Shaun Penrod is the host of the top rated Magic: The Gathering podcast, MTG Pro Tutor. The Professor runs the #1 MTG related YouTube channel, Tolarian Community College, and is the first repeat guest on MTG Pro Tutor. (Even though technically he's the host of this episode.) ;)
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Visit www.mtgprotutor.com/episode100
Tempest block
Future Sight / Innistrad
Akroma's Memorial
Avacyn, Angel of Hope
Reading an article by Michael J. Flores about casting instants on your own turn.
Standard
Twitter: @ShaunPenrod
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
Michael Majors is a Professional Magic player who lives in Roanoke VA and works at StarCityGames. He has 3 Grand Prix Top 8’s, including a win at GP San Diego in 2015, and has 2 Pro Tour Top 16s. He’s part of the Vintage Super Series duo Merriam and Majors.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Michael Majors when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep99
Mercadian Masques
Time Spiral
Eight-and-a-Half-Tails
Winning is always nice but the friends he's made has kept Michael around.
Identifying what in each game is important.
2015 was a rough year for Michael. He missed Platinum by a few points in 2014 and this affected Michael for most of the next season. Finally, at GP San Diego, he let go of caring and got first place. This reinvigorated him and he's done great since.
When Michael finally made Platinum Pro.
Standard
If you're new to Standard make one deck and stick with it to get it down, making adjustments as you go to meet your meta.
Not using time wisely.
While your opponent is taking their turn, you can be thinking and planning.
Also, map your turn all the through. Don't just make the very next play, think of the full sequence.
Compare new cards to older, similar cards to start determining how good they are.
Play a lot on Magic Online.
Play in person twice a week for several hours each session.
Deck
Pen
Paper
Water
Snacks
If you are loving an aspect of Magic then don't change that. If you want to become more competitive then build one deck and practice.
Twitter: @MichaelJMajors
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
Scott Lipp has 2 Grand Prix top 8's, and came in 16th at Grand Prix Vegas (BIGGEST GP EVER), He made top 4 at the Junior Super Series Worlds in 1999. He’s a father, a store owner, and lives in Kansas City.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Scott Lipp when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep98
Arabian Nights
8th Ed. / Invasion block
Chaos Orb
Loves seeing new players come into his store and fall in love with Magic.
Scott played too quickly. He had to learn patience.
When Scott started playing cards that he enjoyed instead of the cards/decks that were simply "the best".
Having a really bum birthday weekend at GP Atlantic City
Getting back on the Pro Tour train.
Learning how to manage friendships.
Making the most obvious play.
Tapping mana wrong.
Not sequencing lands and cards correctly.
KNOW your deck, know your match up and use this knowledge to manage your plays and play around the right cards.
Go watch Twitch and read articles.
Treat opponents with respect.
Twitter: @Spanky_KC
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
Louis Deltour is a 24 year old, French, Silver Pro, who started playing Magic in Odyssey and got competitive in Future Sight. He’s played in 10 Pro Tours and has 4 Grand Prix top 8's as well as a French Nationals top 8 in his record.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Louis Deltour when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep97
Odyssey
Future Sight
Mistbind Clique
Showing up late, registering the wrong deck, miscounting combat math.
Louis struggled with really basic aspects in the beginning. You don't have to show up at a tournament with the wrong deck to learn like he did. Decide now to prepare ahead of time and show up with the right gear at the right time.
Louis got really angry at a World Magic Cup Qualifier when he got beat by 2 cards.
After he cleared his head he realized that you can't get too emotional.
Grand Prix London 2011
Louis loves being around people.
Playing bad decks.
Too many people resist following the way of Siege Rhino.
If it's the best card or the best deck, you should probably play it.
He also sees a lot of mistakes around mulligans.
If your hand needs more than one thing, you should mulligan.
Deck box
paper
pen
sunglasses
Tylenol
Get friends and borrow cards. :)
Twitter: @LWIDELTOUW
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
Michael Simon is a longtime Grand Prix grinder who went 8-1 in his first Grand Prix. He then played 15 Grand Prix in a single year. Michael has two Grand Prix Top 8s - Modern (Chicago 2012) and Limited (Albuquerque 2016) - but first Qualified for the Pro Tour with a 10th place at Pittsburgh 2015. Micahel always wears an Izzet shirt.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Michael Simon when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep96
Revised
Time Spiral
Words of Wind
Magic is never solved. This keeps Michael coming back for more.
There was a period of 3 years when Michael didn't qualify for the Pro Tour and made him doubt his ability.
Michael kept a one-land hand on a low mull and won. His opponent was very salty. Later, he went to the store owned by his opponent and then man came out and apologized for how he behaved and gave Michael credit for a good game.
Being accepted by his opponent was very validating for Michael.
Modern
If you're new, find a deck with a sideboard that does not require you to know the match up.
Just "playing" your cards without thinking. Think "why do I want to play this card right now?"
Think "why do I want to play this card right now?"
Pad
Pen
Water
Cards
What happened in the past is mostly irrelevant; so is the future. Focus on the now.
Don't tell yourself unrealistic advice.
Twitter: @mechalink
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
Doug Potter has been playing competitive Magic for more than half his life. He’s from Edmonton, Alberta, home of Shaun McLaren and other sick MTG players. After making 9th place on tie breakers at his first GP in 2005 he’s gone on to play in 6 Pro Tours and has 1 Grand Prix T8 at GP Toronto 2016.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Doug Potter when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep95
4th Edition
Judgment
Psychatog
Elitism - thinking he was better than other players.
Doug had to learn how to respect his opponent's and even lost a few friends before this lesson sunk in.
Being there for Alexander Hayne when he won his Pro Tour.
Not enough players analyze the mistakes they made in games they won.
By doing this you don't have the negative emotions associated with a loss.
This helps you decompress wins in a healthy way.
Some players "get it" and others need to "find it" and grind. Where ever you fall in the Magic spectrum you can achieve your goals.
Healthy body, healthy mind. Hydration is important.
Twitter: @DougPkr
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
Ari Lax is a Member of Team Ultra PRO, writes Premium articles for StarCityGames.com, has 8 Grand Prix Top 8s with 1 Win and is the Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir Champion.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Ari Lax when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep94
Ice Age Arctic Fox
M13
Vendilion Clique
Mind's Desire
Magic is a constant puzzle.
Not playing the best deck. If it's the best deck and nothing else is beating it then there is nothing wrong with playing it.
Ari was the "better-than-you" grinder for a while. This led to game losses and frustration that could have been a avoided. He learned that getting upset never helps.
Seeing a close friend qualify for the Pro Tour.
Logicking from the end. Players work backward and look for flawed interactions and then match results to those instances when in reality you could have been making the best play with the info you had at the time.
Deck
Mat
Water
Twitter: @armlx
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
Stephen Murray is a three-time Scottish National Champion, two-time World Magic Cup Top 8'r, has a couple of Pro Tour top 50's, and is a 2HG Draft and other weird format enthusiast. Stephen lives in Scotland.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Stephen Murray when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep93
Invasion / Mercadian Masques
Ravnica: City of Guilds
Armadillo Cloak
Easy to get lost in the game if you just picture what's actually happening. And it has a great competitive scene.
Having his Magic bag stolen.
First time becoming National Champion in 2006.
Not knowing how to sideboard in advance.
Water
Light snack
dice
pens
Play lots of games, even if it's not competitive.
Twitter: @JechtMurray
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
Autumn Burchett broke onto the Magic scene with an 11th place finish at her first ever Pro Tour, Pro Tour Battle For Zendikar. Now a silver level pro player she is looking to follow up this early achievement with more top finishes. Autumn lives in Bristol.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Autumn Burchett when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep92
Return to Ravnica
Shadows Over Innistrad
Pack Rat
It's always changing.
Tilting.
You have to be actively aware of tilting in order to combat it and not let it affect your game-play.
Borrowed an Affinity deck and won a win-a-Goyf event.
What Autumn learned was when to play around cards and when not play around them. It's a fine line but sometimes you need to commit and force your opponent to have the answer and sometimes you need to play around the answer.
Autumn played very well at this event and really feel she leveled up her understanding of playing around cards.
Pro Tour Atlanta.
Autumn neglected basic self-care and it manifested in her results.
She learned that sleep, food, hydration and adequate breaks between rounds are crucial to keeping your mind sharp for a long day of Magic.
Pro Tour Battle For Zendikar.
Autumn made 11th place at her first ever Pro Tour!
Not knowing your role.
Identifying whether you are the beatdown player or not is crucial.
This section is a must listen!
If you are just getting into Magic, watch streams.
That's the cheapest way to improve.
Ozman, Darkest Mage and LSV are all great streamers who explain what they do so you can understand.
Who's the beatdown? by Michael J. Flores
Eight core principles of "Who's the beatdown?" by Michael J. Flores
Twitch
Twitter: @autumnoftheveil
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