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MTG Pro Tutor - Insights, Tips & Advice from Magic: The Gathering Pros

MTG Pro Tutor is a top rated Magic: The Gathering podcast and here's why: professional Magic players and community notables share their origin stories twice a week (Tue & Fri) and impart actionable tips you can use the next time you sit down to play. Learn from the wealth of experience they've built through hours of practice and playing against hundreds of opponents and start seeing improvements in your own skill right away. Don't you hate feeling like you play and play and don’t improve? Surrounding yourself with better players is the best way to level up and the MTG Pro Tutor podcast is your way of doing that. Subscribe if you want to take your Magic: The Gathering skills to the next level while hearing cool stories and getting actionable advice from the biggest names in the Multiverse.
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Now displaying: Page 6
Feb 12, 2016

Parker Willard recently made day two and cashed Grand Prix Pittsburgh playing Merfolk. He’s an average Joe grinder hoping to work his way to the Pro Tour. Parker lives in Michigan.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Parker Willard when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep69

First Set

Return to Ravnica Return to Ravnica

Favorite Set

Return to Ravnica Return to Ravnica

Favorite Card

Snapcaster Mage

Local Magic Scene: Michigan

While there isn't an abundance of competitive players directly where Parker lives, a short drive to Detroit offers a healthy Magic atmosphere.

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

After a series of concussions from wrestling in high school, and a car accident, Parker found that Magic easily filled the competitive gap in his life left by the sport.

Not only that, but Magic aided tremendously in his recovery process. The mental workout of playing kept his brain engaged and got him back up to speed in school.

Parker attributes this success to the multitude of mental tasks Magic makes a player take on all at once. Doing combat math, trying to figure out what's in his opponent's hand, remembering what cards are in their deck, and evaluating the board state are all aspects that helped in his recovery.

Tips for Combat Math

Parker finds it important to double check your calculations. Did you misread your opponent’s creature? Did you check to see if your opponent has lands open? Sometimes he will simply do the math itself over again to make sure he did it correctly the first time.

Early Challenge

Card evaluation was a skill that impeded Parker when he first started. He didn’t know what any cards did, so he was easily blown out by simple combat tricks and removal spells.

Understanding what made one creature good in comparison to another was something he learned to do by playing Limited. This helped him understand not only what cards did in gameplay, but which ones were good relative to others.

Level Up Moment

Parker’s greatest period of growth came by taking a break from Magic. He found himself grinding in the game, playing every opportunity he could, thinking that’s what he needed to do to get better.

During his break he realized that he had been getting a lot of practice, but not competitive practice. When he came back to the game after 3 months he started playing Magic Online and attending one competitive Magic event a week. He found that attending the one competitive event helped him more than an entire week of casual magic.

Proudest Magic Moment

Making Day 2 at Grand Prix Pittsburgh stands out to Parker as it was a hard won victory.

He had to overcome an opponent that played mental games with him over several rounds to try and put Parker on tilt going into his final round. Parker managed to work through the frustration and use his opponent's slow roll tactic against him during his last round, which let him push through to Day 2.

Heaviest Magic Moment

Parker can't single out a single moment, but points to a streak of losses which lead to him taking a 3 month break. After two months of getting crushed at every event he attended he finally decided he needed to take a break, something he had to do with Poker as well.

How to Get Feedback from Magic Online

Parker admits that it can be hard to get feedback from online matches. One way he was able to get valuable feedback was by streaming on Twitch. People in the stream's chat always called out his missteps and whether or not he was making a good play.

Best Format

Modern

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Not remembering information that's given is a common error Parker finds players making. He will write down cards if his opponent has to show their hand, this way he doesn't have to exert mental energy remembering or risk the chance of forgetting. If his opponent takes a long pause or gives pause at a card Parker plays he will make note of that as well.

Knowing When to Switch Decks

Parker finds that if a deck isn't performing as it should he has to analyze the pillars of the format he's playing in. By looking at the main decks used in the format he can start to see if his deck is being exposed by any of them.

Listening to podcasts and reading articles often hints at what decks make for bad matchups in any given format as well.

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

Grand Prix Pittsburgh: Parker played between 1-2 tournaments a day on Magic Online leading up to the Grand Prix. He also made sure to attend a competitive Modern event every Saturday for several weeks before the tournament, familiarizing himself with the deck he would use at the Grand Prix.

What's in Your Tournament Bag

Main tournament deck

A deck for side events

Playmat

Binder if you like to trade

Snacks

Final Wisdom

Parker believes the key to improving in Magic is getting better practice. Don't be afraid to move beyond Friday Night Magic and seek out Grand Prix trials and more competitive events.

Magic Resource

Limited Resources 

Masters of Modern

Channel Fireball 

Star City Games

Connect With Parker Willard

Twitter: @thewhiteweenie

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

5 Star Rating

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Feb 9, 2016

Gaby Spartz streams Magic: The Gathering on Twitch by night and by day she’s the co-founder and VP of Content at Dose, the Chicago-based media company behind Dose.com and OMGFacts.com. Gaby lives in the windy city of Chicago.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Gaby Spartz when she shared her story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep68

First Set

M12M12

Favorite Set

Khans of Tarkir Khans of Tarkir

Favorite Card

Ambush Viper

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

The constant push to learn and improve is a major draw for Gaby. Similar to how she took an entrepreneurial plunge with Dose, Gaby knows Magic’s learning curve is incredibly steep.

She likes the fact that no one ever stops learning Magic and that there’s something to take away from every match played.

Early Challenge

When Gaby started drafting it was difficult for her to understand what her deck was trying to do. By picking up cards here and there her deck had no cohesion or game plan.

Not being able to tell the difference between defensive and offensive cards was a hurdle she had to overcome. Listening to podcasts and getting input from better players helped Gaby understand the nuances of her own deck and come up with a strategy for the games she played.

Level Up Moment

A crucial component to Gaby’s Magic progression was sticking to linear decks when first getting into a format.

Having a deck with a game plan that’s repetitive and the same from game to game helped her hone specific skills and familiarize herself with the deck. This made it easier for her to think about her deck outside of matches without the pressure of having to make decisions in the moment.

She thought about her deck in relation to others in order to construct a better sideboard. By writing down her sideboard plan and going over it with more advanced players she was able to Top 8 her second PTQ while still being a fairly new player.

Proudest Magic Moment

Winning the Standard Super League is a moment that sticks out for Gaby.

She went in simply trying to not place last. She understood that the other players had more experience than her, so she wanted to overcompensate by picking an unconventional deck to play.

She chose a high variance deck (Goblins with Obelisk of Urd) and was able to go undefeated through the group stage which got her a bye into the playoffs.

Heaviest Magic Moment

Moment 1: For a while Gaby couldn’t draft to save her life. She found herself trying to draft decks that didn’t make sense, and ended up losing so much that she felt incredibly demoralized. When playing stopped being fun for her she ended up taking a break from Limited.

Moment 2: While playing a team sealed event Gaby beat her male opponent, who after the match expressed that he couldn’t believe he had lost to a girl.

Her opponent couldn’t seem to grasp that she had beat him because she had played better, prepared better, and exercised her Magic skill set more precisely.

Having skill attributed to gender is something that Gaby is working hard to fade from the competitive Magic scene, and will allow all who love the game to be evenly recognized for their accomplishments.

How to Make a Deck Plan When Drafting

Playing Constructed helps you see not only what your deck is trying to do, but what it’s trying to do in relation to your opponent’s deck.

Understanding your sideboard is critical for this. A player needs to be able to figure out how to thwart their opponent’s plan to take control of the game, or see that there’s nothing they can do against their opponent’s card and act accordingly.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Focusing too much on the results of a match is a pitfall Gaby finds a lot of players in. If a player makes 5 mistakes in a game and wins they have a tendency to overlook what went wrong.

There are other times when a player might play perfectly, but still lose. Dwelling excessively on these results can stagnate progression.

Gaby believes if you’re not trying to learn from your wins and losses then you’re not going to be happy in Magic. Finding take-aways from both your wins, and losses, is how to improve as a player. Managing losses by not beating yourself up over them is crucial for this.

Remember, you shouldn’t let one match loss beat you twice.

Final Wisdom

Playing with better players is something Gaby can't emphasize enough.

When you play with better players it can blow your mind to see how they play and understand why they make the decisions they do. More advanced players can help walk you through all the possible scenarios and outcomes for any given situation you may encounter while playing.

Magic Resource

Limited Resources 

TCG Player

Channel Fireball

Star City Games 

Twitch - Gaby's Channel 

6 Things You Can Do To Get More Women Into Magic

Connect With Gaby Spartz

Twitter: @GabySpartz

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

5 Star Rating

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Feb 5, 2016

Whitney Otteson is an avid Magic: The Gathering player and game store owner from Walla Walla, Washington. She has taken recent interest in the competitive scene by making and achieving a goal to make day 2 of Grand Prix Oakland 2015. This accomplishment has motivated her to set her sights even higher.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Whitney Otteson when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep67

First Set

Innistrad Innistrad

Favorite Set

Innistrad Innistrad

Favorite Card

Avacyn, Angel of Hope

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

Whitney is competitive when it comes to games and the level of critical thinking required to play Magic is a major draw for her. When she works hard at Magic she feels like she has accomplished a great goal, and it inspires her to push her skill further.

Early Challenge

When Whitney first started playing she found herself wrapped up in the board’s current state. Looking ahead to future turns was a skill that took time for her to develop.

She talked to players that were better than her about her deck and sideboard, then studied the choices they made when they played. When she realized that they were playing with future turns in mind she made the mental shift to incorporate that practice into her own play style.

Level Up Moment

Winning two local Radcon tournaments for two consecutive years helped Whitney believe she could progress beyond just playing Friday Night Magic.

She went to GP Seattle with the mindset to just have fun with Legacy, but she entered some Standard side events and did really well. These three moments helped her decide to buckle down and reassess how serious she was going to take her progression.

Proudest Magic Moment

The month of hardcore preparation that went into her making Day 2 at GP Oakland stands out as Whitney's proudest moment.

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

GP Oakland: Whitney completely immersed herself in magic a whole month before the tournament. She got a Magic Online account and played at least one League every night, basically playing 5 rounds of Magic a day.

She watched Magic streams, read articles and deck lists, and talked to players that were better than her to help her analyze what she needed to do.

Thoughts On Setting Goals in Magic

Whitney wanted to set a goal that was attainable for her; she didn't want to set the bar for her so high that she was constantly disappointed. This led her to setting a goal that was realistic, but would be a real challenge to obtain.

How to Choose a Standard Deck

For GP Oakland, Whitney played around with several decks and landed on an Abzan deck. She thought about what decks would be at the tournament and then worked, especially on her sideboard, to alter her deck in a way that it could exploit other decks at the tournament.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

A common mistake Whitney sees players making is the way they view their sideboards.

She has a written a sideboard guide to help her make decisions in heated match ups instead of just making choices on the fly. Putting a lot of weight into your sideboard, and viewing your deck as a whole 75 instead of 60 and 15 is something she believes helps strengthen how you play your deck.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: Read through primers online and apply that information when you're looking at the set. Learning how to take advice from better players and apply it in the moment can be key.

Draft: Being able to recognize when a card is good is something that takes putting in a lot of reps, talking to other players at your store, and trying to learn how to read other's signals.

What's in Your Tournament Bag

Gum

Granola & Crackers

Pen & Paper

Extra Sleeves

What Does a Playtest for You Look Like?

Whitney finds that she learns the most from match ups she loses.

Taking a loss makes her sit down and talk out what she could have done differently with her opponent.

She has friends that will sit next to her in matches and help point out the mistakes she makes mid-game, which helps her think out decisions in the heat of play.

Final Wisdom

Have fun!

Whitney knows it’s easy to get wrapped up in Magic’s serious aspects, but at the end of the day you should leave a tournament feeling like you had a great time and a great experience.

Magic Resource

Lady Planeswalker Society

Limited Resources

TCG Player

Connect With Whitney

Facebook: Whitney Otteson

Twitter: @whitneyriffic

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

5 Star Rating

(Here's a 1.5 minute tutorial on how to leave a review if you don't already know. THANK YOU!)

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Feb 2, 2016

Pierre Dagen is a 28 year old French entrepreneur who has been playing Magic: The Gathering since about 2006. His first Pro Tour was Paris 2011, and since then he has scored 3 Grand Prix Top 8s and a Pro Tour Top 8, as well as making it to the Top 4 of the World Magic Cup in 2015 as the captain of team France. Formerly a founding member of team Revolution, he is now part of team EUreka.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Pierre Dagen when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep66

First Set

Champions KamigawaKamigawa

Local Magic Scene: Paris, France

With about 90% of French pro players living in Paris the scene is very competitive.

Favorite Card

Gifts Ungiven

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

While Pierre likes chess and sees the similarities to Magic, he felt that chess could be a bit mechanical. The complexity, strategy, and need to enter your opponent’s head are major draws that keep him playing Magic. Pierre notes how Magic has allowed him to travel a lot more than he usually would, which has allowed him to meet a ton of great people.

Early Challenge

Pierre had trouble building his decks early on. He tried to do this on his own without consulting friends or any other players. At some point Pierre says he humbled himself, and asked for help and feedback from other teams.

Level Up Moment

Pierre attributes a major level up in his game to the first time he joined a team. This allowed him to playtest twice a week in sets of 10-20 matches with teammates that were better than him. The team helped his Magic mindset evolve from just wanting to have fun, to playing each turn as if he was solving a puzzle and finding a solution to the match.

Proudest Magic Moment

t8_france_team

This came for Pierre at the World Magic Cup in Barcelona where Team France made it to the Top 4. Pierre only knew one player on his team, and had just met the other two. This led them to think that they wouldn’t do that great, but they were all surprised at how well they were able to perform together.

