Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2
Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2
- Alex finished in the top 4 of Ottawa Weekend with Esper Legends
- KYT gets Alex to elaborate how one can improve their Magic besides playing infinite games
- Alex answers a Q from Joseph Karani on optimal team size for Pro Tour testing
- Why wearing a mask can give you an edge
- Ranking the top provinces
Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2
Alex and KYT meet up for the first time since COVID for a socially distanced lobster dinner.
Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2
(1:45) Alex talks about playing Temur Reclamation to a PT Online 4 top 8 finish
(4:00) KYT asks Alex to clarify the differences between all the tournaments that have been running
(18:55) KYT gets Alex to go more in-depth on his tourney prep, how'd he know how to adjust
(28:00) Is the format skill intenstive or skill rewarding?
(31:45) KYT comments how well the game is doing - Ikoria & Core Set 2021 doing great
(39:30) What can we learn from the recent chess hype?
(57:45) Alex asks KYT how chess has been going for him, KYT obsessed with exploitative chess
Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2
Apologies on minor mic friction noise
(1:55) Alex details the recent Organized Play announcements and gives his reaction. Is this the death of competitive Magic?
(16:05) Reacting to Matt Sperling's glass-half-full tweet
(31:00) KYT has gotten Alex hooked on two chess streams: GMHikaru & BotezLive
(48:00) Tactics in chess and how it can relate to MTG
(1:01:00) Chess coaches often recommend playing slow games
(1:14:30) Answer a Q by Nikachu on Twitter: why don't MTG players review their games? KYT suggests an improvement routine.
(1:18:00) KYT has identified auto-pilot leaks by recording his poker play
Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2
(0:00) What we've been up to and which games we've been playing
(3:45) Is Alex still a Rival and for how long?
(29:15) What does Alex think of Ikoria and the Companion mechanic?
(57:00) In chess, even the very elite might not play the best move and opt for an easier to play line. Does this happen in MTG?
(1:12:24) KYT links the discussion to poker: some players trying to copy solvers, GTO vs. exploitative
(1:18:00) KYT is happy to see people tweet about being proud to hit 2000+ ratings on MTGO. Can there actually be a mix of ELO in the ladder?
Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2
(0:00) Thoughts on Play Design
(11:45) Reaction to Organized Play announcements - what would Alex do? First 2 vs. best 5?
(29:30) Alex thinks people who were able to mix a job and MTG as a hobby did it right
(31:30) Alex reveals roughly how much he earned as an MPL player in 2019
(1:01:00) London mulligan strategy
(1:11:00) Helping finalnub win a Realease Weekend Limited Grand Prix
Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2
(2:00) How does Alex feel post-Arena Mythic Championship? How hard will he work to get back in the MPL?
(24:00) Success stories vs. survivorship bias. The dark side of MTG addiction.
(38:00) Javier Dominguez - best in the world?
(42:20) Reacting to some OP changes
Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2
(1:45) Reacting to the current landscape of MTG content
(13:10) Tyler Nightingale asks us how we'd get people more invested in the MPL
(21:40) The pressure of the upcoming Arena Mythic Championship, how did Alex prepare
(34:20) Good Game culture, turning emotions on/off
(41:45) Alex is asked what's the difference between him and the average grinder
(53:00) Tactics vs. strategy in Magic
(57:20) Analyzing the Pinnacle odds for the Arena MC. The level of disrepect!
Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2
(2:10) Talking Paul Cheon, he says TF2 photos make him hungry
(5:50) Discussing Strasky
(8:20) Proclaiming retirement and crushing
(17:00) End of an era, emotional feelings at the last MC of its kind
(22:25) What did Alex play at the MC and why
(33:45) Alex says they shouldn't push mechanics that only work with themselves
(40:00) "I think the London Mulligan is a mistake" - Alex
(49:40) Playing the best deck, avoiding testing/data traps
Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2
(2:00) Sergio Ferry wants to know what's the optimal strategy with fractional invites
(15:35) What does Alex think of Pioneer?
(30:20) Alex doesn't sound that enthusiastic about Standard, explains why Oko is not an enjoyable card
(1:00:00) Listener wanted Arena draft advice
Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2
(0:00) Alex is headed to Long Beach, California for MCV! Some Standard talk.
