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

Latest Episodes:

98: Don't Make the Most Obvious Plays with Scott Lipp May 24, 2016

Show notes

Scott Lipp has 2 Grand Prix top 8's, and came in 16th at Grand Prix Vegas (BIGGEST GP EVER), He made top 4 at the Junior Super Series Worlds in 1999. He's a father, a store owner, and lives in Kansas City.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Scott Lipp when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep98

First Set

Arabian Nights

Favorite Set

8th Ed. / Invasion block

Favorite Card

Chaos Orb

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

Loves seeing new players come into his store and fall in love with Magic.

Early Challenge

Scott played too quickly. He had to learn patience.

Level Up Moment

When Scott started playing cards that he enjoyed instead of the cards/decks that were simply "the best".

Worst Moment

Having a really bum birthday weekend at GP Atlantic City

Proudest Magic Moment

Getting back on the Pro Tour train.

Deepest Thing You've Learned About Yourself

Learning how to manage friendships.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Making the most obvious play.

Tapping mana wrong.

Not sequencing lands and cards correctly.

KNOW your deck, know your match up and use this knowledge to manage your plays and play around the right cards.

Improvement Suggestions

Go watch Twitch and read articles.

Treat opponents with respect.

Magic Resource

Twitch.tv

Connect With Scott Lipp

Twitter: @Spanky_KC

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

97: Follow the Way of the Siege Rhino by Louis Deltour May 20, 2016

Show notes

Louis Deltour is a 24 year old, French, Silver Pro, who started playing Magic in Odyssey and got competitive in Future Sight. He's played in 10 Pro Tours and has 4 Grand Prix top 8's as well as a French Nationals top 8 in his record.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Louis Deltour when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep97

First Set

Odyssey

Favorite Set

Future Sight

Favorite Card

Mistbind Clique

Early Challenge

Showing up late, registering the wrong deck, miscounting combat math.

Louis struggled with really basic aspects in the beginning. You don't have to show up at a tournament with the wrong deck to learn like he did. Decide now to prepare ahead of time and show up with the right gear at the right time.

Lowest Magic Moment

Louis got really angry at a World Magic Cup Qualifier when he got beat by 2 cards.

After he cleared his head he realized that you can't get too emotional.

Proudest Magic Moment

Grand Prix London 2011

Deepest Thing You've Learned About Yourself

Louis loves being around people.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Playing bad decks.

Too many people resist following the way of Siege Rhino.

If it's the best card or the best deck, you should probably play it.

He also sees a lot of mistakes around mulligans.

If your hand needs more than one thing, you should mulligan.

What's in Your Tournament Bag

Deck box

paper

pen

dice

sunglasses

Tylenol

Improvement Suggestions

Get friends and borrow cards. :)

Connect With Louis Deltour

Twitter: @LWIDELTOUW

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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96: Deep into Mindset and How Magic is Never Solved with Michael Simon May 17, 2016

Show notes

Michael Simon is a longtime Grand Prix grinder who went 8-1 in his first Grand Prix. He then played 15 Grand Prix in a single year. Michael has two Grand Prix Top 8s - Modern (Chicago 2012) and Limited (Albuquerque 2016) - but first Qualified for the Pro Tour with a 10th place at Pittsburgh 2015. Micahel always wears an Izzet shirt.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Michael Simon when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep96

First Set

Revised

Favorite Set

Time Spiral

Favorite Card

Words of Wind

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

Magic is never solved. This keeps Michael coming back for more.

Lowest Magic Moment

There was a period of 3 years when Michael didn't qualify for the Pro Tour and made him doubt his ability.

Proudest Magic Moment

Michael kept a one-land hand on a low mull and won. His opponent was very salty. Later, he went to the store owned by his opponent and then man came out and apologized for how he behaved and gave Michael credit for a good game.

Being accepted by his opponent was very validating for Michael.

Best Format

Modern

If you're new, find a deck with a sideboard that does not require you to know the match up.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Just "playing" your cards without thinking. Think "why do I want to play this card right now?"

Think "why do I want to play this card right now?"

What's in Your Tournament Bag

Pad

Pen

Water

KMC Hyper Matte

Cards

Dice

Improvement Suggestions

What happened in the past is mostly irrelevant; so is the future. Focus on the now.

Don't tell yourself unrealistic advice.

Connect With Michael Simon

Twitter: @mechalink

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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95: Analyze Your Wins with Doug Potter May 13, 2016

Show notes

Doug Potter has been playing competitive Magic for more than half his life. He's from Edmonton, Alberta, home of Shaun McLaren and other sick MTG players. After making 9th place on tie breakers at his first GP in 2005 he's gone on to play in 6 Pro Tours and has 1 Grand Prix T8 at GP Toronto 2016.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Doug Potter when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep95

First Set

4th Edition

Favorite Set

Judgment

Favorite Card

Psychatog

Early Challenge

Elitism - thinking he was better than other players.

