Before Pro Tour: Yokohama, Tiago did the fashionable thing and hooked up with the Dutchies for some serious playtesting. Today’s Levelling Up brings us the results from those intensive playtest sessions. Deck archetypes and lists are discussed and debunked in equal measure, with the positive and negative points of each build laid bare for all to see. If you’re looking for the low-down on Time Spiral Block Constructed, look no further!
Tiago, in preparation for Pro Tour: Yokohama, has been beavering away with the Dutchies in order to smash the Block Constructed format. While he freely admits that he’s no great shakes as a deckbuilder, Mr Chan bring six years of experience in Block Constructed Pro Tour preparation to the table. So what does the history of the format at the highest level show us, and can it teach us the lessons we need to succeed? This fascinating walk down Memory Lane will open your eyes to the intricacies of this tricky format…
Tiago went to Grand Prix: Massachusetts without a Two-Headed Giant win to his name (at the GP level, at least). Pairing with the mighty Shuhei Nakamura, surely this diabolical run was about to change? Well, they got their win… but how did they do in the tournament as a whole? Tiago takes us through the highs, the lows, and the crazy good times.
While Tiago didn’t exactly raise the roof at Grand Prix: Massachusetts, his practice sessions with some of the best minds in Magic has honed his skills and formed some strong opinions on how to succeed in Two-Headed Giant Draft. He outlines the four approaches he thinks can make waves in the format, and gives us a comprehensive guide to drafting his strategy of choice: Slivers.
Tiago, one of the privileged few at Level 6 in the Pro Player’s Club, is one of the best players in the world for a very good reason. Not content with notching up a loss to bad luck, Mr Chan enjoys dissecting each loss after the event, in an attempt to highlight any mistakes he may have made. In the first of what promises to be an interesting series, Tiago analyzes his losses thus far this season, and asks… Could Things Have Been Different?
As part of his quest to place highly in this year’s Player of the Year race, Tiago Chan picked up an Angelfire control deck and headed to Kyoto. He made Day 2 in a large field, buy couldn’t quite break into the Top 64. This article chronicles the highs and lows of his Kyoto experience, and shares a little tech for everyone’s favorite three-color control concoction…
Tiago, fresh off his 9th-place finish at Grand Prix: Dallas, turns his talented eye towards Standard in preparation for Grand Prix: Kyoto. He takes a fresh look at Angelfire, the deck that took him to the Top 8 at Worlds, and updates it with Planar Chaos goodness. He also gives us the lowdown on his unsuccessful jaunt to GP: Amsterdam.
Tiago was prepared for Grand Prix: Dallas. In testing, he ran a gauntlet of six decks before settling on the Feldman / Hill / Tsumura inspired U/W Tron list. He takes us through his preparation in great detail, and walks us through some of the more entertaining games he played in his heartbreaking ninth-place performance.
Day 1 at Pro Tour: Geneva saw Tiago fighting for his Magical life after posting a 0-2 start. With a little luck and a lot of skill, he secured himself a Day 2 berth. Today’s Levelling Up continues the story, covering Drafts 3 through 5. Tiago also gives us his opinion on the U/W control draft archetype, and shares his thoughts on what to draft in TTP.
Tiago went into Pro Tour: Geneva as a firm favorite for the 2007 Player of the Year title. He was looking for a strong performance to get the season off to a flying start. After posting a 0-2 record in his first two matches, things were looking bleak. However, armed with an exciting draft strategy and a boatload of talent, he powered himself into Day 2 competition. His Day 1 journey is chronicled within…
In preparation for Pro Tour: Geneva, Tiago Chan joined up with Frank Karsten and a slew of famous Dutch professionals, and they drafted up a storm. Tiago shares four of those drafts today, looking at the completed decklists, highlighting tricky picks, and explaining the processes behind his decision to force U/W control decks when the Big Day finally came…
Tiago Chan, Level 6 Pro and some folks’ favorite for Player of the Year 2007, brings us his installment of the Impact series of Planar Chaos reviews… the Professional Opinion. He explains the pro approach to set evaluation, tells us about some of his favorite cards from the set, takes some overhyped cards down a peg or two, and lists the cards he believes will make a splash at Pro Tour: Geneva.
Tiago’s mission these past few weeks involved breaking down the factors of a Magic player’s success. So far, he’s isolated the importance of Playskill, and the vital Deck Choice conundrum. Today is the turn of that most ephemeral of factors… Luck. We know that Luck plays a role in Magic, but how can we quantify its involvement? More importantly, how can we court The Lady and increase our success rate?
Improvement is a tricky thing to quantify. Sure, success is something we can all work towards, and this translates itself into tournament wins and strong performances… but how exactly do we measure our own development? This thoughtful article sees Tiago wax lyrical on the true definition of “levelling up,” and introduces three types of successful Magic player: The Talented, The Focused, and The Experienced. Which type are you?
In this enlightening article, Level 6 Mage Tiago Chan reveals his personal playtesting system, which has powered him from PTQ regular to (arguably) the strongest and most consistent player in the world. He shares his preparation techniques, plus advice and tips picked up from testing sessions with Frank Karsten. Playtesting is a skill at which we could all do with some pointers… Tiago shows us the path to PTQ success.
