Ben Coursey is a Level 2 Judge who has 1 Grand Prix Top 8 and 3 Pro Tour Qualifier Top 8's. Ben lives in New Hampshire. Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Ben Coursey when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep227 First Set Revised Favorite Set Lorwyn Favorite Card Thoughtseize Early Challenge When Ben first discovered PTQs it was quite a jump from a casual player that he was a little put-off. Competitive Magic was really rough. Ben learned how to navigate it. Magic Milestones States 2007, Ben tested and came up with winning decks that got him to the top. Proudest Magic Moment Top 8 at Grand Prix Las Vegas 2017 (Modern).  What Have You Learned From Magic The ability to plan ahead. Best Format Modern Advice for Beginners Modern Players Learn the archetypes. Shortcomings Rules knowledge. Biggest Mistake Players Make Players don't pay attention. Call a judge and ask for the Oracle text on foreign cards. Parting Guidance Play as much as you can. Magic Resource SCG, CFB Connect With Ben Coursey Twitter:@Ben_Cenobi  ‏ 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 

227: Every Game Matters, Play as Much as You Can Says Ben Coursey

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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  

318: HUGE Announcement + Stop Over-Thinking with Michael Kundegraber (15th at Pro Tour Guilds of Ravnica)

Zach Allen is a member of Team RIW from Farmington Hills, Michigan. He Co-hosts the podcast Turn One Thoughtseize and has 2 Grand Prix top 8s, a Pro Tour top 16, and 1 SCG top 8 in his record. He's a dedicated control player and Snapcaster Mage enthusiast. Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Zach Allen when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep317 First Set Urza Block Favorite Set Khans of Tarkir Favorite Card Snapcaster Mage Early Challenge Not being able to beat the best guy at his local store. This constant, ever-present challenge pushed Zach to improve. Worst Magic Moment Getting 9th at PPTQ's 6 times in a row. Zach learned that the results of tournaments are not indicative of your actual skill. Proudest Magic Moment Making top 16 of Pro Tour Guilds of Ravnica. What Have You Learned From Magic Making the play that sets you up for a win later. Make the best decision at the time with the information you have, but make a decision. Biggest Mistake Players Make Getting out of the moment. Players need to focus on just the game in front of them.  Parting Guidance The people in Magic are what's most important. Relationships and friends are priceless. Magic Resource CFB, SCG, Cool Stuff Inc. Connect With Zach Allen Twitter:@A22en 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  

317: The Priceless Part of Magic with Zach Allen (13th at Pro Tour Guilds of Ravnica)

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  

316: Pro Tour Champion Andrew Elenbogen - Strength Through Humility   (1st Pro Tour Guilds of Ravnica)

Kasper Nielsen has 2 Grand Prix top 8s and 1 Pro Tour top 8. He's also won 5 Prereleases. Kasper is from Denmark and is a returning guest to the podcast. Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Kasper Nielsen when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep315 Kasper has been doing well in Magic and he attributes many things to that. He joined Hareruya Hopes and also has a more balanced life. Pro Tour Preparation Kasper started playing Limited as soon as Guilds of Ravnica came out. He learned a lot in those first few weeks. He decided to let "the machines" solve Standard while he developed a Limited strategy. What Have You Learned From The Pro Tour Kasper felt he made good choices this Pro Tour. His advice is to enjoy your preparation. Parting Guidance  It is important to focus and work hard at Magic, but if it becomes an obsession rather than a passion then beware and maybe take a step back. Guidance Part 2 Have fun no matter where you are or what your goods are. Magic Resource  Article about Dustin Wade Roberson Connect With Kasper Nielsen Twitter:@ks_nielsen 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  

315: Passion vs. Obsession with Kasper Nielsen (7th PT Guilds of Ravnica)

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  

227: Every Game Matters, Play as Much as You Can Says Ben Coursey

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