Doug had to learn how to respect his opponent's and even lost a few friends before this lesson sunk in.

Proudest Magic Moment

Being there for Alexander Hayne when he won his Pro Tour.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Not enough players analyze the mistakes they made in games they won.

By doing this you don't have the negative emotions associated with a loss.

This helps you decompress wins in a healthy way.

Improvement Suggestions

Some players "get it" and others need to "find it" and grind. Where ever you fall in the Magic spectrum you can achieve your goals.

Healthy body, healthy mind. Hydration is important.

Connect With Doug Potter

Twitter: @DougPkr

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

94: Ari Lax on Logicking from the End May 10, 2016

Show notes

Ari Lax is a Member of Team Ultra PRO, writes Premium articles for StarCityGames.com, has 8 Grand Prix Top 8s with 1 Win and is the Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir Champion.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Ari Lax when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep94

First Set

Ice Age Arctic Fox

Favorite Set

M13

Favorite Card

Vendilion Clique Mind's Desire

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

Magic is a constant puzzle.

Early Challenge

Not playing the best deck. If it's the best deck and nothing else is beating it then there is nothing wrong with playing it.

Worst Magic Moment

Ari was the "better-than-you" grinder for a while. This led to game losses and frustration that could have been a avoided. He learned that getting upset never helps.

Proudest Magic Moment

Seeing a close friend qualify for the Pro Tour.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Logicking from the end. Players work backward and look for flawed interactions and then match results to those instances when in reality you could have been making the best play with the info you had at the time.

What's in Your Tournament Bag

Deck

Mat

Dice

Water

Magic Resource

Star City Games

Connect With Ari Lax

Twitter: @armlx

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

93: Stephen Murray's Secret to Improving at Competitve Magic - Scotish World Magic Cup Team Captain May 06, 2016

Show notes

Stephen Murray is a three-time Scottish National Champion, two-time World Magic Cup Top 8'r, has a couple of Pro Tour top 50's, and is a 2HG Draft and other weird format enthusiast. Stephen lives in Scotland.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Stephen Murray when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep93

First Set

Invasion / Mercadian Masques

Favorite Set

Ravnica: City of Guilds

Favorite Card

Armadillo Cloak

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

Easy to get lost in the game if you just picture what's actually happening. And it has a great competitive scene.

Worst Moment

Having his Magic bag stolen.

Proudest Magic Moment

First time becoming National Champion in 2006.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Not knowing how to sideboard in advance.

What's in Your Tournament Bag

Water

Light snack

dice

pens

Improvement Suggestions

Play lots of games, even if it's not competitive.

Magic Resource

Channel Fireball

MTG Top 8

Connect With Stephen Murray

Twitter: @JechtMurray

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

92: Are You the Beat Down? Find Out with Autumn Burchett May 03, 2016

Show notes

Autumn Burchett broke onto the Magic scene with an 11th place finish at her first ever Pro Tour, Pro Tour Battle For Zendikar. Now a silver level pro player she is looking to follow up this early achievement with more top finishes. Autumn lives in Bristol.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Autumn Burchett when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep92

First Set

Return to Ravnica

Favorite Set

Shadows Over Innistrad

Favorite Card

Pack Rat

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

It's always changing.

Early Challenge

Tilting.

You have to be actively aware of tilting in order to combat it and not let it affect your game-play.

Level Up Moment

Borrowed an Affinity deck and won a win-a-Goyf event.

What Autumn learned was when to play around cards and when not play around them. It's a fine line but sometimes you need to commit and force your opponent to have the answer and sometimes you need to play around the answer.

Autumn played very well at this event and really feel she leveled up her understanding of playing around cards.

Worst Moment

Pro Tour Atlanta.

Autumn neglected basic self-care and it manifested in her results.

She learned that sleep, food, hydration and adequate breaks between rounds are crucial to keeping your mind sharp for a long day of Magic.

Proudest Magic Moment

Pro Tour Battle For Zendikar.

Autumn made 11th place at her first ever Pro Tour!

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Not knowing your role.

Identifying whether you are the beatdown player or not is crucial.

This section is a must listen!

Improvement Suggestions

If you are just getting into Magic, watch streams.

That's the cheapest way to improve.

Ozman, Darkest Mage and LSV are all great streamers who explain what they do so you can understand.

Magic Resource

Who's the beatdown? by Michael J. Flores

Eight core principles of "Who's the beatdown?" by Michael J. Flores

Limited Resources 239

Twitch

Ozman

Darkest Mage

LSV

Connect With Autumn Burchett

Twitter: @autumnoftheveil

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

91: How To Sideboard Against Scary Cards with Arnaud Soumet Apr 29, 2016

Show notes

Arnaud Soumet is a French Magic player who has played in several Pro Tours and was on the French World Magic Cup team in 2015 when they took 3rd place. He is a business consultant who lives in Paris.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Arnaud Soumet when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep91

First Set

Onslaught

Favorite Set

Origins

Favorite Card

Westvale Abbey

Ormendahl, Profane Prince

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

Arnaud likes to win and loves the friends he has made.

