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

Michael Kundegraber has been playing since 2000, back when rules consisted of semi-educated guesses and were always changed depending on whose parents' kitchen table MtG was played at. Lately, he's had some top results with a second place finish at Grand Prix Turin 2018 and a follow-up Top 16 performance at his first Pro Tour later that year. Michael lives in Vienna, Austria. Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Michael Kundegraber when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep318 First Set Planeshift Favorite Set Mirrodin Favorite Card Tahngarth, Talruum Hero Early Challenge Understanding the game at first was hard. Archetype matchups and other big-picture topics eluded Michael. He improved by playing matchups of the best decks with friends. Worst Magic Moment Playing for the top 4 at Austrian Nationals, Michael approached the match-up too confidently and played cautiously (even though he was favored to win). He lost and learned that you need to have a coping strategy. Find what works for you. Proudest Magic Moment Getting 2nd at Grand Prix Turin 2018. Biggest Mistake Players Make Overthinking. Players sometimes try to wrap their mind around too much of the game at once. Break down the situation into smaller chunks and address them separately. Parting Guidance Keep having fun while playing Magic. Magic Resource CFB, SCG, Magic Podcasts, Jim Davis Stream Connect With Michael Kundegraber Michael 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

Andrew Elenbogen has 3.5 Grand Prix top 8s. He recently won Pro Tour Guilds of Ravnica and still doesn't believe it. Andrew is a return guest to the show and lives in Ann Arbor, MI. Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Andrew Elenbogen when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep316 Catching Up Andrew plays about 15 Grand Prix a year! Reflection Andrew notices that in the last year he's played better than he ever has. He's stayed dedicated and has practiced extensively for each Grand Prix. MTGO Preparation When playing on Magic Online, Andrew plays in Leagues and sets. He uses Leagues as a way to get a broad view of the metagame. He'll develop a question and uses teammates and sets to answer specific questions. Pro Tour Preparation Andrew has cultivated a network of friends that he's able to reach out to and practice with. Parting Guidance Thank You! Andrew wants to say thank you to the Magic community. Connect With Andrew Elenbogen Twitter:@Ajelenbogen ‏ 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

Zac Turgeon is a New England MTG grinder, who has top 8ed 1 Grand Prix and won an SCG Legacy Classic. He also enjoys cooking, music, writing and hopes to one day open an Ice Cream Shop. Zac lives in Dracut MA. Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Zac Turgeon when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep314 First Set Ice Age Favorite Set Khans of Tarkir Favorite Card Trinisphere Early Challenge Not sure what he was good at. Zac started to critically analyze his own games to learn what he was good at. Worst Magic Moment Zac struggled for an entire Standard season. He realized he was misevaluating the meta and kept losing to cards he thought was bad. Proudest Magic Moment Making top 8 for the first time at Grand Prix New Jersey. What Have You Learned From Magic Zac has learned to try and be very accepting of others. Biggest Mistake Players Make Not being critical enough of your own games. Players sometimes think they're favored when they're not. Parting Guidance Be kind to people. You feel better and the people around you feel better. It eventually circles back and keeps growing. Magic Resource SCG, CFB, TCG Players, Twitch.tv Connect With Zac Turgeon Twitter:@The_Amazing_Zac ‏ 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

Eli Kassis returns to MTG Pro Tutor for the 3rd time as he keeps growing his accomplishments and notoriety. Eli now has 6 Grand Prix top 8s and is the Champion of Grand Prix New Jersey 2018. He has won an SCG Invitational and has 2 Pro Tour top 32's. Eli lives in Vestal, NY and is a member of team Face to Face Games. Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Eli Kassis when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep312 Eli Kassis comes back to MTG Pro Tutor for the 3rd time. He was episode 101 and 206 and now is back on episode 312. Key To Success Teams have been Eli's key to success. Have a thirst for knowledge to find unique lines of play. Tips To Minimize/Spot Cheating Look at their eyes when they're shuffling your deck. Note how long they are shuffling. Ask for them to end with a cut. Always shuffle their deck and end cut. Parting Guidance Pivot and look to others to manage tilt. There's a lot that can be learned from the experiences of others. Connect With Eli Kassis Twitter:@Eli_Kassis 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

