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Name: Alexandre "Moto" Darras

Age:  28

Occupation:  Employee in a press agency

Hometown: Brussels

Number of pro tours: 6

Top8’s in GP/PT: none

Pro Points: 19

Alexandre is one of the last "old school" players from Brussels. He made the National team this year by finishing 3rd at this annual event. Always eager to play (and with a drink of beer of course), Alexandre often travels to play the game whether in local events, weekly drafts, FNM or PTQs. He is also one of the most active players in Brussels with a lot of top8 finishes in PTQs. For the anecdote, he is the Outpost Brussels Master 2008.

Hi Alex, When did u start playing the game? End of 1995, 4th edition

Which aspect of the game makes you still playing after all these years? Competitiveness,  the evolving game, I just love this game

Your first tournament memories? This was a tournament in Charleroi during a collection fair in 1996: 2 days tournament: 1 day standard, 1 day vintage. I played both days with only one card difference in my goblin deck: 1 sol ring the vintage day

Your first homebrew deck? This goblin deck (with goblin grenade, bolts and really bad goblins), then a mono black deck I kept 2 years in a row, updating him when I could. The deck looked like this (i surely have a bad memory):

4 hypnotic specter
4 sengir vampire
4 hymn to tourach
4 drain life
4 will-o the wisp (this card is so good – u can block anything)
no necropotence, that’s for sure (this card is way too bad, and too complicated anyway)
4 strip mine
4 lake of the dead

Some other random cards..Something like 20 lands with among them. The mana base was awful (like the deck)

Your best deck ever in a tournament? The extended aluren deck: the deck was really good but we didn’t have the cards for more than one player. So Swap took the deck to a ptq and qualified, then Pavlos qu’ed, then I qu’ed… and it’s only after my victory we discovered (thx to some French dudes) that u could kill with only 1 cavern harpy and one raven familiar even if the opponent had removal for the familiar by stacking the comes into play effects of the cavern harpy and taking it back to your hand and replaying again in response (doing so a few times) and then play your familiar with all the comes-into play on the stack so u could resolve the comes into play effect  of the harpy while it wasn’t there and play it again in response of any removal your opponent could have

Your all-time favourite card? Dunno

Style of play: Aggro/control/combo/agro-control/whatever  Whatever I like and is not too bad

What do you like the most in the game in itself? Just love the game

What do you like the least about the game? I’m not into flavor

Where can we play with you? OPB or at any big Tournament

Player you respect the most in Belgium/Europe/World ?

Belgium –  I dunno – Bernardo has this ability top win games with so bad draft decks, it’s amazing (I mean – he knows Sigil of Distinction isn’t good enough for 1p1p- u have to respect that)

Europe – dunno – good ones (maybe Olivier for being chatty and smiling)

World – dunno – even better ones (japansee…)

Player you are afraid of playing in Belgium/Europe/World? dunno – mind tricks players – I remember I had a bad experience playing against Chris Benafel (known for trashtalking) while he kept trying to, pressure me all games long- (even though I won) I’m not afraid of  people, I know some are better than me, but every game is winnable (I’ve beaten shuhei so I could beat anyone...)

Your worst experience (tournament, event)? Not really bad memories. Once I got a feature match again Manuel Bevand (I think) In a a grand prix (‘cause there was a pt the same week-end so they had to find some feature matches with some random – talking of myself – dudes), I just had changed my sleeves for new ones to avoid any problems, and I presented a 59 cards after sb while I usually always (except that time)count my cards while pile shuffling… One card was left in the box with the old sleeves and I got a game loss…

Which aspect is more important to you while playing Magic? Intuition/hard thinking/preparation? Every aspect is important

Is Magic a big part of your life or just a hobby? It’s a hobby that’s a big part of my life

What do you think of Modo? Did you play it a lot? I don’t even have an account on modo. It’s useful when u live in a country like US where u sometimes have to travel 2 hours just to draft once a week but here in Belgium, u practically can draft anyday and play 1 or 2 tournaments every w-e without having to go too far. And I’d like tu put a quick aside: I’m always amazed how lazy Belgian players are. They never travel: 50 kilometers is the end of the world. Imagine living in Texas: that’s twice the size of France. They have something like 1 or 2 ptq for each pt. Sometimes they have to travel 6 hours just to play the nearest ptq. Here we have 5 ptq/pt and nearby ptq’s in the Netherlands, in France (Lille e.g.) or Germany (Aachen for instance) and people do whine all the time and never bother moving their ass to go to these ptq’s. How lazy Belgians are!