Level Up Moment

Joined a team and started practicing regularly.

Worst Magic Moment

Losing early at a Grand Prix and not flying out until the next day is the worst. In the moment, Arnaud feels bad but eventually he'll tour the city or hang out with friends and do side events.

Proudest Magic Moment

Making it to 3rd place with the French team at the World Magic Cup 2015.

Best Format

Constructed

Deepest Thing You've Learned About Yourself

Arnaud has recognized that he needs to practice a lot to do things that seem to come naturally to others. He's clever but needs to practice a lot.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Sideboarding too reactively against scary cards. You don't want to put yourself on the back foot. Sideboard cards that address your opponent AND advance your game plan.

Gaddock Teeg is a good example. It turns off your opponent's spells and is a body that can attack as well. Try to apply more pressure instead of focusing on dealing with a specific threat.

How To Choose a Deck

Look at deck win percentages from the Pro Tour, read articles about those decks, pick one, and jam sessions until you know the deck inside and out.

As you play, take a few minutes after each game to record the key cards in the match up.

What's in Your Tournament Bag

Deck

Water

Paper

Pen

Food

Improvement Suggestions

new to Magic? Grab a friend, make som proxies, and play play play.

Magic Resource

MTG Coverage - Compiles footage from all major events regardless of what channel they were on.

As you go through games stop and think what you would do.

Connect With Arnaud Soumet

Twitter: @ArnaudSoumet

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

90: Deep Dive Into Judging with L3 Jared Sylva Apr 26, 2016

Show notes

Jared Sylva is a Level 3 judge with the Grand Prix Head Judge role and is the Organized Play Department Manager for StarCityGames.com. Jared lives in Roanoke VA.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Jared Sylva when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep90

First Set

Revised

Favorite Set

Onslaught (because of Morph)

Favorite Card

Wirewood Savage

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

The mental challenge and the game of optimizing resources.

Early Challenge

Jared got too fixated on an idea and tried to build decks around mechanics or specific cards, even if it wasn't good.

Most Negative Moment

Having to Disqualify someone for offering to roll a die for the win when the player had NO idea that was illegal. The rules are very clear and have to be enforced and it was hard to DQ this player.

Proudest Magic Moment

Seeing many friends advance in the judge community, specifically Jason Reedy when he was recognized for being on his way to becoming a Level 3 judge after running side events like a boss.

Deepest Thing You've Learned About Yourself

Knowing that he has a reputation for arrogance, Jared recognizes that some people like him as a leader and others don't. He's learned how to be a leader to those assigned to follow him, as supposed to those who choose to follow him.

Improvement Suggestions

Making Magic: The Gathering accessible to all kinds of people is a huge focus and Jared puts out a call to the whole community to make it an equally enjoyable experience for all ages, races, genders and sexual orientations. It's up to all of us.

Magic Resource

Magic: The Gathering website - list of Regional Coordinators who can put you in touch with someone local to you if you want to become a judge.

Judge.Wizards.com - Judge practice exams

Connect With Jared Sylva

Twitter: @JaredSylva

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

89: Erin Campbell on Finding Your Voice and Knowing Your Worth Apr 22, 2016

Show notes

Erin Campbell is the creator of two successful Magic: The Gathering podcasts, The Deck Tease and The Girlfriend Bracket, and is currently a co host of the Magic Mics Podcast. She was a 2014 Community Cup team member and day 2’d her first Grand Prix in March 2016. She has her sights set on Wisconsin State Champion. Erin lives in Milwaukee, WI.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Erin Campbell when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep89

First Set

Ice Age

Favorite Set

Tempest

Favorite Card

Ad Nauseam

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

The human interaction. She didn't get as much of this playing video games and appreciated the Magic community for its human interactions.

Level Up Moment

Erin used to play decks she hated because they were "good decks". Now she understands that she can play decks she likes. She knows now she doesn't have to go to every event. She can play the decks she likes at the events she wants and that's okay.

Worst Magic Moment

An AMA on Reddit.

Take away: The less you say after "I'm sorry" the better.

Proudest Magic Moment

Representing the community at the 2014 Community Cup.

Best Format

Modern

Deepest Thing You've Learned About Yourself

"I am not my results."

Erin learned to separate her match results from her self-worth. You can lose at Magic and that doesn't mean you are a terrible person.

Also, learning when good enough is good enough.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Buying into the white noise.

There is SO much content out there that people sometimes forget to form their own opinions about cards and decks. Take in the content you want but don't get lost in the white noise.

Improvement Suggestions

Don't play Rest in Peace. ;)

Magic Resource

Magic Mics Podcast - Current news in the Magic world

Connect With Erin Campbell

Twitter: @OriginalOestrus

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