Jean-Emmanuel Depraz
{{short description|French Magic: The Gathering card player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox Magic: The Gathering player
| name = Jean-Emmanuel Depraz
| nickname = JiRock
| image = Jean-Emmanuel Depraz at MagicCon Chicago, headshot.jpg
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| caption = Depraz at MagicCon Chicago in 2024
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1994|6|22|df=y}}
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| residence = Paris
| debut = 2014
| pt_top_8 =
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Jean-Emmanuel Depraz, nicknamed JiRock (born 22 June 1994),{{Cite tweet |number=1142457818881990656 |user=JEDepraz |title=This birthday at #MythicChampionshipIII is starting well with a (fourth) win against Esper. Thanks everyone for the wishes, I'll try to live up to them ! |first=Jean-Emmanuel |last=Depraz |date=22 June 2019 |access-date=5 April 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Depraz |first1=Jean-Emmanuel |title=Jean-Emmanuel Depraz: About, Contact, and Basic Info |url=https://www.facebook.com/jdepraz1/about_contact_and_basic_info |website=Facebook |access-date=7 March 2024}} is a French Magic: The Gathering player, and the 2023 World Champion.
''Magic'' career
Depraz says that he was introduced to Magic: The Gathering in 2005, when a friend shared his cards, and they played for fun.{{cite web |last1=Dragon |first1=Eliott |title=Magic the Gathering : Jean-Emmanuel Depraz, champion du monde 2024, nous parle de sa passion |trans-title=Magic the Gathering: Jean-Emmanuel Depraz, 2024 world champion, tells us about his passion |url=https://fr.ign.com/magic-the-gathering-trading-card-game/67531/feature/magic-the-gathering-jean-emmanuel-depraz-champion-du-monde-2024-nous-parle-de-sa-passion |website=IGN France |access-date=1 March 2024 |language=fr |date=10 November 2023 |archive-date=1 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301233859/https://fr.ign.com/magic-the-gathering-trading-card-game/67531/feature/magic-the-gathering-jean-emmanuel-depraz-champion-du-monde-2024-nous-parle-de-sa-passion |url-status=live }} He began to attend competitive events from 2011 through 2013, and first qualified for the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour in 2014. However he failed to repeat the qualification the following year, and it took another three years until he qualified for the Pro Tour by winning the Warsaw Grand Prix in 2017.
After that, starting in 2018, Depraz had a series of successes, including a Top 8 appearance in Bilbao, and a victory in Barcelona as the captain of the French team which won the final World Magic Cup, with Arnaud Hocquemiller, and Timothée Jammot.{{cite web |title=2018 World Magic Cup {{!}} DEUX FOIS C'EST BIEN |url=https://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/2018WMC |date=16 December 2018|publisher=Wizards of the Coast |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023191722/https://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/2018WMC |archive-date=23 October 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Forsans |first1=Emmanuel |title=La France remporte la Coupe du Monde de Magic : The Gathering |url=https://afjv.com/news/9434_la-france-remporte-la-coupe-du-monde-de-magic-the-gathering.htm |trans-title=France wins the Magic: The Gathering World Cup |access-date=2 March 2024 |work=AFJV |date=18 December 2018 |language=fr |archive-date=2 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302023323/https://afjv.com/news/9434_la-france-remporte-la-coupe-du-monde-de-magic-the-gathering.htm |url-status=live }} At the end of 2018, Depraz was one of the first 32 players, and the only one from France, invited to the Magic Pro League, the esports Player's Tour equivalent.{{cite news |last1=Winkie |first1=Luke |title=Magic Pro League aims to establish MTG: Arena as the premier digital card game |url=https://www.espn.com/esports/story?id=25534030&_slug_=arena-premier-digital-card-game |access-date=2 March 2024 |work=ESPN |date=14 December 2018 |language=en |archive-date=2 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302023322/https://www.espn.com/esports/story?id=25534030&_slug_=arena-premier-digital-card-game |url-status=live }} That year, Depraz says, he abandoned literature, the field he was studying before becoming a professional Magic player.{{cite web |title=Découvrez le parcours de JE Depraz en interview ! |trans-title=Discover the journey of JE Depraz in an interview! |url=https://www.play-in.com/article/207-decouvrez_le_parcours_de_je_depraz_en_interview_ |language=fr |website=Playin by Magic Bazar |access-date=2 March 2024 |date=7 November 2019 |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031145458/https://www.play-in.com/article/207-decouvrez_le_parcours_de_je_depraz_en_interview_ |url-status=live }}