Heaviest Magic Moment

Pro Tour Montreal: Pierre was invited for coming close to qualifying. He entered the tournament stressed out, believing he needed to prove himself worthy of being there. His bad memories of the tournament stem from him not believing he was a good player and losing a lot. He forgot that his first goal should have been to have fun, so after he lost his last match all he wanted to do was go back to France.

What Has Magic Taught You About Yourself?

Over the course of Pierre’s Magic career he learned that he can have a lazy approach to playing. When he first started, he would go into matches just to have fun and ride out games instead of trying his hardest. He thought that you needed to be a genius to be great at Magic. But when others asked him for advice he found that if thought about it hard enough he could usually figure out a solution to their problem. This led to him trying his hardest on every turn and let him see that anyone can be really good at Magic if they put the effort in.

Best Format

Sealed

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Pierre sees a good number of players that are overly optimistic about their deck. They only think of the good things that will happen with their cards, and don’t consider the situations where everything falls apart on the next turn, or 3-4 turns out. Player should always be thinking about how the match will go wrong in order to prepare for when things go right.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Draft: Pierre thinks it’s important to remember that you need a bit of everything in your deck. It needs to be coherent while not focusing on one specific area that might end up sinking your deck.

Sealed: One of the keys to sealed is balancing power and consistency. Deciding if you are leaning towards one end of that spectrum or the other should be a constant thought.

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

Have a deck that you like and play it a lot—don’t try to come up with one the day before a tournament. Remember, there’s no surefire way to prepare against every player’s deck. Playing one deck, playing it a lot, and playing it against lots of other decks is a good way to get comfortable with tournament play.

What's in Your Tournament Bag

Pens

Pad

Snacks

Water

Deck

What Does a Group Play Session Look Like?

Pierre’s play tests usually consist of two deck groups: a group of decks everyone on the team likes to play, and a group of decks that are known to be at a specific event. They will play matches with all combinations from both deck groups, compare results, and revamp their decks.

Final Wisdom

Pierre wants to hammer home that a Magic player shouldn’t be lazy. You should treat Magic in such a way that every turn is a puzzle, and it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, but you should always be trying to solve the succession of puzzles to the best of your ability.

Magic Resource

MTG Top 8

Magic Online 

2015 World Magic Cup Top 8

Connect With Pierre Dagen

Twitter: @ElPruno_Dagen

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.5 Star Rating

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Jan 29, 2016

Woodrow Engle is a dual Magic and poker player from Seattle, WA. He broke into the upper tier of tournament play by making his first Grand Prix Top 8 at Grand Prix Oakland 2016.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Woodrow Engle when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep65

First Set

Ice Age Ice Age

Favorite Set

Rise of the Eldrazi Rise of the Eldrazi

Favorite Card

Lhurgoyf

What First Got You into Magic?

Woodrow got started as a young kid playing Ice Age, just throwing decks together with his friends and loosely playing by the rules.

After Weatherlight, he stopped playing all the way through college. While working at a game development studio Woodrow was invited to a poker game where he met Ryan Spain and Marshall Sutcliffe, who ended up getting him hooked on Magic again.

From there he quickly went from re-learning the rules to implementing high-end Magic thought processes.

What Makes Magic: The Gathering Fun for You?

Woodrow likes the competitive aspect and how Magic can feel a bit like poker with more skills and variation.

He enjoys how he gets to meet so many people with varying experience levels, and how sometimes he has no idea how good the person playing across from him might be.

Early Challenge

The toughest aspect of Magic for Woodrow when he started out was card evaluation.

It took him a long time to wrap his head around when a card was worth a slot in his hand.

Understanding the opportunity cost of not drawing another card in any given situation is a high level concept that takes time to develop.

Level Up Moment

In his first PTQ Woodrow placed 9th and knew from then on that he wanted to really step up and crush tournaments.

This was around the time the Jund deck took over the Standard scene, and Woodrow set out to brew decks to take it down. Then at the advent of the PPTQ system he managed to win one and made it to a regional Pro Tour qualifier, which he Top 8’d, but missed the qualification by one match.

What Kept You Playing Magic?

When Woodrow felt like he was caught in the grind he took breaks.

Eventually though, he learned to manage his tilt by being mindful and staying positive about his performance.

He reminded himself that a single tournament didn’t define him as a Magic player. This made it more fun for Woodrow to play, as it’s tough to do well in a tournament if you take an early loss and then shut down.

He discovered that ranting about his losses to friends was not only uninteresting for them to hear, but stopped him from identifying his mistakes and pushing forward.

Best Format

Limited

How Do You Manage Tilt?

Woodrow admits it’s difficult to stay focused when you know you’re going to lose a few turns out, but contemplating your outs and staying focused is critical for developing skill.

Players should mentally construct their winning scenario even when they may seem down for the count. This kind of mental fortitude is the mindset all Platinum Pros have when they play, and it’s how a player levels up their own game.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Being results oriented instead of decision oriented is the crux Woodrow believes most new players face.

As you go through life you want to make sure the decisions you make are sound, even if the end results don’t reflect them. When in this mindset you can realize that sure, you lost a game, but you did everything in your power to try and win it.

Woodrow won a game against Josh Utter-Leyton, but a huge mistake he made in an early turn haunted him afterwards despite the win.

He considers those kind of mistakes to be huge learning opportunities that make him less likely to repeat his blunders.

What Is the Deepest Thing You've Learned About Yourself From Playing Magic?

Woodrow believes that Magic remaps your brain when a player gets really competitive. This has bled over into his normal life, changing how he makes everyday decisions. Trying to get maximum value from limited time with the best decisions possible is an important crossover skill for him.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: Card evaluation is crucial in sealed. Players need to be able to analyze not only the best case scenario for any given card, but also the middle and worst case scenarios as well. This helps a player decide whether a card is worth a slot in their deck.

Draft: Don’t get married to your early picks. Being able to read other player’s signals and what your seat is open to is incredibly important.

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

For GP Oakland: Woodrow ended up being talked into attending the tournament at the last minute while apartment hunting in the area.

Ryan Spain let him borrow a deck, but 90 percent of the cards were in a foreign language. With preparations rushed Woodrow had to strip cards out of his deck at random as he headed into the Grand Prix.

While it felt like he was going in blind, practicing for other tournaments had left him with a strong understanding of what he needed to do.

Like muscle memory, practicing across formats and staying well rounded can help steady your hand when you get thrown into less than ideal situations.

What's in Your Tournament Bag

Deck box

Pad

Pen

Dice

Tokens

Final Wisdom

Surrounding yourself with people who are smart, supportive, and have a similar mindset to how you want to approach Magic will help you develop as a player.

This applies to life in general, as meeting and interacting with positive, analytical people will help you have more success in all your endeavors.

Magic Resource

GP Oakland: Woodrow Engle vs. Josh Utter-Leyton

Limited Resources Podcast

Kenji Egashira

Connect With Woodrow Engle

Twitter: @Woodrodius

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

5 Star Rating 

Sponsors

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Jan 26, 2016

Ondrej Strasky is 20 years old and is already a Platinum Pro! He was the 2015 Czech World Magic Cup captain and has 1 Grand Prix Top 8 at Grand Prix Brussels 2015, and 2 Pro Tour Top 8s at Pro Tour Honolulu and Pro Tour Brussels. Ondrej lives in the Czech Republic.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Ondrej Strasky when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep64

First Set

Time Spiral Time Spiral

Favorite Set

Khans of TarkirKhans of Tarkir

Favorite Card

Daze

Local Magic Scene: Czech Republic

Prague is the only city where Ondrej can play Magic a lot in the Czech Republic, which is about a 2 hour bus ride away for him. Because of this he mainly plays Magic Online.

What Makes Magic: The Gathering Fun For You?

While Ondrej tries not to place too much focus on winning or losing, playing in tournaments and the competitive aspect is what keeps him playing Magic. Since there is no one in his town that plays he doesn’t get to play much casual Magic.

Early Challenge

The hurdle that tripped Ondrej up the most starting out was his play speed. He played too fast and missed critical card interactions because he didn’t pause to think them through. An additional 5 seconds helps Ondrej avoid stupid blunders. While addressing the way you play is a hard thing to do, the best way to improve is to just take a little extra time.

Level Up Moment

Ondrej grew the most in 2015 after landing in the Top 8 at his first Pro Tour. At the start of the year he moved in with 3 of the best Czech players and he wholly surrounded himself with Magic. They all streamed Magic, talked Magic, and of course played as much as they could, and Ondrej credits their skill with helping push him to the next level.

Proudest Magic Moment

Ondrej’s proudest moment came when he finished 9th in a London Grand Prix. He was super prepared and an article in Star City Games by Brian Braun-Duin helped him find an amazing deck. While he didn’t take down the whole tournament, Ondrej is proud of how prepared he was and feels like he played the best out of everyone there.

How Much Magic Do You Play?

If a tournament is on the horizon Ondrej wakes up and plays Magic until he passes out, and he might squeeze in a bite to eat somewhere in between. During the holidays he slacks off a bit, but now he’s busy learning archetypes and trying out decks.

Best Format

He plays best in Standard, but he loves how fun Legacy is even though it’s not his best format.

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Since the meta game shifts quickly in Standard, Ondrej tries to stay on top by playing Magic Online and seeing how others shift decks from week to week. In regards to setting up a sideboard, Ondrej tries to build it with his main deck in mind as a 75 card deck so he can pick the best positioned 60 to roll with.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Ondrej thinks players shouldn’t blame luck for their losses, but they shouldn’t beat themselves up when there wasn’t much they could do in a match to win.

Handling loss better can help a player see what they did wrong and learn from their mistakes.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: Ondrej doesn’t go to pre-releases too often, but he usually looks for cards that pop out to him instantly.

Draft: Ondrej finds the best three archetypes and tries to draft them. He talks to other people who drafted and find what cards are most important to each one.

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

Ondrej thinks you can prepare mostly by yourself for a Grand Prix, but definitely not a Pro Tour. He has a team of 15 and sometimes thinks that’s not even enough.

They will look at what decks are being played after the first Star City Open. Then they start playing and will ask Frank Karsten about deck matchups and post results in forums to help figure out what decks were best.

What's in Your Tournament Bag

Pen

Deck

Deck box for Limited portion

Water Bottle: Ondrej says he stays insanely hydrated throughout a tournament.

How Can a New Magic Player Break In?

A new player can start by building a Pauper deck and playing Magic Online, as decks super cheap.

Improvement Suggestions

Ondrej reads articles written by Brad Nelson and looks at decklist postings from recent tournaments. He thinks reading solid content and playing as much as possible is the best way to improve.

Final Wisdom

If you enjoy Magic play it a lot, and the best thing you can do is buy a lot of packs, watch coverage, and spread the word of how great a game Magic is.

Magic Resource

Brian Braun-Duin

Brad Nelson

Frank Karsten

Craig Wescoe

Connect With Ondrej Strasky

Twitter: @OndrejStrasky

Facebook: Ondrej Strasky

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

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Jan 22, 2016

Brian Eason has 2 Grand Prix Top 8s and has played in multiple Pro Tours. He is a former Poker pro, and an aspiring HearthStone professional. He hopes to win a Grand Prix and Pro Tour one day. Brian lives in Atlanta, GA.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Brian Eason when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep63

First Set

Ravnica: City of Guilds

 

Ravnica

Favorite Set

Shards of Alara

Shards of Alara

How did you get started in Magic?

Brian got started playing Yu-Gi-Oh! and found it a natural progression to make the move to Magic. The complexity and more mature, professional player base drew him in despite doing poorly at his first sealed events.

Favorite Card

Bitterblossom

When Brian started to get competitive Bitterblossom played to his creative sensibilities.

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

The first thing for Brian is the competitive aspect. Big tournaments, Star City opens, Grand Prixs and the possibility of hitting a Pro Tour—basically the challenge of playing amongst the best. The second thing is the ability to be creative in deck building. This creativity and competitiveness make Magic Brian’s favorite game.

Early Challenge

Brian admits he was terrible at Limited when he started. It took watching better players for him to realize he was behind and needed to up his game.

Local Magic Scene: Atlanta

A lot of big stores in Atlanta have fostered play for about 20 solid players, but they’re scattered around the area. Brian finds smaller groups playing at local stores on the weekends.

Level Up Moment

Most of Brian’s growth happened when he first started playing. He played around people that were way out of his league, but being able to team draft with them gave him invaluable feedback. Brain thinks limited is the key to becoming a better Magic player, as the skills needed translate over to different formats.

Heaviest Magic Moment

In his first Grand Prix Brian made it to the second day but went 0-4 and lost against weaker players. This loss helped him realize his skill level and pushed him back to the drawing board. Brian analyzed the winning player’s strategy at the same Grand Prix to figure out what he was doing wrong.

Proudest Magic Moment

Brian doesn’t have a specific, glorified moment that sticks out to him. What comes to mind for him is was placing second after his first time hitting the top eight at a Grand Prix. While bittersweet, he still is proud of how all his hard work and confidence materialize into a 2nd place finish.

What does a typical week of MTG look like for you?

Being a full time student and playing Hearthstone cuts into his Magic play, but Brian still tends to play one Magic Online draft a day. His playing incentives are driven by how fun the format is and what he gets if he wins.

What is the deepest thing you’ve learned about yourself from playing Magic?

Brian had a tendency to be impulsive and get caught up in the moment. Having a friend point out how he unnecessarily went all out early in a match helped him slow down.

Favorite Format

Limited

How to choose a deck to play at a Standard Event

If you want to have a good time with a descent finish, playing with a stock list with one of the better decks is the way to go. If you want to take down the whole tournament you have to do something that sets you apart—something like a tweaked deck or extra tech, and figuring that out comes from exposing yourself to different deck archetypes. Brian likes to do this to discover ways to exploit certain decks’ weaknesses.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

“When you play Magic it’s a bloodbath…take every small edge you can.” Brian can confidentially say that giving away tells during a match is something newer players don’t take into consideration. Looking frustrated and throwing your hands up in the air is a surefire way to throw away a game. Make it hard for your opponent to know what you have in your hand, and better yet, use your tells to mislead them.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: Brian believes the key in Sealed is to focus on the long game, play greedy, don’t focus too much on synergy, and make sure every card in your deck is a good standalone. Don’t ignore the early game, but understand what your deck wants to do.

