Revisiting An Instant Classic: Nassif vs Chapin

In 2007, two incredible Magic players played a mirror match at the Magic: The Gathering World Championship. But what happens throughout the course of the series is so incredible and so unlikely that it has to be seen to be believed.

Patrick Chapin and Gabriel Nassif are vying for a shot at becoming World Champion and both of them have had a hand in reviving an archetype that everyone thought was lost to rotation, the fire-breathing, combo menace Dragonstorm.

Having successfully burnt out most of their opponents they now face each other in the semifinals where only one can move on to represent the deck that they broke the format with.

Between the old mulligan rules punishing Nassif even more than usual, a former Standard card that's now on the Magic the Gathering banned list and a whole lot of rolling dice to Ignite Memories this game sees both players wading through the Storm and trying to make it out the otherside.

And it's nothing if not endlessly entertaining and more than a little lucky in places.

Enjoy a trip down Magic memory lane as we explore one of the greatest series to ever grace the Pro Tour.
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Credits:

- This video features the songs 'Title' and 'The Void' from the game 'Orb of Creation', used with permission. Thanks Marple for being awesome.

- Footage used is presumably owned by the WOTC and the PlayMTG channels. Everything was used with the intention of sharing the great stories of competitive Magic and credit was attributed as best I could.

[charlessears]

If Chris Sutton and I don't play this deck at GP Daytona Beach, This moment would never have happened. We made this deck after States and gave it to Thomas Drake and Michael Bennett on the Nats team. It's awesome to see that we have a small part of one of the most memorable moments on the Pro Tour.

[Nr]

What I love most about this entire sequence is how much fun Nassif and Chapin clearly had during that match-up and especially that situation. They were teammates, both playing the same deck - and the way they handled the situation was just perfect. I miss those more goofy interactions in tournaments nowadays.

[LucianDevine]

And this isn't even the only crazy lucky sequence Nassif has had in a top 8! Nassif's called shot is equally insane!

[jesseA]

It’s channels like this that keep me so invested in this game

[josephrossow]

I first saw your video on the sliver kids - which was really great. And then this one is really good too. I'm not into competitive MTG (I know OF the game but don't play), and these videos did a good job of setting the stage, explaining the foundation of the strategies, and telling an interesting story. I hope to see more of these, they're really cool!

[HungryOnPlane]

BONUS LORE:

Didn't have time to put this in anywhere but this match and deck were so influential that P Chapin and his musical collaborator Spruke wrote a song about it for their Magic-themed hip hop duo 'The Gatherin'

You can see the music video here, ngl it still goes pretty hard:

[themissocki]

I've seen commentary on this game before, especially this moment, but this is the best. Your notes and explanation are thoughtful and really add to the moment. I love the background of going into the match and actually seeing what happened during the game. Thank you.

[RetroPokemonTCG]

Love these retro MtG videos! I specialize in the history of competitive Pokemon, so it's really cool to learn about this game's competitive history as well!

[Doofindork]

This is one of my favorite games of magic ever played. Every time I see mentions about it, it makes me grin ear to ear.

[adambirch]

Chapin's a great guy, at least in my experience. I met him at a GP years back. I was playing my own variation of one of his decks in a win-a-box side event (I washed out of sealed 0-3). I won the event and he had stopped to watch the last match over my shoulder. Chatted with me for a while about the variation which he was considering running. One of my favorite mtg moments.

[TheNickelGhost]

Same flair and charm as any of the best sports channels on Youtube, I barely know a thing about Magic but still enjoyed every minute. Subbed and looking forward to binging your channel 😂

[Salivorin]

I was thinking "Man, this guy sounds *just* like Pastrytime" and I was right! Miss your casting, but hope you're doing great!

[Mageius]

I remember watching this live on YouTube. Yes, it shows my age, but it was an amazing thing to see.

[ZRoFun]

Love this. The narration and story telling is wonderful!

[Slick_Tails]

Instances like these are why I think luck in card games is still so important to the experience. Yes, bad luck can be annoying at times and is cause for much salt, but you need that luck to have some of the hypest moments, the "what were the chances of that?" climaxes and insane plays where all the right cards get drawn at just the right time.

This is why it confuses me when some people get angry and accusatory when their opponent has a lucky break, with the "you didn't deserve to win" attitude. A game where you shuffle your deck involves luck? Who'd have thought it? Go play chess if that bothers you.

[strawhataddison]

That Ignite Memories x5 🤯🤯🤯 Talk about suspense!

[RaptieFeathers]

Thank you so much for getting so in-depth on this legendary moment. <3

[florianinhoffen]

Brother you deserve so much more subscribers.

[Dreadocto]

Great content. Thank you for making these videos. ❤

[Luis-tofx]

I normally don't comment, but I have to open one exception. Your channel is incredible. Genius stuff