Manuel Succari is from Panama but is currently living in Taiwan studying Japanese. He’s played for team Panama in two World Magic Cups and made top 8 of the most recent one. When his schedule and budget allow, he enjoys attending Grand Prixs and has a personal best record of 11-4.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Manuel Succari when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep161
8th Edition
Ravnica
Tarmogoyf
The competitive aspect of the game is very appealing.
Grand Prix Taipei 2016
Grand Prix Tokyo, Manuel flew to Tokyo, prepared a lot and didn't make day 2. He felt like quitting but his support system held him up and encouraged him to not give up.
Top 8 of World Magic cup 2016
Format
"You can do it."
Choosing the wrong deck of the sub-optimal choice. Plan the deck you know the best and feel most comfortable with.
Practice early and practice a lot. Test every Top deck from the Pro Tour and see which resonates with you.
Deck, Dice, Tokens
Play at least a match a day.
Ask a lot of questions and practice.
Have fun playing the game.
CFB, SCG, Twitch.tv(Paul Cheon/Kenji)
Twitter:@manugoyf
Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community.
Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com
Rob Pisano was a finalist at Grand Prix Indianapolis and made top 8 at Grand Prix Denver. He’s a Silver level pro soon to be Gold.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Rob Pisano when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep160
Mirage
Khans of Tarkir
Jace, Vryn's prodigy
Rob loves the challenge of deck building and high-level play.
Learning how to lose. Be social at the table and you'll develop a good relationship with your opponent. This will help take the sting of losing.
David Williams
Second Pro Tour, Rob lost two win and ins to the top 8.
Qualifying for the Pro Tutor for the first time. Rob made top 4 of an RPTQ and was so excited.
Modern
Rob learned how persistent he can be.
Getting discouraged when odds are in your favor. Stay focused and keep your head in the game. Always ask "how can I win this?"
In modern, you need to ask "What's changed since the loss of big event?"
In Standard, you need to test a lot. It's tedious but the results will come.
Play Magic! Go to as many competitive events as possible.
Play Magic often. Leagues help.
Take loss as a challenge. Be friendly with everyone, Magic is the best game. If you're not having fun, make it fun. Innovate and come up with your own ideas.
Twitter:@Rob_Pisano
Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community.
Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com
Eric Severson is a Gold Level Pro and a member of Team East West Bowl who has 4 Grand Prix Top 8s to his name. Eric lives in Davis California.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Eric Severson when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep159
Invasion
M13
Birthing pod
Competition is key to having fun for Eric. The ability to progress is very appealing.
Sideboarding was tough at the beginning. By finding a deck, he would master helped him focus on improving his sideboarding skills.
Playing the same deck and going to competitive events regularly really added to Eric's skill.
Pro Tour Battle for Zendikar (3rd Pro Tour), after a great day one and having a 10-1 record, Eric loses 4 games in a row and then draws and misses top 8 and a Pro Tour invite.
Top 8'ing a Grand Prix to make silver and get the Pro Tour invite after losing it 6 times. Top 4 of a team Grand Prix was also a highlight. Eric made a sweet reanimator play on camera.
Players drop from tournaments. WHY? If you paid and traveled, then play all the rounds. Thinking through this turn and the next yields big advantages.
Limited
Grind booster drafts and sealed events on MTGO. Play pre-release. Have a draft camp weekend.
Have fun playing the games.
Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community.
Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com
Sergiy Sushalskyy started playing Magic in 1999 with the Urza block. He’s been regularly competing in Grand Prixs since 2012 and has 3 Grand Prix Top 8s, 2 Ukraine National Champion's titles and a recent Magic World Cup Top 8 with team Ukraine. Segiy is from Kiev, Ukraine but lives in Edinborough, Scotland.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Sergiy Sushalskyy when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep158
Portal 2nd Age
Zendikar
Counterspell
After a year or two, Magic went from a hobby to a competitive objective. He loves the competitive aspect.
Deck building is the most difficult aspect of Magic. That and dealing with uncertainty. When playing against an unknown, be more cautious.
After Sergiy's first Grand Prix Top 8, he top 8'd another about one month later. He prepared by playing Limited and reading articles.
Grand Prix Barcelona 2016 - Sergiy was playing to get 59 match points. It was the lost GP of the season and if he won his lost match, he would make Silver-level Pro for the season. Sergiy lost and took a break after come back (as always).
Top 8 with team Ukraine in 2016 World Magic Cup.
Sergiy is easily discouraged and gets frustrated. But he learned that everything is possible.
Losing focus part way through the day of a big tournament. The noise of GP's can be very distracted. Get outside and clear your mind. Get fresh air.
Time yourself making decks with a sealed pool.
What is Magic for you? Is it a casual hobby or are you looking to be competitive? Once you know, dedicate the appropriate time to achieve your goals.
Sergiy can be found in the MTG Pro Tutor Facebook group
Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community.
Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com
Petros Tziotis is a Greek Magic: The Gathering player who in his first year of playing won Nationals 2007. This year he came back to win the World Magic Cup with his teammates Bill, Panos and Nikos. Petros lives in Athens, Greece.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Petros Tziotis when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep157
9TH Edition
Innistrad
Bloodbraid Elf
Meeting lots of new friends and having the opportunity to connect with cool people.
Playing new decks was rough for Petros. He learned by watching other players.
When Petros started going to local stores and playing with good players he grew the most.
A PPTQ come to Greece during Scars of Mirrodin. He did 100 sealed events online. At the event, he went 0-2. He left without talking to anyone because he was upset. He learned that you have to accept the losses and understand that it's cyclical.
Winning world Magic Cup 2016 with his teammates.
Standard
Magic has similarities to fencing and Petros learned to love the mind games and bluff.
Players don't realize their mistakes. Too often players don't break down the game after and analyze what they could have done differently.
Play more and take advantage of opportunities that came by.
Find a deck that fits your style and play that a lot.
Regulate drafts. Keeps your Magic mind sharp.
Start slow but dream big. If you want to go big, find those better players.
Petros can be found in the MTG Pro Tutor Facebook group.
Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community.
Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com
Peter Vieren played continually on the Pro Tour from 2010-11, then took (sort of) a break when he started working. He got back to the Pro Tour in 2015. He has two Magic Grand Prix top 8s (Lyon '10, Prague '15), 1 Pro Tour top 16 (Milwaukee '15) and is the captain of the 2016 Belgium World Magic Cup team which took second place. Peter lives in Leuven, Belgium.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Peter Vieren when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep156
Planeshift
Rise of the Eldrazi
Jace, The Mind Sculptor
Dig through Time
Peter played rogue decks "too much". However, he has learned from every deck his built.
Pro Tour Amsterdam; Peter played a Restore Balance deck and missed in day 2 by one match.
World Magic Cup 2016 - being in a great environment with a wonderful team.
Coming back to the game after a break showed Peter that being calm and not being whipped up in the results.
Draft, look for mana sinks in limited.
Peter has the ability to be very focused.
Side boarding is where many players stumble. With experience, you'll know your own deck and format better.
Water, Cards
Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa (past guest)
Balance is big. Don't be extreme in some cases and too soft in others. Questioning every decision you made gets you nowhere but not seeking advice is also flawed.
Twitter:@peter_vieren
Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community.
Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com
Lauri Pispa has been playing Magic competitively for 2 years, which comes after a 10-year break from the game. In that time he played other games competitively and even opened a card shop one year ago named Sensei’s Divining Shop. He’s a member of the 2016 Finnish World Magic Cup team and lives in Tampere, Finland.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Lauri Pispa when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep155
Urza block
Prophecy, Innistrad
Tangle wire
Traveling is a lot of fun. Magic is a good excuse to get out and see the world.
Lauri wasn't good at taking criticism. He thought he knew it all. But as he lost at GP's he learned that he had a lot to learn. Now he embraces learning from others.
Pro Tour Madrid 2016, Lauri needed to win 2 of the last 4 games but didn't win a single one. He went out with the team deconstructed the event.
World Magic Cup Top 8 2016
When Lauri decided he was going to be competitive and when he recognized there is always a better player. He started reading and watching content.
Legacy and draft
Lauri has learned that he enjoys the deep thinking process.
Not being open to criticism. Players sometimes don't listen to others.
BBD- Brian Braun-Duin (Past guest)
Extra cards to build decks, Clothes
Be nice to everybody. Be nice to your opponents and be nice to yourself.
www.senseisdiviningshop.fi, MTGGoldfish, CFB, SCG
Twitter:@Telkku
Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community.
Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com
Ryan Cubit made it to his first Pro Tour (PT Madrid) in early 2016 where he made day 2. He’s been playing on and off since 2000 and has won states and regionals as well as other low-level tournaments. He’s a member of the 2016 Australian World Magic Cup team who loves building new decks and tweaking current ones. Ryan lives in Melbourne, Australia.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Ryan Cubit when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep154
Mercadian Masques
Invasion
Goblin Guide
The good memories of his friends keeps Ryan involved.
Ryan loved 80 card decks. He struggled to cut his deck down to 60 cards. Resource management. Your life total is just a tool.
Soon after winning States, Ryan played an FNM and went 0-3 and then got a bye. He had never lost that badly. Ryan learned magic is a game that you win and lose.
Winning in the States in 2004. Crushing a pre-release in Austria while traveling with a friend.
Ryan started top 8'ing tournaments and other players noticed him.
How far your morals play into everything you do. In competitive events, there is always the ambition to win at any cost. Ryan has realized the importance of his values.
Players get in their own head. They let misplays and losses affect their next match.
Ryan played a lot of Leagues on Magic Online. He has a Restore Balance deck in that he's practiced with a lot.
Be yourself. Play and have fun.
SCG, SCG Premium, CFB, Gatherer
Twitter:@EgyptainCubit
Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community.
Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com
Alex Kessler is the creator of the web show Top Decking, the previous host of Mad Magic, and the creator and host of the Masters of Modern Podcast. He’s a Founding member of the website www.Collected.Company, and is the President and game and toy designer of the KessCo toy and Game company. Alex lives in Santa Monica, California.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Alex Kessler when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep153
5TH Edition
Innistrad
Geist of Saint Traft
The content creation has been a large hook for Alex. He also loves the brewing side of magic as well. The creation is key.
Attack step. Alex is a more passive player and plays a deck that doesn't attack a lot.
Reading a draft and pick article in Zendikar block led to his first win.
Alex assumed he lost a game that he actually won. He didn't count the damage and scooped. His opponent lets him lose.
The first decent finish at an event. The positive response to Top Decking.
Modern
Alex is more competitive than he realized. He's also greatly improved his ability to learn.
The mana management. Tapping the wrong land, Keep your mana organized.
Learning the deck that he should play and sticking to it.
Buy fetch land.
Gideon Jura
Geist of Saint Traft
Always ask for help. Call a judge if you need to.
LSV(Luis Scott-Vargas), Patrick Chapin,Brian Kibler
Twitter:@mmcast
Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community.
Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com