Q: I was wondering, do you usually play Vintage and Legacy formats? Do you enjoy them? Do you have Type 1 value cards, such as the Power 9, etc.? If yes, did you buy them after being a Pro Magic player or did you own them before?
- Vittorio

A: Hello Vittorio,

Vintage and Legacy formats are not the most popular formats among the Pros for a few reasons:

I do enjoy Vintage, not so much legacy, but I seldom play them. I used to have the Power 9, but sold it a long time ago (IF ONLY I KNEW!!). But it’s all right, the cards wouldn’t be of much use in my hands anyway!

When I want to play Magic for fun (I actually do that sometimes!), I either draft or play all kinds of wacky formats. Take Wagic, for example: Gather a huge stack of all the power cards of the game, some friends (including one who does have the cards!), draft them in any way you want (the cards, not your friends), build your deck, have fun, and don’t drop the beer on the cards!

Q: Do you prefer to use deckbuilding ideas from other players or do build your own decks and mechanics to win a tournament? Is one of these two possibilities the better way to success, the way to win (besides good playing)?
- Peter

A: If you’ve been reading Ask The Pro regularly (and thanks if you do!), you probably remember I talked about “creative minds” and “fixing minds” back on September 12. I guess now is the time to develop my theory a bit.

In the first step of deck creation, you focus on one concept, one card, one mechanic, and start gathering ideas around. It can be mastered by one kind of player, those who belong to the “creative minds.” After the deck gets a shape, the “fixing minds” can have a look at it and add interesting changes.

The basic idea behind the two concepts is that one group can start from nothing and bring to life just about anything. That’s when I talk about the “creative minds” – the writers, the artists, and so on. The second group starts from something that needs to be fixed or that asks for a solution or some improvement – these are the scientists, the mechanics, the engineers. That’s the group of the “fixing minds.”

One can be in one of the two groups, or if he’s lucky be in both, but he will still have tendencies. I’ll take myself as an example: I’m strongly in the “fixing minds” group. I can’t draw, I can’t paint, I can’t start anything from zero, and I can’t build a deck. I am, however, (or was) good at math, I can fix things, and I can tune or improve a deck. As for myself, I don’t play the decks I build (as I know there’s a lot better out there)!

All this is to say that a good playtest group needs both aspects of players: One to build solid basis, and one to improve them.

Winning a tournament on your own, with your own deck that you’ve playtested and tuned alone, is very impressive. Doing so in a Pro Tour or a Grand Prix is even more impressive. But it is hard to come up with competitive decks all by yourself that can rule the field. The way to success in tournaments is having the playtest group I’m talking about. One will play the deck he or she created, and the others will play the deck they tuned. Who built it at first? What matters is the result.

Q: What is it like travelling and filling out customs forms when going out of the country for a Grand Prix or Pro Tour? Surely airport security must think you're crazy if you put "card tournament" or something to that effect on the "purpose of visit" line.
- Sam

A: Hello Sam,

Fortunately for us European citizens, we only have to fill the green custom form every time we go to the U.S. for a Pro Tour or a Grand Prix. We usually don’t have any problems. Some people at the customs ask more questions than it should take to get through, but it’s all good. For those who don’t know how to handle this, here are a few tips:

Then you should be asked: “what kind of game?” Go straight to the point: “Magic, a card game; big tournament coming up.” Seven out of 10 times, the person at the customs will know what you’re talking about, and the rest of the security check will just be casual talk about how much you can make, how many cards you own, and so on. Three out of 10 times, they won’t really try to find out, and will let you through as you don’t really look like someone who’s looking for problems.

Don’t try to hide stuff from them, it’s useless. Not that they are super-trained to detect if you’re lying or not, but it could get complicated if you have to make up things because you don’t want to talk about the game. “Oh, you’re visiting a friend? Which friend? Where did you meet him?...” . It’s perfectly fine for them if you go for a Magic tournament.