Are you a bad loser? Can you get really angry after a loss/bad play? I usually don’t whine or cry when I lose

How do you prepare yourself for big competitions? Who do you test with? Do you often test? I test then change my deck the day before (like I did at Nats). Seriously, I like to play real tournaments with decks so as to test them ‘irl’ against real players. Usually I test with Brussels guy motivated at the moment

Your favourite format? Why? Draft ‘cause it’s so much fun (when people are QUIET and SILENT ofc)

Your best topdeck? dunno

Your worst “badbeat”? I tilted during the second round of day 2 in gp Strasbourg after I missed a play against rogier maaten then managed to told him I screwed, which helped him know which cards I had in hand, so I screwed twice. I also screwed badly vs JanD in semis of Nats in 2002 where I was way too excited after my win in 1/4

What do you like the most in competitive play? competitiveness

Your best trip abroad? PT-Rome where I was invited by wizards after winning a trip ‘cause I answered I stupid question in the Sideboard Magazine (trip, hotel and cab ticket were paid). I slept in a amazing 4-people room in 4-stars hotel in the center of Rome. We were only 2 in the room so I invited the belgiand qu’ed (Vincent Gieling, Jean-Louis, …) to come there and spent a  great w-e. The Worlds in Sydney were also nice.

Still playing in PTQ's? Sure, even winning one from times to times

Your experience at Worlds for the first time? When was it? Sydney, Australia. I had a decent result (112th) and the country was great

Who is the “new Belgian rising star”? Dunno, the Vieren Bro’s,

What do think of your performance at Nationals? Did you expect to make top8? Were you just lucky? I’m obviously happy. Of Course I expected to make top 8, I mean, you always have to expect to make top 8 (at least u have to expect to win every game you play, no matter your opponent or his deck) or you won’t succeed. Luck’s always involved. I mean, my drafts decks we’re good, but I 3-0’d the second draft where I should have 2-1’nd

What were your results in standard and draft? 3-2-1 in standard losing the last match when I was already a lock in top 8 and 5-1 in draft

Who did you test with? Brussels crew, the last day especially with Vincent Lemoine and Pierre Girodroux

Which deck did you play? Why? Faeries, ‘cause it’s the best deck. I mean, I was about to play Lark, but as Minh deceived us by not showing the week-end before (so we could not go to Aachen ptq), I couldn’t test the deck enough ‘irl’ (see above) and I also feared they would be too many faeries played, so I chose to run it too.

Any good story from the Nats? I lost last match to Marco Baeisi which made me play against him (after a wild night for the closing of La Table, involving 4 bottles of rhum) on Sunday, where my deck was a big favorite

What are your expectations in life? Getting old (not rich, old) or Die tryin!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? In front of a glass of beer

Your favourite meal? Mussels with garlic and cream

Your favourite book? Les racines du Mal

Other interests in life? Hobbies? Sport? Stundent parties (even though I’m not student anymore! I miss the good ol’ times)… I’ll miss my first St-V in ten years next November to compete at worlds

Belgian players are usually lazy (cfr traveling)

Walloon players are usually drunk (cfr Johan Dewez)

Flemish players are usually on fire right now (cfr most of them)

Any nice website or band you like? Soo many bands, from Nirvana to Hatebreed, passing by the Mars Volta. In Belgium we do have some pretty good bands too (Arkangel, Deviate – original line-up with Lorenz, …)

Anything you would like to say about you to finish this article?

Sure:

Play More, Play Better, And U Will See The World!!

Thank you Alex!