Raphael Levy is a Magic Hall of Famer and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt from Toulouse, France. He holds the record for most consecutive Magic Pro Tours played.

0:00 Intro

0:43 Playing 90-plus Pro Tours in a row

9:40 Happiness, finding balance

13:38 How Raph’s PT streak ended

19:05 Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) journey

28:20 All-in…or all-out

31:18 BJJ mental game, big guy vs. small guy theory

40:26 How Raph ran his first marathon

53:42 State of today’s competitive Magic

1:03:42 COVID-19 and the Magic Pro League

1:09:23 Magic vs. parenthood

Maria is a Magic competitor and streamer based in Germany.

0:00 Intro

1:20 Content creator origin story

5:52 Competitive gamer origin story

9:42 Discovering Magic The Gathering

12:31 Success in competitive Magic and the gender barrier

20:17 The Venus and Mercury League (VML)

25:14 Misconceptions about VML and inclusiveness

31:42 Maria’s stream audience and how she focuses

40:11 Creator goals and finding balance

50:20 A Magic family

59:57 The Queen of Midrange

1:07:19 Balancing content with family duties

1:10:13 Peer recognition from other creators

Arthur King is a Chinese-American Magic player based in Shanghai, China.

Arthur's podcast is called "The BingKing Podcast." Find it at https://www.youtube.com/@LookitCrows

0:00 Intro

1:03 Arthur’s origin story

8:53 Playing Magic during college

13:35 Moving to China

17:49 Getting into Commander

22:07 A fork in the road

29:09 Dancing in public spaces

36:14 Why Arthur stopped drinking

44:30 Life in China (as an ABC)

48:56 People want connection

54:23 Happiness

1:00:11 Has data ruined everything?

1:05:40 Doing hobbies for the wrong reasons

1:13:44 Building Commander decks

1:17:32 Nobody cares about the Magic story

1:21:00 Magic’s failure in the China market

1:30:17 Shanghai EDH rocks

1:33:12 How Arthur would fix Magic

1:38:45 The Magic social contract

1:41:55 Magic needs to be more watchable

Sierkovitz is a Limited Magic aficionado, data analyst and host of the Magic Numbers podcast. He is a long-time collaborator with 17Lands.com and focuses on making data accessible to Magic players of all skill levels.

0:00 Intro

0:35 Biggest trap with using data and win rates

9:56 Content creation goals and norms

17:51 “Limited is just a very small field”

22:03 The audience for advanced Magic data analysis

30:21 About the Companion mechanic

35:16 Advice for novice or returning Limited players

52:31 Building vs. playing Limited decks

56:54 If you’re frustrated with Magic Arena or losing in general, do this

1:02:37 Common pitfalls (that players can’t get out of)

1:06:55 Giving Sam Black his flowers

1:11:05 Where is the ultimate introductory course for Limited?

1:19:21 Positioning Limited in physical and digital Magic

1:27:51 Are we in the Golden Age of Limited?

1:30:52 Sierkovitz’s Magic origin story

Niv Shmuely is a Magic player and medical doctor from Israel. He has played in three Magic Pro Tours and the World Magic Cup as a member of the Israeli team.

0:00 Intro

3:30 How Niv got into competitive Magic

7:37 Pro Tour Valencia and the flood

11:50 Worlds Team Tournament - Israeli national team

15:52 Med school, Legacy format, COVID years

18:34 Pro Tour Philadelphia

24:23 Challenges to being an Israeli Magic pro

27:08 How family shaped Niv's Magic career

35:05 Why Niv chose med school (and changed careers)

43:37 Prague, Amsterdam and European transport

48:10 Present Israel situation, October 7 memories

55:57 Putting October 7 into perspective

1:04:54 Israel's military retaliation

1:12:00 Western reactions - now vs. Oct

1:19:05 American public sentiment towards Israel

1:24:40 "Hamas is not a government"

1:29:34 Be well-informed, thoughtful and supportive

1:36:32 Negotiation challenges

1:40:16 What needs to happen to achieve peace?

1:46:39 Anti-Zionism and anti-semitism

1:56:50 Palestine needs a state

Magic Con Amsterdam: June 28-30, 2024.

0:00 Intro

0:38 Why I went to Amsterdam

3:59 General experience

9:06 Notable moments

14:19 Memorable conversations

27:48 Takeaways

Memorable conversations:

- Justine Jones

- Will Hall & Matej Zatlkaj

- ZBexx

- Josh Lee Kwai

- Spice8Rack

- Andrea Mengucci

- Gabriel Nassif

- Kai Budde & Jon Finkel

- Rhystic Studies

- Reid Duke

Gabriel Nassif is a Magic Pro Player and Hall of Famer from Paris, France.

Interview was recorded at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre, during Magic Con Amsterdam.

0:00 Intro

0:54 Pro Tour Amsterdam and Worlds

3:52 Tournament recap - key decisions

7:18 Fond Amsterdam (and PT) memories

12:07 Getting back on the Magic grind

15:01 Streaming competitive events

16:35 Thoughts on Magic organized play

19:17 What keeps Gab motivated?

22:13 Playing basketball

27:37 Gab’s brother, American sports, Lebanese culture

32:59 Goals for second half of 2024

Kurohitsuki is a Magic content creator and streamer from Buffalo, New York.

Interview was recorded at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre, during Magic Con Amsterdam.

0:00 Intro

1:10 "Kurohitsuki" name and persona

7:15 Kuro's background

10:32 A very special gift

11:27 Becoming a creator

14:58 Favorite creature type

18:13 Getting into Commander and Spelltable

21:57 Deckbuilding - "I'm a Vorthos at heart"

28:04 Favorite Commander of all time

31:33 Favorite Magic card of all time

38:16 Creative consistency - finding balance

44:58 Reaching one's potential

48:43 Wrapping up 2024

ZBexx is a Magic content creator and cosplayer from Portland, Oregon.

Interview was recorded at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre, during Magic Con Amsterdam.

0:00 Intro

0:57 Exploring Amsterdam and Dutch culture

6:11 Traveling as a Magic couple

8:35 Choosing a Magic content lane

11:19 Branching outside of Magic

16:09 Keeping up with Magic set releases

19:12 Positive self-talk, confidence, role models

24:02 Hardest time as a creator

29:22 Dedication to the cosplay craft

32:19 Fan feedback and connection

34:06 Birds of Paradise

36:57 On working with brands

40:43 Lorcana at major conventions

44:04 Disney sponsorship - what if?

Vitalii "V" Ponomariov is a Ukrainian Magic player, LGS owner, and IT professional. He currently lives in Lviv, Ukraine.

V and I first connected in 2022 when he shared his perspective on Ukrainian Magic on the Magic The Gathering Subreddit. He introduced me to his friends in the Ukrainian Magic community, which allowed me to make the Humans of Magic feature "This Ukrainian Life."

I am fortunate to have V on again to tell his story.

0:00 Intro

1:03 Opening an LGS in Ukraine

8:03 Ukrainian Magic scene

18:56 Outlaws of Thunder Junction...in Lviv

26:40 Finding meaning in an existential threat

35:52 "It is a luxury to be able to prioritize myself"

41:22 Russia, geopolitics, destroyed opportunities

51:51 The indecisive West

1:00:41 Magic and tabletop games as mental relief

1:02:59 Music, creativity, guiding principles

1:10:20 "Fear of Missing Out" in Magic

1:18:54 Lord of the Rings and Universes Beyond

Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic