Welcome to the Pro Circuit! I thought that while others among us are busy making sure that the players look good in print, I’d introduce the collection of reprobates who are putting together the coverage. In the absence of TBS and his impressive singing voice (which I was first introduced to in Indianapolis when we wandered down the street singing “God Save the Queen”), I will have to sing the praises of the Metagame staff all on my own.
Toby Wachter
The Chief. El Jefe. The Other TW. Toby is the seldom-seen power behind the Metagame machine. He coordinates everything that is going on with coverage and communicates between us writers and the invisible editing team. Pictures? Toby makes sure they have all those witty captions and that they end up in the right place. Problems? In the unlikely event that something goes awry, Toby is the one who sorts it out. I’m sure he does various other things, too. But ultimately, all you need to remember is that, if there is anything you like about Metagame, Toby is the guy to thank, and if there is anything you don’t, Toby is probably already working on it.
Most likely to be heard saying, “Work harder!”
Craig Gibson
You won’t see Craig in a great many pictures from the Pro Circuit, because typically, it will be him taking them. Craig has a natural gift for being in the right place at the right time. At least I presume that it’s a gift. It seems to me that it would take far more years than Craig has on him to learn to do it as well as he does. His work is everywhere in the coverage, and if a picture says a thousand words, then he is the hardest working writer Metagame has.
Most likely not to be heard, save for a “Click!” at exactly the right moment as he appears and gets the shot.
Ben Kalman
Ben is the only writer on the team to have snuck his way onto a Vs. card, and just to add insult to injury, he’s done it twice. He knows more about comics than I can easily articulate and has been writing about Vs. for about as long as is technically possible. Creative enough to secure a place at UDE writing flavor text and similar, Ben is always there in a pinch, getting the story so you don’t have to.
Most likely to make references to obscure and amazing pop culture, making yours truly feel like an ignoramus. Again.
Olav Rokne
Olav is the other Canadian writer on the team, and much like various superheroes, he makes a living by day as a journalist. On the weekends, it would seem he writes about Vs. System. Just when this gives him time to fight crime and save the world, I’m not sure, but it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he did that, too. A member of the same team as me, Olav is “better prepared for this Pro Circuit than he has ever been for any Vs. event.” As he made the Top 4 of $10K Seattle last year, it’s probably lucky for everyone playing that he’ll be there taking notes rather than competing. Of course, Dean Sohnle is going to be playing, and the two do test together, so the world is not completely safe from the Canadian offensive. (Those last two words don’t get to go next to each other very often . . . enjoy it while you can.)
Most likely to (in the absence of Jason Grabher-Meyer) be the person to suffer my Canadian digs, only to get revenge on me while I’m asleep.
Nate Price
In the big coverage band, Nate will likely be playing jazz trumpet. How this will fit in with Toby’s Bad Religion leanings when it comes to guitar, I’m not sure, but if anyone can pull it off, it will be Nate.
The tallest and most American of the coverage staff, Nate is likely the best Sealed Pack player among us, something that will at some point over the course of the weekend have to be tested properly. His analysis of every Draft format ever notwithstanding, Nate also does a fine line in entertaining anecdotes, often featuring his testing buddy and TCG legend Gabe Walls. Somehow or other, Nate and I need to find a karaoke bar somewhere in Atlanta and show that we have more to offer the world than writing. Even if it goes horribly wrong, we will still have the writing (and a few stories each to show for it).
Most likely to have to show us how it’s all done. I’m not sure what “it” is, but Nate never ceases to surprise me.
Me (Tim Willoughby)
The one with the accent. I have a lot of fun at Pro Circuits when people start conversations with me while not quite sure who I am (due to my cunning stealth hair), and then do a double take when I start to talk and they realize that I’m from foreign parts. I think that with this Pro Circuit, I might go out in the lead for Most Pro Circuit Feature Matches Ever Written. I was once in a feature match at a Pro Circuit. It wasn’t covered, and I lost. Still, at least that time I got to sit in the comfy chairs in the feature match area; I have a lot of experience with the other ones.
Most likely to (in a shameless bit of self-promotion) run a tournament named after himself rather than sleep in on Thursday.
Between this sinister six, you will find that all the content for the whole of your Pro Circuit is produced. But that is far from the end of the story. You see, when we have written whatever it is that we have written, it gets sent across the æther (or Internet, as it is now called) to the editors, who, from their ivory tower, make sure that what we have done is up to scratch. Then, they put all the pieces together better than somebody cracking one of Nate’s puzzles. They are the ones who know how to spell, and I’m sure they will be wailing and gnashing their teeth every time they have to change all those “favours” to “favors” and “colours” to “colors” in my writing. A fine job they do, too. Everything that you see on your screens will have been checked over by them, buffed up where buffing is warranted, and put on display for all to survey. They have to work later than everyone else (editing the last article after we’ve clicked send) and have been rendered virtually invisible by the sheer effort of it all.
If you do ever track down an editor, give him or her a hug. And a caffeinated beverage. They deserve both, and more.