Games

Magic Numbers

Magic Numbers is a podcast about Limited format in Magic: the Gathering. The idea is to use data to try to crack current format, or try to answer longstanding questions in Magic and by answering the questions making the listeners better at drafting, deckbuilding and general strategy. The target audience is intermediate to advanced players, but rest assured, determined beginners will also find useful information that will allow them to level up. The podcast is an audio version of my Twitch seminars, so if some parts are confusing, it was designed to be watched on YouTube or live on Twitch.

Latest Episodes:

#86 - Evolution of the Format Aug 17, 2023

Show notes

This week I look at how LTR drafts changed over time. Which cards, color pairs fell in and out of favour with the Arena users. And how did the player win rate impact those preferences. But doing just a retrospective of one format can be a bit boring - what universal trends can we draw from LTR evolution? Can some color pairs be more resilient to metagame shifts and if so - why?

Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/sierkovitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get extra access, perks and the good feeling of supporting my work.

This podcast is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mtgazone.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - get your reading fix from the best and brightest Magic writers in the business.

Reminder: This podcast is a recording of a stream, which relies heavily on graphics. Check the youtube recording of it to see any graphs that are hard to imagine in the audio-only format: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgBOExMmzLY Find all other things Sierkovitz here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/sierkovitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Theme song: You Do You, Mana Junkie by essesq (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/essesq/61332⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ft: Mana Junkie

#85 - Figuring out draft game plans using data Aug 02, 2023

Show notes

The biggest level up from a decent drafter to a great one is realising that drafting good cards is not enough to become an exceptional player. Truly great drafters are able to sacrifice power for synergy and know exactly when to do it and when not to. This ability lets you get more out of the cards in your decks and win games because of those synergistic interactions and consistent goals and plans across every card in your deck. But easier said than done. Today I look at the ways to use game data from 17Lands.com in order to figure out, what are the plans for different archetypes and how to use that data to improve your understanding of different archetypes and individual cards.

This episode is particularly data-heavy, so if you want to look through the graphs, I made the slides accessible to all, find them here: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/posts/slides-for-magic-86086797⁠ Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/sierkovitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get extra access, perks and the good feeling of supporting my work.

Reminder: This podcast is a recording of a stream, which relies heavily on graphics. Check the youtube recording of it to see any graphs that are hard to imagine in the audio-only format: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzM0Ehn7p7w Find all other things Sierkovitz here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/sierkovitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

#84 - Reading Signals in Draft Jul 20, 2023

Show notes

Drafts are hard. There is plenty going on and to navigate it well, you need to think not only of your own deck, but about what are other people doing. In limited content you will often hear that something is a signal - but what are signals exactly? And how can you read and interpret them? And perhaps more importantly - do signals mean anything and can you draw some actionable conclusions from reading them? I immersed myself in 17Lands.com data for 2 weeks trying to answer those questions and here is a summary of what I found. This episode is particularly data-heavy, so if you want to look through the graphs, I made the slides accessible to all, find them here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/slides-for-magic-86086797 Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/sierkovitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get extra access, perks and the good feeling of supporting my work.

This podcast is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mtgazone.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - get your reading fix from the best and brightest Magic writers in the business.

Reminder: This podcast is a recording of a stream, which relies heavily on graphics. Check the youtube recording of it to see any graphs that are hard to imagine in the audio-only format: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJkT96MOgYU Find all other things Sierkovitz here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/sierkovitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Theme song: You Do You, Mana Junkie by essesq (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/essesq/61332⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ft: Mana Junkie

#83 - Learning to Draft Lord of the Rings from Top Players Jul 05, 2023

Show notes

There are multiple good reasons why top players win more. A lot of it has to do with game play, but not everything. Learning how to navigate draft and evaluate cards is an easier way of boosting your win rate and drafting best cards and being able to pick the right lane will aid you also in improving your game play later.

Here are some lessons from top 17Lands.com user data that will help you become a better limited player.

Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/sierkovitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get extra access, perks and the good feeling of supporting my work.

This podcast is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mtgazone.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - get your reading fix from the best and brightest Magic writers in the business.

Reminder: This podcast is a recording of a stream, which relies heavily on graphics. Check the youtube recording of it to see any graphs that are hard to imagine in the audio-only format: https://youtu.be/L4h4dGahSWc Find all other things Sierkovitz here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/sierkovitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Theme song: You Do You, Mana Junkie by essesq (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/essesq/61332⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ft: Mana Junkie

#82 - Early dive into LTR draft data Jun 27, 2023

Show notes

New set, new possibilities! This week I give a general overview of which colors are good, what cards fuel them and which cards are essential in every archetype. And which cards absolutely are not - I looked through biggest traps too, so you don't have to. Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/sierkovitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get extra access, perks and the good feeling of supporting my work.

This podcast is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mtgazone.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - get your reading fix from the best and brightest Magic writers in the business.

