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

Latest Episodes:

219: Lukas Blohon Returns and Shares 1.5 Years of One Game at a Time Jul 21, 2017

Show notes

Lukas Blohon returns to the show after increasing his already impressive record. He now has 7 Grand Prix top 8s including 2 wins and 2 Pro Tour top 8s. Lukas lives in Prague, Czech Republic. His first appearance on the MTG Pro Tutor podcast was episode 61.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Lukas Blohon when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep219

Whats New

Lukas now plays Magic full time. He produces content for Hareruya and plays. After locking Platinum, Lukas decided to make the leap.

Time Management

Breaking up Magic times with other activities helps Lukas focus better.

What happened at GP Vegas

Lukas played in the Modern event and remembers a loss he had. After 4 days of solid Magic, Lukas missed an onboard manland and his opponent won when Lukas was favored.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Playing too fast. People don't think their whole turn through.

Shortcoming

Playing an auto pilot. Lukas does it in practice and wants to get better.

Parting Guidance

Play one match at a time.

Connect With Lukas Blohon

Twitter:@LukasBlohon ‏

Check Out Magic Story

Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community.

Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com

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218: The Secret to Recording Your Magic Games with Allen Wu Jul 18, 2017

Show notes

Allen Wu is a Master's student at Stanford University where he studies Management Science and Engineering. He broke onto the Pro Tour by winning an MTGO PTQ 3 seasons in a row. His best results are 2 Grand Prix top 8's with 1 win and going 10-6 in the last 3 Pro Tours. Allen lives in Mountain View, CA.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Allen Wu when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep218

First Set

Invasion

Favorite Set

Time Spiral

Favorite Card

Vendilion clique

Early Challenge

Allen played a lot and got better by accident :)

Worst Magic Moment

At a Pro Tour, playing against Mike Sigrist, Allen missed a play that would have won him the game. He missed out on qualifying for 2 more Pro Tour.

Proudest Magic Moment

Winning his first MTGO PTQ.

What Have You Learned From Magic

"Magic has improved my critical thinking."

Best Format

Legacy

Advice for Beginner Legacy

There are so many decisions and decks learn from every game.

Deepest Thing You've Learned About Yourself

Making great friends has been a fantastic side effect of playing Magic.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Playing too scared. Players pump the brakes when they shouldn't. You have to read how your opponents have been playing and surmise what they don't have.

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

Play a lot of Magic Online and get a group to play test.

Tournament Day Tips

Hangout with friends between rounds. Make sure you're having fun.

Parting Guidance

Record your games and watch them.

Magic Resource

Watch videos and pause as you go talk with friends.

Connect With Allen Wu

Twitter:@lhefriel ‏

Check Out Magic Story

Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community.

Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com

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217: First Listener Turned Guest Tyrell Wheeler Shares His Secret to Making Pro Tour Top 16 on Part-Time Magic Jul 14, 2017

Show notes

Tyrell Wheeler is the first Pro Tutor Prodigy listener turned guest! He has been playing Magic since Revised and has one Pro Tour top 16. Tyrell lives in Vancouver, Canada.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Tyrell Wheeler when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep217

Favorite Set

Time Spiral

Favorite Card

Time walk

Early Challenge

Don't know the proper playing of Magic when in an autopilot.

Worst Magic Moment

He lost his backpack including his deck and some of his personal belongings the night before the event.

Proudest Magic Moment

Qualifying for the Pro Tour even though his life gets busy and played Magic on and off.

What Have You Learned From Magic

He could repeat other people's process to success so being mindful. Practice does not make perfect but perfect practice makes perfect.

Best Format

Sealed deck.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Players just talking with everybody and setting down to play. People need to put the mental energy into thinking about what the best plays. Keep in touch with your monologue, ask questions why that this happened and internalize the game.

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

Watching Limited videos, ask pieces of advice from mentors, watching Magic matches once a week, get practice, think some plan and strategy and have confidence.

