Hey everyone, would mean a great deal if you took a minute to click and watch my newest video, "Merfolkless Merfolk | A $50 Budget Pioneer Mono Blue Tempo Deck" here: ruclips.net/video/8Rc_7avm5ak/видео.html
I think you missed including to saving instant speed plays until opponenets EOT. Maybe coulda added it to the explanation of why to make most plays in the second main phase. It's kind of an extension of that mentality of playing new things that don't impact the game until the next turn (also explaining why haste creatures and anything with immediate impact on combat should be played in the 1st main) until the last moment possible in the current turn cycle. For creatures and sorceries and enchantments this is what the 2nd main phase is for. For instants and activated abilities that's at the end the opponents turn who plays before you (just 1 opponent 1v1). Sac lands, instant speed card draw etc etc
"In order to face your enemies on the field of battle you must first be prepared to face your fears. Oooh yes, this is some real Art of War sh*t here." - Professor Sun Tzu
the "don't overkill your opponent" point at 13:29 reminds me of an anecdote from Richard Garfield where he once won a game by feigning a concession. he had a Fog in hand and let his opponent swing for lethal, declares nothing in response, watches his opponent dump Berserk, Giant Growth, etc, and responds with his Fog; allowing him to stabilize and eventually win.
Ha, so you're maybe ready for the next level! Once you reach the perfect hand, redudancy in lands is unnecessary, and you can switch out your sideboard for the excess in lands! That way each card you draw is gas ^_^ Hope I was of assistance
11: keep nails trim and clean. When you have long scary raptor nails (shows marauding raptor) it may be intimidating to your opponent, but it can also leave your cards dirty, scratched or even ripped.
9: Say “Scary Kajerry stuff” every time your opponent does anything remotely inconvenient. 10: Calling people a champion whenever they win 11: Say “I didn’t want to win anyway” if you ever lose 12: Subscribe to Mtg Original Decks
@@mariesidman7905 if your mana curve doesn't start at 0 cmc mana rocks that ramp into double digit mana availability on turn 2 you're not going fast enough
One thing I wish you would have talked about in #7 is something I see a lot of players do. The game gets to a stall, both are in topdeck mode and someone will draw, play a land and pass, even though they have enough lands in play to play anything their deck may draw. This just gives way too much information to your opponent cause now they know they have nothing to fear. Instead, when you draw a dead draw, don't play it. It's a bluff. Did I just draw a lightning bolt, did a draw some kind of removal? If I keep that land in my hand, my opponent may be more hesitant to actually swinging or doing anything. So many players make this mistake, especially in sealed or drafts. You having nothing in hand is tons of information and I can swing at you without fear of some kind of response. Better just to hold the card, bluff that you have some kind of answer your opponent needs to dance around which may buy you a turn or two to find an actual answer.
I'm literally known for bluffing spells by holding onto lands in my LGS. I've even been accused of manipulation (always by new or inexperienced players). It's like... umm no, it's called not giving away all my info when I'm flooding out?
I won a game at a local draft the other day by holding two lands while topdecking. I made sure to look at my cards in hand, contemplate, keep my blue open, and pass.
@@Lindsaytaylortaylor I don't follow the pro scene because it's boring, repetitive, and bad for the overall state of the meta. Oh, and pros keep getting caught cheating which makes me feel like I have to question the legitimacy of every outcome and watch game footage like I'm trying to analyze a magic routine instead of a game of magic. All the pro scene is good for in my opinion is driving up the price of singles, and we the casual player base would be much better off if WotC considered the opinion of anyone outside the pro scene when developing sets.
@@Lindsaytaylortaylor If you enjoy watching pro level competitive mtg, I suppose I don't want to take that away from you... I'm just saying that all the pro scene is good for is enabling netdecking and driving up the price of singles, and the meta would be healthier without the toxic in-game-physics-breaking decks the pro scene breeds. The game would be cheaper and more fun, which would make the game more accessible and popular. Do you disagree that decks like Scapeshift, Gates, Teferi Fog/Stall, are no fun to play with or against, and that the meta would be healthier if WotC banned shit that was broken or just did a better job of not introducing toxic cards into the meta? I guess I just feel like mtg is more fun when your decisions actually matter instead of the race to the trump card every format has become. To me, nothing is more frustrating than a game of mtg where at the end you realize that nothing you could have possibly done could have kept you in the game.
I am so bad about playing everything during my first main phase/pumping creatures incorrectly. Showing me with examples as to why I need to change this mentality was very eye opening. Thank you.
The classic example is bolt vs growth. Whichever one gets cast 1st loses. Also with pump spells, there are exceptions but for temporary ones you're either protecting a creature, or dealing lethal. If its not for 1 of those purposes then its a waste. If your creature gets in for free but the pump doesn't win you the game save it for when it does.
A beginner mtg player here. Great tips! For me one of the best advice is to keep the instant spells till the second main phase. To kill or to pretend you got something up your sleeve
keep the instants until your opponents end step if you can. Just play the sorceries and enchantments and creatures (without flash) that can't be played during the opponents turn during the 2nd main. Save anything else that can be done at your opponents end step until then.
These are great tips Professor. Excellent video. There are just a few you left out, however: Don't: Allow yourself to be tempted to interact with any play that doesn't loose you the game. If you can ignore a play and still win, no matter what that is, do so. Do: Be sure to say: " Resolves" or "Sure" as though you have agency in each of your opponents plays no matter the colors you are playing. Live inside your opponents head. That's where winners live. 😎
So, I've been playing Magic for a few years now, and I always make mistakes, and I feel like I know all of these things, but hearing a better magic player better explain why to do all these things really helps me improve- Just wanted to thank you for the help.
I think you shouldn't do that, as you would play said upside down cards more right side up cards take over n then once he notes that u have played the last one he knows to look at your hand again. Only works if you don't make it apparent that u did it AND you have plain colored no design on the sleeves u use. That said if done the later way I could see it being helpful, good tip when done right I suppose.
Yeah, for sure. Otherwise if u don't recall what you showed n your opponent still remembers they've got the upper hand. And we all don't want that lol can't win that way
@@seancarhart4866 it's just easier and saves time, if I played in a serious tournament and my opponent wouldn't be willing to keep revealed cards I've seen I would just note them down and waste more time rewriting them in case I didn't know all their effects
I recently came back to this game after a 25 year hiatus. This channel has been an incredible resource, extremely entertaining and hilarious. Thanks for all your hard work.
This is an AMAZING video for new to newer players who understand the mechanics but are not experienced enough to hold their own consistently. Excellent content!
God I remember when people were playing "Flashback" Crush of Wurms Braids Cabal decks - started playing Black Blue mill removal decks because of that, nothing like "remove from the game" effects or today we call it Exile, but back then people had to organize a 20-30 card graveyard thanks to the various Green Black discard activated ability decks like Rootwalla cards.
@@davedussault7251 Pretty sure you can't rearrange your graveyard order, but sliding out the cards with effects slightly or turning them 90 degrees is a good way to remember your graveyard has gas. I have a card called corpse dance in my edh deck and that card only brings back the top creature. So I cant rearrange my graveyard to get the creature I want.
@@davedussault7251 it is allowed now if you're playing in a format that has no graveyard order cards like standard but in legacy for example u have to maintain the exact order things entered the grave but for any thing with an affect you can turn it , 45 degrees or just put a die on your grave and try to remember to briefly check it on upkeep to remind your self what's there. I've won and lost plenty of games dir to forgetting about a flashback spell
I've been playing magic for 9 months now and I'm only now beginning to be sort of good in it and I'm happy. Your videos have been helping me a lot with it too
Thank you! I've tried explaining some of these things to some of the players in my group, and you've said it much better than I was able to. Gonna have to show this one around.
I feel like at the beginning of the video, Proff is talking to me directly and it is great. I want to say playing on Magic Arena has made me a better player, not just for practice and learning cards on meta decks but the fact that I can build decks I like, test and tweek them and THEN buy and play with them in real life.
Thank you Professor. I almost always learn new things by watching your videos. I've played for over 5 years, since I met my husband, and there were Some of these "Rules" that I had not considered to be rules in MTG. They will definitely be used during our weekly playgroup. ;)
I try to keep a tradition of showing end game hand and drawing the top five of our libraries to see what we could have set up, often make the loosing party feel better and gives a good laugh at that one mana we've been looking for the whole game if only lol
Corollary to the winning at 1 life: pay lots of attention to the games where you lose against an opponent who ended up going down to 1 life against you. Like, really comb over them right after they are done and do your best to analyze every significant play and decision point that happened. It very often means they outplayed you in some very significant way and it's quite possible there was a decision point in the game that would have allowed you to win.
Gives your opponent less opportunities to react. They might use a removal spell to take out one of your attackers only for you to play a greater threat in your 2nd main phase.
In my opinion this is one of the key gateways in Magic skill, and I always love the huge jump in ability when I see this finally click for someone. It truly takes your game to a different level.
he died to a level 1 mole rat Yes, haste is an exception, as the whole haste mechanic is based around the idea of being able to attack the same turn you drop it. The tip is generally for creatures that are affected by summoning sickness, meaning that it doesn’t matter if you drop them in first or second main since they can’t do anything anyways. Of course, this means that creatures with enter-the-the battlefield triggers can also be exceptions, as their etb-ability(tapping an opponents creatures or giving +1/+1 to your creatures, for example) could give you a crucial advantage when you attack
A personal trick: keep your board organized in the order you need. Upkeep triggers, then draw triggers, then 1st main actions, then combat, then 2nf main actions, then end step actions, then opponent's turn actions. Dividr lands and mana sources by the mana you intend to spend that phase too, whih lets you have an effective turn plan and rarely miss triggered abilities triggers
Great vid, Prof! The reminder of these fundamentals came at a perfect time. Got sloppy in Arena yesterday and your tips reminded me of what I did wrong. Thanks.
I'm going to my local card store tomorrow to play my very first game of Magic! Thank you for making these videos. They're making me more comfortable with the game and more confident in myself. That latter one if a biggie since I'm not exactly the most social person. That's actually why I'm starting this journey in the first place. Anyway thanks again!
One thing I learned (haven't been playing long), is to play your opponents deck not just yours. I was too focused on my own cards, and getting some heavy hitters in play - only to still loose to weaker cards. When i started looking at what my opponent put down, what they could have, what I have in play/in hnad and what i could draw - I could start working out ways to counter their strategy.
Heck yea thanks prof definitely needed some good advice right now. My deck building skills suck and I’m having so much trouble with synergy. But I’m gonna get better and keep playing!
My Sidisi deck has a billion upkeep triggers and I’ve started to use the dice trick and let me tell you that has saved me so many times! You can also make sure you get every trigger by putting a dice on top showing the number of triggers you have before your upkeep.
I don't agree with your land management. I always clump lands with the same color together in a maximum of 4 per pile. Makes it easier to get a quick look at your color ratio.
Coincidentally, my mtg teacher taught me to organise lands the professor way, then I started sorting lands via colour after I watched some fnm streamers and wanted to be more like them.
Agreed. Each color group should be spread out (vertically) so that you can see how many cards are in it (and what cards), but colors do need to be grouped. You need to be able to tell how much of each color of mana you have access to at a glance. If you just mix them together in a straight line, it's going to be significantly harder to tell what you can and can't cast, especially if you plan on playing multiple cards.
Almost all of the best players in my area do it the way the Prof showed, and I've been trying to change to that method (I always stack them vertically), thinking I am somehow not playing as well as them. Seeing these comments, I'm feeling a bit better about my method. I never did understand how overlapping your dual lands horizontally could be helpful (seems like a setup for a misplay), but again I thought I must be missing something.
I definitely agree with Tip 1 regarding lands, however I believe that the way you stack them when tapped is really up to the player, I fidget with lands when its not my turn to hypothesize my next draws availablility to be cast vs what I was going to cast. Its also a massive help to opponents if you tap concisely and keep you board clear. If you dont miss triggers and keep your board tidy, it will help pace of play and keep your opponent from calling a Judge to have you straighten your board state. I also play commander so this is a bit different since its sometimes 10 minutes before your turn again.