Find all other things Sierkovitz here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/sierkovitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Theme song: You Do You, Mana Junkie by essesq (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/essesq/61332⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ft: Mana Junkie

#80 - MOM set review with Trumpetman revisited Jun 18, 2023

Show notes

Set reviews are tricky bits of content. Based on limited information, prone to errors and quickly out of date. This is exactly why me and Trumpetman designed out set review structure in such a way that we can easily confront our predictions with the reality. Since we predicted the win rate of cards, we can match our guesses with the end of the format results. This way we know exactly where were our biggest misses and where we were bang on. This episode is looking at our successes and failures and based on those we are trying to see what aspects of card evaluation we got wrong, how to improve the next time. The episode is particularly valuable for those of you who want to improve your card evaluation skills and understand how sets pan out. Trumpetman is a host of 40 Card College podcast (a must-hear content for all the Limited fans out there). You can follow him at https://twitter.com/Trumpetman__

Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/sierkovitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get extra access, perks and the good feeling of supporting my work.

This podcast is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mtgazone.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - get your reading fix from the best and brightest Magic writers in the business.

Find all other things Sierkovitz here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/sierkovitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Theme song: You Do You, Mana Junkie by essesq (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/essesq/61332⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ft: Mana Junkie

#79 - How to improve your draft using 17Lands data? Jun 12, 2023

Show notes

Limited is a hard format. It is not easy to start winning reliably. Today I look at several ways to quickly improve your Limited draft and deck building skills using the 17Lands.com data. I analyze why beginners can have problems with winning reliably, but most importantly, I try to give actionable advice on how to solve the problems I identify. This video is primarily aimed at beginner to intermediate players, at least I tried to make it so. After watching it, you should be able to: - identify bad cards in the format - identify good cards in the format - know how to check for good and bad cards specific for a given color pair - know how to recognise a plan of a deck and how to draft in a way that enhances that plan rather than undermining it - learn the importance of using community support as a learning tool

Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/sierkovitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get extra access, perks and the good feeling of supporting my work.

This podcast is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mtgazone.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - get your reading fix from the best and brightest Magic writers in the business.

Find all other things Sierkovitz here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/sierkovitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Theme song: You Do You, Mana Junkie by essesq (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/essesq/61332⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ft: Mana Junkie

#77 - Playing 5C in MOM Draft Jun 06, 2023

Show notes

5C strategies in Limited are undoubtedly fun. But they are also tricky to execute, hard to master and laden with mana issues, which lower your win rate. This episode I look at the 17Lands data of 4 and 5 color decks in MOM to try and figure out, what makes a 5C strategy tick. Key cards, how much fixing is enough, reasons to go 5C and traps associated with this approach.

Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/sierkovitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get extra access, perks and the good feeling of supporting my work.

This podcast is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mtgazone.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - get your reading fix from the best and brightest Magic writers in the business.

Reminder: This podcast is a recording of a stream, which relies heavily on graphics. Check the youtube recording of it to see any graphs that are hard to imagine in the audio-only format: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyAednqwXVA Find all other things Sierkovitz here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/sierkovitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

#77 - Battle of the Battles May 16, 2023

Show notes

This episode I look at the data on the new card type. How many Battles should you play in your draft deck? Which ones are over and underperformers? What is the impact of the number of battles you have in your deck? And does it vary with color pair you are playing? And if so - why? Plenty to unpack but on top of everything I also had to somehow do this while my cat and my dog were, very aptly, fighting a battle against each other.

Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/sierkovitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get extra access, perks and the good feeling of supporting my work.

This podcast is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mtgazone.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - get your reading fix from the best and brightest Magic writers in the business.

Reminder: This podcast is a recording of a stream, which relies heavily on graphics. Check the youtube recording of it to see any graphs that are hard to imagine in the audio-only format. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEEmCWTzt0s Find all other things Sierkovitz here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/sierkovitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

#76 - Learning from the best? May 01, 2023

Show notes

This episode I look at the data of different win rate user tiers on 17Lands.com. In 17L data you can look specific at top win rate players group, a bunch that has a ~60% win rate across multiple formats. What do those players do differently? What color pairs, cards are they high on compared to the rest of the users? How do they use battles compared to the rest? But aside from looking at the top users I am asking: is it always worth to try and copy best players and the way they draft? And my conclusion is: not necessarily. Some cards will play amazingly in the hands of a seasoned grinder, but players who are still learning can actually harm their win rate by trying to replicate best players' strategies. And data can point us to which cards can be trickier to use and which strategies are more accommodating to beginner level drafters.

Patreon: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://patreon.com/sierkovitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get extra access, perks and the good feeling of supporting my work.

This podcast is sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠mtgazone.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - get your reading fix from the best and brightest Magic writers in the business.

Reminder: This podcast is a recording of a stream, which relies heavily on graphics. Check the youtube recording of it to see any graphs that are hard to imagine in the audio-only format. https://youtu.be/aY9fAt8GKO4 Find all other things Sierkovitz here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/sierkovitz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Magic Numbers

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected