Alejandro is starting to make a name for himself in the Magic community of South America by making it to the Top 4 of one Grand Prix.
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Mercadian Masques
Invasion
Oath of Druids
Learning the phases of each turn. Magic Online has helped Alejandro get a good understanding of each turn and when he can do what.
Top 4 of Grand Prix Porto Alegre
Modern
Focus on one deck. Learn it in side and out and then learn what the other decks are trying to do so you know how they work and how to beat them.
Sequencing fetch lands and shock lands incorrectly against a burn deck. Too many players don't understand that every point of damage matters and they are careless when shocking themselves. Burn will punish you for that.
Practice on Magic Online, be part of several groups and borrow cards you don't have.
Deck
Pen
Start playing with friends and if you like Magic you can move up to a new group if your friends only want to play for fun.
Facebook: Alejandro Cesa
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Marcos Paulo de Jesus Freitas is a Brazilian player with 2 Grand Prix Top 8s; one in Buenos Aires 2015 as a Finalist and the other in Porto Alegre 2015 as the Champion.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Marcos Paulo when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep55
Onslaught
Onslaught (Constructed)
Innistrad (Limited)
Jareth, Leonine Titan
The art is amazing, the card design is well done, the story is so great.
Marcos also loves how he's met great people and made amazing friends through travel. He also loves traveling because he didn't do much before.
Marcos didn't know how to mulligan at all. In fact, at his first Grand Prix, he was in a feature match and realized that he had to apply aggressive pressure on his opponent to win. However, he still kept the hand and then lost miserably. He learned from this and made learning how to mulligan better a priority.
Marcos LOVES Conspiracy draft.
At his first Pro Tour, Marcos recognized he knew nothing about the format. So he attached himself to a player who was much better and soaked every lesson up like a sponge.
Marcos has a lot of cool growth stories from his first Pro Tour. He was able to beat one of the best Limited and one of the best Constructed players in the world at the time.
Winning Grand Prix Porto Alegre!
Standard - It's not that big and you can prepare for it.
Not taking into account the things you did wrong in a match. Marcos hears people complain about being mana flooded or mana screwed when in reality they could identify turns where they messed up.
By play testing with a team Marcos hones his evaluation skills.
Reading articles and relying on his team is Marcos' go-to method.
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Chris VanMeter (CVM) provides content for Star City Games in the form of articles and videos and also Streams. Chris has had great success on the Star City Games Open Series with 14 Open Top 8's and an Invitational Finals. Having played Magic for almost 20 years, CVM enjoys his role in helping the game grow by bringing content to everyone. Chris VanMeter lives in Seattle WA.
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Tempest
Innistrad
Tradewind Rider
During the Zendikar Standard period Chris grew a lot. He put up some great results and got on the map as a high level player.
Top 8 of Star City Games Season Two Open Invitational.
Legacy (favorite)
Identify what decks you will see at the next Standard event by reviewing the top decks from the last tournament. All the decks will have a slight edge over the others that you can pick any of those big decks and do well. With practice and solid side boarding you can do very well.
Mulligans!
Most players are afraid to mulligan. With the new mulligan rule the mental barrier against tossing a hand should be much lower.
Especially in games 2 and 3, after you've seen your opponent's deck, mulliganing to a better hand is a tactic that many can improve on.
Are there cards that fit in an existing archetype or "build around me" cards? A good example of a "build around me" card is [card]Bring to Light[/card]. It did not fit in any existing decks but obviously has some power so it's a "build around me".
Play a bunch of games with the deck you are going to take. Pay special attention to the side board.
Deck
Playmat
Pad
Pen
Water
Snacks
Consume as much Magic content as you can. (Streams, articles, podcasts.)
Ask questions. Don't think that the big names are unapproachable. Reach out to them on social media and ask questions.
Twitter: @Chris_VanMeter
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Patrick Dickmann is a 25 year old student at Cologne University in Germany studying Economics. His Magic record includes being the Champion of Grand Prix Antwerp in 2013 and making the Top 4 of Pro Tour Valencia in 2014. He is heralded as the best Modern Splinter Twin player in the world.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Patrick Dickmann when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep53
Stronghold
Innistrad (story)
New Mirrodin block because of his drafting success.
Dark Confidant
Snapcaster Mage
Human Wizards and cards with options.
Off and on, Patrick has enjoyed attacking the competitive scene.
Dealing with loses.