Hey there! Brand new to magic, and I got to say, I LOVE your videos for noobs, they're SO helpful! So many streamers and content creators are so focused on people who've played for years, I don't even know what a sideboard is yet and just figured out how to mill, let alone prevent it -_- PLEASE keep up the awesome work!! Can't wait to see how Throne of Eldraine is, it looks so fun!!
I've been trying to get more and more into MTG these past few years. My brother-in-law loves the game and it has become a great way to bond. I greatly appreciate all your videos, professor. Regards!
Dear Prof, I benefit from the product reviews and love the the comedy pieces, but this is you at your finest! Keep teaching, we'll keep learning. (and feel free to go post grad too ;) )
A trick that I always use is aligning your lands to have one of each color in your commander's color identity. For example, Yarok has Green Blue Black in his colors. I have at least one set of lands set up to have a forest, swamp, and island.
This is the kind of videos that I like to see the most. I came up with some of these myself by playing Arena and looking at what my opponents do, but it would save me quite a few losses to know it sooner.
My layout on my board is lands on the right side and creatures on the bottom, doesn't confuse me, just my opponent.. All in all I was going to joke about the video, but these are really good points for people who are 'starting' to play, or have played enough where they've picked up bad habits. Also don't forget about #8, Control your anger. It's easy to lose yourself in the game, but when you have another person across from you, sometimes yelling or making mean remarks isn't going to help you out. It just shows other people what kid of sport you are. Besides all of what I said, thanks Professor, always informative as always! :)
1. Love the socks! 2. As far as lands go, I organize them in stacks of 3 based on color type. Multicolored lands of similar combo go together unless one has a special ability I need to remember.
Yeah that first one about lands.....got a friend in the play group that doesn't really care about what colors he has and just taps whatever then says "its good" when called out, even if it isn't and he's short of certain colors, so organizing for him wouldn't change much
One thing I tend to do, and I think it kinda falls under the know the decks tip : understand why you have a particular card in the deck, as it may allow you to pick a better card for the given scenario from your side board. For instance, Murder is a solid 1/b/b spell to kill a creature. But if you have red as well, Bedevil is almost always better (barring protection from red instances)
All these tips were valid and really helpful, it sucks that the enjoyment i get from the game drops so much if I use matching play-sets as it gives away info. I guess this will always hold me back.
My tips as a player who drastically improved in the game recently. Download mtg arena , create the same deck you want to play in magic paper and play it extensively. I went from bottom of the barrel to top 4 in my store, platinum 1 in arena because of practice. The order of plays, the combos inside your own deck, you only learn by playing, a lot.
Great video! A friend who was a former lgs owner had shared with me the rule of the same art on cards.. going a little more into that one, one reason for it, is that people do pay attention to the smallest things.. set symbols for example
I LOVE that the example for #3 is Settle the Wreckage. That is literally the card that completely changed how I play Magic. If the opponent has a couple cards in hand, and upwards of 3-5 unspent mana, while also not playing bigger spells - Maybe wait to drop that bigger card, or hold it until your 2nd main phase.
Well I can definitely agree with most of your points. I started playing magic in 94-95 and have taken several breaks. But now I play magic for fun. And I hope everybody plays magic for their own personal reasons. Thanks for the video.
One of the things I really love and enjoy doing with my Krenko deck is establishing a style of play within the group. I built the deck mainly because games at my local card shop would take too long due to players being too casual and wanting to build up boardstates. So to counter that, I built the deck to focus on growing my army, using the size of the army to do things like generate mana (brightstone ritual), using the size of my army to deal damage (mod justice), and even doing damage from it growing and shrinking as well (impact tremors, bogart shenanigans, voracious dragon). I would on occasion swing out a single creature or two in the beginning to someone who was still open, and then spend a lot of time just being passive and sometimes attacking here of there with a small portion of my army to whoever was doing the most stuff at the time. However, the moment anyone did anything substantial in my direction, being hitting me for 5-10 damage, killing some of my creatures, or swinging out in my direction in general, I'd outright aggro against them. It would cost me games half the time, but it created a strong reputation that I wasnt someone you wanted to swinging on to the point where people would outright go into combat, look at my boardstate, and out loud proclaim "yeah, im not swining in your direction at all become i know what's going to happen if i do." I would also sometikes spend turns not doing anything at all as well in mid to late game other than building my boadstate, and then would check my land count, look at my hand, and then process what I can or cant do with what I have or imagine what my actions would be if I had certain cards. This, combined with my playstyle of smashing people in the face for trying to go at me has caused people to pause and sweat over what I was doing, and I'd do this so often that either I was one piece away from comboing off and winning the game or just outright didnt have shit yhat I could do during the turn. And them torn between the two, and knowing how id react when swung on, would cause people to not attack me in fear of it costing them the game. My favorite line to use when people declair anything in my direction is "Are you sure you want to do that?" Because im either going to dump off 2-4 spells and kill you off before you can swing or im going to punch you in the face harder in return when it comes back to me.
Indeed. The greeting isn't one that aligns with you choosing to come in during office hours for additional assistance, but one where you have been summoned to deal with a problem. The implication is not just, "I see you are struggling," but, "You are so bad that I need to use a formal disciplinary frame to address it." Generally one is summoned to confer with a professor in their office either because one is so bad that one is at risk of not being allowed to participate further (academic probation), or because one's badness is negatively impacting other students. This isn't just kind of bad; this is "You are not meeting minimum standards ('commitment, studying, and constant practice just to be, eh, okay at it')" bad.
I just learned how to play and I'm hooked. Used to be internationally high ranked in Gen 1 Pokémon, and was good enough at Yu-Gi-Oh. This is the best part of both!