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

Putting too much emphasis on results can ramp up nerves, but going in with an experimental mindset to learn can make the experience a lot more fun. Talking with friends and getting feedback from a small group is invaluable when it comes to theory crafting and polishing your deck. Online forums are a great source too if you are a local player and don’t have any in-town connections.

What’s in Your Tournament Bag?

Brian likes to travel light to conserve energy during a long tournament day:

Deck

Notebook

Pen

Dice

Water bottle

Snacks

Nuts and Bolts of a Playtest

Brian thinks that playtesting can be hindered by trying to jam as many games into one session as possible. Fast games can feel inorganic as it’s not comparable to how you will play outside the test. Going through deck lists with a group of friends and theory crafting while arguing back and forth about what should and shouldn’t be in the deck helps get to the root of your deck.

Magic Resource

Star City Games Decklists

Grand Prix Top 8 Decklists

How Can a New Magic Player Break In?

Magic is about creativity and flexibility, and when you build a Cube out of commons you can start a lot of discussion about deck building and have fun playing whatever version of Magic you can. Put yourself to the test and develop your skills.

Final Wisdom

If you’re a new player aiming for the competitive sphere it’s easy to get wrapped up in playtesting and not getting results. So whatever you do make sure you have fun with it, and remember, there’s no shame in taking a break if the fun fades.

Connect With Brian Eason

Twitter: @bloodyfaceHS

Like What You Hear?

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Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

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Jan 19, 2016

Aryeh Wiznitzer is a teacher and Magic grinder from Houston, Texas. After years of near misses, he has recently reached the professional level of play with Top-8 finishes at GP Dallas and GP Atlanta 2015.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Aryeh Wiznitzer when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep62

First Set

Tempest

Tempest

Favorite Set

Rise of the Eldrazi

Rise of the Eldrazi

Favorite Card

Fire Covenant

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

Aryeh loves grinding tournaments. Traveling all over and competing in tournaments is one of Aryeh's favorite parts of Magic. He feels fulfilled when he gets to see the fruits of his labors.

Early Challenge

Aryeh recognizes that sometimes he tries to be too creative. He used to try to play a cool deck and make the cool play instead of playing to win.

Level Up Moment

Winning more and more at his local store is when Aryeh realized that he could hang with the big dogs.

Proudest Magic Moment

Top 8 Grand Prix Dallas 2015

Best Format

Limited (at the moment)

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Constructed: Deck choice and side boarding. People bring in the wrong cards in the wrong match ups and lose a lot of win equity.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Draft: Towards the beginning of a format take the rares and uncommons and see if they are good. Then you'll know which ones are worth getting later on when people know more.

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

Find others who as invested in the event as you are. If you play with someone who has the same goal as you then you can save hours of play testing, especially if they are better than you.

What's in Your Tournament Bag

Deck

Playmat

Pen 

Life pad

Improvement Suggestions

Swiss draft on Magic Online - even if you lose the first round you still have a chance to make back some of your investment.

Borrow cards.

Play aggressive decks. They are usually cheaper.

Magic Resource

Grand Prix Atlanta 2015 - Check out Aryeh's amazing sealed pool. 

Pat's Games in Austin Texas

Adrian Sullivan articles

Sam Black articles

Twitch.tv (Paul Cheon)

Connect With Aryeh Wiznitzer

Twitter: @urafevermodo

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Jan 15, 2016

Lukas Blohon has an impressive Magic: The Gathering record with 5 Grand Prix Top 8s, including a win at Grand Prix Brussels 2015, and 2 Pro Tour Top 16s including a Top 8 finish at Pro Tour Dark Ascension. Lukas lives in Prague.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Lukas Blohon when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep61

First Set

Tempest

Tempest

Favorite Set

Ravnica: City of Guilds


Ravnica: City of Guilds

Favorite Card

Vendilion Clique

Early Challenge

Limited.

Lukas is good at playing one deck over and over again and getting very familiar with it. Limited was his weak spot early on.

Level Up Moment

Training with Channel Fireball helped Lukas grow a lot because he was able to play with some of the best players in the world. This culminated in Lukas making the Top 8 of a Pro Tour.

Proudest Magic Moment

Top 8 of Pro Tour Dark Ascension

Best Format

Standard

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Play all the big decks and see which works for you. Then play that one over and over again.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Mentally checking out. Whether you're winning or losing, stay engaged in the game and consider what you need to do to win.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: Synergies are always strong, but in Sealed you don't always get enough of what you need to make the synergy work. In that case, play cards that affect the board

Draft: Keep track of what's going on by noting the next picks behind yours. This gives you an idea of what the people to your left are doing. However, it's more important to track what's going on to your right. Do this by noting what is and is not being passed to you.

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

Use Magic Online to play anytime. You can put a few hours to good use without wasting time in transit.

Play the same deck as a trusted friend and share the insights.

What's in Your Tournament Bag

Water

Snacks (Bananas)

Deck

Pen

Notepad 

Improvement Suggestions

Constructed: Build a tier 2 deck (or whatever you can afford) and play over and over again. Also, find someone who has a similar goal as you and work together to improve and advance.

Magic Resource

Star City Games

Channel Fireball

(The best people write for these sites.)

Connect With Lukas Blohon

Twitter: @LukasBlohon

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Jan 12, 2016

Nicolas Beland is making a name for himself at the Pro Tour and has so far Top 32’d Star City Games Open Worcester, made the Top 8 at Grand Prix Quebec City and competed in Pro Tour Theros. He lives in Canada.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Nicolas Beland when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep60

First Set

Ravnica: City of Guilds

Ravnica: City of Guilds

Favorite Set

Ravnica: City of Guilds

Ravnica: City of Guilds

Favorite Card

Siege Rhino

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

Interaction with other people. Going to Grand Prix and competing with others is a huge draw for Nicolas.

Early Challenge

Forgetting triggers. It wasn't until Nicolas started playing competitively that he learned the hard way to remember his triggers.

Level Up Moment

After his first Pro Tour, Nicolas had a bit of a big head, but he humbled himself and learned from others and experienced the most growth at this time.

Proudest Magic Moment

Top 8 at Grand Prix Quebec 2015

Best Format

Modern

Modern Focus

Start with a style you already know and watch streams on the internet to learn how that deck plays out.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Playing the deck that won last week's tournament is a big mistake. Everyone will be gunning for that deck and will be ready for it.

Card Evaluation Tips

Lands define a set. Pay attention to what the mana base can support. Also, familiarize yourself with the removal.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Separate creatures and spells and then organize them by converted mana cost to see what's playable.

Sealed is about tempo. Curve out and have removal to push through to the end.

Draft: Don't be afraid to switch colors if you are cut off. It's hard to recognize sometimes but important to know you can and should switch if the colors aren't coming.

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

Play all the big decks, pick the one you feel the best with and practice, practice, practice.

Proxying is a great way to do this.

Take one deck with you and do the best you can with that deck.

What's in Your Tournament Bag

Clothes

Deck

Improvement Suggestions

Make friends and share card pools. Don't be afraid to submit a deck that is similar to the big decks but has substitute cards for the cards you don't have.

Magic Resource

Daily MTG (Wizards of the Coasts)

Connect With Nicolas Beland

Twitter: @NicolasBeland11

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.5 Star Rating

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Jan 8, 2016

Jarvis Yu enjoys formats with deeper card pools (especially Legacy). Having made one Grand Prix Top 8 in Legacy, as well as going 13-2 in Grand Prix New Jersey, he has also managed to win his only Top 8. Jarvis lives outside Washington.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Jarvis Yu when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep59

First Set

Revised
Revised (this is not the official symbol as set symbols were not around at this time)

Favorite Set

Ravnica

Ravnica City of Guilds

Favorite Card

Rishadan Port

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

Infinite diversity.

Early Challenge

Starting out, Jarvis thought that a 1/2 for one mana was good - because it was "more efficient" than a 1/1 for one. He quickly learned that cards with abilities, like Eternal Witness, even though they don't have the best power/toughness/mana ratio are much better.

Level Up Moment

Zigging when everyone else zagged helped Jarvis grow. He saw (with the help of a friend) a strategy that wasn't explicitly supported in Ravnica City of Guilds. This opened his eyes to how to look at future sets.

Proudest Magic Moment

Winning Grand Prix Seattle Tacoma 2015.

Best Format

Legacy

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Mulliganing when they shouldn't or not mulliganing when they should.

Know the match up and what you need to be effective in the early game. If you don't have that in your opening hand then ship it back.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: Jarvis runs 18 lands and looks for card advantage, big creatures and removal.

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

Play different decks, then settle on one and play against a lot of decks.

What's in Your Tournament Bag

Extra cards

Snacks

Water

Pens

Paper

Dice

Improvement Suggestions

Build and play a pauper cube.

Magic Resource

Jarvis mentioned a [card]Battle of Wits[/card] deck from Grand Prix Milwaukee 2002.

Star City Games

MTG Gold Fish

Connect With Jarvis Yu

Twitter: @jkyu06

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Jan 5, 2016

Florian Reiter is a writer and editor from Munich, Germany. He has been writing articles about Magic for various German Magic sites has been active in the tournament scene since 2009. He has one Grand Prix Top 8 from GP Lyon 2015.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Florian Reiter when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep58

First Set

Urzas Saga

Urza'a Saga

Favorite Set

Time Spiral

Time Spiral 

Favorite Card

Horned Turtle
Cryptic Command

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

The diversity of cards and strategies and the mental challenge. 

The people he's meet and the friends he's made have kept Florian around.

Early Challenge

Combat.

Concentrating and keeping track of combat tricks was hard at first. Practice slowing down and thinking through each combat phase is how to improve.

Level Up Moment

Florian improved the most when he surrounded himself with a group of really motivated Magic players, all striving to get better. If everyone is trying to win a Grand Prix then the collective knowledge will raise everyone's level.

Proudest Magic Moment

Grand Prix Prague 2015 (Standard). Even though Florian only got Top 64 he feels like he really executed his game plan well. He approached the meta game from a different angle and brought an unknown deck that performed well.

Best Format

Standard - Lower power level means more cards are playable

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Not being introspective enough. Talking about luck is not a useful way to spend your time. Focus on what you can control and how you can play better.

If you really focus your energy on Magic you will improve.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: Sort out the unplayables. Lay out the rest by color. Determine what your really good cards are and build combinations that take advantage of the strengths

Improvement Suggestions

Watch streams and listen to podcasts. Magic content is largely free, so consume as much as you can.

There is no substitute for playing but there are lots of free things you can do to get better.

Magic Resource

Florian's articles can be found on MTG Mint Card

Star City Games

Channel Fireball

Couch Draft DE

Connect With Florian Reiter

Twitter: @HandsomeMUC

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Jan 1, 2016

Magnus Lantto is an online grinder turned pro. He’s a member of the European pro team Team Eureka. Magnus finished 5th place in the 2015 Magic World Championship, is the MOCS 2014 champion, and has 3 Grand Prix Top 8s which include 1 win in Grand Prix Milan. To top it off, Magnus Lantto has the distinguished honor of being the first guest on MTG Pro Tutor in 2016! He lives in Sweden.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Magnus Lantto when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep57

First Set

Fourth Edition (This set did not have an official symbol.)

Favorite Set

Magnus feels Magic gets better and better every year. His favorite set is the most recent one.

Favorite Card

Survival of the Fittest
Birthing Pod

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

Magnus has never seen a game that is as intricate as Magic. It changes every year and he loves how it stays fresh. There is a lot to think about. He loves how deep it is.

Early Challenge

Magnus was really bad at the start of tournaments. The first round of an event he has made really bad mistakes. By focusing on the psychological aspect of the game you can identify problems and adjust. Magnus learned to slow down at the beginning of tournaments so he could improve on this weakness.

Level Up Moment

Playing Magic Online has really upped Magnus' game.

Proudest Magic Moment

Winning Grand Prix Milan.

Magnus Lantto wins Grand Prix Milan

Best Format

Modern

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Rely on team mates to test and identify the best decks.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Blaming losses on bad luck. YOU did something wrong. Slow down and think about what you did through out the game. If you make a mistake in the middle of a game, don't give up. Stay focused and bounce back. Adjust your plan accordingly and stay in it.

Card Evaluation Tips

Look for cards that create new archetypes. Is there a new mechanic that can be built around?

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: Identify a clear win condition that exists in you pool.

Draft: What your being passed is more important than what you're passing. Prepare ahead of time by reading what others think about cards. Set reviews are a great way to do this.

Deck construction, specifically mana curve, is very important in draft.

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

Play regularly leading up to the event. Play with a group so you can get feedback. Join groups on FB and ask questions.

What's in Your Tournament Bag

Deck

New sleeves (Dragon Shield or from MTG Mint Card)

Deck box

Improvement Suggestions

Find a way you can contribute to your friends / team. Be the driver, take people out, be a friend. You can make good connections and if you are helpful you can borrow cards or a deck.

Magic Resource

LSV set reviews on Channel Fireball

Twitter - track what Magnus and others in the Magic community are up to

MTG Mint Card

Connect With Magnus Lantto

Twitter: @MagnusLantto

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Dec 29, 2015

Alejandro is starting to make a name for himself in the Magic community of South America by making it to the Top 4 of one Grand Prix.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Alejandro Cesa when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep56

First Set

Mercadian Masques

Mercadian Masques

Favorite Set

Invasion

Invasion

Favorite Card

Oath of Druids

Early Challenge

Learning the phases of each turn. Magic Online has helped Alejandro get a good understanding of each turn and when he can do what.