Sometimes they can even surprise you. When I went to Phoenix last month, and answered questions about the purpose of my trip, the guy told me:

“Oh, Magic! Of course! I played it a long time ago! Is Black Lotus still so expensive?”

Me, believing that the whole thing would go smoothly and quickly: "Hmm, yes of course."

Custom guy: “Oh, and Leviathan? And Force of Nature?”

Me: "Hmm... sure..."

That was becoming quite awkward especially when he started talking to me about when he quit playing Magic for MMORPGs. But hey, that’s better than spending days in custody!

Q: Do you read spoilers, and do you think they're helpful in preparation for events?
- Nick

A: Hi Nick,

If by "spoilers" you mean the list of the cards in a set before they are released, yes I do. For one reason: I’m very curious! I love to see what the game has for us for the next months, to see which cards I am going to play with, which ones I am going to like, to hate, and so on. This is more curiosity than strategical preparation. I don’t think you can plan how you’re going to draft by only reading the spoiler list. It is hard to evaluate on paper the ratio of good commons, the ones that are going to be popular, the ones that are going to be underrated, overrated. A couple of drafts after the release will be a lot more efficient to show or give you hints about all that. I’m not saying that it’s impossible to foresee beforehand, it’s just a waste of time. You sure can play around some tricks you had read about on the spoiler list at your local prerelease, but after two rounds in the tournament, you will know all of them anyway.

As long as I don’t have the cards in hand, I don’t really know what they are worth even if I have a small idea about them. I have to try them once, twice, hundreds of times, before knowing exactly what to do with them. Especially when the list isn’t complete.

I don’t know if it’s the same for everyone, but the more Magic expansions I see, the faster I remember the cards and what they do. It didn’t even take me a whole day to memorize the Coldsnap set. From then, especially if you have a visual memory, it’s a lot easier to figure what the cards do. Hold a hundred cards in your hand, go through all of them twice. It must take maybe... 5 or 10 minutes. You will probably be able to recognize them right away afterward. Then take a list of another hundred cards. The time it will take you to actually remember as much as you know about the hundred first cards will be 3 or 4 times longer. So for a whole set of 300 cards, it’s not worth your time to try to find a stragical advantage. Just wait for the Prerelease for that!

If you’re a Constructed freak, maybe that can help you to elaborate new strategies before everyone else. But once again, save your breath until the whole set is released. You can’t really know how the format will be like without having seen all the cards.

Q: I'm from West Virginia; here we have a very small Magic community, in fact just this past year Wizards held their first PTQ in West Virginia, which I won. Our Magic testing group consists of about five people who lack motivation to test. My question is this: Where do you find the motivation to test hours and hours throughout the week? I need to find a way to motivate my teammates into testing more. Do you have any advice?
- Jeremy Sallie

A: Hi Jeremy,

Congratulations on your PTQ win. I hope you enjoyed your experience on the Pro Tour.

Motivation plays a huge part in playtesting. The most important thing to know when you gather your playtest group is who will be able to actually help and not hinder the process. A player without interest in playing will not bring anything constructive and will most likely end up with unreliable results.

It is hard to find the motivation necessary to spend countless hours playtesting. You have to ask yourself before starting such a process “will it be worth it?" Achieving good results after playtesting sessions is very hard to reach, and if you get discouraged by failing to end up with something good, that is perfectly human. While playtesting can be fun for some, it can also be very frustrating. What you have to figure is how much time you have to invest to achieve your goals and be confident enough in the fact that what you will end up with is something that will definetly give you the edge over other players.

Even then, the main problem you will encounter will be a difficulty in finding players willing to make such sacrifices, as they are not confident enough in the relevancy of the testings. Self-interest will take over and you will find yourself all alone. The point is to raise everyone’s self-interest, and therefore have everyone have the same goal -- just like a company that gives shares to its employees to have them go in the same direction and reach the same goals. You can have this by setting a prize split, for example: Whoever wins shares the gold with his fellow partners.

Interest is what will raise motivation. Finding everyone’s interest will be the key to gathering a successful playtest group.