First of all, very good video! Love your style and humour :D The biggest tip I can give (as a limited player) is: DON'T just use a spell, just because you have the mana available this turn. Example given: Having a removal in a draft match, and use it to kill a minor creature, just because you already know what you gonna play the next two turns, is (often times) NOT a good idea! In many occasions it is just better to not cast anything a turn, maybe see what your opponent is doing, and have all possibilites available to you! (I also see it often with, f.e., frost lynx) Have a great day, Magic friends!
You should make a video for ppl just getting back into magic...what sets are out, what formats, whats banned, top overall decks, prices, what to buy, major rule updates and that kinda stuff. Just a suggestion!
Another tip I would like to add is tapping your lands before you bounce them. Never knew this till I saw it played against me. The mana you tap stays with you until the next phase. So if you’re going to bounce a land tap it so you can use it to cast a spell or just have it in reserve just Incase.
With the play deck to learn how it works, I’ve also found if you play the deck, you’re gonna quickly learn where the very weak spots are, because other players might exploit it and you’ll figure out real quick to get destroyed and extension to destroy.
Depending on the age range and how new they are at the game, Extra Credits has been putting out a video series on how to play Magic, and it's really great so far, I've become much better at teaching the game by quoting their videos while I do.
waiting till the last possible moment to play spells and abilities is so, so key. also, understanding the kind of deck you are playing against. if you are playing someone who uses a lot of counterspells, wait till they are tapped out to play your big cards. or if they have a lot of removal, wait to play your bigger creatures and bait them to waste them on small targets. on the flip side, conserve your removal spells till the mid or late game. try to remove early threats through combat damage and save the removal for the bigger targets that are coming.
Tip #8. Anticipate your opponents moves. Always assume they have what will counter the card you are playing. Bait them. Make them use the card they have against a seemingly important card you are putting down. Then allow them to react then move on with your gameplay trading a less useful card in your hand with an important one in theirs. If you have 2 cards in your hand with great board presence then play the lesser one first see how they react and if you can get them to either counter, destroy, burn, block (trade), or clear the board before putting down something that had great board presence.
Subscribed. Love this channel. I’ve watched before, but now have revisited it. I really like that your advice in your videos applies to not only good players (such as I consider myself), but also very exceptionally skilled players ( I am not), and also as entertained in this video, helping newer players who may not know certain things that are actually somewhat rarely explained on RUclips. Thank you.
Hey everyone, would mean a great deal if you took a minute to click and watch my newest video, "Merfolkless Merfolk | A $50 Budget Pioneer Mono Blue Tempo Deck" here: ruclips.net/video/8Rc_7avm5ak/видео.html
I have a blue green merfolk deck its not bad
I think you missed including to saving instant speed plays until opponenets EOT. Maybe coulda added it to the explanation of why to make most plays in the second main phase. It's kind of an extension of that mentality of playing new things that don't impact the game until the next turn (also explaining why haste creatures and anything with immediate impact on combat should be played in the 1st main) until the last moment possible in the current turn cycle. For creatures and sorceries and enchantments this is what the 2nd main phase is for. For instants and activated abilities that's at the end the opponents turn who plays before you (just 1 opponent 1v1). Sac lands, instant speed card draw etc etc
Completed. Your teaching refreshed me and I only lost a single round in today’s tournament. Thank you Tolarian!!!!!
"In order to face your enemies on the field of battle you must first be prepared to face your fears. Oooh yes, this is some real Art of War sh*t here." - Professor Sun Tzu
MUNK3Y MUNK3Y this sweet quote got my Like
the "don't overkill your opponent" point at 13:29 reminds me of an anecdote from Richard Garfield where he once won a game by feigning a concession. he had a Fog in hand and let his opponent swing for lethal, declares nothing in response, watches his opponent dump Berserk, Giant Growth, etc, and responds with his Fog; allowing him to stabilize and eventually win.
I took your advice on #2, and now I only draw the best possible hand every time. It's really taken my game to the next level.
Thanks Professor!
LOL Most times I just play it out to see how well my deck can work but I will always make sure I got 3 lands in my opening hand at least ;p #FBLTHP
I always forget to do that!
Have I been playing magic wrong this whole time?
Ha, so you're maybe ready for the next level! Once you reach the perfect hand, redudancy in lands is unnecessary, and you can switch out your sideboard for the excess in lands! That way each card you draw is gas ^_^ Hope I was of assistance
YES
Tips 8 through 10:
>Bathe regularly.
>Don't be a jerk to your opponent.
>Have fun!
Skullgrin god why don’t people follow this?
#11 Keep your opponents more inebriated than you :P
11: keep nails trim and clean. When you have long scary raptor nails (shows marauding raptor) it may be intimidating to your opponent, but it can also leave your cards dirty, scratched or even ripped.
Rule #9 needs to be FAR more respected at my LGS.
Love your picture
Tip 8, dont wear shoes to establish dominance at the table
KiddBlack I usually take off my shoes when playing lmao
@@Omarovo4000 power move
9: Say “Scary Kajerry stuff” every time your opponent does anything remotely inconvenient.
10: Calling people a champion whenever they win
11: Say “I didn’t want to win anyway” if you ever lose
12: Subscribe to Mtg Original Decks
Also, leave a random vest button undone to confuse the enemy.
@@thirsty1629 what a time to be alive
"Oh, thank you for seeing me after class."
I've seen enough videos on the internet to know where this is going.
Thought exactly the same XD
Professor slashfics incoming?
Same reason, he doesn't want you to pump prematurely?
Haha
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Professor: "Just draw better hands!"
Me: "Okay!"
*draws 6 lands and an 8 mana cost creature*
If your mana curve doesn't start with 1 you're not going fast enough
@@mariesidman7905 if your mana curve doesn't start at 0 cmc mana rocks that ramp into double digit mana availability on turn 2 you're not going fast enough
@@ExHyperion TRUE
@@marcdragon2936 if you can’t cast Emrakul by turn -3 you are going too slow
@@blightedadmiral7006 Yeah if Emrakul hasn't already dealt at least 25 damage by the game's beginning what are you even doing bro?
