Humans of Magic

“There’s really no reason to not be direct about what you want, or what you’re going for.”

Alex Majlaton is a pretty darn good Magic player, with 26 Pro Tour appearances and 8 Grand Prix Top 8’s. He is doing solid work as the mathematical mind behind Team East-West Bowl. But more importantly, he’s humble about his status as a player and incredibly passionate about giving back to the community.

Alex and I talk about his early childhood days, forays into competitive Magic, learning from experiences, and more. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to chase Pro Tour dreams, this episode is worth the listen.

Time stamps:

[3:15] Introduction

[5:50] Growing up

[9:02] Childhood hobbies

[10:21] Washington, DC / Maryland / Baltimore

[13:42] How Alex got into Magic

[16:12] Earliest Magic decks

[18:11] Alex’s two favorite cards of all time

[20:37] Getting competitive — the why and how

[27:04] The advantages of being a mathematician

[30:20] The Pro Tour scene / First major success with Affinity

[33:09] Affinity for Affinity (pun intended)

[36:49] Alex’s approach to Magic improvement

[39:11] No sacred cows — a learning breakthrough at the Pro Tour stage

[44:35] Lessons from Pro Tours / Quantitative approach to Limited

[49:46] Maintaining the fire

[51:34] Questions that people ask Alex about

[55:16] Contributing to the community = personal improvement

[57:51] Team East-West Bowl / Breaking the format / Analyzing Limited

[1:01:46] Magic-related goals

[1:04:57] What needs to happen for Magic to advance as a game

[1:07:03] How Alex plans to get from Silver to Gold status

[1:09:23] What would Alex tell himself, if he could go back five years?

[1:12:58] Shout-outs to Ben Friedman, Team East-West Bowl, the Maryland community, and Andrew Mitchell

What does it mean to be the best at Magic? What’s the real life cost of getting too involved in the game? As content creators, why do we do the things that we do? My audio interview with Jonathan Alexander, creator of the Grinding Station deck, concludes with Part 3.

“Humans of Magic” has been slower to release as of late, due to my real-life commitments. Nonetheless, I intend to continue interviewing cool people. Please keep listening and let me know what you think.

Check out Jonathan’s web site here: http://theweeklywars.wordpress.com/

Time stamps — Part 3:

[02:48] Legacy goals

[05:41] How he plans to become the greatest

[08:02] On the power level of Miracles, and not playing it

[11:30] Miracles answers: “People are not willing to go far enough”

[13:35] What would happen if the Legacy format had an upheaval?

[16:46] Effort commensurate to success

[18:42] On the recognition of effort and hard work

[22:58] The negative impacts of Magic

[26:12] “I definitely always wanted to do what I wanted to do”

[27:25] The challenges of the grinder lifestyle

[31:31] The best part of competitive Magic

[34:43] “Most of the time, if you did not win the tournament, you did not deserve to win…”

[37:14] The impossibility of complete consistency // X, Y and Z

[40:31] How Jonathan started his blog, The Weekly Wars

[41:24] Coming up with topics for the blog

[46:13] Writing content in an open, accessible manner // Giving back to the community

[49:18] Doing things for the love of it

[51:41] Content for the masses — Jonathan’s criteria for doing it

[53:46] The Storm Box (which has now been updated!)

[55:48] Martin Juza likes Grim Tutor! // Be careful of the card readers

Jonathan Alexander is a Legacy-format specialist, and a good friend. What started as an innocent discussion about Magic turned into an epic podcast of sorts. Probably the most fun I’ve had so far recording for this show. At one point we asked each other, 2 hours in, if we wanted to stop or keep going. The answer was an encouraging KEEP GOING. And so we did.

There are 3 parts to this talk, that’s how crazy it was. Unfortunately (fortunately?), our hour-long discussion on hip-hop didn’t make the final cut. Jonathan and I probably need to create our own podcast show at some point.

Jonathan’s web site: https://theweeklywars.wordpress.com/

Time stamps — Part 2:

[02:32] Grinding Station origins

[04:35] The perfect storm (of a metagame)

[09:23] Putting it to the test with 200+ players

[12:36] The natural Tendrils revelation

[14:38] Card evaluation tendencies

[16:31] “That was only because it was the card I wanted.”