Proudest Magic Moment

Top 4 of Grand Prix Porto Alegre

Best Format

Modern

Modern Advice

Focus on one deck. Learn it in side and out and then learn what the other decks are trying to do so you know how they work and how to beat them.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Sequencing fetch lands and shock lands incorrectly against a burn deck. Too many players don't understand that every point of damage matters and they are careless when shocking themselves. Burn will punish you for that.

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

Practice on Magic Online, be part of several groups and borrow cards you don't have.

What's in Your Tournament Bag

Deck

Pen

Improvement Suggestions

Start playing with friends and if you like Magic you can move up to a new group if your friends only want to play for fun.

Magic Resource

La Banda del Monored

MTG Gold Fish

Connect With Alejandro Cesa

Facebook: Alejandro Cesa

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Dec 25, 2015

Marcos Paulo de Jesus Freitas is a Brazilian player with 2 Grand Prix Top 8s; one in Buenos Aires 2015 as a Finalist and the other in Porto Alegre 2015 as the Champion.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Marcos Paulo when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep55

First Set

Onslaught

Onslaught

Favorite Set

Onslaught

 Onslaught (Constructed)

Innistrad
 Innistrad (Limited)

Favorite Card

Jareth, Leonine Titan

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

The art is amazing, the card design is well done, the story is so great.

Marcos also loves how he's met great people and made amazing friends through travel. He also loves traveling because he didn't do much before.

Early Challenge

Marcos didn't know how to mulligan at all. In fact, at his first Grand Prix, he was in a feature match and realized that he had to apply aggressive pressure on his opponent to win. However, he still kept the hand and then lost miserably. He learned from this and made learning how to mulligan better a priority.

Casual Formats

Marcos LOVES Conspiracy draft.

Level Up Moment

At his first Pro Tour, Marcos recognized he knew nothing about the format. So he attached himself to a player who was much better and soaked every lesson up like a sponge. 

Marcos has a lot of cool growth stories from his first Pro Tour. He was able to beat one of the best Limited and one of the best Constructed players in the world at the time.

Proudest Magic Moment

Winning Grand Prix Porto Alegre!

GP Porto Alegre

 

Best Format

Standard - It's not that big and you can prepare for it.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Not taking into account the things you did wrong in a match. Marcos hears people complain about being mana flooded or mana screwed when in reality they could identify turns where they messed up. 

Card Evaluation Tips

By play testing with a team Marcos hones his evaluation skills.

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

Reading articles and relying on his team is Marcos' go-to method.

Magic Resource

Channel Fireball

Star City Games

TCG Player

Connect With Marcos Paulo de Jesus Freitas

Marcos on Facebook

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

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Dec 22, 2015

Chris VanMeter (CVM) provides content for Star City Games in the form of articles and videos and also Streams. Chris has had great success on the Star City Games Open Series with 14 Open Top 8's and an Invitational Finals. Having played Magic for almost 20 years, CVM enjoys his role in helping the game grow by bringing content to everyone. Chris VanMeter lives in Seattle WA.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Chris VanMeter when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep54

First Set

Tempest set symbol

Tempest

Favorite Set

Innistrad

Innistrad

Favorite Card

Tradewind Rider

Level Up Moment

During the Zendikar Standard period Chris grew a lot. He put up some great results and got on the map as a high level player.

Proudest Magic Moment

Top 8 of Star City Games Season Two Open Invitational.

Best Format

Legacy (favorite)

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Identify what decks you will see at the next Standard event by reviewing the top decks from the last tournament. All the decks will have a slight edge over the others that you can pick any of those big decks and do well. With practice and solid side boarding you can do very well.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Mulligans!

Most players are afraid to mulligan. With the new mulligan rule the mental barrier against tossing a hand should be much lower.

Especially in games 2 and 3, after you've seen your opponent's deck, mulliganing to a better hand is a tactic that many can improve on.

Card Evaluation Tips

Are there cards that fit in an existing archetype or "build around me" cards? A good example of a "build around me" card is [card]Bring to Light[/card]. It did not fit in any existing decks but obviously has some power so it's a "build around me".

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

Play a bunch of games with the deck you are going to take. Pay special attention to the side board.

What's in Your Tournament Bag

Deck

Playmat

Dice Brick

Pad

Pen

Water

Snacks

Improvement Suggestions

Consume as much Magic content as you can. (Streams, articles, podcasts.)

Ask questions. Don't think that the big names are unapproachable. Reach out to them on social media and ask questions.

Magic Resource

Star City Games

Channel Fireball

TCG Player

Twitch

Connect With Chris VanMeter

Twitter: @Chris_VanMeter

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Dec 18, 2015

Patrick Dickmann is a 25 year old student at Cologne University in Germany studying Economics. His Magic record includes being the Champion of Grand Prix Antwerp in 2013 and making the Top 4 of Pro Tour Valencia in 2014. He is heralded as the best Modern Splinter Twin player in the world.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Patrick Dickmann when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep53

First Set

Stronghold

Stronghold

Favorite Set

Innistrad

Innistrad (story)

New Mirrodin block because of his drafting success.

Favorite Card

Dark Confidant
Snapcaster Mage

Human Wizards and cards with options.

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

Off and on, Patrick has enjoyed attacking the competitive scene.

Early Challenge

Dealing with loses.

Loses used to upset Patrick a lot. To combat this he became more analytical and would review his matches to see what he could have done better.

Proudest Magic Moment

Winning GP Antwerp

GP Antwerp Patrick Dickmann

Best Format

Modern - It gives you the most options without being too powerful.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Being star struck.

Players sometimes let the fact that they are playing a "big name" get in their head.

Also, people tilt and give up early. Stay focused and stay in the game. You can sometimes come back if you don't give up before the game is over. (See GP Richmond Round 9 specifically Game 2.)

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: People tend to over value the rares that were hyped up during the spoiler. Don't feel like you have to play your spoiler rare if the rest of that color stinks.

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

Look at deck lists that did well at the last big event. Get some testing in but most importantly test your side board

What's in Your Tournament Bag

Water

Deck box

Platinum Promos

Money

Improvement Suggestions

You don't have to play exclusively on MTGO. Test out Cockatrice to cheaply test and play Magic.

Magic Resource

MTG Mint Card

Connect With Patrick Dickmann

Twitter: @0fe1ia

Like What You Hear?

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Dec 15, 2015

 

Will Erker started playing magic when New Phyrexia came out after a few friends taught him how to draft and play. His first Pro Tour was Pro Tour Origins and then he made it to the Top 16 at Pro Tour Battle for Zendikar playing Abzan Midrange. Will lives in St. Louis Missouri.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Will Erker when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep52

First Set

New Phyrexia

New Phyrexia

Favorite Set

Innistrad

Innistrad

M14

M14

Favorite Card

Read the Bones
Sign In Blood

Resource management / grindy cards.

Also...

Brago King Eternal

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

The variance.

While it can be stressful, variance is what makes the game great. We aren't playing chess.

Early Challenge

Building Constructed decks, specifically aggressive decks.

Reading articles and watching coverage and deck techs has helped Will improve his deck building skills.

Proudest Magic Moment

Top 16 at Pro Tour Battle for Zendikar

Best Format

Standard

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Identify the style of deck you like (control, aggro, mid-range, etc...) borrow or proxy that deck and practice with. If you really do like it then roll with it.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Not being realistic when you lose. People need to pay attention to the mistakes they make and learn from them.

People blame mana flood, mana screw or variance instead of identifying what was in their control to change.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Draft: Look at your cards between packs, put your creatures in front and sorted by mana cost so you know where your holes are.

How to Prepare for a Big Event

Will uses Magic Online to grind out reps and then plays with friends to round out the experience.

What's in Your Bag?

Water

Trail Mix

Deck

Improvement Suggestions

There are several sites that post "budget" decks that players can build for cheap.

Magic Resource

Yeti Gaming is Will Erker's local store

Channel Fireball

Star City Games

Twitch.tv

Connect With Will Erker

Twitter: @WillErker

Like What You Hear?

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Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Dec 11, 2015

Scott Kirkwood broke on to the upper levels of competitive Magic by making the Top 4 at Grad Prix Indianapolis in 2015 with RG Landfall. He lives in Illinois.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Scott Kirkwood when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep51

First Set

Return to Ravnica

Return to Ravnica

Favorite Set

Khans of Tarkir

Khans of Tarkir

Favorite Card

Gifts Ungiven
Jeskai Ascendancy

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

Playing casually and having fun doing silly stuff.

Scott's EDH deck is Zedruu the Greathearted, which is one of those goof off and have fun commanders. 

He also enjoys competitive constructed formats. Scott loves that there are so many options and you can do whatever you want in Magic.

Scott really likes when two people are trying their best to improve and face off.

Early Challenge

Taking the time to think if he should do something as supposed to just doing it because he could.

He learned to slow down and assess the situation every time.

Level Up Moment

Making it to the Pro Tour has really validated Scott's efforts and shown him that he has grown and has what it takes.

Brad Nelson's article on how to approach Magic really helped Scott improve.

Proudest Magic Moment

Making Top 4 at Grand Prix Indianapolis. (It's still sinking in how big of a deal this is.)

Best Format

Modern

Vintage (Favorite)

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Scott likes to play the decks that people say "I can beat anything except that deck". So he'll roll in to a Modern or Standard event with a red deck because so many decks have bad match up against red.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Approach the game as just a game. Don't over stress it and psyche yourself out.

Assess every situation. Don't make snap decisions without thinking through various lines. "What's the Play?" articles are great practice for this.

Card Evaluation Tips

Scott admits that he is not the best at evaluating cards. It's fun to speculate but when it comes down to it he relies on the opinions of others via set reviews.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Pre release: Scott approaches a pre release with the intent to have fun. Try new cards and weird combos just to see how it works. Have fun! Pre releases are great places to play just for FUN!

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

Play a real deck.

A lot of people love to brew (Scott is the same way) but if you are trying to win, play a proven deck.

Jam games with friends so you know the interactions and lines of play.

What's in Your Tournament Bag?

Pen 

Pad

Playmat

Deck

Dice

Extra cards

Improvement Suggestions

Proxy cards before you invest in a deck.

Magic Resource

r/spikes

Channel Fireball

Star City Games

TCG Player

Connect With Scott Kirkwood

Facebook: Scott Kirkwood

Like What You Hear?

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Dec 8, 2015

Ashraf Abou Omar is 26 years old and is lives in Kiel, Germany. He started playing competitive Magic at Grand Prix Strasbourg in 2007. Once he qualified for Pro Tour Kuala Lumpur in 2008, he started traveling a lot in Germany and UK to compete in PTQ. He has one GP Top 8 in Madrid 2015.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Ashraf Omar when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep50

First Set

portal set symbol

Portal

Favorite Set

return to ravnica

Return to Ravnica

Favorite Card

Martyr of Sands

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

The community. Traveling, playing and partying with friends.

Early Challenge

Understanding the rules is a great way to improve. If you understand the rules better you can win more games.

Magic Online really helps you understand the phases and when you can respond and when you have to announce triggers. Understanding this will level up your skill.

Level Up Moment

By spending a lot of time playing Ash has noticed a big improvement. There is no substitute for practice.

Proudest Magic Moment

Qualifying for his first Pro Tour is Ash's proudest moment.

Best Format

Limited

Watch streams and draft with others to get better.

Ash drafts every Friday at his flat after Friday Night Magic.

They always analyze their picks and think critically about the draft to help them improve.

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Ash likes to take under the radar decks to Standard tournaments so he brews with friends to try and beat the big decks. Then he play tests on Magic Online.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Not managing their life total and not understanding combat math. You can win on 1 life.

Card Evaluation Tips

Don't draw any conclusion until the entire set is released.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Draft: Identify a strategy early on and stick to it. Ash even forces colors a bit as he tries to construct a 3-0 deck.

How to Effectively Prepare for Big Events

Magic Online is a great way to prepare for big events. However, it's much better to play in real life so you can talk about mulligans and card decisions

What's in Your Tournament Bag?

GP Deck Box

Sleeves

Pen

Paper

Improvement Suggestions

Watching others play and interacting with them is a great way to improve on the cheap. There are many great streams to learn from.

Magic Resource

NummotTheNummy Twitch stream

Connect With Ashraf Abou Omar

Twitter: @Ashraf_HH

Like What You Hear?

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Dec 4, 2015

Mark Litvak has just broken into the upper Magic scene by making his first Grand Prix Top 8 at GP Lyon October 2015. He is constantly seeking to improve himself and is looking forward to his first Pro Tour. He lives among the beautiful hills of Austria.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Mark Litvak when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep49

First Set

Onslaught

Onslaught

Favorite Set

dragons

Dragons of Tarkir

Favorite Card

Meddling Mage

Early Challenge

Giving up too soon. Mark learned to stay mentally in the game and play to his outs.

Don't give up the fight.

Proudest Magic Moment

Top 8 of GP Lyon 2015.

Best Format

Limited

Modern (Splinter Twin)

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Look at popular decks and look at the mirror matches and choose a deck that is well positioned against them.

Observe matches using the deck you are considering and monitor how it plays out. This will help you decide if it's the deck you want to play.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

People underestimate the combat. It is very complicated if you want to do it well.

Many people sit back to see "what happens" in combat. You need to put the brain power behind combat and figure it out ahead of time.

Expect your opponent to play well and don't be worried about showing them something you don't think they've seen.

Card Evaluation Tips

Mark doesn't like how the spoiler is released but understands it from a marketing perspective.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: Separate each color into three piles; cards you want to play, cards you don't want to play, and on the fence cards. Next sort each pile by converted mana cost. Determine your colors by identifying which colors have a clear plan to success.

Draft: Learn something from every game. Make it count by writing down results, talking to opponents, whatever you need to do to get that extra information you need to improve.

Improvement Suggestions

"Don't tilt and always strive for better." ~Mark Litvak

Magic Resource

Follow players you respect and read their articles. (Players usually post when they have an article go live.)