Giordano Fagiolo is a rising star in competitive Magic and made it to the finals at his first Grand Prix ever! (GP Bruxelles 2018) Giordano lives in Albano Laziale, Rome, Italy. Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Giordano Fagiolo when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep310 Favorite Set Battle for Zendikar Favorite Card Insult // Injury Early Challenge At a Standard and PPTQ, Giordano felt upset and nervous, but when he sat down to play it all went away. Worst Magic Moment Giordano lost in a final at a PPTQ and learned you can't win every time. Proudest Magic Moment Making it to the final match of his first Grand Prix ever. What Have You Learned From Magic Thinking ahead. Planning. Worst Mistake He Makes Playing fewer lands than they should. Giordano takes a deck and replaces the worst card wit a land. Tournament Preparation Giordano picked his deck the day before the GP. He found an article by Brad Nelson and changed 1 card. Parting Guidance Ask Brad Nelson. Magic Resource SCG Premium, CFB, Playing with teammates/friends in person. Connect With Giordano Fagiolo Gordano 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

Luis Salvatto is currently tied in the Player of Year race (with Seth Manfield) and is the Pro Tour Rivals of Ixalan champion. He has 7 Grand Prix top 8s which include 2 wins and was also the Sunday Super Series champion in 2014. Luis lives in Argentina. Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Luis Salvatto when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep308 Luis is a past guest of the show and you can find his origin story in episode 119. World Travel Luis spent 50 days traveling around the world. He spent 7 weeks in 7 different places. His secret was to travel Light. He had a modern deck and some clothes. That's pretty much it. Pro Tour RIX Luis friend approached him and suggested he play Lantern Control. After asking other friends what they think he went for it. After a rocky start, Luis got his steam and went all the way to take the championship. Biggest Mistake Players Make Players don't play to win. They play to survive. Also, players don't bluff enough. Parting Guidance The best part of Magic is the people you play the game with. Surround yourself with good friends and soar. Connect With Luis Salvatto Twitter:@LuisSalvatto ‏ 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

Arseniy Egorov is a Level 2 judge who got 8th place at Grand Prix Orlando 2018. Arseniy lives in Moscow, Russia. Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Arseniy Egorov when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep306 First Set Scars of Mirrodin Favorite Set Kamigawa (block) Favorite Card Shahrazad Early Challenge Finding and playing in really competitive tournaments. Arseniy is from a small city that didn't have a big game store. Arseniy started traveling to bigger cities to get into more competitive tournaments. Worst Magic Moment Arseniy made day 2 at GP Madrid but didn't sleep in and missed the main event! He learned to tell his friends he made day 2 and to set more alarms. Proudest Magic Moment As a judge, Arseniy is proud he got accepted to judge Japanese GPs. As a player, Arseniy made top 8 at GP Orlando. Advice From A Judge As a judge, Arseniy has been lots of situations. His advice to players is to explain your situation and don't be afraid to appeal. Always be respectful though. ;) Parting Guidance Play Magic and use it to travel and learn new cultures. Connect With Arseniy Egorov Twitter:@cid_randall ‏ 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

Jessica Estephan is the first woman to win a Grand Prix and made Magic: The Gathering history when her team took first at Grand Prix Sydney 2018. She's a podcaster who loves creating content and she enjoys most competitive formats, with a preference for standard and modern. Though she does have a soft spot for a well-powered cube. Jessica lives in Sydney, Australia. Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Jessica Estephan when she shared her story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep304 First Set Born of the Gods Favorite Set Innistrad Favorite Card Back to Basics Early Challenge Not understanding what it meant to be competitive. The Australian scene is very different than the States and it was hard for Jess to get started. Worst Magic Moment Jessica learned by observation that you "needed" to be a rules lawyer to succeed. She realized that that's not the case. Proudest Magic Moment Winning Grand Prix Sydney 2018 (Team Unified Modern). What Have You Learned From Magic Jessica now plays poker on a serious. Grand Prix Preparation The thing that helped the most was having a good team chemistry. Biggest Mistake Players Make Newbie mistakes include sleeving your deck wrong. Parting Guidance Spend your Magic time having fun and creating positive memories for yourself and others. Magic Resource Limited Resources, CFB, SCG, YouTube, The V Clique Podcast Connect With Jessica Estephan Twitter:@jesstephan 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

Nils Gutierrez has been playing competitive Magic since he was 16. He's made top 16 at 2 Grand Prix and just made his first top 8 when he got 6th place at GP Brussels 2018. Nils lives in Maià de Montcal, Spain. Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Nils Gutierrez when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep302 First Set Lorwyn Favorite Set Khans of Tarkir Favorite Card Cabal Therapy Early Challenge Nils' first GP was hard because he wasn't used to 9 rounds in one day and he didn't have anyone to give him advice. Worst Magic Moments Missing day 2 over and over again after making top 16 of a Grand Prix for the first time. Nils felt like he didn't have what it takes. He kept going to local events as well as competitive. Proudest Magic Moment Qualified for Pro Tour 25, Nils was on a team that did really well at an RPTQ. What Have You Learned From Magic Nils has learned critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Best Format Standard Tips To Get Better Play Magic Online. It helps you improve because the players online are really good. Biggest Mistake Players Make Players over sideboard. They'll bring in too many cards and ruin their decks' core plan. Parting Guidance When going to a Grand Prix look at the metagame first and choose your deck accordingly. Magic Resource Magic Online Connect With Nils Gutierrez Nils 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

Greg Sokol is an MTG streamer and tutor, he's an MTGO PTQ winner (Dominaria sealed), got 5th place at Grand Prix Orlando 2018, and is self-taught from grinding on MTGO. (rating as low as 12-1300!) Greg lives in Mexico City, Mexico. Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Greg Sokol when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep300 First Set Judgment Favorite Set Dominaria/Khans of Tarkir Favorite Card Wellwisher Early Challenge Greg didn't have a game store close by so he played a lot on MTGO. Greg also struggled with understanding and coping with variance. Worst Magic Moment Greg was playing a win-and-in for top 8 and his opponent was clearly not as good as he was. When his opponent won, Greg was really upset. From that, Greg learned to remember that Magic is a game. Proudest Magic Moment Finally qualifying for the Pro Tour. Greg was traveling and took time to do an online event and made it to the end and qualified. Biggest Mistake Players Make Knowing when to think is the biggest skill you can have in Magic. Grand Prix Preparation The thing that helped the most was having a friend to play with and doubling down on wanting a specific match up to be amazing. Parting Guidance Magic is a game. Enjoy it and treat your opponent with respect. Connect With Greg Sokol Twitter:@GMANSokol 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

Patrick Chapin, "The Innovator," is a Hall of Famer, Pro Tour Champion, and 5-time PT Top 8 competitor. Author of Next Level Magic and Next Level Deckbuilding, his articles can be found on StarCityGames.com and podcast at TopLevelPodcast.com. Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Patrick Chapin when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep298 01: Patrick Chapin Shares Tips for Improving Yourself and says Don't Try to Convince others You're the Best First Set The Dark Favorite Set Innistrad (Best designed) / Khans of Tarkir block Favorite Card Jace, the Mind Sculptor What makes Magic fun for you? First and foremost the people. The constant iteration. Early Challenge Trying to convince people that he was actually good. Level Up Moment Realizing that trying to convince people that he was actually good was not as useful as focusing on humbly improving himself. Proudest Magic Moment Inducted into the Hall of Fame. Winning Pro Tour Journey Into Nyx. Best Format Standard Current Standard Deck Biggest Mistake Players Make Focusing their energy on convincing people they are good instead of focusing on finding the truth about how they play. Look for mistakes in every match. Free Resources! www.nextlevelmagic.com www.starcitygames.com www.toplevelpodcast.com 02: Patrick Chapin Shares Card Evaluation Evaluation Tips Look at every card and ask: "Why was this card printed? Who is it for? HOW can I use this card?" Limited Tips Sealed is often slower but more powerful (compared to draft) because you have six booster packs instead of three. This leads to bomb centric decks. Focus on the key cards you passed, not every card in the pack. Team Building Use message groups and in-person meetings to collaborate with your team. You will only improve to the level of the best player in your group. Bring your group up and/or find more talent if you're the best in your group. Play Testing Constant communication with the teammate as well as taking the two weeks before a Pro Tour off to playtest with the team has been a working formula for Patrick. Improvement Identify what you want to improve first: your collection, win ratio, deck building skills, etc... and focus just on that Magic Resource Next Level Magic Next Level Deck Building Interview Links www.starcitygames.com www.toplevelmagic.com 105: Patrick Chapin Returns! Your Questions Answered - 1 Year of MTG Pro Tutor Sideboarding Sideboards are there to tweak and tune your strategy. Know what your strategy is. Look at similar strategies and make your sideboard similar. Right now, sweepers are very popular - Languish and Planar Outburst. Building Local Interest If you have casual players that you would like to take to the next level, organize regular draft nights. Break off into teams after the draft portion so people can help each other build decks. If you have new players who don't know the rules, introduce them to a Duels of the Planeswalkers and see if they stick around and want more after a few weeks. Missing Triggers Create a shortcut system for your brain. Also, when playtesting, NO TAKE BACKS!! Practice how you want to play at events. Track your mistakes and do a push up for each one you do. Going to Grand Prix and Other Big Events Grand Prixs are like gaming conventions. JUST GO and enjoy it! You will never feel ready if you don't go. If you are nervous about the main event then just show up and walk around, play in some side events, visit artists and vendors and soak it all in. When you participate in the main event, play all the rounds. You paid to play Magic and get experience. Utilize all the time you have. Play all the rounds even if you're knocked out early. Playing against different decks and opponents you don't know is invaluable. Home Brew vs. Net Deck By playing your own brew all the time you are missing out on learning what's working now and why it's working. By net decking all the time you will always be a week or so behind. Mix it up. Net deck 25% of the time and build your own deck 25% of the time. The other 50% is up to you to go where the wind blows. See what's working at large but try out your own ideas too. Read: Information Cascades in Magic on StarCityGames Make Sure It's Fun Don't force yourself to play Magic (or play more Magic) just because you feel like that's what you SHOULD be doing, Make sure it stays fun. Pay Attention to Opponent Every time your opponent makes a play, especially if it's not obvious why ask yourself "Why did they do that?" Have a notebook and write down, after the match, what your opponent did so you can talk about it with others later. BONUS: Write down all the mistakes you made (win or lose) and what you learned and SHARE THAT LIST! Don't let your brain hide your errors from you. Get used to facing them and talking about them. The MTG Pro Tutor Facebook group is the perfect place to post your list because of the healthy, uplifting community there who is ready to help. Mulligan Decisions Nowadays you can keep slightly lighter mana hands because you can scry. Consider what your opponent is playing and have a plan based on the cards in your hand. If there is no viable plan, then mulligan. If you don't know what your opponent is playing, assume they are on an aggressive strategy. How does your hand line up in that match? Coping with Counterspells If you tilt when playing a control mage then watch someone play a control deck and ask questions. Learn when they are vulnerable so you know when to strike. Dealing With Ulamog Hand disruption is the best way to deal with Ulamog. Infinite Obliteration is the prime answer. Biggest Mistake Players lie to themselves. You can only control what you can control. People shift the blame to things they can't control and then use that to hide from the real problem. Which is that they are making mistakes and need to address it. Improvement Suggestions Focus on what really matters right now. Magic Resource Information Cascades in Magic on StarCityGames Eternal Patrick is working alongside other great Magic players at Direwolf Digital to release a new game called Eternal. Check it out when it goes into open Beta soon. Connect With Patrick Chapin Twitter: @thepchapin 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

