Kai Budde

Kai Budde
NicknameThe German Juggernaut[1]
Born (1979-10-28) 28 October 1979 (age 44)
Cologne, Germany
ResidenceHamburg, Germany[1]
NationalityGerman
Pro Tour debut1997 Pro Tour New York (junior)
1997 Pro Tour Mainz (senior)
Winnings$426,720[2]
Pro Tour wins (Top 8)7 (10)[3]
Grand Prix wins (Top 8)7 (15)[4]
Median Pro Tour Finish44
Lifetime Pro Points565
Planeswalker Level49 (Archmage)

Kai Budde (born 28 October 1979),[1] is a professional Magic: The Gathering player, who holds the record for Pro Tour victories, and for a long time held the records for earnings and lifetime Pro Points.[5][6] His performances earned him the nicknames "The (German) Juggernaut" and "King of the Grand Prix". Kai left the game in late 2004 to focus on his studies, and his appearances in tournaments are less frequent than in earlier years. Budde is widely considered to be one of the all-time greatest Magic: The Gathering players.[7]

He has won five individual Pro Tour titles (no other player has won more than three), and two Team Pro Tour titles (alongside fellow Germans Marco Blume and Dirk Baberowski). Budde also won the 1999 Magic World Championship in Tokyo. His cash winnings in six years of premier Magic: The Gathering tournaments are well over $300,000. He has also been awarded a record four Player of the Year titles: 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2003.[8]

Budde also won the 2001 Magic Invitational tournament in Cape Town. His prize was the rare opportunity to design an actual card; the result was Voidmage Prodigy. In 2007, Kai Budde was inducted into the Pro-Tour Hall of Fame.[9]

  1. ^ a b c Kai Budde 2005 Pro Player card (from the Magic: The Gathering Ravnica expansion)
  2. ^ "Top 200 All-Time Money Leaders". Wizards of the Coast. 15 July 2014. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  3. ^ "Lifetime Pro Tour Top 8s". Wizards of the Coast. 7 August 2014. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  4. ^ "Lifetime Grand Prix Top 8s". Wizards of the Coast. 28 July 2014. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  5. ^ "Top 200 All-Time Money Leaders". Wizards of the Coast. 17 April 2013. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  6. ^ "Lifetime Pro Tour Top 8s". Wizards of the Coast. 19 February 2008. Archived from the original on 14 March 2006. Retrieved 23 March 2008.
  7. ^ David-Marshall, Brian (22 June 2012). "Hall of Fame Calisthenics". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  8. ^ "Comment le Poker peut s'inspirer des autres Jeux populaires". 26 February 2020.
  9. ^ "Magic Pro Tour Hall of Fame Profiles - Kai Budde". Wizards of the Coast. 2007. Archived from the original on 3 December 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2008.