Tips For Long Days in Magic

Have big meals, eat salad, apple, banana, drink enough water, bring paper, pens, tokens, dice, etc.

Parting Guidance

Mindfully think through the games and adapt else' process that is so much better than you.

Connect With Tyrell Wheeler

Tyrell can be found in the MTG Pro Tutor Facebook group.

Check Out Magic Story

Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community.

Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com

Sponsors

The Archmage of Goldnight - Magic the Story Ep. 2 Jul 11, 2017

Show notes

The Archmage of Goldnight

Magic Story is the audio presentation of Uncharted Realms, the weekly Daily MTG column that tells the lore behind Magic: The Gathering.

This episode is brought to life by voice actors, a composer, and a sound designer all of the highest caliber.

Credits:

Austin Schumacher (Narrator)

T Katz (Arlinn Kord)

Nathan Ondrecek (Archmage Reeves / Archmage Rembert / Cathar Leighton / Male Cathars)

Kaitlyn Lavo (Olaylie / Mad Angel / Female Cathars)

Miriam Penrod (Boy)

Nathaniel Drew (Composer of the original score)

Ansh Rajput (Chief sound designer)

Brian Lang (Cover art)

Shaun Penrod (Executive Producer)

215: How To Learn From Magic Downs with Benjamin Luft Jul 07, 2017

Show notes

Benjamin Luft is a 31-year-old Tax Consultant Assistant from Hannover, Germany. He's been playing Magic since Visions but has stepped away from the game several times (as many of us do). He cashed for the first time at a Grand Prix when he made top 8 at GP Amsterdam which also sent him to Albuquerque for his first Pro Tour.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Benjamin Luft when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep215

First Set

Mirage

Favorite Set

Zendikar

Favorite Card

Cryptic Command

Early Challenge

Finding people to play with as preparation for tournaments.

Worst Magic Moment

Losing on a PPTQ in semifinals and losing again in another PPTQ the day after in finals. But it paid off because he got practiced in higher level and made him qualified for another PPTQ.

Proudest Magic Moment

Win and got 6-1-2 after 9 rounds and hit 6-0 on day 2 and even considered dropping to play some Mulligan side events.

What Have You Learned From Magic

Seeking opportunities to open and get yourself in a situation where you can gain experience and even risk but keep trying to succeed.

Best Format

Standard

How Far You Choose Your Deck

A week before the event and test it with friends.

Different Between Making the Top 8 and Day 2

Choosing and positioning the deck matters. Decide from the recent tournament results and find the weaknesses of the dominated decks.

Deepest Thing You've Learned About Yourself

Become a better person. Be able to handle mistakes, loss and treat others nicely.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

People concede earlier.

Tournament Day Tips

More foods and keep hydrated.

Parting Guidance

Not conceding earlier. Don't try to win but also try to make it an enjoyable experience. Keep trying and succeed.

Magic Resource

SCG, CFB, The game podcast

Connect With Benjamin Luft

Twitter:@_bluft

Check Out Magic Story

Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community.

Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com

Sponsors

214: Hunter Cochran Shares His Rise to a Grand Prix Top 8 Jul 04, 2017

Show notes

Hunter Cochran is a 25-year-old graduate student of physics at Stony Brook University. He's originally from Arkansas and Texas and has made the top 8 of three GPs, winning one. Hunter lives in Long Island, New York.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Hunter Cochran when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep214

First Set

Onslaught

Favorite Set

MIrrodin, Darksteel

Favorite Card

Perilous Vault Tireless tracker

Early Challenge

Not having the access to cards and the money to buy to very competitive decks. Difficult to play ranges of decks and be able to think from other perspectives and learn new types of decks and strategies.

Breakthrough Moment

During the PPTQ in the Spring of 2015 when he decided to spend some money and attend the events.

