Robert Anderson has played on several Pro Tours and is the Champion of Grand Prix Toronto 2017. Robert works at Face to Face Games and lives in Canada.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Robert Anderson when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep230
Revised
Innistrad
Calcite Snapper
The mental game. It's easy to be negative so Robert has focused a lot on keeping a positive attitude.
His first PTQ win.
Making day 2 of a Grand Prix.
Alexander Hayne, Doug Potter
Pro Tour Amsterdam wasn't that great. Robert lost to decks that he had beat in play test. He also 0-3 a draft that he felt good about.
Winning Grand Prix Toronto.
Calculating odds.
Lack of format knowledge in Limited. Not read give opponent right.
For Limited, Robert recommends focusing on the draft and talking with others.
Watch videos and go to FNM.
Don't get discouraged and play Magic Online.
Mana Deprived, First Strike Podcast, Reddit, MTG Top 8
Robert 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
Mani Davoudi has 2 Grand Prix Top 8s (Houston 2013 and the Modern Champion at GP Las Vegas 2017). Mani lives in Vancouver, Canada.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Mani Davoudi when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep229
Lorwyn
Scars of Mirrodin Block
Birthing Pod
When Mani moved to Victoria for the university he had no friends and it was harder to play Magic. He turned to Magic Online.
First PTQ top 8, Mani played all the MTGO PTQs that he could. He remembers doing well but losing in the finals.
Mani was playing at a local event and he was undefeated going into the last round. In the last round, he got a deck check and as he waited he wandered around the store. The judge thought he was trying to get information and disqualified him!
Grand Prix Champion Las Vegas 2017.
Becoming more social and enjoying people.
Players get a situation stuck in their mind and don't refresh the data as often as they should.
Don't lose sight of the big picture by putting so much pressure on yourself.
Twitter:@Zapgaze
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
Chris Ferber is a doctor who is new to the upper tiers of competitive Magic with 1 Grand Prix top 8. Chris lives in Torrance, CA and plays at Fire and Dice.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Chris Ferber when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep228
Odyssey
Rise of the Eldrazi
Green Sun's Zenith
Card evaluation was tough for Chris. Talking with others helped Chris learn faster.
Top 8 at several PTQ's helped Chris realize he was actually a good player.
At a Shadows Over Innistrad Sealed RPTQ Chris went 3-0 right off the bat. He needed to win just one of three rounds to make it. But he couldn't get there. He learned to manage his time better.
Top 4 at Cleveland with teammates.
Some things are out of your control but you still don't blame luck.
Magic gave Chris an analytical brain to look out problems and solve them.
Side boarding decisions in Limited.
Chris joined as many games as possible to understand the format and set.
Chris has an autopilot made that he wants to turn off more often.
Backpack, snacks, water, energy bars, decks, tokens
Put in practice.
Chris 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 Coursey is a Level 2 Judge who has 1 Grand Prix Top 8 and 3 Pro Tour Qualifier Top 8's. Ben lives in New Hampshire.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Ben Coursey when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep227
Revised
Lorwyn
Thoughtseize
When Ben first discovered PTQs it was quite a jump from a casual player that he was a little put-off. Competitive Magic was really rough. Ben learned how to navigate it.
States 2007, Ben tested and came up with winning decks that got him to the top.
Top 8 at Grand Prix Las Vegas 2017 (Modern).
The ability to plan ahead.
Modern
Learn the archetypes.
Rules knowledge.
Players don't pay attention. Call a judge and ask for the Oracle text on foreign cards.
Play as much as you can.
Twitter:@Ben_Cenobi
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
Simon Linabury rounds out the trio that took down Grand Prix Sydney 2017. Simon lives in Canberra, Australia.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Simon Linabury when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep226
7th Edition
Oath of the Gatewatch
Siege Rhino
Figuring out what his opponent had and then what to do with the information. His test group was key in helping him overcome and learn.
Lost in finals of a Pro Tour qualifier. But what stands out is a Game Day when Simon was way ahead and still lost. He learned just because you ahead don't mean you'll win.
Winning Grand Prix Sydney 2017.
Simon has hone analytical skills and applied that else where.
Simon is competitive but loves seeing there close to him doing well.
Side boarding. Not having a good idea of how to side board in certain match ups. Are cards you're putting in better than the cards you're taking out.
Identify the best decks and play the best build.
Deck box, dice, tokens, pen, paper, snacks
Don't be too hard on yourself.
