I thought about how I would be feeling when attached to the kite, handling its incredible power, fighting waves and flying in the air…I remembered the time, still almost fresh beginner, when I was saying “How can anybody say that kitesurfing is an adrenaline sport!! Climbing is adrenaline”. When I was standing there on the beach I realized that every sport is adrenaline when you do it in extreme conditions J Kitesurfing in Asylah is adrenaline!!

          So I inflated my brand new 9m RRD, which I haven’t had chance even to try and with a bit of apprehension I looked at everybody else riding 7m or even 6m kites. “I have to try!! I haven’t driven here to be looking”. Wind was gusting between 15 and 28 knots, so according to the manufacturer it should within my kite’s wind range. I launched and was for maybe a minute standing on the beach seriously thinking if I really should try to go for it, because even almost completely depowered I was just unwillingly jumping on toe tips.

          But exactly in the moment I decided to pick up the board gust of no wind came, kite started falling from the sky and just before landing on the ground got hit by another gust so hard that one line snapped. Now kite fell shapelessly into the water. Great start!! But it probably saved me a couple of bruises, because otherwise I would have been shot to the Moon!!

          Sad, happy, disappointed and scared in the same time I spend next two hours fixing the line thinking about how easy is to say “These 15 knots in Dubai is nothing. Let’s go to Oman for 30. That would be the ride!! YEAH”

          When I was about to launch again and give it a second try, a group of riders were leaving to another place 60km further, behind the wind and in flat water lagoon. “Let’s try to save the day” I said and hopped into the friend’s car because in initial excitement I drove too far to deep sand, to be closest to the beach possible, that I got stuck!!

          And I actually managed to save the day. The spot was perfect with perfect wind for my 9m so I was first hour learning how to handle this small quick bastard, because it was completely different from 14m I was riding before. But at the end I had an incredible riding and fun. I learned again a lot and realized where is the real fun hidden. It’s hidden behind adrenaline J

          Next day I tried on the “real” beach again. I was riding back and forth but it wasn’t that much fun, because I didn’t feel experienced and confident enough for such a conditions, so I was focused not falling in the water, not losing the board, avoid waves…I was just surviving!! After about one hour we tried to move to second beach again and because it was not necessary to save any day the wind better didn’t show up at all J

          “Was it worth it to drive 1600km to be riding 4 hours?” I asked myself. “Of course it was J” was the clear answer. I learned how to ride my 9m, that with a bit more skill I can be having fun here all the day, got to know new place, met new people, learned how to fix lines and I am again a bit wiser dude with wider kite horizon!!

          When driving back accompanied by godly sounds of Stratovarius I slowly start making plans how I will get a 6m kite and how I will come back here to practice and who knows…maybe one day I’ll find the REAL fun J