Q: You've been playing high-level tournaments for a long time – how has your preparation for these tournaments changed from when you first started competing, if it's changed at all?
-- Nick Dickey

A: Hello Nick,

Remember when you started playing Magic, when you and your friends opened your first packs. All this excitement! When you spotted a card and said: I want to build a deck with that! After you had played a few games, you would either quit your idea, or try to improve your deck? Remember when you did not know or care about all the strategy articles, decklists on the Internet, when you were just playing to try to beat your friends or just players in your local store? There was no metagame, just a vague idea of which decks could be good, which cards you should watch out for. If you remember this time, then you have a rough idea of what Magic tournaments used to be 10 years ago.

Preparation consisted in building your deck and tuning it with your local friends. You would then meet up with better players from your country to share what you had and agree on a deck or just tune them. There were not as many cards and strategies available back then, so the sideboard plans were quite simple: add some artefact, enchantment and creature removals – if available in your colors – and of course REBs and BEBs (Red Elemental Blasts/Blue Elemental Blasts). I remember building my deck for the third portion of Worlds '97 (the first sanctioned Extended tournament ever) the night before, gathering cards to build my deck for the day after, taking into account what I thought the metagame could be. That sounds a bit extreme, but that is often what happened back then.

Magic has changed a lot then due to a major factor: The Internet. When the Internet first came out, it felt like cheating to copy decks from thedojo.com. But soon, players adapted themselves to what would eventually be the essential tool of a tournament player. Mailing lists appeared, allowing international players to team up and share their game. "The Legion" was one of the first teams to use this medium, and I am proud to have been involved in that experience along with Alex Shvartsman, Manuel Bevand, Zvi Mowshowitz, Jakub Slemr and more top-class players from then on.

Preparation nowadays is mostly all about the Internet. It provides countless decklists and strategy articles, and it allows you to play against anyone on Magic Online. What used to be a competition between minds from local places became a competition between whole networks.

Q: I am really curious of how much does this "attending-all-tours" habit cost you?

First of all: Attending every Pro Tour since 1997 is amazing, I am impressed. But as someone that is sometimes thinking of how much you could just squeeze out of your potential, I am really curious of how much you have to sacrifice for it. And I don't mean only money. Money can be replaced, hard work will usually be sufficient, but other things might not come as easily. Do you feel a certain kind of lack of personal connections, being a person that is (assuming:) mostly communicating with other Magic players and all in all paying lots of money travelling the world to see other Magic players?

I mean, does it do for you?

I am not sure if I would be able to become as good as you and the other Pro Tourers, but I don't know since I didn't try. Why? Lack of opportunity mixed with lack of recklessness to try to do what I like, I guess. Oh, and the unwillingness to spend THAT much money. As for now, I am having a habit of stomping/controling/comboing-out my opponents with decks that cost less than their most expensive cards.

Don't talk me into something, but do you regret it, after all? How much did you spend on it?
- Joachim Gross

A: Hi Joachim,

Being a Pro Magic player does not mean that you have to give up your social life. It does take a lot of time to travel and prepare for tournaments, and you will have to make sacrifices. I started playing on the Pro Tour when I was in high school, and I had to skip a lot of classes (count on about five days for a Pro Tour in the U.S. when you live in Europe). I actually had to show a paper to my teachers to have the permission to go. At some point, my physics teacher told me: “It is up to you, and what you consider important in your life.” My decision was clear, I would go to the Pro Tour. My parents were not so sure about that, but they trusted me enough to know that I would not just blow off my studies. That is a decision I will never regret, but it is not something I would recommend to everyone. I had my reasons, I was good enough at school to allow myself to skip some classes and still graduate, and I believed firmly in my skills to succeed at the Pro level.

Later I entered university and spent four years studying and playing on the Tour. That proves that you can play at a high level and succeed in your studies at the same time. Of course, you end up with busy days, and it would not work with all kind of studies. I do not really see a future doctor spending hours playtesting Standard and drafting instead of studying for his exams.

