Quick Facts
Biography
Benjamin "Ben" Stark is an American Magic: The Gathering player. His career accomplishments include back to back Pro Tour Top 8s in 2004 and winning Pro Tour Paris in 2011. In 2013, he was voted into the Magic: The Gathering Hall of Fame.
Magic: The Gathering
Beginning his career in 1999, Stark first came to prominence in 2004, making back to back Pro Tour Top 8s at Pro Tour Kobe and Pro Tour San Diego.
Despite his success, Stark chose to take a break from the game, not returning to the game until late 2009. During his hiatus, Stark dedicated time to his longtime girlfriend Michelle Cancio. Upon his return he joined the Channel Fireball team, writing articles in a column called 'Stark Reality' for the website. Since his return, Ben Stark has been considered a Limited expert.
Stark would go on to have great success in the 2011 Pro Tour Season, reaching the finals of Grand Prix Atlanta and winning his first Pro Tour at Pro Tour Paris. These finishes, along with other strong finishes throughout the season, led Ben to be a front-runner in the 2011 Pro Player of Year race. Ultimately, Ben would finish in joint 3rd place in the Player of the Year standings, alongside Martin Juza, with 56 pro points. Commentators argued that Stark hurt his chances of winning the Player of the Year title by failing to attend US Nationals and certain Grand Prix events.
The 2012-13 Pro Tour Season proved to be another very successful season for Stark. Stark made the Top 8 of four Grand Prix events, including a win at Grand Prix Indianapolis, and made his fourth Pro Tour Top 8 at Pro Tour Gatecrash. Stark's performance left him with a season total of 61 Pro Points, placing him 5th in the Player of the Year race. This also earned Stark an invite to the 2013 World Championship, an exclusive sixteen-person event featuring the top Magic players of the past season. Stark would make it into the Top 4 players after the Swiss rounds of the World Championship, being the only player to go undefeated in the two Limited portions of the tournament. Stark would lose to Shahar Shenhar in the semifinals of the World Championship taking 3rd Place overall.
Achievements
Top 8 appearances
| Season | Event type | Location | Format | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | Grand Prix | Kansas City, Missouri | Rochester Draft | 18–19 October 2003 | 3 |
| 2003–04 | Grand Prix | Anaheim | Extended | 13–14 December 2003 | 5 |
| 2003–04 | Pro Tour | Kobe | Block Constructed | 27–29 February 2004 | 7 |
| 2003–04 | Pro Tour | San Diego | Booster Draft | 14–16 May 2004 | 6 |
| 2009 | Grand Prix | Boston | Sealed and Booster Draft | 1–2 August 2009 | 2 |
| 2010 | Grand Prix | Toronto | Sealed and Booster Draft | 23–24 October 2010 | 4 |
| 2011 | Grand Prix | Atlanta | Extended | 22–23 January 2011 | 2 |
| 2011 | Pro Tour | Paris | Standard and Booster Draft | 10–13 February 2011 | 1 |
| 2012–13 | Grand Prix | Atlanta | Legacy | 30 June–1 July 2012 | 5 |
| 2012–13 | Grand Prix | San Jose, Costa Rica | Sealed and Booster Draft | 15–16 September 2012 | 3 |
| 2012–13 | Grand Prix | Indianapolis | Sealed and Booster Draft | 22–23 December 2012 | 1 |
| 2012–13 | Pro Tour | Montreal | Standard and Booster Draft | 15–17 February 2013 | 3 |
| 2012–13 | Grand Prix | Charlotte | Sealed and Booster Draft | 23–24 February 2013 | 7 |
| 2013–14 | Grand Prix | Providence | Team Limited | 8–9 June 2013 | 4 |
| 2013–14 | Grand Prix | Rimini | Sealed and Booster Draft | 27–28 July 2013 | 5 |
| 2013–14 | Worlds | Amsterdam | Special | 31 July–4 August 2013 | 3 |
| 2013–14 | Grand Prix | Detroit | Modern | 14–15 September 2013 | 4 |
| 2013–14 | Grand Prix | Dallas/Fort Worth | Standard | 7–8 December 2013 | 4 |
| 2014–15 | Grand Prix | Baltimore | Sealed and Booster Draft | 13–14 December 2014 | 3 |
| 2014–15 | Grand Prix | Memphis | Standard | 21–22 February 2015 | 2 |
| 2014–15 | Grand Prix | Las Vegas | Sealed and Booster Draft | 30–31 May 2015 | 5 |
| 2015–16 | Grand Prix | Detroit | Team Limited | 15–16 August 2015 | 2 |
| 2015-16 | Grand Prix | Paris | Standard | 19-20 March 2016 | 2 |
| 2015-16 | Grand Prix | Sydney | Limited | 30-31 July 2016 | 3 |
| 2016-17 | Grand Prix | Warsaw | Standard | 29-30 October 2016 | 6 |
Last updated: 4 November 2016
Source: Event Coverage at Wizards.com