Humans of Magic

Nathan Steuer is the 2022 Magic: The Gathering World Champion.

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0:01:45 playing the Magic Online Championship Series (MOCS)

0:06:03 mindset entering a tournament top eight

0:10:03 writing and journaling

0:11:23 Nathan's 2022 highlights

0:15:31 books as inspiration

0:19:22 taking the unconventional road - life, school and Magic

0:30:04 why college wasn't the right fit for Nathan

0:36:51 growth as a Magic player in 2022

0:42:56 breaking the ceiling - from grinder to Pro Tour level player

0:45:23 coaching other players

0:53:28 seeing the key moments - how Nathan developed this superpower

0:57:26 is Magic a young person's game?

1:00:40 has Magic negatively impacted Nathan?

1:04:14 coaching vs. being coached

1:09:10 looking back on winning Worlds

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Show notes: humansofmagic.com

Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Skyler Warfield is a Magic personality, Twitch streamer, and OnlyFans creator.

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0:01:50 relationship to Magic - then vs. now

0:06:38 Nerd Rage Gaming tournament circuit

0:10:36 parasocial relationships

0:14:04 Abe Stein

0:16:59 NRG St. Louis travel story

0:25:01 Jesse Robkin

0:34:36 Skyler loves Valorant

0:49:42 Skyler's streaming mindset

0:55:24 the truth about hitting Twitch Partner

0:58:55 playing Magic for fun vs. as a job

1:01:18 being an OnlyFans creator - a deep dive

1:27:37 thoughts on sex work and personal politics

1:31:50 relationship with family

1:33:38 sobriety - why Skyler did it

1:40:57 rapid-fire questions: future of Magic, Culver's, creative writing

1:45:43 significance behind the names: "Skyler" and "Belle Curves"

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Show notes: humansofmagic.com

Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Jean-Emmanuel Depraz is a professional Magic player from France. He is the 2017 Grand Prix Warsaw winner and second-place finisher in the 2021 World Championships.

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0:01:40 intro

0:03:13 on walking and thinking

0:07:04 Legacy European Championships

0:10:31 the team testing process

0:17:15 on meditation

0:23:50 mindset while playing Magic

0:32:55 Magic origin story

0:39:33 why JED wants to focus less on Magic now

0:43:14 creating content vs. playing Magic

0:50:38 taking Magic breaks

0:57:27 what casual play means to JED

1:03:22 being "in the zone"

1:10:56 GP Warsaw - "the best day in my life"

1:18:47 the lows of full-time competitive play

1:23:47 the Magic Pro league experience

1:29:10 captaining the Team World Cup

1:31:18 the MKM dream-crush story

1:39:10 view on open decklists in tournaments

1:46:19 where JED's love for Limited comes from

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Show notes: humansofmagic.com

Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Josh Lee Kwai is the CEO of The Command Zone, and the creative force behind Game Knights and Extra Turns.

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0:01:50 Miles Davis and Larry Bird

0:06:27 maintaining the crazy

0:11:55 YouTube and the competitive landscape

0:17:57 the real work begins when you think it's "done"

0:22:11 kill your creative darlings

0:25:30 how Josh develops the right company culture

0:29:26 the four key values of the Command Zone

0:37:10 how Josh keeps himself honest - his circle

0:40:30 Josh's relationship with The Professor

0:45:16 Command Zone is about entertainment and fun (above all else)

0:48:48 the art of the nuanced position

0:54:35 leading by example / pursuing things you love

0:59:20 responsibility and control - the turning point

1:03:21 what Josh learned from working in the restaurant industry

1:05:36 Josh's childhood / the high school "decision"

1:10:15 Josh studied theater and improv in college

1:11:27 Josh's parents and siblings / growing up in a small town

1:16:31 on being mixed race

1:23:34 is Josh an introvert? / all-in, or stop

1:25:22 creative influences for Command Zone

1:27:54 the movie trailer creation process

1:36:58 on previews and preview-marketing

1:41:27 maintaining the fun energy of Game Knights

1:44:57 how to keep it fresh - Command Zone and Game Knights

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Show notes: humansofmagic.com

Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

MTGNerdGirl is the CEO of TCG Studios and the founder of Degenerate Gaming and Tournament Grounds. Her new Commander show is called "Decked Out."

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0:02:00 MTGNerdGirl's overall Magic 30 experience

0:08:58 preparing for Magic Summit

0:11:15 on managing multiple projects and possessing no chill

0:16:04 MTGNerdGirl's Magic origin story

0:19:25 MTGNerdGirl's poker career

0:24:04 initial foray into streaming / building an audience

0:30:28 staying motivated as a creator / advice for fellow creators

0:36:15 Degenerate Gaming - "building something larger than yourself"

0:41:39 Veggie Wagon

0:45:03 building the Decked Out show

0:51:19 pre-recorded vs. live content

0:55:57 content planning for the long term

0:59:09 MTGNerdGirl's thoughts on Twitch vs. YouTube

1:05:39 thoughts on Magic's direction as a game

1:09:04 looking back - growing as a creator

1:12:04 breaking the 4th wall

1:18:11 MTGNerdGirl - how did she come up with the name?

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Show notes: humansofmagic.com

Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Brian David-Marshall is a Magic player, Magic Pro Tour historian, and co-founder of Neutral Ground.