In 2019, Depraz made two more Top 8 finishes, including one where he came in second to Javier Dominguez of Spain, the 2018 World Champion,{{cite web |last1=Styborski |first1=Adam |title=Depraz's World-Changing Day |url=https://magic.gg/news/deprazs-world-changing-day |website=MAGIC: THE GATHERING {{!}} ESPORT |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |access-date=2 March 2024 |language=en |date=30 October 2019 |archive-date=30 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231130200309/https://www.magic.gg/news/deprazs-world-changing-day |url-status=live }} and the finals of the overall 2019 Magic: The Gathering World Championship, finishing in 7th place. In 2020, Depraz took second place at the online Players Tour, though the Championship was not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite web |last1=Hosler |first1=Corbin |title=The Week That Was: Getting AMP'd for Barcelona |url=https://magic.gg/news/the-week-that-was-getting-ampd-for-barcelona |website=MAGIC: THE GATHERING {{!}} ESPORT |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |access-date=2 March 2024 |language=en |date=21 July 2023 |archive-date=2 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302010904/https://magic.gg/news/the-week-that-was-getting-ampd-for-barcelona |url-status=live }} In 2021, Depraz came in second place to Yuta Takahashi of Japan in the 27th World Championship, which was held online in the MTG Arena program. Depraz says he does not regret his near misses at the title from those years, and learned a lot from them; though he would have loved to win, as the World Championship prize included appearing on his own Magic card.{{cite web |last1=Hosler |first1=Corbin |title=The Week That Was: The Finalists Fight |url=https://magic.gg/news/the-week-that-was-the-finalists-fight |website=MAGIC: THE GATHERING {{!}} ESPORT |access-date=2 March 2024 |language=en |date=21 October 2022 |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031143453/https://magic.gg/news/the-week-that-was-the-finalists-fight |url-status=live }}
In September 2023, Depraz won the 29th Magic: The Gathering World Championship in Las Vegas.{{cite web |last1=Forster |first1=Danny |title=Depraz earns first Worlds title with legendary MTG deck at 2023 World Championship |url=https://dotesports.com/mtg/news/depraz-earns-first-worlds-title-with-legendary-mtg-deck-at-2023-world-championship |website=Dot Esports |access-date=2 March 2024 |date=25 September 2023 |archive-date=2 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302005206/https://dotesports.com/mtg/news/depraz-earns-first-worlds-title-with-legendary-mtg-deck-at-2023-world-championship |url-status=live }} The three day event included the 110 best players of the season, five of whom were French, including Depraz and Gabriel Nassif. After two days, only Depraz remained of the Frenchmen among the top eight bracket, which was made of players from seven countries. He defeated American Greg Orange, in a close match where he lost the first two games and needed to win all of the last three to continue.{{cite web |last1=Hosler |first1=Corbin |title=Un Moment de Triomphe |url=https://magic.gg/news/un-moment-de-triomphe |website=MAGIC: THE GATHERING {{!}} ESPORT |publisher=Wizards of the Coast |access-date=2 March 2024 |date=4 October 2023 |language=en |archive-date=29 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229213050/https://magic.gg/news/un-moment-de-triomphe |url-status=live }} He followed with easier matches against Australian Anthony Lee, and Japanese Kazune Kosaka to win the title and prize of {{US$|100,000}}.{{cite web |last1=Goetz |first1=Sébastien |title=Un Français, Jean-Emmanuel Depraz, est champion du monde de cartes Magic |url=https://www.numerama.com/pop-culture/1511046-un-francais-jean-emmanuel-depraz-est-champion-du-monde-de-cartes-magic.html |trans-title=A Frenchman, Jean-Emmanuel Depraz, is champion of the world of Magic cards |website=Numerama |access-date=1 March 2024 |language=fr-FR |date=25 September 2023 |archive-date=25 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240325064639/https://www.numerama.com/pop-culture/1511046-un-francais-jean-emmanuel-depraz-est-champion-du-monde-de-cartes-magic.html |url-status=live }} The title also comes with the privilege of having the winner's likeness on a card, generally released 1–2 years after their victory.{{ cite web | title=World Champion Player Spolight Cards| url=https://mtgazone.com/world-champion-player-spotlight-cards/ |access-date= 26 May 2024| date=26 February 2024 }} Depraz's winning deck included three copies of "Faerie Mastermind", the card made depicting Yuta Takahashi, who defeated him for the World Championship in 2021.
Personal life
Jean-Emmanuel Depraz is the son of philosopher Natalie Depraz.{{cite web |last1=Depraz |first1=Natalie |author1-link=Natalie Depraz |title=Je ne résiste pas au plaisir de partager ... |url=https://www.facebook.com/natdepraz/posts/pfbid02d5u6gfTFYBfmcxn16bBgT2UT5vP15N9a7gjmSk5sA9rPcav3B6yaURMhH5h7cbBSl |website= |publisher=Facebook |access-date=18 March 2024 |language=fr |date=13 October 2019 |quote=Mon fils Jean-Emmanuel, troisième joueur mondial de Magic the Gathering... |archive-date=18 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240318222836/https://www.facebook.com/natdepraz/posts/pfbid02d5u6gfTFYBfmcxn16bBgT2UT5vP15N9a7gjmSk5sA9rPcav3B6yaURMhH5h7cbBSl |url-status=live }} He lives in Paris.{{cite web |last1=Depraz |first1=Jean-Emmanuel |title=J-E Depraz |url=https://twitter.com/JEDepraz |publisher=X |access-date=18 March 2024 |archive-date=29 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229213051/https://twitter.com/JEDepraz |url-status=live }}
References
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Category:French Magic: The Gathering players