Now I have the rhythm I wanted. I work part time at Gothenburg University (as a French teacher), and complete tasks for Wizards Europe. That allows me to have some time to travel without much restraints. My degrees are also a good backup if I ever want to quit Magic – something that is not going to happen anytime soon.

Playing Magic did not cut me from “outside” activities and connections. I am very open to any non-Magic-related talks, and as for my relationships with other Magic players, they are not all about Magic. We meet “physically” mostly during competitions, but we keep in touch some other ways. We sure share the same passion, but we all have personal lives. Magic players are people, after all.

About the “becoming a Pro” part, I receive a lot of questions about it. So I will try to answer here. Becoming a Pro, or playing at a high level, is not all about motivation and recklessness. You have to have it in you – the competitive spirit, the feeling of the game. You do not have to become a Pro to enjoy the game. It is not about money either, as if you have enough skills, you will be able to travel “for free” thanks to the prizes and other services you would give to people willing to pay for what you have to say (Internet columns, etc…).

I do not regret any of the sacrifices I made to play Magic. It brought me much more than I expected. But I do not think everyone should consider that path, as it is not as easy as it seems.

Q: What format do you give more attention during the course of an entire Magic season – do you focus more on the Limited format or on the Constructed format?
- Whel

A: Salut Whel,

Pro players’ focus mostly depends on the upcoming tournaments. When a Constructed Grand Prix or Pro Tour is coming, we focus on deckbuilding and playtesing. We are always tempted to draft at that time, but a serious playtesting session for Constructed usually bans drafting. As you probably understood, we like drafting better than Constructed. When I say “we”, I include myself, and a big part of the Pro community.

Why? I have a theory about that. First of all, drafting is just more fun. I always enjoy drafting, and I’m usually bored quite fast when I’m playtesting Constructed. I still enjoy Constructed tournaments, but I’m not a specialist builder, like Frank Karsten for example. The reason for that, is that I believe players – and people in general – can be classified in two different categories. You can find what I call the “creative minds,” and the “fixing minds.”

In the first category, you will find the artists, the painters, the writers, and Magic speaking, the deckbuilders. In the second category, you will find the scientists, the computer freaks, and Magic speaking, the draft specialists. (Maybe I’ll come back on that theory later for a little clarification!)

To answer the question, I would say that we focus more on Constructed, as it takes a lot more time and effort for the playtest group to end up with positive results as most of us are “fixing minds,” but we spend more time drafting overall, on Magic Online or during Pro Tours when we are out of the main event. I would be interested in knowing what the Japanese would answer to the same question, as most of them are Constructed specialists. In the end, I could sum it up this way: we draft whenever we feel like it, knowing that it will eventually be useful for a tournament as a training, but we focus on Constructed when needed.

Q: What does it feel like to be elected to the Pro Tour Hall of Fame?
- Fabian

A: I have to say that since the vote started, I’ve been thinking a lot about it. In the first place, I thought I had no shot. But the more I talked to people, the more I thought that it was clearly possible. From “it’s going to be tough for you” to “you clearly have a good shot,” I didn’t really know what to think. But the more I heard people supporting me, the more I believed I could make it. And the more I thought I would make it, the bigger the risk I had to be badly disappointed.

My fate was sealed some days ago already, and the anxiety of the wait started to become overwhelming. When I finally got the message on Tuesday telling me that I had made it, the first feeling I had was relief … followed quickly after by another sort of feeling: I felt happy, proud. It is hard to describe at the moment, because nothing concrete has happened yet. The ceremony will be held in three months and I don’t have my picture on the Hall of Fame home page yet. But the idea that after all these years of dedication, I receive the greatest recognition in the game ... it is just hard to believe!

Concretely, what will it change? I have always tried to play a fair game and I will be glad and proud to be an example of dedication and fair play. It gives me extra motivation to improve my game and show that one can still enjoy the game after such a long time. I will keep playing the game and compete in the Pro Tours as long as my passion for the game and for what’s around it is still alive.