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0:04:00 on being starstruck

0:07:56 Brian on family

0:13:03 Brian's comic book career

0:23:10 letter from Jerry Siegel / Brian starts his own comic business

0:30:17 first contact with Magic

0:37:51 being part of Magic's earliest tournaments

0:43:43 Neutral Ground

0:50:10 memorable interactions with Magic players

0:56:07 historical context - early era Magic, Alpha to Revised editions

0:59:51 opening a Revised edition booster pack at Magic 30

1:00:54 the early days of Wizards of the Coast / Wizards sanctioned events

1:05:58 Richard Garfield introduced Booster Draft to Brian (!)

1:09:24 thoughts on the Magic Hall of Fame

1:16:34 Dr. Garfield's legacy / the first IRL net-deck ever

1:20:18 James's love letter to the Star Wars CCG

1:24:27 Brian's start in Magic coverage / the Aaron Forsythe email

1:35:19 standing on the shoulders of coverage giants

1:40:29 "coverage is pretty lonely"

1:43:43 "is Jon Finkel the greatest ever?"

1:51:48 what kept Brian in coverage for so long

1:55:48 most memorable commentary interviews / art of conversation

2:05:50 Brad Nelson

2:11:03 the overall metagame of Magic

2:14:13 thoughts on coverage in 2022 / Hall of Fame induction wishlist

2:21:15 the evolution of pro players shifting to Commander

2:24:24 the era of perfect information

2:27:47 recording Shuffle Up And Play with The Professor and Sheldon Menery

2:38:06 Brian interviews James about Star Wars / "Andor is f***ing great"

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Show notes: humansofmagic.com

Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Looking back at 2022 for Humans of Magic - what worked, what could be improved, and what's next.

01:43 highlight - consistency

05:26 highlight - making it conversational

13:45 highlight - putting myself into it

27:17 to improve - content experimentation

32:33 to improve - A/V quality

35:54 to improve - fear of the new

39:41 looking ahead - 2023

Show notes: humansofmagic.com

Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Chase "Manacurves" Carroll is a Commander content creator and video editor.

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0:04:00 nicknames and alts

0:07:25 life in a North Carolina college town

0:10:41 Chase's Magic collection / the Magic origin story / getting into Commander

0:20:33 funny deckbuilding gaffes / Kokusho and rules changes

0:26:37 personal backstory / Chase LOVES the "Dead or Alive" fighting game

0:35:30 path to content creation

0:44:53 Chase studied to be a social worker / being open with mental health

0:59:31 getting serious with Magic content / the art of collaborative deckbuilding

1:09:49 advice for creators: "do what feels right"

1:19:13 working with EDHRec / meeting the Command Zone crew / Post Malone & Joe Manganiello

1:40:27 putting yourself out there as a creator - pros and cons

1:52:19 on parasocial relationships

1:57:54 how Chase sees the future of Magic

2:02:55 rapid-fire questions - Magic wishlist, fave EDH product of 2022, "it's not for you"

2:18:58 Chase's love of the band "Ghost"

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opening track: The New Fools / We'll Do It All / courtesy of epidemicsound.com

Show notes: humansofmagic.com

Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

We talk to some of the best Magic content creators in the business about...

THE CREATIVE VOICE!

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0:02:24 [Finding The Voice] Evart "aspiringspike" Moughon

0:06:24 [Finding The Voice] The Asian Avenger

0:07:54 [Finding The Voice] Rebell Son

0:10:59 [Finding The Voice] Pleasant Kenobi

0:13:02 [Finding The Voice] Sam of Rhystic Studies

0:17:09 [Authentic Voice] Taalia Vess

0:20:16 [Authentic Voice] Tappy Toe Claws

0:27:48 [On Speaking Out] Alan of Mental Misplay

0:30:05 [On Speaking Out] Pleasant Kenobi

0:33:59 [On Speaking Out] Veggie Wagon

0:37:06 [On Speaking Out] Tappy Toe Claws

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Show notes: humansofmagic.com

Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Jamie Topples is a Magic content creator and painter. Jon Rigatti is a Magic player and musician. Together, this incredible couple makes sweet Magic happen.

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0:03:30 Jon is a musician / Jamie likes to sing and dance

0:11:29 Jon introduced Jamie to Magic

0:19:12 how Jamie started streaming Magic

0:27:15 Jamie's first draft and LGS end boss

0:31:44 Jamie's streaming motivation

0:33:08 Jon's current relationship with Magic

0:36:19 MTGO vs. Magic Arena

0:41:47 2020 meetups - Taalia Vess, Lady Lavinias, Ben Wheeler and Hunter Pence

0:46:20 "the last GP" and table talking with Jaberwocki, aka Logan Nettles

0:48:43 shout-out to Melvin the Muppet

0:50:59 how Jamie joined The Ponder Podcast

0:52:20 Jamie was a massage therapist / Steve Rubin / talking Magic at weddings

0:57:26 how Jamie and Jon first met (**MUST LISTEN**)

1:04:44 joint passions: music, video games, card games

1:07:48 sacred cows in Magic / Jamie goes IN on 17Lands.com

1:18:24 spontaneity makes Magic drafts great

1:20:05 balancing watchability vs. winning as a streamer

1:24:42 losing gems SUCKS - James can relate

1:28:07 Limited Resources, Marshall Sutcliffe and Luis Scott-Vargas

1:33:10 Jamie had a dream about Marshall Sutcliffe...as Hoard Dragon

1:39:26 the time Jamie registered 41 cards

1:41:08 Jamie does painting commissions!

1:48:50 Jamie's favorite band - Coheed and Cambria

1:52:58 rapid-fire Q&A

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opening track: Eoin Mantell / Whimsical Stroll / courtesy of epidemicsound.com

Show notes: humansofmagic.com

Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic