Jorge Mantilla is 28 years old and was born in Miami, Florida. He started out by playing Poker and sneaking into casino's throughout high school to make extra money. He’s a well known Spearfisherman through his videos on youtube/Instagram. He started playing Magic after Dragons of Tarkir and fell in love with Limited. He’s been to 2 Grand Prix's - Atlanta, where he won the last 4 rounds in a row to make day 2 and Orlando where he made Top 8. Jorge lives in Miami, Florida.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Jorge Mantilla when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep195
Dragon of Tarkir
Kaladesh
Walking ballista
Side boarding and deck building. Every time Jorge lost in Limited, he would look at his opponent's deck at ask why was each card in that deck.
Losing his first PPTQ win-and-in. Jorge learned the importance of early pressure and keeping good hands.
Top 8 at GP Orlando.
Confidence and being nice to people.
Watch a good drafter and learn why they chose what they did.
"I have the confidence to achieve my goals."
Not keeping track of the board state.
Jorge did a Limited event online every day for about 8 months.
Draft box: Lands, tokens, sleeves, paper, dice
Play frequently. Don't stop. Don't quit.
Jorge 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
Kasper Nielsen is a new face on the Pro Tour as he just made his first Grand Prix Top 8 at Utrecht 2017. Kasper lives in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Kasper Nielson when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep194
Tempest
Theros (least favorite) lol
Snapcaster mage
Qualifying for the Pro Tour. Kasper would make it to the finals/qualifying rounds and lose. He finally broke through at GP Utrecht.
Kasper got a win he didn't deserve because he didn't understand the cards and the judge he asked were confused.
Making top 8 at GP Utrecht 2017. Kasper was so excited to finally making it to the Pro Tour.
Underestimating yourself and your chances, especially against a "known" player. This happens with local "and losses".
A little degree of hubris is good in a player. Say "I'm going to beat this player" or at least "I can beat this player."
At the previous GP, Kasper studied the best decks and talked to others about which deck beat which others and why. He chose a deck and started practicing. He took a deck to a friend's house and played the mirror for 5 hours so he could deeply understand the deck. He attended local events to stay sharp nad then when Utrecht came he studied the meta again, chose a deck and practiced - a lot.
Remember to have fun!
Twitter:@ks_nielsen
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
Amir Radmard lives in Oklahoma City, OK. As a daytime job, he is an IT technician for a small company. In regards to Magic, he is a glorified FNM champion and considers himself the most grindiest of grinders. He has 1 Grand Prix top 8 that happened at GP Houston and has competed in several RPTQs. He’s been to the Pro tour once and is looking for more.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Amir Radmard when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep193
Tempest
Return to Ravnica
Braids, Cabal Minion
Card Evaluation
"You have to win here before you can win out there. " The local champs encouraged Amir to step up his game.
Amir struggles with tilt. He remembers a PTQ where he had a solid sealed deck and one opponent played an unbeatable. Amir tilted so bad he made misplays.
Qualifying for his first Pro Tour.
You have to cut a card to add a card. This applies to life because you have to take something out to add in a new thing.
Limited
Sealed is more "bomby". Review all commons and uncommon in the set. Review combat tricks.
Amir learned how good he can get at something when he really applies himself.
People think they know more than they know. They don't listen or accept advice.
Amir spends his time tweaking a deck to make sure it can take down the top strategies.
Go with friends, have a good breakfast, stay hydrated and sleep.
"Speak little, do much." Monastery Mentor
CFB, SCG (Premium is worth it), Brad Nelson articles, MTG Coverage.com
Amir 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
Aleksa Telarov is a 7 time National Champion and has appeared in 10 Worlds & World Magic Cup events. At the World Magic Cup he’s made top8, top16, and top32. He took 3rd at the 2015 MOCS and has 3 Grand Prix Top 8 including a win at Grand Prix Madrid 2015. Aleksa lives in Serbia.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Aleksa Telarov when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep192
Guildpact
Ravnica block
Tireless Tracker
Aleksa would play all the tournaments he could. No matter the format. He started drafting and didn't win for a year.
GP Vienna - first top 8.
GP Madrid - win.
Not qualifying for the Pro Tour after GP Milan. Aleksa also had a chain of 6-3 results when to make day two he needed 7-2.
Winning GP Madrid.
Standard
Players lack focus. Magic is a demanding game and people don't realize the commitment it takes to do well.