[20:04] The complexity in the game // learning through observation

[21:42] Thoughts on Team America

[24:39] Having a point of view

[26:06] Why Jonathan didn’t play Storm in Prague

[28:59] Shout out to Rodrigo Togores, GP Prague winner

[30:08] Best high-level tournament finishes

[32:02] Prague preparations and changing decks

[34:15] “With Canadian, you’re not playing the matchup lottery that hard.”

[36:35] Minimizing variance / Why Miracles is so good

[38:48] Deck selection and having the right goals

[40:37] “The hard part about Magic is getting X, Y, AND Z right.”

[42:31] The joy of blind Cabal Therapy

[45:41] Pascal Wagner, the fastest Storm pilot ever

[47:38] “Can you tell me about your relationship with Kai Sawatari?”

[52:46] The bromance triangle in Seattle / a debt of gratitude

[54:35] No regrets

[55:35] Going back to Storm

[56:59] Playing Magic Online for the first time / dabbling in the Standard format

[1:00:11] Goals

Jonathan Alexander is a Legacy-format specialist, and a good friend. What started as an innocent discussion about Magic turned into an epic podcast of sorts. Probably the most fun I’ve had so far recording for this show. At one point we asked each other, 2 hours in, if we wanted to stop or keep going. The answer was an encouraging KEEP GOING. And so we did.

There are 3 parts to this talk, that’s how crazy it was. Unfortunately (fortunately?), our hour-long discussion on hip-hop didn’t make the final cut. Jonathan and I probably need to create our own podcast show at some point.

Jonathan’s web site: https://theweeklywars.wordpress.com/

Time stamps — Part 1:

[03:21] Intro / the metric system

[06:54] Jonathan's own intro

[08:17] Family background and brief personal history

[12:42] There and back again: university in Berlin

[16:04] Homework? What's that?

[18:09] Memorable teenage moments

[23:06] Amsterdam

[26:37] "It's all upside to not drink, in my eyes."

[30:25] Happiness

[31:13] Earliest gaming experiences

[32:31] Playing Magic for the first time, and getting competitive

[36:32] First Legacy deck

[39:09] Local German Legacy scene

[43:26] Initial breakthroughs in competitive Magic, and Mental Misstep

[46:33] All time favorite decks

[47:58] An ode to Canadian Threshold

[51:44] The art of quoting stuff out of context / trolls

[53:08] Good stuff deck vs. tempo deck / why he doesn't play Grixis delver

[56:16] Incredible run at Bazaar of Moxen with Canadian Threshold

[1:05:04] “Don’t be afraid to use your cards as Lightning Bolts.”

[1:07:17] Starting to play Storm and the beginnings of Grinding Station

"Magic is kind of mind-blowing."

Mike Turian is one of the greatest Limited players ever in the history of the Magic Pro Tour, and a bona fide Hall of Famer. He is also a key driving force within Wizards of the Coast, having held key roles in R&D, Organized Play, Technology, Magic Online, and Magic Duels teams.

In this no-holds-barred conversation, I talk to Mike about both his illustrious playing career (Part 1) and the decade that he's spent at Wizards of the Coast (Part 2). Mike has tons of great stories and learnings to share, so please do come along for the ride!

Time stamps -- Part 2:

[02:06] How Mike started working at Wizards

[05:22] The most important advice that Randy gave Mike at the beginning

[06:53] Working at Wizards vs. being a competitive player — tough decision?

[09:28] Winning for the community vs. for yourself

[11:08] Summary of Mike’s different roles at Wizards

[11:57] Insights Mike gained from the Market Research team

[14:53] The best way to provide user feedback for Magic Online

[15:58] The Magic expansion sets that Mike led from a development perspective

[16:38] Leaving R&D to drive the Planeswalker Points program

[17:14] How hard was it to leave R&D?

[20:36] Most memorable R&D moments

[23:25] Developing the planeswalker card type

[26:35] “With [Jace, the Mind Sculptor] we wanted to make a card that people loved, and I think we accomplished that.”

[31:09] Favorite cards that Mike’s worked on

[36:23] Advice for folks who want to work in Magic R&D

[42:10] Mike’s current role in the Brand team — what does it involve?

[46:53] Most exciting thing in Mike’s current role

[49:54] Advantages of working in the digital domain

[52:08] Favorite colleagues

[55:27] The unsung heroes of Wizards

[56:48] Personal and career goals — and the one competitive goal he’s yet to achieve

[58:15] The competitive fire, and the purity of tournament Magic

Photo Credit: Wizards of the Coast

"Magic is kind of mind-blowing."