Worst Magic Moment

A very embarrassing and lowest moment that got him banned from playing Magic in a local venue in college. Playing against a good player that got him rolled by his opponent's super deck. Got angry, throw his fist to the table, punch the table and sat on the table for the rest of the day.

Proudest Magic Moment

His first PPTQ win in just 3 months of playing.

Deepest Thing You've Learned About Yourself

Learned controlling emotions when results are unfavorable to you.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Not having a very clear vision for the game, not knowing your role and how your deck is built and the difficulties to pinpoint why you lose the game. For Constructed - thinking about things before the tournament. For Limited- thinking about things before your round.

Tips to Curve Frustration

Try to be pretty animated and vocal with opponents. Try to make interaction and experience be personal. The more you see your opponent as a person, the easier to beat frustration.

Parting Guidance

Magic is a community game so build relationships, talk to people who might help you to open and close doors and get so much perspective on Magic.

Magic Resource

SCG, CFB

Connect With Hunter Cochran

Hunter can be found in the MTG Pro Tutor Facebook group.

Check Out Magic Story

Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community.

Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com

Sponsors

213: Be a Generous Winner and a Gracious Loser with Kevin Jones Jun 30, 2017

Show notes

Kevin Jones has been playing magic since Urza's Saga and has been playing competitively since Onslaught. He has 10 Star City Games Open top 8s, 1 Grand Prix top 8, is a 3 time SCG Player's Championship Competitor, has 2 Pro Tour Appearances AND is the Co-host of The Weekly Ward Wednesdays on Twitch.tv/kirwansgamestore. He is also a writer for MTGCardmarket.com. Kevin lives in Kingston, NY

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Kevin Jones when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep213

First Set

Urza's Saga

Favorite Set

Innistrad

Favorite Card

Snapcaster Mage

Early Challenge

Kevin has always been competitive and his play group was too. He watched his younger friends get really good he wondered why he wasn't improving. Kevin expanded himself by playing new decks and learning different archetypes.

Magic Milestones

Kevin made top 8 at States in 2004.

Worst Magic Moment

At his first Pro Tour, Kevin built his deck the night before the event. He failed to make day 2 and was really taken aback by it.

Proudest Magic Moment

Winning a Grand Prix.

What Have You Learned From Magic

Math :). Magic also changes the way you think as far as values and risk.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Caring so much that it pains you to lose. Young players tend to lose sight of the big picture and get torn up when they lose. To overcome this, your mindset / approach to Magic needs to evolve to where you enjoy the game and understand that it is a game and how lucky you are to fuel your competitive drive through a complex hobby.

Parting Guidance

Don't lose sight of yourself and don't let loses define who you are.

Connect With Kevin Jones

Twitter:@kjvsthehighway

Check Out Magic Story

Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community.

Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com

Sponsors

212: From Scratch Deck Building Expert Marc Tobiasch Reveals His Secrets Jun 27, 2017

Show notes

Marc Tobiasch used to exclusively play Vintage and Legacy and claims he got onto the Pro Tour "pretty much by accident". He has 1 Grand Prix top 8 and 1 Pro Tour top 8. Marc lives in Bonn, Germany.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Marc Tobiasch when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep212

First Set

Ice Age

Favorite Set

Onslaught

Favorite Card

Null Rod

Early Challenge

Figuring out which events to go to and who to travel with are huge when you're climbing.

Worst Magic Moment

Marc used to let loses get from bad to worse. When he played around the "right" card and lost anyway he struggled with accepting it until he learned to control tilt. He overcome tilt by focusing on what he can control.

Proudest Magic Moment

Pro Tour top 8 / Finding friends at events.

Career Highlights

At his first Pro Tour, Marc learned there was a whole other level of Magic you can aspire to play at.

Building a Deck from a Scratch

Marc is a renowned deck builder and shares his process.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Players try to think about everything every turn. You can shortcut this by weighting your focus towards what has changed. Also, players do things because they can and don't think whether they should. "Helping a little right now is not as good as helping a lot later."