Q: I know the answer will be more complex than the question, but how do you sideboard without removing vital components of your deck? Some of the cards will be dead against certain opponents but that often depends on the kind of deck you're using. I believe sideboarding to be as much a skill as when to mulligan but it's been my experience that the sideboarding decisions are much harder.
-- Chris

A: Hi Chris,

I will go back through the basics in order to answer your question accurately.

Keeping in mind that sideboarding is fundamental is a key to succeeding in Constructed tournaments. It matters when choosing the deck you are going to play, and remember that you will play at least as many games after you sideboard as you do with your main deck.

Before you enter a Constructed tournament, you need to adapt your main deck to the metagame and prepare a good sideboard strategy. When you choose your deck (keeping in mind that your final goal is to win!), you need to be convinced that you have a good chance against most decks in the field. The fewer cards you will not want to see against some decks, the better. However, your deck will not have the weapons to fight the whole field before boarding.

Your sideboard strategy must be defined before the tournament, and that is (in theory) the way one should build his sideboard in the first place – knowing what are the bad matchups, and how much needed and useful your sideboard cards will be. What you want to do is to evaluate the added value of the exchange of one sideboard card for a main deck card. Some decks do not allow heavy sideboarding, as the very core of the deck relies on cards that you can not take out. That is usually the case for combo decks such as Heartbeat, where you do not want to take out the pieces you need to win the game. You must then be extra careful not to remove the wrong card. Playtesting without sideboard is a common mistake, but doing so is one of the only ways to find out how many cards you can allow yourself to replace, without totally ruining your starting strategy.

In most cases, sideboarding is more a question of preparation and playtesting than skills. Sometimes you will play an opponent with an unknown deck against which you were not prepared. Try then to spot the similarities with the decks you know how to sideboard against, and adapt yourself. Try to figure what game you are going to engage next: Fast game, slow game, race to resources, creature battles, and so on, and then take out the cards that do not match that strategy. In that case, experience and intuition will be your best assets.

Q: Unfortunately, you're not quite as visible of a player as Olivier Ruel was, and I know very little about you (basically what is on your Pro Player card). Could you tell us a little about yourself?
-- John

Q: Hello Raphaël,
Let's go straight to the point: I've always thought you were French until I read in some report that you are Swedish... I can't believe you are Swedish with such a French name. ;) So, please, tell me more!
-- Gabotirio

Q: How do you feel about taking over from Olivier Ruel doing Ask the Pro?
-- Wyatt

A: Hi all!

I am Raphaël Lévy, and I will be the new answer man for "Ask the Pro."

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for the welcome messages I received. As for the first issue of Ask the Pro that I will host, I will answer the questions I am the most frequently asked, just to introduce myself to the ones who do not know me yet so we can move on to more interesting stuff!

I have been playing Magic since Arabian Nights, for 12 years now. I am now 24 and I still enjoy the game. I started playing on the Pro Tour in Paris in '97 and since Worlds '98, I haven't missed a stop. I therefore hope I will be able to answer your questions and share a bit of my Magic experience!

Magic represents something huge for me. Not only it is the best game around, but it allowed me to live a totally different life from what was supposed to be. I am sure you read those lines written by other Pros, but Magic became a way of life for me. I met most of my best friends thanks to Magic, and I plan my schedule around Pro Tours and Grand Prix.

I lived in France until last October when I moved to Sweden. I had finished my studies in Toulouse where I graduated with a master's degree in economics, English and Spanish and I wanted to discover something new. I'm now based in Gothenburg, Sweden where I'm learning Swedish and teaching French at Göteborgs Universitet; that is why you will see my name followed by [SWE] in tournament reports now and then!

Concerning Olivier: Olivier and I have been friends for a long time. I do not have much to say about his suspension, but be sure you will see him around again soon. I feel honored to continue his much-appreciated column and wish you will enjoy mine at least as much as his!