CFB, SCG, MTG Mint Card, TCG Player
Twitter:@Winnerbury
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
Craig Wescoe is the world's foremost expert of everything White in Magic. He’s the Pro Tour Dragon's Maze Champion, has 3 Pro Tour Top 8's + 2 more Top 16s and his Grand Prix record currently stands at 11 top 8s, including 1 win. He’s a weekly columnist for magic.tcgplayer.com. Craig lives in New York.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Craig Wescoe when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep225
Ice Age
Visions
Swords to Plowshares
Transportation as a young player was tough. Balancing life and Magic was an early struggle and as Craig got better, he could do more Magic.
Winning the first tournament with his own deck. Also, going to his early Pro Tours and seeing the caliber of players from Magic hubs like New York, Los Angeles, and Boston.
Pro Tour Amsterdam, Paul Rietzl won with a white-based deck-very Craig Wescoe. Craig could have switched, but didn't.
Craig learned he regrets not playing white when he can.
Winning Pro Tour Dragon's Maze.
Magic is a microcosm of life.
People aren't honest with themselves when they make a mistake. They also don't think about mulligans and side boards in advance.
Look at decks and their weaknesses, how can you attack it?
Even though winning is important, always have fun.
Twitter:@Brimaz4Life
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 Wong is a San Francisco Bay Area grinder with a top 8 in the Modern portion of Grand Prix Las Vegas 2017. He's an up-and-comer who will be playing in his first Pro Tour in November 2017 at Pro Tour Albuquerque. Daniel lives in Berkeley, CA.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Daniel Wong when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep224
M13 on Magic Duels
Khans of Tarkir
Howling mine
Side boarding. Daniel doesn't write a side boarding guide ahead of time. He thinks about what his opponent will do and then sides against that.
Punting on important games. Play a little slower, think a little more.
Top 8 GP Vegas 2017.
Expected Value (EV). If I make this decision, how likely am I to get the desired outcome.
Play more games. Got to know what they do and how they work.
Controlling emotions. Not allowing yourself to treat others poorly because you feel poorly.
Not spending enough time thinking about your turns.
Always consider how to make your deck better, take snacks and water.
Keep learning at every game.
Daniel 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
Karl Eyre is a 23 years old freight and logistics manager at a small POS company. He’s a casual, online gamer who started playing Magic in 2008. He started to play at Meta Games in 2009 which was known for having high-level players. Draft and Australian Highlander are his formats of choice. In 2014 he played his first Grand Prix and since then he’s played in 8 GP's with 3rd at Sydney 2017, 9th at Sydney 2014 and a near miss at Melbourne 2016. Karl lives in Melbourne, Australia.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Karl Eyre when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep223
Lorwyn
None
Rith's Charm
Believing you can do it was a struggle for Karl. He didn't have a large collection but little by little he increased his confidence.
First, win at a Highlander tournament. First Grand Prix, Karl mode day.
When Karl was 17, he didn't understand how intentional draws worked and got disqualified for prize splitting.
3rd Place at Grand Prix Sydney.
Critical assessment. Every time you play you should write down all your mistakes.
Karl learns by doing.
Players don't make the initiative and see their potential on board.
Players need to learn when they are the aggressor.
Playing other games helps Karl understand.
Deck box, sleeves, clothes
Don't stay up all night, network between rounds.
Look through old cards. There are gems hidden everywhere.
Network. Find the best players and talk with them.
Karl 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
Ivan Schroder is an Australian grinder and member of Team EXP who just made his first Grand Prix top 8 by taking down GP Sydney 2017 with his team. Ivan lives in Canberra, Australia.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Ivan Schroder when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep222
Legions
Champions of Kamigawa
Meloku the Clouded Mirror
Ivan is a brewer and he would try to make cards work, even if they weren't competitive.
2nd place at New Zealand Nationals.
Winning a PTQ and going to Pro Tour Dark Ascension.
In Worlds, Ivan is up a game... but still loses because he had every high variance cards.
Another time, Ivan is at a Grand Prix playing a game to get into day 2. He was looking too far ahead and made the only line of play that gave his opponent the way out to win.
Getting back to the Pro Tour through winning GP Sydney. Ivan is also really proud of an epic win he pulled off in Pro Tour Dark Ascension.
Magic and life are not all about you. Both players need to have fun.
Developing an adaptable, longer plan.
Tilting. Players who can't handle their emotions when things don't go their way is a problem Ivan sees. Stop sharing bad beat stories. That's not where your focus should be.
Magic Online has become one of Ivan's best tools. There's too big of a skill range at the shop, so Ivan plays online to get the high-level practice he needs.
We can't get better in isolation. Cultivate your community.
Ivan 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