Mike Turian is one of the greatest Limited players ever in the history of the Magic Pro Tour, and a bona fide Hall of Famer. He is also a key driving force within Wizards of the Coast, having held key roles in R&D, Organized Play, Technology, Magic Online, and Magic Duels teams.

In this no-holds-barred conversation, I talk to Mike about both his illustrious playing career (Part 1) and the decade that he's spent at Wizards of the Coast (Part 2). Mike has tons of great stories and learnings to share, so please do come along for the ride!

Time stamps -- Part 1:

[03:21] Introduction

[09:49] Growing up in Pittsburgh

[12:04] Earliest gaming experiences

[15:51] Being competitive with his best friend

[19:42] Playing Magic for the first time

[29:24] Getting hooked on tournaments

[32:40] Booster drafts with two packs, not three

[34:34] The appeal of the Limited format

[36:06] Learning the basics of Limited

[38:45] The outside world through The Duelist magazine

[41:10] Making a splash in larger events

[43:21] Playing against Brian Kibler in Grand Prix Toronto

[45:02] Mike’s first Pro Tour in Chicago

[46:18] Randy Buehler

[50:05] Being part of a team and preparation process

[55:17] Teaming up with Gary Wise and Scott Johns

[1:00:04] Skills learned through team play

[1:01:10] Best Magic memories

[1:03:10] On sportsmanship

[1:04:16] What the Hall of Fame means to him

[1:06:17] Mike’s Hall of Fame achievements

[1:09:25] Focusing on Limited vs. Constructed

[1:11:16] Mike’s criteria for Hall of Fame membership

Photo Credit: Wizards of the Coast

Bryant Cook is the innovator and creator of The Epic Storm deck, which is approaching its ten-year anniversary. He joins me to discuss the origins of the 1.5 format, the strong Syracuse, NY scene, and his earliest tournament successes. We also talk about fun stuff like reading opponents, table banter, and beating a turn 1 Griselbrand. This is one conversation you won't want to miss.

Time stamps:

[01:02] Introduction

[03:28] Family background and origins

[04:52] Earliest gaming experiences

[06:18] Playing sports

[06:52] Playing Magic for the first time

[08:31] His first tournament

[10:34] On never splitting prizes in a tournament

[12:15] Improving as a player and first major tournament success

[15:00] The Syracuse crew

[16:29] The 1.5 scene in New York and origins of The Source

[17:22] Playing combo for the first time

[18:47] The beginnings of The Epic Storm

[22:17] The beginnings of The Epic Syndicate

[23:54] How Magic friends have helped him in life

[25:15] Applying Magic learnings to life

[25:49] First major success with The Epic Storm

[27:22] Playing in Jupiter Games events and SCG Opens

[30:10] Getting nervous at high-level events

[32:48] Reading opponents

[36:25] The origins of The Epic Storm website

[38:30] Why he writes content

[39:23] Dealing with online trolls and haters

[40:59] Why Magic?

[42:36] Why he is competitive

[43:31] Tournament mindset and habits

[46:35] Table banter with opponents

[48:02] Codes of conduct and ethical gaming

[49:13] Most challenging Magic-related situation

[51:05] Best Magic moments

[55:19] Future evolution of The Epic Storm

[56:38] Magic-related goals

[59:43] Life-related goals

[01:01:19] What would Bryant tell himself if he could go back 5 years?

Paulo Vitor Damo Da Rosa is one of the biggest names in Magic today. The Brazilian sensation joins me to discuss his life, defining tournament moments, and the one big goal he is still chasing. We also geek out about competitive bridge, League of Legends, and how to write a great Magic article. This is one conversation you do not want to miss.

Rodrigo Togores is one of the best Storm combo players on the planet. He's also super humble and fun to talk to. I talk to the Grand Prix Prague champion about his competitive gaming past in multiple card games. Rodrigo also takes me through the play-by-play of the biggest tournament of his life.

"If I'm not moving forward in some way, I feel like I'm just burning daylight."

Ben Friedman is one of the true Magic phenoms. At 23 years of age, he's already enjoyed incredible tournament success -- 3 GP Top 8s, 2 Pro Tour Top 16s, and 1 Pro Tour Top 32. Not only that, but Ben is in the running for future Hall of Fame consideration. He's a brilliant high-level Magic player, and this is only the beginning.

In this free-flowing conversation, Ben goes beyond the game to discuss his views on friendship, forks in the road, life lessons, and much more.