Cody Napier started playing magic in 2009 and has 1 Grand Prix Top 8 (Louisville) and 1 SCG open top 8 in his record. He’s attending his first Pro Tour later this year which is only 45 minutes away from his house. He loves cube and Legacy but mostly plays Standard. Cody lives in Tennessee.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Cody Napier when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep170
Rise of the Eldrazi
Shards of Alara
Elvish Visionary
Thinking too far ahead. Cody would think about the end of the tournament instead of the current match.
Cody was playing against Brian Braun-Duin for a top 8 slot. He didn't kill a key creature and then had to discard his removal spell.
Playing for top 8 at Grand Prix Louisville, Cody had the foresight to play around a Vendilion Clique. This drew him into Griselbrand for the win.
Legacy
Cody has learned he doesn't do things halfway.
Players look at Magic more as a job than a game. If you take the game so seriously then losses lot harder and you're more likely to tilt.
Brian Braun - Duin, Gerry Thompson, Todd Anderson
Watch Legacy coverage and learn card interactions. Learn how to cast brainstorm. AJ Sacher articles really help.
Focus on having fun, not winning.
CFB, SCG, TCG Player, MTG Top 8, MTG Goldfish
Twitter:@cody_napier
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
Reid Duke has an impressive record of 19 Grand Prix Top Eights with 5 wins and 2 PT Top Eights with 2 additional Top Sixteens. He’s lauded in the Magic community as a boon of positivity and a shining example of kindness. Reid is mentioned by several past guests of the show as a player they look up to. Reid lives in Sugar Loaf New York.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Reid Duke when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep169
4th Edition Ice Age
Shards of Alara / Ice Age
Green sun's zenith
Reid did poorly at his first several Pro Tour. He was used to PTQ level players when the Pro Tour had much higher caliber players.
Placing 2nd at World Championship in 2013.
Reid was up 2 games in the finals and then lost 3 games in a row.
Doing so well at Worlds 2013 and making it to 2nd place. Also, winning the mocs 2011.
LSV
Stick with the same deck.
http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/legacy-guide-part-i-introduction-to-legacy2/
http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/legacy-guide-part-ii-overview-of-legacy/
http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/legacy-guide-part-iii-choosing-your-deck/
Players try to do too much. The more you get into Magic the more time management becomes important.
Reid starts about 3 weeks in advance. Reid will draft as much as possible and play practice games with locals and online
Reid has learned, to be honest with himself and these around him. He has learned to not cut corners.
Time management and deck building.
Quality practice over quantity. Reid doesn't
Stick with Magic through the good and the bad.multiqueue or listen to music.
Twitter:@ReidDuke
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
David Mines has 1 Grand Prix top 8 and 1 Grand Prix win under his belt, has 2 Pro Tour top 16 and is the captain of the 2016 Australian World Magic Cup team. David lives in Brisbane, Australia.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from David Mines when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep168
Invasion
Invasion
Liliana of the veil
David found it hard to be taken seriously because he was so young. Testing with other groups was hard. He's learned to be very open to other ideas.
At David's second PPTQ he and his team went all the way to the finals and split the win. He learned to not intimidated by big games.
After coming back, David won a PPTQ and linked with a team that took Magic very seriously. This approach opened. David's eyes.
At a Grand Prix soon after David's return, he throws away a top 8 because he played around a card that he shouldn't.
Grand Prix Melbourne 2016 (David won!) Top 8 at World Magic Cup 2016.
Modern
David has learned how competitive he can be and has been able to learn to tone it down.
Players try to play around too many things.
Midnight Oil
Final a deck that fits your play style. Learn what the other decks do.
Listening to music helps David's frame of mind.
Be open and receptive to learning. Soak in knowledge and learn from better players.
David can be found in the MTG Pro Tutor Facebook group.
Seth Manfield is the 2015 World Champion and has 11 Grand Prix top 8's including 5 Wins. He also has 2 Pro Tour Top 8's as well as multiple Pro Tour top 16's. He’s a full time Magic player and content producer for TCGplayer.com. Part of the #mtgdad club and a current Platinum Pro. Seth lives in Maryland, USA.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Seth Manfield when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep167
Apocalypse
Ravnica City of Guilds
Vedalken Dismisser
Confidence in his ability to compete.
First Pro Tour Top 8. Fate Reforged.
Loss to Shahar Shenhar to make top 8 of a Grand Prix. Seth thought he blew his chance to make the Pro Tour.
Winning 2015 World Championship.
You can follow what you love and turn it into a career.
Most players look at Magic as a hobby. Seth approaches the game as aa job. He's come to be okay with lifestyle.
Thinking they've won a game before it's over. Think about your opponents outs.
Seth is buying up misplays and his deck building skills.
Look at decks that are doing well and familiarize yourself with the top deck lists.
Know the current meta-game. What are the best decks? Play against the top 3 decks but also be prepared for the surprise builds.
Cards, Deck, Life Pad
Have fun, brew decks. Try things out and be happy with how you view the game.
TCG Player, Wizards of the Coast Website
Twitter:@SethManfield
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
Ben Hull played Magic fairly casually for about four years before qualifying for Pro Tour Kaladesh. He made top 8 at Pro Tour Kaladesh and since then, also picked up his first Grand Prix top 8 in Denver. Ben lives in Vancouver, Canada.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Ben Hull when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep166
Antiquities
Rise of the Eldrazi
Overgrown battlement
When playing control, when do you start a Hacking.