One thing I wish you would have talked about in #7 is something I see a lot of players do. The game gets to a stall, both are in topdeck mode and someone will draw, play a land and pass, even though they have enough lands in play to play anything their deck may draw. This just gives way too much information to your opponent cause now they know they have nothing to fear. Instead, when you draw a dead draw, don't play it. It's a bluff. Did I just draw a lightning bolt, did a draw some kind of removal? If I keep that land in my hand, my opponent may be more hesitant to actually swinging or doing anything.
So many players make this mistake, especially in sealed or drafts. You having nothing in hand is tons of information and I can swing at you without fear of some kind of response. Better just to hold the card, bluff that you have some kind of answer your opponent needs to dance around which may buy you a turn or two to find an actual answer.
#7 How to bluff :P
I'm literally known for bluffing spells by holding onto lands in my LGS. I've even been accused of manipulation (always by new or inexperienced players). It's like... umm no, it's called not giving away all my info when I'm flooding out?
This is actually something I've started doing. In some cases there is literally no downside and only upside to hold lands.
I won a game at a local draft the other day by holding two lands while topdecking. I made sure to look at my cards in hand, contemplate, keep my blue open, and pass.
Just held an island in hand for several turns playing Urza earlier today - totally worth doing!
"Winning at 1 life is the same as winning at 20 life" I 100% disagree. Winning at 1 life feels WAY better than winning at 20 life.
Mythic Championship 4 attests to that
@@Lindsaytaylortaylor I don't follow the pro scene because it's boring, repetitive, and bad for the overall state of the meta. Oh, and pros keep getting caught cheating which makes me feel like I have to question the legitimacy of every outcome and watch game footage like I'm trying to analyze a magic routine instead of a game of magic. All the pro scene is good for in my opinion is driving up the price of singles, and we the casual player base would be much better off if WotC considered the opinion of anyone outside the pro scene when developing sets.
@@thesaurusakasickakatheomc7688 Im only saying the last MC winner won at 1 life
@@Lindsaytaylortaylor If you enjoy watching pro level competitive mtg, I suppose I don't want to take that away from you... I'm just saying that all the pro scene is good for is enabling netdecking and driving up the price of singles, and the meta would be healthier without the toxic in-game-physics-breaking decks the pro scene breeds. The game would be cheaper and more fun, which would make the game more accessible and popular. Do you disagree that decks like Scapeshift, Gates, Teferi Fog/Stall, are no fun to play with or against, and that the meta would be healthier if WotC banned shit that was broken or just did a better job of not introducing toxic cards into the meta?
I guess I just feel like mtg is more fun when your decisions actually matter instead of the race to the trump card every format has become. To me, nothing is more frustrating than a game of mtg where at the end you realize that nothing you could have possibly done could have kept you in the game.
Well he said its the same thing which it is, but yea it FEELS difference thats for sure.
*"If you pump prematurely"* is the only thing I've taken away from the video 🤣
Love your name, snorlax is my favorite Pokémon, I love my giant snorlax plush.
@@lampsshine3784 Haha I have a huge Snorlax plush as well :P
So scooping would be knowing when to pull out rather than going all in and blowing your load correct?😅
No context
i was in a 1v1 using someone else's commander deck, and it was almost casual, so i fogged during their upkeep 4 turns in a row :]
I am so bad about playing everything during my first main phase/pumping creatures incorrectly. Showing me with examples as to why I need to change this mentality was very eye opening. Thank you.
The classic example is bolt vs growth. Whichever one gets cast 1st loses.
Also with pump spells, there are exceptions but for temporary ones you're either protecting a creature, or dealing lethal. If its not for 1 of those purposes then its a waste. If your creature gets in for free but the pump doesn't win you the game save it for when it does.
7:46 Don't be afraid to lose life.
HAHA, I'M PLAYING DEATH'S SHADOW. NO WORRIES.
Shock Lands are so worth it! So is Erebos!
A beginner mtg player here. Great tips! For me one of the best advice is to keep the instant spells till the second main phase. To kill or to pretend you got something up your sleeve
keep the instants until your opponents end step if you can. Just play the sorceries and enchantments and creatures (without flash) that can't be played during the opponents turn during the 2nd main. Save anything else that can be done at your opponents end step until then.
These are great tips Professor. Excellent video. There are just a few you left out, however:
Don't: Allow yourself to be tempted to interact with any play that doesn't loose you the game. If you can ignore a play and still win, no matter what that is, do so.
Do: Be sure to say: " Resolves" or "Sure" as though you have agency in each of your opponents plays no matter the colors you are playing. Live inside your opponents head. That's where winners live. 😎
So...uh..you're inadvertedly saying that your opponent is the winner
Checks out.
Draw better hands. Mind blown. Thanks for the fantastic tip
So, I've been playing Magic for a few years now, and I always make mistakes, and I feel like I know all of these things, but hearing a better magic player better explain why to do all these things really helps me improve- Just wanted to thank you for the help.
When my hand gets revealed, I turn those cards upside down in my hand, thus I know that my opponent KNOWS what I have.
Great tip! Thanks
I think you shouldn't do that, as you would play said upside down cards more right side up cards take over n then once he notes that u have played the last one he knows to look at your hand again. Only works if you don't make it apparent that u did it AND you have plain colored no design on the sleeves u use. That said if done the later way I could see it being helpful, good tip when done right I suppose.
@@seancarhart4866 just gotta be conscience about it, aware if you will.
Yeah, for sure. Otherwise if u don't recall what you showed n your opponent still remembers they've got the upper hand. And we all don't want that lol can't win that way
@@seancarhart4866 it's just easier and saves time, if I played in a serious tournament and my opponent wouldn't be willing to keep revealed cards I've seen I would just note them down and waste more time rewriting them in case I didn't know all their effects
I recently came back to this game after a 25 year hiatus. This channel has been an incredible resource, extremely entertaining and hilarious. Thanks for all your hard work.
Dude same
It's like poker, chess and DnD all in one. Love me some MTG
This is an AMAZING video for new to newer players who understand the mechanics but are not experienced enough to hold their own consistently. Excellent content!
