As I write this, I’m back at my hotel in Philadelphia after an amazing weekend participating in my first paper Pro Tour. My final record at Pro Tour Phyrexia: All Will Be One was 9-6-1, with a record of 4-2 in Draft and 5-4-1 in Pioneer, earning me an invitation to the next Pro Tour in Minneapolis.
Instead of breaking down games or drafts I can’t remember perfectly, I want to share some of what I learned from my experience. Think of them as lessons I learned the hard way (or sometimes the easy way) so you don’t have to. For reference, both days began with a pod draft for three rounds, followed by five rounds of Pioneer.
1. Stay vigilant.
After winning my first game of Round 1, my opponent asked me if I could play faster, so we would have time for a Game 3 should one occur. No problem at all, we had a long Game 1, and drawing via 1-1-1 isn’t something anyone should be in the market for.
Well, I picked up the pace and cast two Equipment in sequence. I reached for the two Rebel tokens that came with them – and my opponent called the judge. It was ruled that I missed a trigger on the first Equipment, resulting in no Rebel token, which likely cost me the game.
While I don’t think the end result was my opponent’s initial intent by encouraging us to play faster, it was a harsh reminder that playing faster doesn’t mean loosening up on the technical side. This is especially important for players from the Magic Online (MTGO) / MTG Arena side, where the client handles the triggers for you. I took it as a swift reminder to stay vigilant throughout the tournament.
2. Spend your time where it will do the most good.
I didn’t do a ton of preparation on the Limited side of things for the tournament; by contrast, I had heard of others who chose to put more of their focus on Draft. Even so, I know I made the right choice for myself. The amount of Constructed I’ve played in my life is almost laughable compared to the average player at the Pro Tour, yet I put together a winning record in Pioneer against Magic’s best.
Because the delta between my knowledge of Pioneer and any new Limited format was so large, one hour practicing Pioneer was way more useful than one practicing Limited. That’s why I spent the vast majority of my preparation time learning the Pioneer format. My Top 50 finish is proof of the rewards.
3. Use your resources.
This can look wildly different from person to person, but the point is, use what’s available to you. Whether you’ve got some extra cash to get some coaching, a friend to borrow cards from, or maybe even a hot tub where you’re staying to help you relax, these are all resources you should be taking advantage of.
There was one resource I almost didn’t use. I’m part of a group of Limited players who meet up for a video chat about once per set to talk about Draft/Sealed for said set. Having only been playing and caring about eight-player man pod drafting, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to attend, as I didn’t want to have any of my already developed opinions swayed…
4. Take good information wherever you find it.
After some contemplation, though, I decided to attend, confident that I would be able to sift through information that wouldn’t be pertinent to my upcoming drafts, and pick out the gems that might be – and it paid off in a big way.
One of the players, Marc Anderson (aka @NEO_MTG), brought to the table his experience with Golgari, a deck I have very little experience with. He outlined what cards to prioritize, cards that shouldn’t be in the deck but often are, and the overall theory of how to draft and play it.
Well, in my second draft at the start of Day 2 of the Pro Tour, I happened to open a Pack 1, Pick 1 Glissa Sunslayer. With the knowledge I gained from the call, I was able to easily navigate the draft and make picks that I normally wouldn’t have.
What you see below is the best Golgari deck I’ve drafted so far in Phyrexia: All Will Be One, and it was all learned from another player within fifteen minutes – which is a lot easier than trying to figure it out myself.
5. Embrace the gathering.
The gathering is a huge component to the new Pro Play structure, and it was abundantly clear throughout the Pro Tour players area. As I sat down for my first draft, the player to my left was someone I tested with for the previous Mythic Championship, which we discovered after some brief conversation, not recognizing one another by face or offline name.
That wasn’t the only such interaction, either. Throughout the tournament, friendships formed quickly, with competitors offering one another advice and encouragement. From Hall of Famers to Regional Champions, the shared experience truly felt much greater than the individual. I went into the Pro Tour not knowing a ton of players, but left feeling like I had a whole group of new friends from around the world.
I had an amazing time, learned from every loss, and perhaps most importantly learned more about myself. I intend to devolve into my natural state of a draft gremlin (picture Animorphs) for a while before dipping my toes into standard for PT Minneapolis.
Lose and Learn, Learn and Win!