Focus on the important things in life and the rest will fall into place. Be a good person.
Twitter:@AleksaTelarov
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
James Larsen-Scott is a 20-year-old magic player from Tasmania, Australia who has been playing Magic for 8 years. He is constantly trying to learn and improve his game and recently obtained his first Grand Prix top 8 at GP Brisbane 2017.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from James Larsen - Scott when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep191
Alara Reborn
Zendikar / Khans of Tarkir
Jace,The Mind Sculptor
Learning the difference between the Limited formats.
When James got his first draft 3-0 and when he got his first Grand Prix day 2.
James went to a PPTQ and lost 3 win-and-ins because he took a deck he didn't know.
First Grand Prix Top 8.
Knowing your role is an allegory for life. Sometimes you need to push hard and make things happen. Other times, you need to sit back, see what happens and react.
Limited
LSV
He can do it if he puts his mind to it.
Players don't know why they are playing a card. You should know why every card is in your deck.
Bring tokens, pen, and paper. It's huge to have friends there to talk to between rounds.
Losing focusing in a game.
Watch tons of Magic Videos.
Don't be intimidated when playing big name players.
James 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
Ryan Hare is the Champion of Grand Prix Pittsburgh 2017 and is looking towards silver and beyond. He can't resist a good pun, and his favorite colors are Black and Green (usually together).
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Ryan Hare when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep190
7th Edition
7th Edition / Onslaught
Daru Cavalier
Ryan came back when a friend invited him to play cube. He had another friend who always beat him and Ryan wanted to know why.
Ryan had to build his knowledge of Magic and Magic players.
After making top 32 at a GP, Ryan had a chance for silver but after 5 Grand Prix he didn't make it.
Winning Grand Prix Pittsburgh felt great but Ryan really remembers a Modern Premier IQ where he did well because it was his first big event it stands out to him. He made top 8.
How to make good spreadsheet and how to track details.
There's a balance between over confidence and lack of confidence. You're not always right but you also can't count yourself out.
Put all the events you're going to on a list and keep up to date with what's coming up and how can you prepare.
Book flights at least 6 weeks in advance. Find a magic bag of trail mix. Put yourself in the best position to succeed.
Ryan 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
Donald Smith started playing Magic in Theros. He got his first (and only) GP Top 8 in Charlotte 2015 and has chained Pro Tour invites ever since. Now he has a Pro Tour Top 8 under his belt and is a Gold level pro.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Donald Smith when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep189
Theros
Theros / Kaladesh
Chained to the Rocks
"I got hooked on Magic because of the social aspect."
Preparing for tournaments.
The period between PT Atlanta and PT Honolulu, Donald didn't have a good finish at any event. He also learned humility.
Top 4 of Pro Tour Dublin. Also, the 11th win that got him the Pro Tour Dublin invite.
Taking risks pays off. Risk within reason.
Limited
Derek; looked at the game with analytical eyes.
Owen Turtenwald
Donald learned a good work ethic.
People play too scared.
In AER Limited, have your colors set by the end of pack one.
People let color biases affect them too much. Don't buy into hyperbole.
Life pod, dice, pens, playmat, laptop, snacks, granola bars, Clif bars, water, token
Play daily.
Draft every day!
Twitter:@donaldwsjr
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 Bianchi is a Silver-level pro from Buffalo, New York with 1 Grand Prix Top 8 and 1 win (GP Pittsburgh 2015). He is also the team captain of Team Dave & Adam's for the 2016-2017 Pro Tour Team Series, and writes articles for ManaDeprived.com.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Alex Bianchi when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep188
Mirrodin
Ravnica City of Guilds
Nahiri, The Harbinger
The game is challenging and the people are great.
Deck selection. It took a while for Alex to realize he should play the best deck.
Needed 2 points to get the silver; got it, then needed one win to made top 8. He missed it three times in a row.
Winning GP Pittsburgh. When he made Top 8, he qualified for his Pro Tour and went with two friends.
Networking and traveling.
Death Shadow Jund
Kai Burnett taught Alex how to grind.
The social aspect of the game is more important.
Focusing too much on specific formats. You need to be good at many formats.
Alex plays a lot of MTGO competitive leagues.
Getting unintentional draws.
Rest between rounds, drink water.
Twitch.TV, MTGCoverage.com, SCG, MTG Pulse
Twitter:@Gemmanite
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