With the newest PTQ season upon us, I just wanted to take a little time to discuss the preparation tools and techniques used and shared by high-level players so that you might take something away from them, thereby enhancing your chances to qualify and make it to the next level. There are an overwhelming amount of resources available to players looking for a leg up on the competition. With the proliferation of Magic strategy websites, the growing amount of play and collection of information from Magic Online, and the increase of support of local play increasing the size of local player pools, a player should have all the tools they need to be prepared for the current Extended format.
Magic strategy websites have come a long way since the mailing lists that the earliest players used to discuss decks and tournament strategy. Just as our understanding of the game and what makes each format tick has become more advanced, so have our information sharing techniques. Nowadays, there are thousands of websites across the Internet that provide players with information for players ranging from the very broad to the impossibly niche. Many provide answers and advice straight from the mouths of pro players, who obviously understand the game well enough to have already made it to that next level.
A couple good examples of pro players sharing their wealth of knowledge are as follows:
Virtually all of the most recent content on channelfireball has been related to the current Extended season, including a good piece on the oft misunderstood and maligned building of a sideboard by one of the most dominant players in the game: Luis Scott-Vargas.
The legendary Mike Flores had a great article posted here that explores the Extended format in depth, including analysis of a few winning decklists from Magic Online.
When talking about preparation for a Constructed format, I would be remiss without addressing the almighty decklists. As soon as people start talking about a new format, the first question off everyone’s lips is, “What’s good in the format?” Luckily for those of us who aren’t very deckbuilding-inclined, there are legions of people out there who are working desperately to be the one that has broken the format and come up with the next deck-dujour. Not every decklist is a winner. Finding that diamond in the rough amongst the hundreds of decks that are sure to be tried and tested over the course of this Extended format can be a trying task. Luckily, the Internet once again comes to the rescue.
There are a few excellent resources available to players looking for a good deck to play in an upcoming PTQ. Obviously, you don’t want to waste your time with a deck that isn’t going to be any good, so the first place I always check is any place that provides me with solid tournament results and the winning decklists. On http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Default.aspx they provide a daily activity once a week that is nothing more than a recap of all of the winning decklists from PTQs, Grand Prix, Pro Tours, and Magic Online tournaments. It’s an invaluable tool for hunting down a decklist that has had consistent success in a format. In addition, there are a huge number of independently organized tournament circuits, such as Starcitygames’s Open Series and Pasttimes’ Master Series, that provide another good, battle-tested source of lists.
Simply having the decklists is only the first step, though. From this point, knowing what the most consistent finishers in a format are, you need to test, test, test. Build yourself a copy of each of the best decks in the format, including an extra of the one you want to play. From that point, it only takes a friend or two that you trust to put the deck through a number of games. This will give you an idea of the inner workings of the decks, teach you how each of the matchups goes, and provide you some idea of how to sideboard the deck.
While I was learning, I found it really useful to have both me and my playtest partner take turns with each deck. No one wants to admit that they’re playing a deck wrong, and sometimes they don’t know. If I was mangling a particular deck and consequently, losing time and again, but my partner was winning with the same deck in the same matchup, I knew something was up. This helps because it not only gives you accurate playtest data, but you will also learn what mistakes you were making, giving you a better understanding of the deck and making yourself a better player in the meantime.
Once you’ve gotten past the playtest part of your “training,” test the deck under pressure. Take it to some local tournaments, sleeve it up, and see how things go. Friday Night Magic is the perfect environment for you to see the deck play out in an arena that is a bit stricter and more intense than a playtesting session. In addition, if you do well enough, you get some pretty nice loot! Hopefully, after all of the testing you’ve done, you’ll clean up at your local store and realize that it’s time to take your deck and knowledge on the road to some PTQs.
Magic Online has proven to be an invaluable tool for virtually all of today’s biggest pros. After all, it provides the ability to test at anytime and against people outside of your geographic home area. It also allows for decent testing when you can’t wrangle up anyone else to help you. All you have to do is build the deck, go into the tournament practice room, and fire up a queue. This is how I keep on top of the various formats and decks I expect to see at a tournament I’m covering. It does me no good to talk about a deck if I’m unfamiliar with how it runs. Plus, it helps to be able to focus on the nuances of the games being played as opposed to having to figure out what a deck is trying to do.
Once you’re ready to step up to a bigger plate, you can start entering 8-Man Queues, or if you’re feeling frisky/prepared, start bashing heads in a Premier Event. Not only do they pay out a lot of prizes, but the average skill level of the players you meet, especially in the later rounds, is akin to what you’ll be facing at any PTQs you attend, either live or Online. These events are a really good way to prepare yourself not only to play the deck, but to be mentally ready for a tournament. Once you’re used to winning, the jitters that are often associated with tournaments that really mean something (like PTQs) just melt away.
One of the most useful things about Magic Online, in my opinion, is that it makes it impossible to get any of the rules wrong. You learn all the card interactions because they are programmed into the game. No missing triggers. No misunderstandings about timing. You learn exactly how things work. That in and of itself is very important to success, and a major reason that many of this most recent generation of Magic pros are so technically precise. Be warned, though. It is very easy to take for granted the fact that Magic Online reminds you of all of your triggers and miss them live. You don’t want to get used to the triggers happening, you want to get used to having to do the triggers.
Regardless of your preferred method of preparation, the biggest consistency among the higher-level players in the game today is the work ethic. In order to get to the Pro Tour, you have to pay your dues. They all started at the level you’re at right now. One of the simplest, yet most poignant, things I’ve ever heard was that the most important thing you need to get good at something is time. Play a lot. Test a lot. Don’t just walk into a format without knowing what you could be up against or with a deck that you haven’t ever played before. If you really want to succeed, put in the effort, and own up to your mistakes. It’s the only way to learn, and I promise you’ll be much better for it.
Good luck PTQing, everyone, and I hope to see you in San Juan!
Nate Price
So what do you think is the most common mistake players attempting to take their game up a notch competitively make?
From MY personal experience the biggest mistake is that people continuously blame outside circumstances for their loses. Mana screw/flood, lucky opponent, etc, etc. It is a very tough step to see everything from the perspective:”What did I do wrong?” Most players will never really get there. Master yourself before you master the game is the key.