Aleksa Telarov has an impressive Magic record with 5 Grand Prix top 8's (including 1 win), a World Magic Cup top 8, 3rd place at the 2014 MOCS, is a 9 time National Champion and has finished 12th place at a Pro Tour! Aleksa lives in Serbia. Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Aleksa Telarov when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep296 Year In Review Aleksa was on the show back on episode 192. He returns to the podcast after some impressive results. This year he's been through some downs and fought through them to stick with Magic. Pro Tour Dominaria Aleksa walks through his Pro Tour Dominaria experience in detail and breaks down what happened and what he learned. Parting Guidance Don't get mad playing Magic. Remember it's a game and enjoy it. Connect With Aleksa Telarov Twitter:@AleksaTelarov 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

Laszlo Poroszkai is from the North-Eastern part of Hungary, a small city without an LGS. He first started playing around 2000 and stopped when Counterspell was not reprinted. He came back in Zendikar and has been to a lot of Grand Prix since then. He's semi-competitive but mostly plays for fun (and counterspell). Laszlo lives in Onga, Hungry. Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Laszlo Poroszkai when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep294 First Set Planar Shift Favorite Set Planar Shift Favorite Card Counterspell Early Challenge Laszlo thought he was a good player but realized he had a lot to learn. At first, he blamed luck but then he saw the problem was him. He got better by making friends and traveling and playing with them. How to Improve With No LGS Play with local friends, even if you play casual games like Commander. Also, use MTGO! It's a huge advantage to play with people all over the world. All you need is an internet connection. Proudest Magic Moment Making top 8 at GP Barcelona. What Have You Learned From Magic Laszlo has made a lot of friends through Magic. Problem-solving skills. How to Make Day 2 of a GP Know the meta. Know the decks and their sideboard plans. Play MTGO so you can play against a lot of decks. Biggest Mistake Players Make Risk management. It contributes to every aspect of Magic. Mulligans, attacking, tapping out, etc... Risk management is everywhere. Parting Guidance Never give up on an event! Connect With Laszlo Poroszkai Laszlo 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