R.I.P. Kai Budde
Wizards of the Coast of announced the recent passing of Kai Budde, Magic Pro Tour Hall of Famer and perhaps the greatest competitive Magic players of all-time.
Budde, better known to Magic fans as “The German Juggernaut,” is a legend within the Magic community. Over the course of his career as a professional Magic player, he racked up 5 Pro Tour titles, 2 Team Pro Tour titles, 7 Grand Prix titles, several Top 8 appearances at various tournaments, a Team Masters series title, a Team World Championship, and Magic World Championship win in 1999. Budde also has the distinction of achieving top finishes in four different decades of Magic competitive play.
He was awarded the Magic Player of the Year trophy four times throughout his career; the trophy was eventually renamed after him in 2024 (The Kai Budde Player of the Year Trophy). His likeness was immortalized in the game itself on the Voidmage Prodigy card from Onslaught (see ” New Magic Expansion“).
“The world has lost a juggernaut,” said Senior Director of Global Play Programs at WotC and former Pro Tour Champion William Jensen. “Kai Budde embodied what it meant to be the greatest of all time. By far the winningest Pro Tour champion in Magic history, Kai was not only a champion on the battlefield but a champion as a teammate, a champion as a person, and a champion as a friend. Magic and the Pro Tour are better for having had Kai be a part of them, and all of us will miss him greatly. Rest in peace, Kai.”
Budde passed away after a battle with terminal cancer (cancer diagnosis was publicly announced in 2024). ICv2 offers its sincere condolences to Kai Budde’s family and friends.
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