Loses used to upset Patrick a lot. To combat this he became more analytical and would review his matches to see what he could have done better.
Winning GP Antwerp
Modern - It gives you the most options without being too powerful.
Being star struck.
Players sometimes let the fact that they are playing a "big name" get in their head.
Also, people tilt and give up early. Stay focused and stay in the game. You can sometimes come back if you don't give up before the game is over. (See GP Richmond Round 9 specifically Game 2.)
Sealed: People tend to over value the rares that were hyped up during the spoiler. Don't feel like you have to play your spoiler rare if the rest of that color stinks.
Look at deck lists that did well at the last big event. Get some testing in but most importantly test your side board
Water
Deck box
Platinum Promos
Money
You don't have to play exclusively on MTGO. Test out Cockatrice to cheaply test and play Magic.
Twitter: @0fe1ia
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Will Erker started playing magic when New Phyrexia came out after a few friends taught him how to draft and play. His first Pro Tour was Pro Tour Origins and then he made it to the Top 16 at Pro Tour Battle for Zendikar playing Abzan Midrange. Will lives in St. Louis Missouri.
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New Phyrexia
Innistrad
M14
Read the Bones
Sign In Blood
Resource management / grindy cards.
Also...
Brago King Eternal
The variance.
While it can be stressful, variance is what makes the game great. We aren't playing chess.
Building Constructed decks, specifically aggressive decks.
Reading articles and watching coverage and deck techs has helped Will improve his deck building skills.
Top 16 at Pro Tour Battle for Zendikar
Standard
Identify the style of deck you like (control, aggro, mid-range, etc...) borrow or proxy that deck and practice with. If you really do like it then roll with it.
Not being realistic when you lose. People need to pay attention to the mistakes they make and learn from them.
People blame mana flood, mana screw or variance instead of identifying what was in their control to change.
Draft: Look at your cards between packs, put your creatures in front and sorted by mana cost so you know where your holes are.
Will uses Magic Online to grind out reps and then plays with friends to round out the experience.
Water
Trail Mix
Deck
There are several sites that post "budget" decks that players can build for cheap.
Yeti Gaming is Will Erker's local store
Twitter: @WillErker
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Scott Kirkwood broke on to the upper levels of competitive Magic by making the Top 4 at Grad Prix Indianapolis in 2015 with RG Landfall. He lives in Illinois.
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Return to Ravnica
Khans of Tarkir
Gifts Ungiven
Jeskai Ascendancy
Playing casually and having fun doing silly stuff.
Scott's EDH deck is Zedruu the Greathearted, which is one of those goof off and have fun commanders.
He also enjoys competitive constructed formats. Scott loves that there are so many options and you can do whatever you want in Magic.
Scott really likes when two people are trying their best to improve and face off.
Taking the time to think if he should do something as supposed to just doing it because he could.
He learned to slow down and assess the situation every time.
Making it to the Pro Tour has really validated Scott's efforts and shown him that he has grown and has what it takes.
Brad Nelson's article on how to approach Magic really helped Scott improve.
Making Top 4 at Grand Prix Indianapolis. (It's still sinking in how big of a deal this is.)
Modern
Vintage (Favorite)
Scott likes to play the decks that people say "I can beat anything except that deck". So he'll roll in to a Modern or Standard event with a red deck because so many decks have bad match up against red.
Approach the game as just a game. Don't over stress it and psyche yourself out.
Assess every situation. Don't make snap decisions without thinking through various lines. "What's the Play?" articles are great practice for this.
Scott admits that he is not the best at evaluating cards. It's fun to speculate but when it comes down to it he relies on the opinions of others via set reviews.
Pre release: Scott approaches a pre release with the intent to have fun. Try new cards and weird combos just to see how it works. Have fun! Pre releases are great places to play just for FUN!
Play a real deck.
A lot of people love to brew (Scott is the same way) but if you are trying to win, play a proven deck.
Jam games with friends so you know the interactions and lines of play.
Pen
Pad
Playmat
Deck
Dice
Extra cards
Proxy cards before you invest in a deck.
Facebook: Scott Kirkwood
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Ashraf Abou Omar is 26 years old and is lives in Kiel, Germany. He started playing competitive Magic at Grand Prix Strasbourg in 2007. Once he qualified for Pro Tour Kuala Lumpur in 2008, he started traveling a lot in Germany and UK to compete in PTQ. He has one GP Top 8 in Madrid 2015.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Ashraf Omar when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep50
Portal
Return to Ravnica
Martyr of Sands
The community. Traveling, playing and partying with friends.
