Humans of Magic

Julian Knab is the host of the Everyday Eternal podcast and creator of the Legacy Premier League. 0:03:11 who is Julian Knab? 0:08:31 the competitive mindset 0:13:37 producing the "Everyday Eternal" podcast 0:20:50 edutainment and authenticity for creators 0:27:41 what is the Legacy format, and who is it for? 0:37:24 Commander's effect on Legacy 0:47:11 fighting perfectionism - and balancing pragmatism 0:53:13 Julian's quality bar for competitive Magic content 1:04:23 looking back on 2022 - podcast highs and lows 1:13:38 why are American Magic tournaments so badly run? 1:25:33 Magic players and Expected Value 1:29:59 Julian's 2022 as a commentator - highs and lows 1:34:13 looking ahead - career moves, life decisions, agency 1:43:00 on self-limiting beliefs 1:48:00 find out what you enjoy...and build around it 1:54:18 James's fear of the new / James wants to reconnect with Magic 2:06:49 James is a new person after the Shanghai lockdown --- Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Anuraag Das is a Magic streamer specializing in guerrilla Magic tournament coverage. He streams at https://www.twitch.tv/anzidmtg. 0:01:30 "where I am as a content creator has shifted" 0:05:26 from playing Magic to covering Magic 0:09:15 what is "meaningful" when it comes to content? 0:15:39 developing one's streaming brand 0:17:11 monetizing coverage - the harsh reality 0:31:37 sponsorships 0:36:08 the entitlement mindset trap 0:40:17 intrinsic creator motivation 0:47:15 start with YouTube, not Twitch 0:57:12 finding the right business partner 0:58:42 Anuraag's 2022 events coverage retrospective 1:06:40 the challenge of freelancing coverage 1:14:18 commentary - "there aren't enough opportunities" 1:21:27 working without constraints / taking risks as a smaller broadcaster 1:30:49 GP Reid Duke - player as commentator - possible today? 1:34:29 documenting the coverage journey itself 1:40:07 thoughts on where Magic is going --- Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Reid Duke is the Pro Tour Phyrexia champion and a member of the Magic Hall of Fame. 0:01:30 aftermath of winning the Pro Tour 0:06:23 coming back from a 0-2 deficit in the PT Top Eight 0:10:33 Reid's Pioneer deck - "I had no expectations" 0:14:20 Reid's testing house and making collective judgments 0:16:55 Reid on Kai Budde - "he's superhuman" 0:20:05 key "turning points" of Pro Tour Phyrexia 0:24:32 how does Reid feel about his legacy? 0:30:15 the next milestone - winning Worlds 0:32:49 preparation and the road less traveled - Reid's learnings 0:36:34 on speaking the metaphorical language of your teammates 0:41:10 on Organized Play and the return of the Pro Tour 0:48:56 casual vs. tournament Magic - it's not a competition 0:51:04 how James feels about competitive Magic today 0:55:08 Reid's edge in playing paper tournaments 0:58:00 what makes a truly great player - consistent excellence 1:02:28 Reid's life over the past couple of years --- Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Jesse Robkin is a writer, filmmaker and Magic player. Jesse is currently fundraising for her short film STRESS FRACTURE - https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/stress-fracture-film 0:01:30 confronting fears 0:10:45 a new spin on a post-apocalyptic story 0:15:21 the impending doom of the future 0:22:18 creative freelancing - one year anniversary 0:25:57 Jesse's new short film - "Stress Fracture" 0:32:46 consistent themes in Jesse's creative work 0:43:50 make the audience think 0:47:58 how did Jesse become a storyteller? 0:54:35 Jesse's writing method 1:08:30 doing the work vs. delivering the work 1:19:57 how to be self-aware in the editing process 1:22:17 Jesse's routines for writing, editing, and doing laundry 1:29:15 professional goals 1:36:20 look backwards as well as forward 1:40:32 how Jesse got good at Magic - crossover with creative process 1:43:45 Jesse's thoughts on Magic storytelling and lore 1:49:44 Jesse's Patreon experience --- Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Nathan Steuer is the 2022 Magic: The Gathering World Champion. -- 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 -- Show notes: humansofmagic.com Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

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