Being horribly sick before his first Pro Tour.
Top 8 at GP Denver. This validated Ben's Pro Tour finish.
Learned how to accept bad outcomes.
Card evaluation skils are sub par. To get better, read what others say. Tap into the knowledge of others.
Play one match at a time. Just focus on the here and now.
Play Magic! Put more effort in Constructed and have fun.
Watching and listening to Magic content.
Slow down sometimes and really evaluate your decisions.
Twitter:@IbbinMTG
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
-Daniel Cathro is a newcomer to the competitive Magic scene as he only started playing competitively with Dragons of Tarkir. He qualified for his first Pro Tour at Eldritch Moon through an RPTQ and just qualified for Pro tour Aether Revolt to make 3 Pro Tours in a row. Daniel lives in Provo, Utah.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Daniel Cathro when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep165
4th Edition
Magic Origins
Goblin Rabblemaster
Constructed specifically sideboarding. Daniel read a ton of sideboard guides to flesh out his knowledge.
Round one of his first Pro Tour, Daniel played against Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa and won!
At his second Pro Tour, Daniel didn't earn a Pro Point and felt really bad - since his first PT he did very well.
2016 has been amazing. Danny feels very validated.
Danny is able to see odds not pan out and not be upset.
Many [layers will over think a situation or give their opponent too much credit. Play your game plan.
Modern
Pick a deck and learn it inside and out.
Play and testing with friends have been invaluable.
Stick to your guns. Learn a deck or strategy and double down on it.
Limited Resources, CFB, SCG, Event coverage
Twitter:@djcathro
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
Jacob Nagro is a competitive Magic player from Albuquerque, NM. His first Pro Tour was PT Kaladesh and he later earned his first GP Top 8 in Denver.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Jacob Nagro when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep164
Betrayers of Kamigawa
Shadowmoor / Eventide
Life from the loam
Simic
The community and interacting with people makes Magic fun for Jacob.
At his 2nd Grand Prix, Jacob finished 12-3.
Grand Prix Los Angeles (May 2016). Jacob started 5-0 and then got a loss that he realized was his fault. He qualified for day 2 but dropped to get more experience in a side event. Later he wished he played day 2 so he could learn more.
Top 8 of Grand Prix Denver.
Know from round to round the game plan of the current top decks.
Some decks which powerful for a reason. Don't be afraid to plan the best deck.
Learning how to not carry over mistake or losses.
Players sequence lands or top lands in a way that gives away information.
Leading up to GP Denver, Jacob played 5 Leagues and learned which decks were going to be good.
Deck, small box of cards, decks for side event, waterbottle
Not getting enough out of matches when playing online. After each match you want to review what happened and which cards were good and carried weight.
Stay focused during games. Reflect after the round, focus during.
Twitter:@JacobNagro
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
Bas Melis is 31 years old and won Dutch Nationals in 2010 with a 15-0 record. He finished 8th place with the Dutch team at Worlds 2010. Played in 6 consecutive Pro Tours and finished 2nd at GP Rotterdam with Brent Vos and Frank Karsten. Bas lives in Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Bas Melis when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep163
Invasion
Alara block
Life from the loam
First match and quarter finals are tough for Bas. By persisting and understanding the numbers, Bas know his time would come.
Regularly going to events with the best players in his area. This game insights, motivation and companionship.
Grand Prix and Pro Tour in Paris, France. Bas had loss after loss in both events. The event was poorly organized and Bas finished lower than he should. He learned to only go to the GP's he wanted.
Winning Dutch Nationals with a 15-0 record.
Standard
Bas hated losing when younger. He would become sour .of things were going to South. Now, he's focused on improving that and is happy that he's a positive player, win or lose.
People loss the game before it ever starts. People psych themselves out when playing a "big name" in Magic Player.
Schedule time and practice, practice, practice. Use leagues on MTGO to get reps.
Control decks are Bas' favorite and if the meta allows it, try a control deck. If not, go ogre.
Start practicing draft a lot more.
Keep having fun. Never lose sight of that.
Bas 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
Ben Weitz is a Gold Pro Magic Player and one of the resident deck builders for East West Bowl. He has 4 Grand Prix Top 8s and is working on improving his game to get his first Pro Tour Top 8.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Ben Weitz when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep162
Ice Age
Time Spiral
Vesuvan Shapeshifter
Sideboarding. Ben would have sideboard powooos with friends and learn how the built sideboard.
Ben terribly at a Grand Prix with a deck that he created. His friend (piloting the same deck) did very well. The dichotomy really stung.
Hitting Gold after his second year on the Pro Tour.
Ben built a deck that Top 8'd in a Grand Prix and he realized "Wow, I'm a good deck builder".
Competitive environments is Ben's preferred way to socialize.
Not sequencing your spells correctly.
Note whether you are building for a known metagame or an unknown metagame. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of the metagame and either take a deck that has a way to address what's going on or build a deck that does the same.
Magic is about having fun. If you burnout, take a break or skip a Grand Prix.
Twitter:@bsweitz123
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