Channel Fireball

Connect With Mark Litvak

Twitter: @LorwyMtG

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Dec 1, 2015

Fabrizio Anteri has 7 Grand Prix Top 8s with 3 Wins!! He is one of 31 players in the history of Magic: The Gathering to have 3 Grand Prix wins. Fabrizio lives in London and has been the captain of the English Magic Team for two years in a row.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Fabrizio Anteri when he shared his story on MTG Pro Tutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep48

First Set

MIrrodin

Odyssey

Favorite Card

Eight-and-a-Half-Tails

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

Fabrizio loves that Magic is so complicated and that you never get good enough before it changes.

Early Challenge

Tuning a deck for the meta is not Fabrizio's strong suit but playing 10-20 games against a certain match up sheds light on how to tweak.

Proudest Magic Moment

Fabrizio is really proud of his solid run in the 2015 season that gives him a chance to go to the Magic World Championship.

His run includes a Grand Prix win, a Pro Tour top 16 and a Grand Prix second place... all within three weekends.

Best Format

Limited

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Play a lessor known, under the radar deck.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

When you're winning think "How could I possibly lose this game?" and hedge against it.

Think the flipside when you're losing.

Always consider your plays and be mindful of your outs and your opponent's outs.

Card Evaluation Tips

Fabrizio waits for the whole set to be released before evaluating new cards.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: Lay out the cards so you can see them all. Separate them into "bomb", "playable" and "unplayable" piles. Then look for synergies within your pool.

Draft: A good memory is an advantage when drafting.
Make sure you consider mana curve, removal and creature count. This will lead to better picks for you even if the card isn't the most powerful in the pack.

Improvement Suggestions

Be willing to invest time and money if you are serious about Magic.

However, to start out, build a deck and play with friends and start playing so you can understand the basics.

Magic Resource

Channel Fireball

Star City Games Premium articles

Magic Online results

Connect With Fabrizio

Twitter: @Anteri_F

Like What You Hear?

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Nov 27, 2015

Javier Dominguez is the Champion of Grand Prix Paris 2014 (Legacy) and took 2nd place at another Grand Prix. He also has 3 Pro Tour Top 16s (one Worlds). He likes making decks and playing Legacy. Javier lives in Spain.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Javier Dominguez when he shared his story on #MTG Pro Tutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep47

First Set

Odyssey

Odyssey

Favorite Set

MIrrodin

Mirrodin

Favorite Card

Eternal Witness
Meloku the Clouded Mirror

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

The people Javier has met has made Magic really fun and sustainable.

Early Challenge

Drafting. To overcome this weakness, Javier would write down his picks and then ask people if  they would make the same ones. That post-game discussion and feedback really helped him improve.

Level Up Moment

When Javier started playing regularly (daily) with his friends and playing all decks against all deck he noticed he really started to improve.

Proudest Magic Moment

Building a Legacy deck and then seeing several team members perform so well in a Pro Tour really meant a lot to Javier.

Javier's Commander

Tasigur, the Golden Fang

Best Format

Legacy

Breaking Into Legacy

Play blue. From there you can identify your style and move from there.

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Consider what has been doing well, pick a deck, then play it a lot so you know it backwards and forwards.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Not talking to people enough about the game. Also, keep your mind focused. If you are there to win then focus on winning 100% of the time. It's okay that you miss a land drop or make a misplay, just recalibrate and keep your mind on winning.

You can train yourself to focus by playing against someone while visualizing you are playing for the Top 8 of a Grand Prix. Practice focusing and you'll get better at focusing.

Card Evaluation Tips

Javier looks for enablers when a set is released. He will compare new cards to ones that he's used to. This gives him a baseline.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: Make three piles: Wow cards, solid fillers, all the rest. Remember, anything not in your deck is your sideboard.

Draft: When there are two cards that are close, take the bigger one because they are generally better.
Know color combinations and archetypes for the set you're drafting.

How to Effectively Play Test

Link up with other players (find a good group at your local FNM) and practice with them.

It's important to have someone to talk about the meta game with and make critical decisions with.

What's Inside? (Tournament Bag)

Cereal Bar
Nuts
Water

Eat and drink at least every 2 hours. If you are hungry or thirsty then you've waited too long.

dominguez wins GP Paris 2014

Improvement Suggestions

To break into the competitive scene there is always a cheap deck. (Usually red.) Start with this deck.

No matter what you choose, make sure you stick with it and practice a lot.

Magic Resource

Frank Karsten articles (on Channel Fireball)

Connect With Javier

Twitter: @Thalaiet

Like What You Hear?

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Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Nov 24, 2015

Raphaël Lévy is a Magic Player from Toulouse, France. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in November 2006. He has 3 Pro Tour Top 8's and 20 Grand Prix Top 8's with 5 wins to his name and led the French team to victory in the 2013 World Magic Cup.

Click to Tweet: I loved hearing Raphael Levy's story on MTG Pro Tutor today! He was an amazing guest and shared great tips. http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep46

First Set

arabian nights

Arabian Nights

Antiquties

Antiquities

Favorite Set

Innistrad

Innistrad

Favorite Card

Llanowar Elves
Elvish Mystic

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

Raphael is very competitive and the challenge has kept him hooked. Even when going through stale periods Raphael stuck around because he loves winning.

Proudest Magic Moment

Raphael joined an international team called Legion in 1997. He did this by qualifying for the Pro Tour by winning a Grand Prix in Djon which was 8 hours away.

Hall of Fame ceremony in his home country of France. All of Raphael's family attended. With them there, along with his countrymen, he felt very honored and proud.

Best Format

Limited (Draft and Sealed)

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Raphael knows his play style and picks a deck that is competitive and that he can pilot well.

Raphael really understands the combat phase and therefore does not play control decks. Choose a deck that fits your style.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

The biggest mistake Raphael sees is in the combat step. Players don't think about it enough.

People don't realize that missing one point of damage in a combat step can lose then the game.

Watch, talk and analyze Magic

Card Evaluation Tips

Raphael waits for the whole set to come out before evaluating cards.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Experiment with Limited yourself. Draft lots of color combinations and you will get a feel for what works and what doesn't.

Read, listen and watch others but always apply what you learn by drafting yourself.

Raphael mentions his draft at GP Madison 2015. 

What's In Your Bag

Deck box
Sleeves
Tokens
Dice
Pens
Paper
Banana - healthiest snack you can have (not too heavy and full of nutrients)
Water

Improvement Suggestions

Limited: Buy 6-12 packs, mark the packs and then after you build your deck (draft, sealed, team) you can rebuild the packs, switch around the rares and then play again.

To be a better Magic player you need to not play Magic. This will help you avoid burnout, avoid automatic plays and put yourself in a different mindset for tournaments.

Don't play your cards as they come. Stop and think.

Magic Resource

TCG Player - Raphael's articles

Connect With Raphael

Twitter: @hahamoud

Twitch: 

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

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I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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"There's no such thing as a difficult thing. It's either possible or impossible." ~Raphael Levy

Nov 20, 2015

Chester Swords has 1 Grand Prix Top 8 and has been to 4 Pro Tours! In addition to his Grand Prix Sydney Top 8 his notable achievements in Magic are winning a Japanese Pro Tour Qualifier in Chiba while being there on holiday and going 9-1 in constructed at Pro Tour Dragons of Tarkir! He lives in Sydney, Australia.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Chester Swords when he shared his story on MTG Pro Tutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep45

First Set

Lorwyn

Lorwyn

Favorite Set

Innistrad

Innistrad

Favorite Card

Cryptic Command

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

The competitive aspect and friends you make along the way.

Early Challenge

Limited is Chester's weak point.

Talking to those who are better has been Chester's best way to improve. Other than jamming a bunch of Limited games.

Level Up Moment

Shifting to Magic Online and primarily playing there. This lead to his first PTQ win in 2011.

Proudest Magic Moment

Making Top 8 at Grand Prix Sydney 2015.

Best Format

Constructed. Chester likes seeing your win rate go up as you practice with a certain deck (in Modern or Standard).

When you're first learning a format, pick a deck and stick with it. After you have a feel for the format you can switch decks.

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Knowing your own play style is key to picking a deck. By playing Magic with different decks and against different decks you will learn what you like. 

Build the popular version of that deck and then tweak it as you continue playing.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Keeping really loose keeps is a big mistake players are making. Especially with the new mulligan rule players should be keeping a lot fewer hands than they are.

You have to be familiar with your deck and the match up to make the optimal keep or mulligan decision.

Don't show up unprepared. Take snacks and water and get sleep.

Card Evaluation Tips

Compare new cards to similar cards in older formats, then consider how good that card was in the old format and use it as a baseline for how good the new card is.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: Sort cards by color and then take out the unplayables. Next see which colors are playable by identifying if your pool can support a certain archetype.

In Battle for Zendikar you want a fast or bomb-centric deck.

Removal is key in any Limited format.

Drafting: Look at content online before you dive in to a format. By having an idea of what the archetypes in a format are ahead of time you'll be better prepared to draft than if you just showed up and sat down. Read articles and watch videos.

How to Effectively Play Test

Drafting two or three times a day is how Chester prepares for a Limited Grand Prix. Then he will talk about his decisions with others.

For a Constructed Grand Prix he will get in reps with his deck so he can identify lines of play and become more familiar with his deck.

Improvement Suggestions

The red deck of any given format is usually pretty good. Starting with that deck is a great place to start.

Magic Resource

Surround yourself with people who are better than you so you can improve.

Channel Fireball

Star City Games

TCG Player

Connect With Chester

Twitter: @2Plowshares

Facebook: Chester Swords

Like What You Hear?

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Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

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Nov 17, 2015

Brian Braun-Duin produces strategy articles and video content for StarCityGames.com. He has Top 8'd four Grand Prix and won two: Grand Prix Louisville and Grand Prix New Jersey. Brian lives in Virginia.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Brian Braun-Duin when he shared his story on MTG Pro Tutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep44

First Set

Time Spiral

Time Spiral

Favorite Set

Time Spiral

Time Spiral

 

Innistrad

Innistrad

Favorite Card

Phyrexian Arena

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

Brian loves solving puzzles and Magic feels like a puzzle to him. 

What deck should you play at a tournament? What sequence do you need to play to win? These questions fuel Brian's love of Magic.

Early Challenge

Tunnel vision. Brian was so focused on card advantage and getting small, incremental advantages that he would miss the big picture. 

There is always a card that can unravel your carefully laid plans so keep your eye on the big picture. Winning is better than card advantage.

Proudest Magic Moment

Winning Grand Prix Louisville

Grand Prix Louisville

Best Format

Legacy

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Review the top 3-5 decks using tournament reports and choose a deck that's well positioned against those.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Not having a plan.

Brian is constantly thinking "How do I win from here?" He sequences and makes plays that gives him the best chance to win.

Card Evaluation Tips

Compare new cards to older similar cards. This will form the base line.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Make three piles per color.

  1. WOW / Bombs
  2. Maybes
  3. I Don't Want to Play These

Next look at what your two best colors are. Consider your mana base and whether the format can support splashing of building a three color deck.

Drafting: Take into consideration your first pick, but more importantly track what's being passed to you so you can see what's opened.

How to Effectively Play Test

Always give yourself a couple of questions to answer during a play test session.

"Is this card good in this match up?"
"Is my side board plan good in a certain match up?"

By answering questions you will get the most out of your play sessions.

Improvement Suggestions

Go to your game store and network with the other players.

Ask questions, play, borrow, lend and be a friend. The social side of Magic: The Gathering is great

Magic Resource

Channel Fireball

Star City Games

Connect With Brian Braun-Duin

Twitter: @BraunDuinIt

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Nov 13, 2015

 

Alexander Hayne is a Magic: The Gathering Platinum Pro Player with 8 Grand Prix Top 8s including 4 Grand Prix wins! He is the Champion of Pro Tour Avacyn Restored and was the 2012 Rookie of the Year. He lives in Montreal, Canada.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Alexander Hayne when he shared his story on MTG Pro Tutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep43

First Set

Ravnica

 
Ravnica: City of Guilds

Favorite Set

Ravnica

 
Ravnica: City of Guilds

Favorite Card

Sphinx's Revelation

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

The challenge of perfecting your game and working on yourself. The game is always changing and keeps the experience fresh.

Early Challenge

Alexander thought he was better than he was when he first started but specifically struggled with combat. Having a plan, looking ahead and doing combat math is a crucial skill that every player needs to develop.

Think ahead five turns and work backwards. Practice this to improve your mind for combat.

Ask for advice from better players.

Proudest Magic Moment

Winning Pro Tour Avacyn Restored in Barcelona 2012.

Pro Tour Avacyn Restored

Favorite Format

Cube Draft

How to Choose a Standard Deck

See what did well at the last tournament and assume people will being playing something that will beat that. Attack the meta from that angle.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Playing by instinct too much. When a line of play presents itself many people react on auto pilot and make a good play when there is a better one available.

Card Evaluation Tips

Wait for the whole set to be released and look for interactions between new cards.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Try to stick to two colors in Sealed unless you have really good mana fixing. Look for solid power level cards and removal.

At the beginning of a draft format feel free to take rares more often than you would later so you can test them and see what they have to offer in Limited.

Draft cards that affect the board with a good curve, good removal and good tricks. Also, keep your eye out for card advantage as well.

Improvement Suggestions

Play with good people or watch people play.

Drafting cube is an economical way to get experience.

Be an aggressive trader.

Read a lot of articles.

Magic Resource

Channel Fireball

Star City Games

Connect With Alexander Hayne

Twitter: @InsayneHayne

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

5 Star Rating

"A wizard who reads a thousand books is powerful. A wizard who memorizes a thousand books is insane." ~Battle of Wits

Nov 10, 2015

 

The Professor YouTubes at the Tolarian Community College and specializes in Magic: The Gathering product reviews, as well as introductory and in-depth guides to the many aspects of game play.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from The Professor when he shared his story on MTG Pro Tutor today! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep42

First Set

Revised

 Revised

Favorite Set

Innistrad

 Innistrad

Favorite Card

Urza's Tower
Urza's Power Plant
Urza's Mine

Early Challenge & Level Up Moment

When the Professor returned to Magic he was strongly opposed to net decking. His next level moment was realizing that living in isolation is not a way to increase your knowledge and skill.