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

Marc meets with his team a week or so before the Pro Tour. For Grand Prix, he observes the format and for Legacy or Modern, chooses his deck fairly close to the event.

Parting Guidance

Before playing a card, think "should I play this card now?"

Connect With Marc Tobiasch

Twitter:@MarcTobiasch ‏

Check Out Magic Story

Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community.

Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com

Sponsors

211: Martin Juza Shares Heavy Lifting Drafting Tips Jun 23, 2017

Show notes

Martin Juza has a record that speaks for itself with an impressive 25 Grand Prix top 8s including 4 wins and 3 Pro Tour top 8s with an additional 3 top 16 finishes! He's well known in the Magic community as a pillar of good sportsmanship. Martin lives in the Czech Republic.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Martin Juza when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep211

First Set

Urza's Destiny

Favorite Set

Time Spiral

Favorite Card

Counterspell

Early Challenge

Every aspect of Magic was new but events, articles and other people helped fill in the gap.

Worst Magic Moment

There was a year where Martin didn't make Platinum. He missed one European Grand Prix and it cost him $1,000 bucks.

Proudest Magic Moment

There was a year where he always made top 8 or top 16. Also, his first Pro Tour top 8 felt really great.

What Have You Learned From Magic

Travel the world and experience different culture.

Magic Shortcomings

Martin is working on preparing better for Magic event.

Drafting Tips

If you're choosing between two cards that are of similar power levels, always pick the cheaper card.

Tournament Day Tips

Don't be like Martin ;)

Biggest Mistake Players Make

The most important thing in constructed is good side boarding. Having a plan and knowing what to take out and put in is key to success.

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

Martin practices with Channel Fireball team and they constantly discuss the best deck and evaluate the meta-game.

Daily Habits

Martin has experience with other games (Hearthstone and poker) and brings that to Magic.

Parting Guidance

Read a lot of article, watch games and learn all you can.

Connect With Martin Juza

Twitter:@Juzam_ ‏

Check Out Magic Story

Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community.

Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com

Sponsors

210: Controlling Emotional Responses with Javier Luna Jun 20, 2017

Show notes

Javier Luna is a veteran player who has played in several Pro Tours and Worlds. He runs a website at magiclair.com.ar that provides free articles in Spanish. The site covers all the formats and focuses on growing the Latin American Magic community. He has 1 Grand Prix Top 8 and 1 Super Sunday Series Final Top 8. Javier lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Javier Luna when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep210

First Set

Mirage

Favorite Set

Legends / Urza's Saga

Favorite Card

Mana Drain

Early Challenge

Drafting has always been a challenge for Javier. He focuses on this by drafting online. Screenshots are a lifesaver.

Worst Magic Moment

At a GP in Santiago, Javier went 9-0 in day1 but went 0-5-1 on day 2. He felt so bad and struggled mentally, but came to realize that everyone has good and bad days.

Proudest Magic Moment

First Grand Prix top 8 / Seeing countrymen do great.

Shortcomings

Javier is working on his draft skills and is focusing on controlling his emotional responses to losing.

Best Format

Legacy

Daily Habits

Reading everything he can. Javier keeps tabs through CFB and SC. He also plays every day even if it's just one or two matches.

Deepest Thing You've Learned About Yourself

Javier learned about leadership and friendship.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Players complain about luck all the time when they have no control over it. Improve yourself and understand that luck is part of the game.

Preparation for Tournaments

Javier followed the metagame closely and chose a Blue / Red deck. However, one week before the Grand Prix, he started losing a lot. So Javier talked with the best player in the country and switched to a Mardu deck.

Parting Guidance

Enjoy the game. Magic is great. Play with friends and meet new people. Travel all you can.

Magic Resource

magiclair.com.ar, CFB, SCG

Connect With Javier Luna

Twitter:@MagicLair

Check Out Magic Story

Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community.

Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com

Sponsors