On top of organizing your board. Organize your graveyard too. So many players I see miss graveyard effects
God I remember when people were playing "Flashback" Crush of Wurms Braids Cabal decks - started playing Black Blue mill removal decks because of that, nothing like "remove from the game" effects or today we call it Exile, but back then people had to organize a 20-30 card graveyard thanks to the various Green Black discard activated ability decks like Rootwalla cards.
It might not be anymore but rearranging your graveyard used to be against the rules. Some cards trigger off graveyard order too.
@@davedussault7251 Pretty sure you can't rearrange your graveyard order, but sliding out the cards with effects slightly or turning them 90 degrees is a good way to remember your graveyard has gas.
I have a card called corpse dance in my edh deck and that card only brings back the top creature. So I cant rearrange my graveyard to get the creature I want.
@@davedussault7251 it is allowed now if you're playing in a format that has no graveyard order cards like standard but in legacy for example u have to maintain the exact order things entered the grave but for any thing with an affect you can turn it ,
45 degrees or just put a die on your grave and try to remember to briefly check it on upkeep to remind your self what's there. I've won and lost plenty of games dir to forgetting about a flashback spell
Makes sense
Prof. Can you make a video on some protips from professional players too? Anyways, I like this kind of content.
The professor is rocking very cool socks not gonna lie
Where can i buy those
This guy socks!
He always picks his socks wisely.
I’d like an affiliate link tbh
good to know that I wasn't the only on that noticed them :)
Many Magic the Gathering players like your videos.
You would think Pokemon players would watch this...
@@thomasharr4793 I play Pokémon.
Also Magic.
In the past: Lesson begins
Me: time to sleep ...
...
Professor calls for a lesson nowadays: yeah I am ready to learn something
I've been playing magic for 9 months now and I'm only now beginning to be sort of good in it and I'm happy. Your videos have been helping me a lot with it too
Thank you! I've tried explaining some of these things to some of the players in my group, and you've said it much better than I was able to. Gonna have to show this one around.
I feel like at the beginning of the video, Proff is talking to me directly and it is great.
I want to say playing on Magic Arena has made me a better player, not just for practice and learning cards on meta decks but the fact that I can build decks I like, test and tweek them and THEN buy and play with them in real life.
Thank you Professor. I almost always learn new things by watching your videos.
I've played for over 5 years, since I met my husband, and there were Some of these "Rules" that I had not considered to be rules in MTG. They will definitely be used during our weekly playgroup. ;)
I don't watch many of your videos compared to other channels but when I do watch your videos I'm never dissapointed
I try to keep a tradition of showing end game hand and drawing the top five of our libraries to see what we could have set up, often make the loosing party feel better and gives a good laugh at that one mana we've been looking for the whole game if only lol
Wow. That is a good video. Amazing job. What I love most about this video is the passion for MTG. You truly are, in my eyes, a hero. Thank you.
Never thought about having the same art. That is really brilliant
Corollary to the winning at 1 life: pay lots of attention to the games where you lose against an opponent who ended up going down to 1 life against you.
Like, really comb over them right after they are done and do your best to analyze every significant play and decision point that happened. It very often means they outplayed you in some very significant way and it's quite possible there was a decision point in the game that would have allowed you to win.
Very helpful
I didn't know it was that important to play stuff in the second main
Gives your opponent less opportunities to react. They might use a removal spell to take out one of your attackers only for you to play a greater threat in your 2nd main phase.
In my opinion this is one of the key gateways in Magic skill, and I always love the huge jump in ability when I see this finally click for someone. It truly takes your game to a different level.
It depends on the deck, of course.
I usually play things with haste in the 1st. Is that an exception?
he died to a level 1 mole rat Yes, haste is an exception, as the whole haste mechanic is based around the idea of being able to attack the same turn you drop it. The tip is generally for creatures that are affected by summoning sickness, meaning that it doesn’t matter if you drop them in first or second main since they can’t do anything anyways. Of course, this means that creatures with enter-the-the battlefield triggers can also be exceptions, as their etb-ability(tapping an opponents creatures or giving +1/+1 to your creatures, for example) could give you a crucial advantage when you attack
A personal trick: keep your board organized in the order you need. Upkeep triggers, then draw triggers, then 1st main actions, then combat, then 2nf main actions, then end step actions, then opponent's turn actions. Dividr lands and mana sources by the mana you intend to spend that phase too, whih lets you have an effective turn plan and rarely miss triggered abilities triggers
Great vid, Prof! The reminder of these fundamentals came at a perfect time. Got sloppy in Arena yesterday and your tips reminded me of what I did wrong. Thanks.
I'm going to my local card store tomorrow to play my very first game of Magic! Thank you for making these videos. They're making me more comfortable with the game and more confident in myself. That latter one if a biggie since I'm not exactly the most social person. That's actually why I'm starting this journey in the first place. Anyway thanks again!
Oh my goodness. First Person Camera Perspective with the Professor...
I didn't know I needed it.
One thing I learned (haven't been playing long), is to play your opponents deck not just yours. I was too focused on my own cards, and getting some heavy hitters in play - only to still loose to weaker cards. When i started looking at what my opponent put down, what they could have, what I have in play/in hnad and what i could draw - I could start working out ways to counter their strategy.
Heck yea thanks prof definitely needed some good advice right now. My deck building skills suck and I’m having so much trouble with synergy. But I’m gonna get better and keep playing!
YES! I forgot this dude existed I'm so glad I found him again. He's so funny and helpful
Tip #4- Don't be afraid to lose life
Mono Black Player: *Laughs in Necropotence*
Tip 23678 mana screw opponents by milling them to the point of killing themselves
Mono Red player: *laughs in burn*
My Sidisi deck has a billion upkeep triggers and I’ve started to use the dice trick and let me tell you that has saved me so many times! You can also make sure you get every trigger by putting a dice on top showing the number of triggers you have before your upkeep.
I don't agree with your land management. I always clump lands with the same color together in a maximum of 4 per pile. Makes it easier to get a quick look at your color ratio.
Seeing him do those lands like that caused me to visibly twitch. Its wrong >_>
Coincidentally, my mtg teacher taught me to organise lands the professor way, then I started sorting lands via colour after I watched some fnm streamers and wanted to be more like them.
Agreed. Each color group should be spread out (vertically) so that you can see how many cards are in it (and what cards), but colors do need to be grouped. You need to be able to tell how much of each color of mana you have access to at a glance. If you just mix them together in a straight line, it's going to be significantly harder to tell what you can and can't cast, especially if you plan on playing multiple cards.
I do the same thing.
Almost all of the best players in my area do it the way the Prof showed, and I've been trying to change to that method (I always stack them vertically), thinking I am somehow not playing as well as them. Seeing these comments, I'm feeling a bit better about my method. I never did understand how overlapping your dual lands horizontally could be helpful (seems like a setup for a misplay), but again I thought I must be missing something.
I definitely agree with Tip 1 regarding lands, however I believe that the way you stack them when tapped is really up to the player, I fidget with lands when its not my turn to hypothesize my next draws availablility to be cast vs what I was going to cast. Its also a massive help to opponents if you tap concisely and keep you board clear. If you dont miss triggers and keep your board tidy, it will help pace of play and keep your opponent from calling a Judge to have you straighten your board state. I also play commander so this is a bit different since its sometimes 10 minutes before your turn again.
Hey there! Brand new to magic, and I got to say, I LOVE your videos for noobs, they're SO helpful! So many streamers and content creators are so focused on people who've played for years, I don't even know what a sideboard is yet and just figured out how to mill, let alone prevent it -_- PLEASE keep up the awesome work!! Can't wait to see how Throne of Eldraine is, it looks so fun!!
I've been trying to get more and more into MTG these past few years. My brother-in-law loves the game and it has become a great way to bond. I greatly appreciate all your videos, professor. Regards!
“Or rather how well your not doing.” Oof hit me right in the recent GP finishes.
I've played Magic for 20 years now and still find your tips extremely useful! Great video as always =)
Dear Prof, I benefit from the product reviews and love the the comedy pieces, but this is you at your finest! Keep teaching, we'll keep learning. (and feel free to go post grad too ;) )
A trick that I always use is aligning your lands to have one of each color in your commander's color identity. For example, Yarok has Green Blue Black in his colors. I have at least one set of lands set up to have a forest, swamp, and island.
This is the kind of videos that I like to see the most. I came up with some of these myself by playing Arena and looking at what my opponents do, but it would save me quite a few losses to know it sooner.
My layout on my board is lands on the right side and creatures on the bottom, doesn't confuse me, just my opponent..
All in all I was going to joke about the video, but these are really good points for people who are 'starting' to play, or have played enough where they've picked up bad habits.
Also don't forget about #8, Control your anger.
It's easy to lose yourself in the game, but when you have another person across from you, sometimes yelling or making mean remarks isn't going to help you out. It just shows other people what kid of sport you are.
Besides all of what I said, thanks Professor, always informative as always! :)
0:23 Seto Kaiba (Abridged Series Version): "Even the most advanced computer in the world can't figure out this game!"
1. Love the socks!
2. As far as lands go, I organize them in stacks of 3 based on color type. Multicolored lands of similar combo go together unless one has a special ability I need to remember.
Great episode Professor! I hope to see and play magic with you at the Commander Celebration at MagicFest Las :)
Been playing for years ( casual ) and have been looking in too playing more competitive..this was a big help thank you 👊
Excellent video! Definitely learned alot! Thank you!!!
I’m 25 been playing magic for 6 years and these tutor videos I feel made me into more of a threat in my play group
"Oh yes, this is some real Art of War s*** here." Instant liked as soon as he dropped that. Too funny. Love you prof!
Yeah that first one about lands.....got a friend in the play group that doesn't really care about what colors he has and just taps whatever then says "its good" when called out, even if it isn't and he's short of certain colors, so organizing for him wouldn't change much
Easily one of your best videos. Thanks Prof.
One thing I tend to do, and I think it kinda falls under the know the decks tip : understand why you have a particular card in the deck, as it may allow you to pick a better card for the given scenario from your side board. For instance, Murder is a solid 1/b/b spell to kill a creature. But if you have red as well, Bedevil is almost always better (barring protection from red instances)
"Dont be afraid to lose life."
Dont mind me just gonna Necropotence for 39!
FACTS
I'll trigger Grislebrand twice on your end step, play Healing Salve, then trigger him once more.
Playing Command The Dreadhorde down to 1 life is the maximum big dick move
Damn, 20397882081197443358640281739902897356800000000
life sure is a lot to lose
All these tips were valid and really helpful, it sucks that the enjoyment i get from the game drops so much if I use matching play-sets as it gives away info. I guess this will always hold me back.
My tips as a player who drastically improved in the game recently. Download mtg arena , create the same deck you want to play in magic paper and play it extensively. I went from bottom of the barrel to top 4 in my store, platinum 1 in arena because of practice. The order of plays, the combos inside your own deck, you only learn by playing, a lot.
Great video! A friend who was a former lgs owner had shared with me the rule of the same art on cards.. going a little more into that one, one reason for it, is that people do pay attention to the smallest things.. set symbols for example
I love these teaching/proffesor narrative videos, so cool
I LOVE that the example for #3 is Settle the Wreckage. That is literally the card that completely changed how I play Magic. If the opponent has a couple cards in hand, and upwards of 3-5 unspent mana, while also not playing bigger spells - Maybe wait to drop that bigger card, or hold it until your 2nd main phase.
"Stop drawing bad hands so often. Just draw better hands instead."
XD
Well I can definitely agree with most of your points. I started playing magic in 94-95 and have taken several breaks. But now I play magic for fun. And I hope everybody plays magic for their own personal reasons. Thanks for the video.
14:07 and greatest of all, money.
One of the things I really love and enjoy doing with my Krenko deck is establishing a style of play within the group. I built the deck mainly because games at my local card shop would take too long due to players being too casual and wanting to build up boardstates. So to counter that, I built the deck to focus on growing my army, using the size of the army to do things like generate mana (brightstone ritual), using the size of my army to deal damage (mod justice), and even doing damage from it growing and shrinking as well (impact tremors, bogart shenanigans, voracious dragon).
I would on occasion swing out a single creature or two in the beginning to someone who was still open, and then spend a lot of time just being passive and sometimes attacking here of there with a small portion of my army to whoever was doing the most stuff at the time. However, the moment anyone did anything substantial in my direction, being hitting me for 5-10 damage, killing some of my creatures, or swinging out in my direction in general, I'd outright aggro against them. It would cost me games half the time, but it created a strong reputation that I wasnt someone you wanted to swinging on to the point where people would outright go into combat, look at my boardstate, and out loud proclaim "yeah, im not swining in your direction at all become i know what's going to happen if i do."
I would also sometikes spend turns not doing anything at all as well in mid to late game other than building my boadstate, and then would check my land count, look at my hand, and then process what I can or cant do with what I have or imagine what my actions would be if I had certain cards. This, combined with my playstyle of smashing people in the face for trying to go at me has caused people to pause and sweat over what I was doing, and I'd do this so often that either I was one piece away from comboing off and winning the game or just outright didnt have shit yhat I could do during the turn. And them torn between the two, and knowing how id react when swung on, would cause people to not attack me in fear of it costing them the game.
My favorite line to use when people declair anything in my direction is "Are you sure you want to do that?" Because im either going to dump off 2-4 spells and kill you off before you can swing or im going to punch you in the face harder in return when it comes back to me.
When the professor called you in after class 2 tell you you’re kinda bad at the game. *OOF*
At least he's honest with me though.
Indeed. The greeting isn't one that aligns with you choosing to come in during office hours for additional assistance, but one where you have been summoned to deal with a problem. The implication is not just, "I see you are struggling," but, "You are so bad that I need to use a formal disciplinary frame to address it."
Generally one is summoned to confer with a professor in their office either because one is so bad that one is at risk of not being allowed to participate further (academic probation), or because one's badness is negatively impacting other students. This isn't just kind of bad; this is "You are not meeting minimum standards ('commitment, studying, and constant practice just to be, eh, okay at it')" bad.
@@heatherwegemer3109 Heather... That was beautiful. Well said.
Life as a resource is huge. Book of Rass forever!..... Cast spells in the 2nd main phase
I really enjoyed this video. Thanks Prof!
I just learned how to play and I'm hooked. Used to be internationally high ranked in Gen 1 Pokémon, and was good enough at Yu-Gi-Oh. This is the best part of both!
"Your life total is your resource"
Me, a lifelink player: *laughs in infinite life*
First of all, very good video! Love your style and humour :D
The biggest tip I can give (as a limited player) is: DON'T just use a spell, just because you have the mana available this turn.
Example given: Having a removal in a draft match, and use it to kill a minor creature, just because you already know what you gonna play the next two turns, is (often times) NOT a good idea! In many occasions it is just better to not cast anything a turn, maybe see what your opponent is doing, and have all possibilites available to you! (I also see it often with, f.e., frost lynx)
Have a great day, Magic friends!
LOVE the intro. The slow pan and zoom is perfect. Put some shoes on, you barbarian.
You should make a video for ppl just getting back into magic...what sets are out, what formats, whats banned, top overall decks, prices, what to buy, major rule updates and that kinda stuff. Just a suggestion!
This is one of your best videos.
Another tip I would like to add is tapping your lands before you bounce them. Never knew this till I saw it played against me. The mana you tap stays with you until the next phase. So if you’re going to bounce a land tap it so you can use it to cast a spell or just have it in reserve just Incase.
Wait a minute, I don't remember signing up for this college course.
If you don't remember it you probably didn't get a bill, so don't complain! :P
With the play deck to learn how it works, I’ve also found if you play the deck, you’re gonna quickly learn where the very weak spots are, because other players might exploit it and you’ll figure out real quick to get destroyed and extension to destroy.
He decided to mulligan down to one shoe so now he should sacrifice that sock.
This is all incredibly good advice and was mostly stuff I had to learn the hard way, through experience, when I was getting better at MTG.
I needed a video like this for my discord server. So many new players.
Depending on the age range and how new they are at the game, Extra Credits has been putting out a video series on how to play Magic, and it's really great so far, I've become much better at teaching the game by quoting their videos while I do.
I really liked that last thought. Don’t focus on winning or losing, just on getting better every time.
I love your socks. Great video too!
waiting till the last possible moment to play spells and abilities is so, so key. also, understanding the kind of deck you are playing against. if you are playing someone who uses a lot of counterspells, wait till they are tapped out to play your big cards. or if they have a lot of removal, wait to play your bigger creatures and bait them to waste them on small targets. on the flip side, conserve your removal spells till the mid or late game. try to remove early threats through combat damage and save the removal for the bigger targets that are coming.
The prof has definitely been hanging out with Vince too much 😂 never heard him swear before
"this is some real art of war s*** here, don't be afraid to -"
"DAWN POWER WASH! BUY SOAP!"
fascinating ad placement
Remember to bring your deck to FNM, imagination is good but it won't help your case when the judge sees you pretending to hold your cards
Tip #8. Anticipate your opponents moves. Always assume they have what will counter the card you are playing. Bait them. Make them use the card they have against a seemingly important card you are putting down. Then allow them to react then move on with your gameplay trading a less useful card in your hand with an important one in theirs. If you have 2 cards in your hand with great board presence then play the lesser one first see how they react and if you can get them to either counter, destroy, burn, block (trade), or clear the board before putting down something that had great board presence.
This was so Good Professor, Keep it Up!!!!
Subscribed. Love this channel. I’ve watched before, but now have revisited it. I really like that your advice in your videos applies to not only good players (such as I consider myself), but also very exceptionally skilled players ( I am not), and also as entertained in this video, helping newer players who may not know certain things that are actually somewhat rarely explained on RUclips. Thank you.
Thanks for the videos Prof lovem all!