Proudest Magic Moment

First Friday Night Magic he won.

First Game Day he won.

First Game Day his wife won. (Gatecrash Game Day when she was 5 months pregnant!)

Favorite Format

Modern

YouTube Channel

At the Tolarian Community College the Professor reviews Magic: The Gathering products.

He was instrumental in bringing the FOUR by DeckTutor to the United States. In fact, because of the feedback from his audience Deck Tutor modified the design of the binder to fit cards that have been sleeved in a perfect fit.

Worst Product The Professor Has Reviewed

Max Protection sleeves are the worst the Professor has ever reviewed and their deck boxes literally stink.

Worst Mistake Players Make

Stubbornness. Out right refusing to play different decks just to learn limits growth. Even if you don't like/want to play a certain type of deck competitively you should at least play them a few times in practice so you understand how the deck works.

Card Evaluation Tips

The Professor is a self admitted crank during spoiler season. He wants reprints and to return to sets that are unpopular. LOL.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Printing proxies and making sample booster packs to build sealed decks and draft before the pre-release.

Improvement Suggestions

Reading articles and being familiar with the current sets is a great way to break into Magic.

Mono Red for constructed (Standard, Modern and Legacy) is a great starting point. 

Magic Resource

MTG Goldfish

MTG Top 8

MagicCards.info

MTG Salvation forums

MTG Subreddit r/spikes

Casual Wrap Up

First Commanders:
Krenko, Mob Boss
Anowon, the Ruin Sage

Most played Commanders:
Teysa, Orzhov Scion
Sapling of Colfenor
Sen Triplets

Art that the Professor feels embodies him:
Redirect

Connect With The Professor

Twitter: @TolarianCollege

YouTube: Tolarian Community College

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

5 Star Rating

Nov 6, 2015

Kenji Egashira is an enthusiast of 40 card formats, and has been playing Magic since he was 10 years old. Perhaps best known for his Twitch.tv stream where he goes by NumotTheNummy, he is a full-time "internet-preneur" broadcasting his games and entertaining viewers. Kenji lives in Washington.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Kenji when he shared his story on MTG Pro Tutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep41

First Set

Tempest set symbol

Tempest

Favorite Set

invasion

Invasion block

Favorite Card

Sliver Queen

**Kenji's first commander was Numot, the Devastator. Which is where he derived his screen name from.**

Numot, the Devastator

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

Always changing. New sets and story lines keep the game fresh.

Early Challenge

Not focusing on getting better. Early on Kenji would just play the game and not think about the outcome. He would blame losses to luck. Now he thinks, "what did I do wrong and how can I get better?"

Level Up Moment

When Kenji started streaming he started to improve because he had input from his audience that helped change his perspective.

Proudest Magic Moment

Playing Magic full-time.

Also, 9th at Grand Prix Vancouver.

Best Format

Draft

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Many players play not to lose, instead of playing to win. Keep track of your thought process and note when you fall into this trap. 

Card Evaluation Tips

Kenji looks for synergies between cards and determines if they will be good in draft.

Now Kenji waits until he streams a new set to see the cards. This gives his audience a fresh perspective on the cards. When he does this he has to recognize if a card is good by itself rather than if it fits into a strategy because he doesn't know the synergies yet. He figures that out as he drafts several times.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: Sort out bombs, then colors and look at how many playables you have. Curve, playables, bombs; the makings of a well managed Sealed deck.

Draft: Once you've drafted the set a few times you can ear mark cards that are worth remembering. Kenji notes the first 5-6 picks in a pack so he has an idea of what other colors will be taken at the table.

How to Effectively Play Test

Repetitions + decompression. Playing a bunch of games in the format you're preparing for and then critically thinking about each game afterwards is a great way to prepare.

Improvement Suggestions

Even when you win you should consider what you could have done better. 

Repack booster packs so you can draft and build sealed pools without buying new product.

Magic Resource

Limited Resources podcast

Constructed Resources podcast

Draft videos 

Magic streams

Connect With Kenji

Twitch.tv/numotthenummy

Twitter: @NumotTheNummy

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

5 Star Rating

Nov 3, 2015

Sam Pardee is a Grand Prix superstar. So far he’s grabbed 7 Grand Prix top 8s, with wins in Detroit (team) and Portland (Modern). Sam lives in Berkeley California.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Sam Pardee when he shared his story on MTG Pro Tutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep40

First Set

Ice Age

Ice Age

Favorite Set

invasion

Invasion

 

rise eldrazi

Rise of the Eldrazi

Favorite Card

Gideon Jura
Gavony Township

Early Challenge

Side boards - Sam would just copy a side board and not think why the cards are there or pick 15 cards that weren't really good.

Rigorously going through each match up and thinking which cards you need in the match up with others really help.

Level Up Moment

Right after Worlds 2012 Sam played Tempered Steel, which was out of his comfort zone, twice a day on MTGO. He learned the deck inside out, including how to side board, and feels this period really boosted his skills.

Proudest Magic Moment

Pro Tour Born of the Gods. Sam's team, Face to Face Games, did really well and he loved being part of that moment.

Best Format

Modern - You get such an edge knowing your deck inside out.

(Currently playing Splinter Twin.)

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Consider what was visible from the most recent tournaments and play decks that come from a different angle. For example if Dromoka's Command is really popular, don't play a card that gets blown out by it (like an enchantment based deck).

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Not advancing your own game because you ascribe too much to your opponent's plays.

Card Evaluation Tips

Sam takes a hard look at new lands, especially when a rotation is going to happen, because the mana base will have a huge impact on the direction of the format.

When evaluating cards for eternal formats, the casting cost is very important because the barrier to entry is very high.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: Sam looks at his bombs, answers to bombs, and cards that are resilient to removal.

Draft: Through practice (repetition) you get a better feel for reading the draft and managing your curve. Find the time to draft regularly and you'll see improvement.

Sam drafts 10-20 times to get a feel for the format and then uses that information to do well.

Team Building

Putting together a group of people you like and have similar goals is the basis of a team.

A minimum of 8 players is kind of the standard so you can hold a draft but 10-12 is better in case a member has to step out for something.

When you have your core group and come up short for the Pro Tour then bring people on through a trial period. If things work out, keep them, if not then you can part way cordially. 

How to Effectively Play Test

Find a group of people who have similar goals to you and that you like hanging out with and play a lot.

Improvement Suggestions

Use proxies to play test and then invest in the deck you really like before your event.

Magic Resource

Channel Fireball

Watching Streams

Magic Online

Connect With Sam

Twitter: @Smdster

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

5 Star Rating

Oct 30, 2015

Hannes Kerem is an up and coming Magic: The Gathering star who has 2 Grand Prix top 8s and 1 Pro Tour top 8 on his record. Hannes' expertise is in Limited and he is from Estonia!

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Hannes Kerem when he shared his story on MTG Pro Tutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep39

First Set

Onslaught

Onslaught

Favorite Set

Lorwyn

 

Lorwyn / Morningtide

Favorite Card

I need your help! I was a poor host on this one and didn't actually catch the card Hannes mentioned. If you figure it out please tell me.

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

The competitive scene and draft.

Early Challenge

Deck construction.

Level Up Moment

Going 6-0 in Limited at his second Pro Tour Qualifier is when Hannes noticed his skill had improved.

Proudest Magic Moment

Winning Nationals in 2008.

Best Format

Limited

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Hannes trusted the advice of his friends and then tested. 

If you aren't confident in choosing a deck, ask someone who is more knowledgeable then you.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

People don't stick to 40 card Limited decks.

Keep your emotions in check. Don't say "Oh my gosh I drew a land again!!"

Emotions betray your hand and intentions. Stay stone faced and gain a slight edge.

Card Evaluation Tips

Compare new cards against ones you've encountered before.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Always play 40 cards.

Sealed: Look at your cool rares and build your deck around them.

Draft: You only get one pack from the left. Don't worry too much about screwing up their draft.
Hannes puts more weight on his first pick then most players and tries to stick with it. 

How to Effectively Play Test

Play a lot of Magic. In person or online, it doesn't matter, as long as you play a lot.

You need to know your deck inside and out so you give yourself the best chance of winning.

Keep detailed notes. Who went first, who won, etc...

Improvement Suggestions

Mono red is always a deck and often times good. It's a great way to break into Standard. Once it's built, just stick with it. 

Magic Resource

Channel Fireball

Connect With Hannes

Twitter: @Hanneskerem

Hannes on Facebook

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

5 Star Rating

Oct 27, 2015

Lee Shi Tian has 5 Grand Prix Top 8s and is the Champion of Grand Prix Birmingham (2008) he has also made the Top 8 at 4 Pro Tours. He lives in, and joins us from, the tallest city in the world, Hong Kong, China.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Lee Shi Tian when he shared his story on MTG Pro Tutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep38

First Set

Odyssey

Odessey

Favorite Set

Shards of Alara

Shards of Alara

Favorite Card

Vendilion Clique

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

Shi Tian love that there are lots of interaction and synergy between cards and that the games is refreshed every time a set comes out.

He also enjoys the people reading part of Magic too. Looking for tells when playing against an opponent is fun for him.

Early Challenge

Being a Professional gamer is not highly regarded in Hong Kong so Shi Tian was constantly asked "When are you going to get a real job?" from those around him. Until he made Platinum it was a constant challenge standing up to the pressures.

Level Up Moment

After Shi Tian's first Pro Tour Top 8 Wizards unbanned Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle which allowed Shi Tian to play the Scapeshift deck.

Shi Tian also joined with Taiwanese player Kuo Tzu-Ching, who was on the winning team of first ever World Magic Cup, to form the team MTG Mint Card. 

This period of his career was full of growth and level ups for him.

Proudest Magic Moment

Top 8 at Pro Tour Honolulu.

The Pro Tour was during a tumultuous time for Hong Kong and Lee Shi Tian was proud to bring attention to the issues his countrymen were facing.

Best Format

Draft & Modern

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Players at Grand Prix are much more diverse so Shi Tian plays the safest deck. The one with the best results.

For Pro Tours he tries to surprise the field because the format is relatively undiscovered by that point.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Limited: You should know your game plan and always track the game tempo. Know your role for the match up. Are you the aggro player or the player with inevitability?

Card Evaluation Tips

Review the spoiler several times and identify supported archetypes.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Evasion is Shi Tian's secret. 

Get lots of cards with flying.

Draft: Remember the 3 best cards in the pack. Do that with every pack to get a feel of what color people are in.

To "read the draft" you should identify the best commons in each color. You see commons more and it's easier to pick up on what is open if you track the commons.

Always draft a good curve.

Team Building

Teams are great because when you're going solo you don't have time to play every deck. Team mates help round out your knowledge.

How to Effectively Play Test

Know your meta game. What's going on locally and how can you beat it. As you scale up change your side board accordingly.

Improvement Suggestions

Watch videos online to pick up on the latest strategies.

Read articles.

Magic Resource

MTG Mint Card

Star City Games

Channel Fireball

Connect With Shi Tian

Twitter: @leearson

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

5 Star Rating

 

Oct 23, 2015

Joel Larsson keeps busy working as a Pro Magic player, writing articles, streaming and traveling. He has 3 Pro Tour top 16s, 1 Pro Tour win, 1 Pro Tour 2nd, 5 Grand Prix Top 8s, and many Grand Prix Top 16s. Joel has been the Swedish Captain 3 times and was on the Nationals Team under the old system. He is 23 years old and lives in Stockholm with his lady, Sandra. 

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Joel Larsson when he shared his story on MTG Pro Tutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep37

First Set

SaviorsKamigawa

 

Saviours of Kamigawa

Favorite Set

Time Spiral

 

Time Spiral

Innistrad

 

Innistrad

Favorite Card

Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

The social aspect kept Joel around in the early days but now it's the thrill of the competition.

Early Challenge

Joel had to get to the point where he could trust his gut about cards. He only got to that point by putting in a lot of time and playing on MTGO, testing decks and honing his skills.

Level Up Moment

Joel's breakthrough in Paris 2011 took him to the next level

Proudest Magic Moment

Winning Pro Tour Magic Origins

Best Format

Commander (1v1. Not multiplayer.)

Tasigur, the Golden Fang is Joel's Commander.

Check out Joel's article, Competitive EDH is Awesome, on MTG Mint Card.

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Joel follows the progression of the meta game and thinks about what will beat what just did well, and then plays a deck that beat that.

Side boarding: Think of your deck as a 75 card deck. Then take out the 15 cards to be your side board.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Grinding just to grind and losing the fun of Magic. Also, playing with the same people and not reaching out to play with people better than you.

Card Evaluation Tips

The first thing Joel does is compare new cards to cards that are already printed. For example, [card]Ruinous Path[/card] and [card]Heroes Downfall[/card].

Joel will also consider older cards that haven't seen much play and if they are relevant now that a new set is out.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: Joel looks for removal and what colors give him 14-16 creatures.

Drafting: Draft a lot and form your own ideas about the format. This will help guide your draft. Focus on your curve and prioritize removal.

Tournament Preparation

Look at the last tournament in the format that you will be playing and look online for MTGO results and get a feel for the field. Then build a deck that beats those.

Improvement Suggestions

Proxying cards is a great way to inexpensively practice.

Magic Resource

MTG Mint Card

Twitch.tv/JoelLarsson

Connect With Joel Larsson

Twitter: @JoelLarsson1991

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

5-gold-stars1 small

Oct 20, 2015

Ross Merriam is a writer for Starcitygames.com and is a Silver Level Pro with 2 Grand Prix Top 8s, 2 Star City Games Invitational Top 8s and 3 Star City Games Open Wins. Ross lives in Connecticut.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Ross Merriam when he shared his story on MTG Pro Tutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep36

First Set

Odyssey

Odessey

Favorite Set

Time Spiral

Time Spiral

Favorite Card

Vendilion Clique

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

The competitive scene and the people.