Understanding the rules is a great way to improve. If you understand the rules better you can win more games.
Magic Online really helps you understand the phases and when you can respond and when you have to announce triggers. Understanding this will level up your skill.
By spending a lot of time playing Ash has noticed a big improvement. There is no substitute for practice.
Qualifying for his first Pro Tour is Ash's proudest moment.
Limited
Watch streams and draft with others to get better.
Ash drafts every Friday at his flat after Friday Night Magic.
They always analyze their picks and think critically about the draft to help them improve.
Ash likes to take under the radar decks to Standard tournaments so he brews with friends to try and beat the big decks. Then he play tests on Magic Online.
Not managing their life total and not understanding combat math. You can win on 1 life.
Don't draw any conclusion until the entire set is released.
Draft: Identify a strategy early on and stick to it. Ash even forces colors a bit as he tries to construct a 3-0 deck.
Magic Online is a great way to prepare for big events. However, it's much better to play in real life so you can talk about mulligans and card decisions
GP Deck Box
Sleeves
Pen
Paper
Watching others play and interacting with them is a great way to improve on the cheap. There are many great streams to learn from.
Twitter: @Ashraf_HH
If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.
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Mark Litvak has just broken into the upper Magic scene by making his first Grand Prix Top 8 at GP Lyon October 2015. He is constantly seeking to improve himself and is looking forward to his first Pro Tour. He lives among the beautiful hills of Austria.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Mark Litvak when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep49
Onslaught
Dragons of Tarkir
Meddling Mage
Giving up too soon. Mark learned to stay mentally in the game and play to his outs.
Don't give up the fight.
Top 8 of GP Lyon 2015.
Limited
Modern (Splinter Twin)
Look at popular decks and look at the mirror matches and choose a deck that is well positioned against them.
Observe matches using the deck you are considering and monitor how it plays out. This will help you decide if it's the deck you want to play.
People underestimate the combat. It is very complicated if you want to do it well.
Many people sit back to see "what happens" in combat. You need to put the brain power behind combat and figure it out ahead of time.
Expect your opponent to play well and don't be worried about showing them something you don't think they've seen.
Mark doesn't like how the spoiler is released but understands it from a marketing perspective.
Sealed: Separate each color into three piles; cards you want to play, cards you don't want to play, and on the fence cards. Next sort each pile by converted mana cost. Determine your colors by identifying which colors have a clear plan to success.
Draft: Learn something from every game. Make it count by writing down results, talking to opponents, whatever you need to do to get that extra information you need to improve.
"Don't tilt and always strive for better." ~Mark Litvak
Follow players you respect and read their articles. (Players usually post when they have an article go live.)
Twitter: @LorwyMtG
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Fabrizio Anteri has 7 Grand Prix Top 8s with 3 Wins!! He is one of 31 players in the history of Magic: The Gathering to have 3 Grand Prix wins. Fabrizio lives in London and has been the captain of the English Magic Team for two years in a row.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Fabrizio Anteri when he shared his story on MTG Pro Tutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep48
Odyssey
Eight-and-a-Half-Tails
Fabrizio loves that Magic is so complicated and that you never get good enough before it changes.
Tuning a deck for the meta is not Fabrizio's strong suit but playing 10-20 games against a certain match up sheds light on how to tweak.
Fabrizio is really proud of his solid run in the 2015 season that gives him a chance to go to the Magic World Championship.
His run includes a Grand Prix win, a Pro Tour top 16 and a Grand Prix second place... all within three weekends.
Limited
Play a lessor known, under the radar deck.
When you're winning think "How could I possibly lose this game?" and hedge against it.
Think the flipside when you're losing.
Always consider your plays and be mindful of your outs and your opponent's outs.
Fabrizio waits for the whole set to be released before evaluating new cards.
Sealed: Lay out the cards so you can see them all. Separate them into "bomb", "playable" and "unplayable" piles. Then look for synergies within your pool.
Draft: A good memory is an advantage when drafting.
Make sure you consider mana curve, removal and creature count. This will lead to better picks for you even if the card isn't the most powerful in the pack.
Be willing to invest time and money if you are serious about Magic.
However, to start out, build a deck and play with friends and start playing so you can understand the basics.
Star City Games Premium articles
Twitter: @Anteri_F
If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.
Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.
I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.