Humans of Magic

Jonathan Sukenik is a Gold level professional Magic player. You can find him on Magic Online under the name Watchwolf92. Jonathan can also be seen crushing souls on the SCG and PT circuits. We cover fun topics like Jonathan’s Magic sportsmanship, his earliest tournament successes, and a step-by-step walkthrough of the members of the Sukenik School of Crushing. We also ruminate on life and other random absurd things. This is the last Humans of Magic episode of the year. Yes, it’s time for a holiday break. See you in 2019! Links: Through the Looking Glass: Grixis Delver with Jonathan Sukenik https://theepicstorm.com/looking-glass-grixis-delver-jonathan-sukenik/ The Humans of Magic interview with AJ Kerrigan https://humansofmagic.com/2018/07/18/aj-kerrigan/ GK MTG by Travis Perlee https://gkmtg.pro/ Beijing Orlov Legacy Tournament sponsored by CardBoard Live — December 15-16, 2018 https://www.reddit.com/r/MTGLegacy/comments/9v7xwz/beijing_orlov_december_1516_legacy_announcement/ CardBoard Live https://cardboard.live/ — To support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/jameshsu Get email updates: http://eepurl.com/dK0KFY

Don’t call Andrew Elenbogen an overnight success. Andrew won Pro Tour Guilds of Ravnica through a combination of hard work, sacrifice, and a strong drive to get better at the game. His journey this year was a challenging one, notably marked by personal tragedy. Despite the hardships, Andrew has done a lot of great things for the Magic community in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He also has a lot of strong opinions about things that you wouldn’t expect. Learn about Andrew's story on the latest Humans of Magic. Andrew is sponsored by CardBoard Live: https://cardboard.live/ To support the podcast: https://www.patreon.com/jameshsu Get email updates: http://eepurl.com/dK0KFY

“Magic is a game about change…we’ve been spending the last twenty-five years figuring out how to make it even better.” The legendary Mark Rosewater, Head Designer for Magic: The Gathering, joins “Humans of Magic” to discuss the finer nuances of designing for the best game on the planet. Hear Mark talk about why building a Magic set is like building a house, how his process has evolved, and why you should be excited about Magic’s future. Timestamps: 2:55 Introductions 6:00 Mark’s family and Rosewater gaming night 10:16 Playing games with Richard Garfield 12:00 Mark’s role at Wizards—the “building a house” metaphor 14:26 What feeds exploratory and vision design? 17:58 What skillsets do Magic designers need, at each stage of the process? 22:42 The evolution of the design process—then vs. now 27:55 Designing the house for different player demographics 30:32 Compartmentalized design teams—what are the tradeoffs? 34:21 “Game design is about iteration” 40:58 Inspiring everyone working at Wizards to live the core values 44:12 Transparency, open communication, and cross-team collaboration 47:17 What does Magic need to do to stay relevant? 49:04 Thoughts on the state of Organized Play? 49:57 What advice would Mark give to a younger version of himself? 52:01 What advice would Mark give to a first-time tournament player? Enjoy! To support the Humans of Magic podcast go to: www.patreon.com/jameshsu

Kar Yung Tom, a.k.a. KYT, joins "Humans of Magic" for a candid conversation about his competitive roots, fakers on the Internet, and the power of social media. KYT is the founder of manadeprived.com. He produces the amazing First Strike Podcast and serves as the Social Media Coordinator for Face to Face Games. KYT's Twitter: https://twitter.com/kytmagic First Strike podcast: http://magic.facetofacegames.com/podcasts/first-strike/ To support the Humans of Magic podcast go to: https://www.patreon.com/jameshsu

Emma Handy joins the “Humans of Magic” podcast for a no-holds-barred interview. Emma talks openly about being in the public spotlight as a transgender woman, her darkest and brightest moments, key friendships, the Magic grind, and more. Don’t miss this conversation with one of the essential voices in Magic today. WARNING: this podcast contains adult language and topics related to self-harm, suicide, depression, and taking illegal substances. Listener beware. To support the podcast please visit: www.patreon.com/jameshsu

Emma Handy joins the “Humans of Magic” podcast for a no-holds-barred interview. Emma talks openly about being in the public spotlight as a transgender woman, her darkest and brightest moments, key friendships, the Magic grind, and more. Don’t miss this conversation with one of the essential voices in Magic today. WARNING: this podcast contains adult language and topics related to self-harm, suicide, depression, and taking illegal substances. Listener beware. To support the podcast please visit: www.patreon.com/jameshsu

“Humans of Magic” presents: AJ Kerrigan. What twenty-year old can say that he’s played Magic for literally half his life? AJ broke into the competitive Magic scene as a youngster and has never stopped improving his mental approach with the game. After a rough patch in the public spotlight, he has come out stronger and wiser than ever. Learn about how AJ optimizes performance, surrounds himself with a great group of friends, and plays Magic with purpose. Here is our full conversation, in which we discuss: - AJ’s Magic origin story - Lessons learned as a content creator - Playing Magic for the right reasons - His experiences in the Magic judging community - Why he loves playing The Epic Storm in the Legacy format - His best friend in Magic, Jonathan Sukenik - Similarities between gaming and options trading ...and much, much more! Enjoy!

“Humans of Magic” presents: Jon Finkel. Jon is one of the greatest Magic players ever and a member of the Magic Hall of Fame. To use a basketball analogy, he is undeniably the Michael Jordan of Magic. Jon is a Managing Partner at Landscape Capital Management, LLC, a hedge fund that prides itself on investing in non-traditional ways. Here is our full conversation, in which we discuss: - Jon’s first encounters with Magic - Pro Tour memories - Being part of the Ultimate Guard Pro Team - Impressions on the state of the game today - Kobe Bryant vs. Tim Duncan - Jon’s scholarship fund for Magic players: gamershelpinggamers.org ...and much, much more! Enjoy! -- Jon Finkel -- @Jonnymagic00

“Humans of Magic” presents: Ari Lax. Ari is the Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir Champion, member of Team Massdrop, and writer for Starcitygames.com. Here is our full conversation, in which we discuss: - The process of preparing for Pro Tours: before, during, and after - Similarities between preparing for the Pro Tour vs. job interviews - Leveling up as a player - Balance: finding it, or lack thereof - How to have good debates or conversations with people - Advice for new tournament players ...and much, much more! Enjoy! -- Ari Lax -- @armlx

I am pleased to present this conversation with Alix and Jesse Hatfield. The Hatfields have left an indelible mark on the growth and evolution of the Legacy format (previously “Type 1.5”) for well over a decade. They contributed to some of the most influential decks ever built — Enchantress, Threshold, and Cephalid Breakfast, amongst many others. Alix and Jesse also share stories of how the Northern Virginia community fostered, and continue to foster, a culture of innovation and teamwork. Time stamps: [01:55] Introduction 
[04:30] Legendary card debates: Stifle vs. Blue Elemental Blast
 [10:00] Background: growing up and first contact with Magic
 [14:15] Earliest Magic card memories
 [15:55] Magic’s initial allure [19:00] First Type 1.5 tournament at the Lucky Frog [21:32] First Type 1.5 decks played [23:03] Mindset: what kept them going back to play [25:12] The process of winning and tweaking decklists [29:33] Mark Perez’s impact on the Virginia Type 1.5 community [31:20] Other key figures: Anwar Ahmad, David Gearhart, Ian McInnes, Matt Elgin, Jack Elgin [33:18] Anwar’s earliest influences on James as a Legacy player [36:53] A history of friendly rivalry: Northern Virginia vs. New York / Crashing a Syracuse tournament for the first time / Major car accidents [44:23] Format evolution, ban lists, and overall player growth [47:57] Early banned & restricted list announcements [51:35] The advent of ‘Threshold’ in Legacy [55:38] Earliest ‘Threshold’ builds and card choices [57:25] Reading Magic theory and its impact on ‘Threshold’ [59:48] Friends who contributed to ‘Threshold’ deck evolution / How Nimble Mongoose became a card [1:03:10] Key decks of the format: Threshold, Goblins, Solidarity [1:05:10] Tweaking ‘Threshold’ builds with different color splashes [1:06:34] New card printings: Counterbalance and Tarmogoyf [1:09:15] The Flash Hulk era [1:11:53] First impressions of Tarmogoyf [1:13:42] Creating Cephalid Breakfast [1:15:53] Vintage and Legacy champs at Gen Con / How ‘Canadian Threshold’ came to be [1:18:50] “Too Much Information” article series: origin, goals, reception [1:30:51] Thoughts on the Legacy format today: is the metagame balanced and how does data support the conclusion? [1:40:00] Call to action and shout-outs: data collection in the community [1:41:01] Going forward, who are the key folks impacting the game in a positive way?