Being a rather competitive person Ross enjoys the challenge of tournaments and consistently placing in big events. He also appreciates that he's met so many cool people through Magic: The Gathering.

Early Challenge

Not understanding what cards were good in a competitive setting versus when playing with your friends at home was tough for Ross at first. People at his local game store took him under their wing and taught him the ropes.

Level Up Moment

The growth and changes he experienced at college greatly contributed to Ross' Magic abilities.

Specifically he developed his analytical skills, communication skills and humility.

Proudest Magic Moment

Going 13-2 with an Elves deck at a Legacy Grand Prix in New Jersey. He navigated a field of decks that should have beaten Elves and got back on the Pro Tour.

Favorite Format

Pauper Cube

How to Choose a Sideboard

How your opponent plays is one of the least relevant factors when determining how to sideboard. Ross considers the match up and what their list looks like.

Ross has an idea of 2-3 cards he will side board against each match up.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Holding lands as a bluff.

If you're holding a card in your hand for several turns your opponent will know it's nothing special. Balance the bluff with the benefit of having the card on the field.

Card Evaluation Tips

For a fall set that initiates a rotation, keep in mind the powerful shells from the previous format and rebuild your understanding from scratch.

When evaluating a set that come out in the middle of a format, look for cards that push existing archetypes.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: Do cards have more tactical or strategic synergy? Look for cards that lead to an overall goal.
Avoid even numbers in your mana base because it causes the most variance in your draws.

Tournament Preparation

Have friends with similar goals. If your friends want to get cards signed their focus is vastly different than if they want to make a run for day two of the GP.

How to Effectively Play Test

Always take time to decompress and talk about your play session at the end of the day. Discussion

Improvement Suggestions

Reading articles and talking about them with others is a great way to improve on a budget, as is watching coverage.

Play test on cockatrice.

Magic Resource

Stat Trek

Cockatrice

Star City Games

Paulo Vitor articles

Reid Duke articles

Luis Scott-Vargas articles

Connect With Ross Merriam

Twitter: @RossMBoss

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

5-gold-stars1 small

Oct 16, 2015

Andrea Mengucci is a cultured Italian man who has made it to the Top 16 in one Grand Prix as well as the Top 16 and Top 8 in two Pro Tours. We will definitely see more of him in the years to come.

Click to Tweet: I learned how to mulligan from Andrea Mengucci when he shared his story on MTG Pro Tutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep35

First Set

Champions Kamigawa

 

Champions of Kamigawa

Favorite Set

Innistrad

 

Innistrad

Favorite Card

Bloodbraid Elf

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

You always have changing formats. From tournament to tournament the decks change drastically even though the cards in the set are the same.

Early Challenge

Keeping bad hands was Andrea's early challenge. Just because you have a good spell, if you have one land you can't keep the hand.

Learn how to mulligan to overcome this. In Limited your hand is the main concern in whether you mulligan or not. In Constructed, the match up is the main factor in your mulligan decision.

Level Up Moment

Finding someone who was at the next level and playing with him constantly helped Andrea improve.

He also watched tons of videos and learned from the pros and won a PTQ because of it.

Proudest Magic Moment

Making it to the Top 8 of Pro Tour Atlanta.

Andrea took control of the situation and asked Mike Sigrist if he could room with and practice with him for the Pro Tour. This friendship has helped Andrea grow.

Best Format

Standard.

The best results go to the player who practices the most. Follow the decks every week to stay ahead of what's going on.

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Look at the decks that performed well recently and brainstorm their weaknesses. Consider what deck is best positioned to exploit those weekends.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Not knowing when to mulligan.

Showing up with the wrong deck.

Watch your opponent. Do they think a lot during combat? That could mean a combat trick. Likewise, even if you don't have a trick you should take a few seconds before passing priority so your opponent thinks you have a trick.

Card Evaluation Tips

First, lay out your decks and identify which cards can be strictly replaced by new cards. (This applies to all formats; Standard, Modern etc...)

Then identify powerful cards in the new set that are build arounds and build every Standard deck around that card that you can.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Pre-release: At a pre-release play your rares, even if they aren't that amazing, so you can try them out and see what they do. The pre-release is not a big tournament that Andrea says "I need to win". He just wants to test new cards.

Draft: Don't pass a great card just because there are other good cards in that color. In fact, if you do that and that color doesn't come back that means that you know how many other players at the table are in that color.

Take the best card regardless of color but lean more towards the color of your first pick.

How to Effectively Play Test

Know your opponent's deck list and play around what they have. Track deck lists and identify the cards that always appear in a certain archetype and know them cold.

Playing with people in real life is better than playing online. When possible, go to your local game store and draft with real people.

Improvement Suggestions

When you're first getting in, pick a deck and stick with it. As new sets come out just get the pieces you need in your colors. 

Magic Resource

Channel Fireball

Andrea Mengucci's Mana Base Article

Mana Base Article v2.0

Connect With Andrea

Twitter: @Mengu09

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

5-gold-stars1 small

Oct 13, 2015

Zvi Mowshowitz has 9 Grand Prix top 8s including winning Grand Prix New Orleans. He has 4 Pro Tour top 8s including being the champion of Pro Tour Tokoyo in 2001. He was inducted into the Magic: The Gathering Hall of Fame in 2007. Zvi was born and raised in New York City.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Zvi Mowshowitz when he shared his story on MTG Pro Tutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep34

First Set

Revised

The Dark The Dark (first booster pack)

 

Favorite Set

Innistrad

Limited: Innistrad

Favorite Card

Jayemdae Tome

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

The people he's met and the friends he's made. Zvi met his best friend through Magic as well as a business partner for one of his ventures.

Zvi also loves that Magic is constantly changing. 

Early Challenge

Age and travel distance were an obstacle for Zvi early on. Thankfully his parents trusted a fellow player (who was older) and allow him to take Zvi to tournaments that were further away.

Level Up Moment

Zvi's first Pro Tour (during Tempest block) where he realized he was actually good and could swing it with the big guys is when Zvi started taking his training seriously.

Proudest Magic Moment

Winning Grand Prix New Orleans

Best Format

Block Constructed

How to Choose a Standard Deck

If you want to dominate your local scene, stick with one deck. If you want to really improve, play with a lot of different decks so you learn how they play and how to beat them.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Always play to win.

HOWEVER, don't ever feel like your time and energy was wasted if you lose.

Walk away from every event asking two questions: Did I learn something? Did I enjoy it?

Have a growth mindset. Say "today will not be a waste, and in order for it to not be a waste I have to learn something." 

Failure to identify the key resources in any given game is the biggest mistake Zvi sees players make. 

Who has inevitability? A lot of people just play and don't have a plan and don't track who has inevitability to win?

Mid-level players often play around things that they either can't play around or shouldn't play around.

Card Evaluation Tips

Wait until the full spoiler comes out before evaluating the set for Limited.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: What are your amazing cards? Focus on having a good curve of good cards. Generally you want two colors with early drops and a reasonable curve.

Avoid the devil's mana base. (6/6/6 lands)

Draft: If what you pass to your left is not a bomb, just remember the color and don't waste brain space on memorizing the exact card.

Tournament Prep & Team Building

Find people that you get along well with and test with them.

Travel together and split a room (for cost reasons).

Improvement Suggestions

Watch others draft. Have others watch you and give you feedback. Proxy up decks. Play online for repetitions.

Magic Resources

Cockatrice

Magic Online

Channel Fireball

Star City Games - Great tournament circuit

Connect With Zvi

Twitter: @TheZvi

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

5-gold-stars1 small

 

Oct 9, 2015

Justin Cohen is the 2015 Rookie of the Year and has started topping the charts by making it into one Pro Tour top 8.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Justin Cohen when he shared his story on MTG Pro Tutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep34

First Set

Fourth Edition
(This set had no symbol)

Favorite Set

Modern MastersModern Masters

Limited is Justin's favorite format so Modern Masters was  his favorite because it had a very deep Limited format.

Favorite Card

Gaea's Cradle

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

Drafting. Plain and simple, Justin LOVES to draft.

Early Challenge

Finding others to play with was hard as a young player. On top of that he had to find players better than himself so he could improve. Whenever Justin identified someone he could learn from he would gravitate towards them and soak in all he could.

Level Up Moment

From Theros to Khans was Justin's biggest growth spurt. He avidly consumed content and by knowing more he made better decisions.

Proudest Magic Moment

Making Top 8 at Pro Tour Fate Reforged in 2015.

Best Format

Draft.

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Take up a deck that minimizes your opponents advantage. Justin will likely play a fast deck because Standard is not his strength and limiting the time a superior Standard player has to gain control is advantageous for him.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Getting their priorities mixed up. People say they want to improve but then default to protecting their ego. Too many people ascribe luck to their loses instead of internalizing what they did wrong.

Card Evaluation Tips

Justin needs the whole picture and waits for most of the cards to be released before he sifts through them.

He looks for trends in the size of creatures and trends in removal quality. Justin also will consider the archetypes being supported.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: Justin looks for flexibility. Try to construct multiple decks with your pool. Register your best deck but constantly reevaluate and sideboard aggressively to combat your opponents strategy.

Too make this work you should sleeve your entire pool and pay close attention to what you take out and put in.

Draft: Remember 2 things: what you expect to be taken for the 3-4 picks after you, then look at the next set of good cards so you know what's likely to come back.

Keep a mental tally of your mana curve.

Team Building

You want people who are not afraid to be wrong and who aren't afraid to throw out ideas. Surround people who complement your skill set.

Improvement Suggestions

Build a set specific cube to learn the interactions between cards and for a way to practice that's easy on the wallet.

Magic Resource

Star City Games

Channel Fireball

Connect With Justin

Twitter: @trippdup

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

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Oct 6, 2015

Frank Karsten was inducted into the Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour Hall of Fame in 2009 after putting up impressive results and contributing greatly to the Magic community. He has 3 Pro Tour top 8s and 6 Grand Prix Top 8s! He is a writer for ChannelFireball, has a PhD in stochastic operations research and game theory and is a member of the EU Grand Prix coverage team. He lives in Eindhoven Netherlands.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Frank Karsten when he shared his story on MTG Pro Tutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep32

First Set

Tempest set symbol Tempest

 

Favorite Set

Champions Kamigawa Kamigawa block

(because the Kamigawa block constructed was great)

Favorite Card

Gifts Ungiven

What makes Magic fun for you?

Frank loves the creative and puzzle solving outlet Magic provides as well the opportunity to travel the world and make wonderful friends.

Early Challenge

Frank had to convince his parents and teachers as a 16 year old that going to his first Pro Tour in New York City was a good idea. He successfully did this.

One year later, as a 17 year old, he was back in New York City on September 11, 2001! Thankfully he had a friend that he made through Magic that he could stay with as he waited for the airports to open again.

Level Up Moment

Grasping the concept of tempo opened Frank's mind to a new way of playing Magic.

Tempo is using less mana than your opponent to affect the board. Killing a creature with a cheaper costing removal spell is a good tempo play.

Damage clocks also plays into tempo.

Proudest Magic Moment

Being inducted into the Magic: The Gathering Hall of Fame

Best Format

Block Constructed is a pet favorite of Frank's but today his best format is Limited.

Current Standard Deck

Aggro decks are Frank's go to as of late, but he started out as a control player.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Too many players blame luck for their losses instead of considering their misplays.

Also, too many players don't have a plan. They just make random plays.

Frank has seen so many players build their deck with terrible mana bases. It's an easy fix. Talk to people better than you and browse the internet for good resources.

Evaluation Tips

Frank evaluates a new set once all of it has been released.

He compares new cards to similar, base line cards from previous sets to see if they are good for Limited.

Baseline: 2/2 creature for 2 mana; 3/2 or 2/3 creature for 3 mana; 4/3 or 3/4 creature for 4 mana. If stats are worse than this you should expect some kind of upside. If they fall short and don't have upside then the card is probably not good.
Four mana or less removal spells are really good in Limited.

Cards that cost 3 mana or less and lands see the most play in Constructed.

Limited Tips

Sealed: Two color decks do better in Sealed because you will have a more consistent mana curve. A good rule of thumb is to have four 2 drops, five 3 drops, three 4 drops, three 5 drops, 8 spells and 17 lands.

Look for two colors that will get you close to this mix.

Drafting: Frank developed the first pick order list and still makes one today for each new set. It serves as a starting guide line when he's drafting.

Beginner Draft Tip: Pick you colors early and stick with those throughout the draft.

Play Testing

Communicate with teammates. Build in time for discussion so everyone can benefit and improve.

Improvement

To get better at Magic you should expect to invest some amount of Magic. Like tennis, where you need a racket to play, you have to have cards to play at a tournament.

You can have a friend over and play online and then discuss the game so you can get better.

Active discussion is key no matter what format you are studying.

Interview Links

Channel Fireball

Draft Sim

Magic: The Gathering Online (MTGO)

Connect With Frank

Twitter: @karsten_frank

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Sep 30, 2015

Doc streams late night limited on Twitch. He began playing Magic: The Gathering at age 6, in Mirage, and has been honing his game since. He gets his fix of paper magic through a Team Draft League in Brooklyn, and he represented the Community at the 2015 Community Cup.

Click to Tweet: Doc takes us from spoiler season to actually playing with cards on MTG Pro Tutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep31

Evaluation Tips

Doc only looks at the spoiler after the full set has been spoiled.

Having the full picture allows you to see the magic number of the set.

Almost every set has "magic numbers". It might be 3 where there are a lor of 3 drops and a a lot of 3 power creatures, or it could be another number. You won't get a good feel until the whole set is released.