(2:30) Listener Q: how does field size change Alex's deck selection
(6:25) Do pros hate this Standard format? How skill intensive is it?
(10:00) Tips for people fantasy drafting MC5
(15:15) Alex & KYT react to all the news from Riot Games' 10th Year Anniversary Celebration
Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2
(6:00) Old school players crushed Grand Prix Montreal, where's the new wave?
(17:00) How to keep in mind unorthodox usage of cards during a game
(28:30) A popular listener question: how to stay focused for an entire tournament
(43:00) Unconventional card choices in Limited
(47:00) Throne of Eldraine Limited takeaways
(1:00:00) Game theory in drafting
Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2
(10:25) KYT is reading Range by David Epstein and trying to extrapolate concepts to apply to MTG
(21:35) Widening range within a team
(33:20) Conscious and unconscious competence, listening to your inner voice
(53:20) KYT asks Alex what he thinks about Jedi Mind Tricks
(1:04:50) Reid Duke
(1:16:00) Going over ESPN article - The grandmaster diet
Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2
(2:57) Alex asks KYT which concepts he would teach first to a new player
(18:41) Game theory and sideboarding
(23:45) Card advantage, tempo, mana usage - people tend to be mainly good at one of them
(28:25) KYT takes a shot at finalnub, urging him to expand his deck selection range
(41:05) Generalist vs. Specialist, brand value, team value, is Alex Majlaton the best Affinity player in the world?
(52:40) KYT on adjusting how opponents will sideboard
Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2
(0:00) Complete nonsense, PARKOUR!!!
(7:35) Playing "real" decks, how to dismiss new deck ideas efficiently
(18:20) Debating 70/30 vs. 55/45 decks. Alex's success with Sphinx's Revelation.
(23:20) "You want to maximize decision difficulty when you're the better player"
(38:25) Is it better to play a higher variance deck if the goal is to spike a tournament?
(50:45) Discussing decks with high fail rates. How expected player strength can affect optimal deck choice.
(1:04:00) Alex & KYT both likely to vote for Pikula for HOF. Is Javier Dominguez still Alex's pick for best active player?
Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2
(0:00) How did Alex do with Esper in the MPL?
(6:15) KYT is qualified for the MTG Arena MCQ. What should he play?
(9:15) When to play surprise cards?
(20:20) What does Alex think of the Organized Play news?
(33:50) Will the MPL gauntlet be compelling viewing?
(43:55) Instead of trying to build stars with a system, Alex says he would try to reduce the variance of the game itself
(47:45) KYT wants a world where the game is marketed so fans can relate to players and not just decks
(51:50) KYT asks Alex how exactly he would make the game more skill-intensive
Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2
(00:45) Alex is back from Mythic Championship Barcelona. How'd he do?
(02:25) Was Alex any less inspired to play this Mythic Championship?
(10:45) Did people actually come up to Alex in Barcelona to talk about this podcast?
(16:50) Power level of cards in Modern & Limited
(23:35) Quick thoughts on what makes Limited enjoyable to Alex
(31:55) Reading questions from our "listeners"
(34:55) HIGH LEVEL: The value of having 1-ofs and being unpredictable
(47:00) finalnub's idea of playing 1 copy of Leyline of the Void in the main. Is it good?
Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2
(3:45) How was casting Fandom legends with Semulin and TheAsianAvenger?
(6:30) Why Alex stopped splitting finals?
(16:30) Q: How to not feel too high/too low? How to avoid autopilot?
(20:15) Alex's mentality walking into a Magic tournament, how he tried to trashtalk Jon Finkel
(24:15) Is it actually beneficial to play all the rounds ala Franky Richard?
(33:45) Q: How do you deal with nerves and letting people down?
(41:20) Q: How would you approach improving at a Limited format?
Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2
(4:55) Answering Medina's question - How should one work on their MTG fundamentals?
(15:45) A huge sideboarding mistake a lot people make in Constructed
(31:15) I don't think anyone became a great Magic player by themselves - Alex
(45:35) When to trust yourself in Magic, why the Miracle deck posted a low win rate
(48:20) Lessons KYT has learned about posting on social media
(54:10) Reality vs. perception, is there a gap between the top MODO players/top live players?
(1:13:30) Quick answer to how Alex would approach improving at Limited
(1:18:00) That one time KYT was an MTG Insider, marketing vs. content