Limited Tips

Focus on remembering / ear marking the three cards you think will be taken after your own pick. This will give you a good idea of what half the table is in.

Play Testing

Find people you like playing with and hammer out sessions.

For Limited, grinding is a good way to prepare. Absorb as many understandings of the format as you can.

Improvement

Consume as much of other people's content as you can if you can't draft as much as you would like.

Interview Links

Hipsters of the Coast

Connect With Doc

Twitch: SGDoc

Twitter: @MtgoDoc

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Sep 29, 2015

Doc streams late night limited on Twitch. He began playing Magic: The Gathering at age 6, in Mirage, and has been honing his game since. He gets his fix of paper magic through a Team Draft League in Brooklyn, and he represented the Community at the 2015 Community Cup.

First Set

MirageMirage

 

Favorite Set

LorwynLorwyn

 

Favorite Card

Birds of Paradise

What makes Magic fun for you?

Doc has fun when he really has to use his brain. Magic affords him plenty of opportunities to use his brain.

More than that, Doc loves streaming and loves the interaction with his community.

Early Challenge

Being closed minded and narrow. Doc would form an opinion of a format or card and if anyone said something different he would dismiss it. Chris Manning broke through the blinders and helped Doc improve.

Proudest Magic Moment

Being elected to represent the Magic community at large at the 2015 Magic Community Cup.

Best Format

Draft

#1 Draft Tip: BREAD - Bombs, Removal, Evasive, Aggressive, Duds
Pick cards in this order as a general guideline to draft.

Current Standard Deck

Esper Dragons

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Limited: Deck building is where people make the most mistakes. Know the set and what you need to survive. In Magic Origins for example you need several relevant plays (creatures) before turn three.

Know how fast the format is and know how to keep your opponent off tempo.

Connect With Doc

Twitch: SGDoc

Twitter: @MtgoDoc

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Sep 23, 2015

Paul Rietzl was born in Boston, MA and currently lives in Scottsdale, AZ working as an Executive Recruiter. He has 12 Grand Prix top 8s, including 2 wins, and 4 Pro Tour top 8s including winning Pro Tour Amsterdam in 2010. Paul is a member of Team UltraPro and writes for ChannelFireball.com. He is a member of Magic: The Gathering's Hall of Fame Class of 2014.

Card and Set Evaluation Tips

Paul recognizes his strength is not in deck building. He leans on the deck building abilities of those he trusts and then tweaks from there, sharing his insights along the way.

Limited Tips

Sealed: Check out your Mythics and Rares first. Note any removal. Bring with you an idea of the format, is it fast, slow or tempo based.
Missing land drops is usually bad in slower formats, make sure your mana base is solid.

Draft: Keep in mind the colors those around you are in by noting what the next most powerful cards are after you pick.
Don't commit yourself to colors too early.
The best drafters keep it simple. When there is a bomb they draft it. They stick to Limited 101

How to Prepare

Look at deck lists online, copy them, plat test a lot and tweak.

Improvement

Magic: The Gathering is an expensive hobby but it increases it's rewards exponentially the more you put into it.

Identify what level you want to perform at and then have fun and understand there is a resource commitment associated with each level. If  kitchen table Magic is your thing, that's awesome. If you want to dominate the Pro Tour, go for it! The money required for those two levels is vastly different.

Keep your body healthy. Regular exercise gets oxygen to the brain and has helped Paul keep his edge.

Magic Resources

Huey Jensen articles

Reid Duke articles

Chris Fennel articles

Patrick Chapin articles

Interview Links

Magic: The Gathering main website

Star City Games

Channel Fireball

MTG Top 8

Connect With Paul

Twitter: @paulrietzl

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Sep 22, 2015

Paul Rietzl was born in Boston, MA and currently lives in Scottsdale, AZ working as an Executive Recruiter. He has 12 Grand Prix top 8s, including 2 wins, and 4 Pro Tour top 8s including winning Pro Tour Amsterdam in 2010. Paul is a member of Team UltraPro and writes for ChannelFireball.com. He is a member of Magic: The Gathering's Hall of Fame Class of 2014.

First Set

The Dark The Dark

Favorite Set

rise eldrazi Rise of the Eldrazi

 

Favorite Card

Steppe Lynx

What makes Magic fun for you?

Depending on where he is in life different aspects of Magic appeal to him. Early on it was the travel, sometimes is the thrill of challenge, but overall it's the life long friends and the connections with people that keep Paul coming back.

Early Challenge

Not doing well at tournaments made Paul do some soul searching and decide that he will start to prepare the heck out of tournament so he can show up prepared.

Proudest Magic Moment

Winning the Team Grand Prix in San Jose (2012) with Matt Sperling and David Williams

Best Format

Team Rochester Draft

Sealed Deck

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Everyone has experienced being blown out. While blow out losses are not fun, many people shut down when there are lot of little things you could be doing to gain incremental edges.

Know the sequence you and your opponent need to go through for you to come back and play to that. Assume your opponent will make mistakes.

Consider what factors outside of the game are affecting your loss. Is your mana base built right? Did you sideboard correctly?

Don't shut down. There is a lot to be learned from a blow out loss.

Connect With Paul

Twitter: @paulrietzl

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Sep 16, 2015

Jamie Parke has 3 major top 8s, including Worlds 1999, Worlds 2008 and PT ATL 2014. He also has 4 GP Top 8s and as you can tell by the dates is one of a very small group of players with a top 8 in 3 different decades. He currently lives in Philadelphia and trades equity options.

Evaluation Tips

Look at cards and compare them with the other cards being spoiled. Look for synergies like Subterranean Scout + Nantuko Husk.

Limited Tips

Reading the draft: Don't focus on this skill too early. First focus on learning the cards and becoming familiar with what's good and isn't. Identify the really good commons. When one of these picks come late than you can start reading the draft.

Team Building

Find others who are strong where you are weak but more importantly you need people who you are friends with. It's imperative that you get along with each other.

Play Testing

A week play-testing with the Pantheon looks like people playing what ever deck they want against other decks and having an organized draft a few times a day.

Improvement

Look up rules. Ask rules questions. A deeper understanding of the rules will lead to more victories.

Magic Resource

Cockatrice

Duels of the Planeswalkers

Connect With Jamie

Twitter: @JamieParke

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Sep 15, 2015

Jamie Parke has 3 major top 8s, including Worlds 1999, Worlds 2008 and PT ATL 2014. He also has 4 GP Top 8s and as you can tell by the dates is one of a very small group of players with a top 8 in 3 different decades. He currently lives in Philadelphia and trades equity options.

First Set

Revised

Favorite Set

Tempest block (for its Limited game play)

Favorite Card

Ancestral Recall

What makes Magic fun for you?

The challenge of competing at the highest levels.

Early Challenge

Finding people who wanted to play as much as Jamie did was an early challenge for him.

Level Up Moment

Magic is a game of probabilities. Identifying that there is a correct play based on probability and realizing that you could make the correct play and still lose helped Jamie improve early on. It helped him let go of unnecessary pressure. 

 

Best Format

Limited

It's so easy to throw together a draft where all people have to do is invest 3 hours of their time.

Current Standard Deck

Hangarback Abzan

Biggest Mistake Players Make

1) Don't go to a big tournament too early. 

Play during the week. Play at FNM. Participate in online trainings like LSVs "What's the play?"

2) Don't give away too much imformation.

Hold cards in hand you don't need to play so your opponent knows as little as possible.

Connect With Jamie

Twitter: @JamieParke

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Sep 9, 2015

Josh McClain has 4 Grand Prix top 8s including winning  Grand Prix Detroit in 2013 (Modern format). He also has one Pro Tour top 16 and a TCG Invitational win.

Evaluation Tips

Check to see if new cards fill holes in existing decks.

Check if powerful cards that weren't played before now have synergy and are playable with the new cards.

Limited Tips

Sealed: Sealed is bomb-centric, so removal is very important. Stand alone cards that are good on their are will perform better than synergy decks.

Draft: Draft cards that work well on their own and if the synergy comes it's a bonus. Draft a lot to hone your evaluation eye. Group discussion is also crucial to improving.

Team Building

Build a team with people you trust. You need to trust each others opinions and track record.

 

Improvement

Consume as much content as you can. There's so much free content out there.

Magic Resource

Channel Fireball - Josh's weekly video

Interview Links

Star City Games

Connect With Josh McClain

@Good_Game_

jmcclain2007@hotmail.com

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Sep 8, 2015

Josh McClain has 4 Grand Prix top 8s including winning  Grand Prix Detroit in 2013 (Modern format). He also has one Pro Tour top 16 and a TCG Invitational win.

First Set

Odyssey Odyssey

 

Favorite Set

rise eldrazi Rise of the Eldrazi

 

Favorite Card

Gavony Township
Orzhov Pontiff

What makes Magic fun for you?

The tournament scene and the competitive aspect. Putting in a lot of work and seeing results.

Early Challenge

Grinding Pro Tour Qualifiers for several years was a struggle. Josh felt he had plateaued. By playing a lot (on MTGO and in person) he became familiar with his deck and the matchups.

Level Up Moment

Realizing that all the big players are just people and he could achieve the same results through practice.

Proudest Magic Moment

Winning Grand Prix Detroit.

mcclain GP win

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Format

Modern (Amulet Bloom Deck)

Current Standard Deck

Blue/Red Thopters for Pro Tour Vancouver 2015

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Not thinking of what your opponent could have. Overlooking the counter trick when you have one in hand.

Connect With Josh

@Good_Game_

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Sep 2, 2015

Valentin Mackl top 8’d his first Grand Prix in the summer of 2014 in Miami. Since then he has top 8’d four more Grand Prix and top 16’d at least 11 others! He’s been the Austrian World Magic Cup Captain for two consecutive years (2014, 2015) and is currently a Gold Level Pro.

Evaluation Tips

Try playing in a pre release without looking at the spoiler first. You'll have a fun and challenging experience.

Limited Tips

Sealed: Don't always look at your rares. Look at the number of playables you have outside the rares.

Draft: Make a mental note of the good cards in the pack and try and peg the players on your left in certain colors.

Team Building

A team for the Pro Tour is extremely important to assimilate all the knowledge that is out there.

Play Testing

Structure your play testing time. At certain times you play certain formats then build in time to analyze and share the information afterwards.

Improvement

Proxy decks to play test before you invest in the one you're taking to a big tournament.

Make friends with someone who has a large collection so you can borrow cards instead of buying.

Connect With Valentin Mackl

@nameless4god

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Sep 1, 2015

Valentin Mackl top 8’d his first Grand Prix in the summer of 2014 in Miami. Since then he has top 8’d four more Grand Prix and top 16’d at least 11 others! He’s been the Austrian World Magic Cup Captain for two consecutive years (2014, 2015) and is currently a Gold Level Pro.

First Set

SaviorsKamigawaSaviors of Kamigawa

 

Favorite Set

InnistradInnistrad

 

Favorite Card

Momentary Blink

What makes Magic fun for you?

The competition of big tournaments and traveling are fun. Winning feels nice. :)

Early Challenge

Playing crappy decks early on lead to many losses. Mackl improved his analytical skills with age and started playing top tier decks.

Level Up Moment

Going to big competitions consistently helped Mackl improve because the caliber of players he was playing against was really good.

Proudest Magic Moment

First Grand Prix top 8 in Miami.

Best Format

Standard

Legacy

Standard Advice

Whenever you make a decision you should think, "why am I doing this right now?"

Current Standard Deck

Jeskai

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Take your time when you play. Fast decisions when you're not experienced are most of the time wrong. Try to play absolutely correctly.

Connect With Valentin

@nameless4god

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Aug 26, 2015

Evaluation Tips

In every Limited format there are archetypes. During spoiler season look for archetypes and keywords that support/synergize with those archetypes. However, nothing beats actually playing with the cards.

Limited Tips

Sealed: Look for creatures, cards that kill creatures and card advantage. Stick with two colors if at all possible for a stable mana base. Avoid more than 4 mana sources in a third color. Power level is slightly more important than mana curve but doing something productive every turn is key.

Draft: Take the best card and then identify what the second best card was so you can ear mark what color the next player is. Then know that the color is probably closed and avoid those colors moving forward.

The more you draft a set the more you will recognize synergies between cards.

Spending fewer resources than your opponent (when it comes to tricks) is to your advantage.

Don't commit fully to colors based on your first few picks. Understand you might be moved off those colors.

Beginner Tip: Draft two colors. Take the best card in two colors and stick with those.

Prepping for a Big Event

Healthy living is important. Getting enough sleep is critical. Loading your body with healthy food and avoiding drinking and drugs before the event gives you the best chance possible. You are playing against the best out there and you have to focused and on your game.

Get a team.

Team Building

Friendship and mutual respect come first and foremost. Then look for people with different strengths. If you are a good deck builder, look for a good sideboarder.

Play Testing

Organization and focus are important. Have a plan of action. Define the environment, build decks that represent the environment and then play against those.

Improvement

Find what color(s) resonate with you and just focus on that deck.

Interview Links

Star City Games Articles

Connect With Gary

@GaryWise1

jgarywise1@hotmail.com - email him article ideas for his Star City Games column

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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Aug 25, 2015

First Set

REV_Symbol_Product

Revised (1995)

Favorite Set

Good tempo based set that lend themselves to exploitable Limited formats.

Urzas SagaUrza's Saga

 

Favorite Card

Brainstorm
Upheaval
Chaos Orb
Contract From Below
Cheatyface

What makes Magic fun for you?

Upheaval for 13 is fun! ;)

Early Challenge

Having a $2000 deck stolen was a huge set back. However, this opened Gary up to exploring other formats like Limited.

Level Up Moment

Making friends with the top player in Canada and playing with his group led to huge improvements in Gary's game.

Proudest Magic Moment

Making top 8 at the Worlds tournament in Japan.

Being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Best Format

Limited

Connect With Gary

@GaryWise1

Like What You Hear?

If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.

Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.

I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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