28: How Paul Rietzl Focuses All His Efforts to Prepare for Tournaments

Paul Rietzl was born in Boston, MA and currently lives in Scottsdale, AZ working as an Executive Recruiter. He has 12 Grand Prix top 8s, including 2 wins, and 4 Pro Tour top 8s including winning Pro Tour Amsterdam in 2010. Paul is a member of Team UltraPro and writes for ChannelFireball.com. He is a member of Magic: The Gathering's Hall of Fame Class of 2014. First Set  The Dark Favorite Set  Rise of the Eldrazi   Favorite Card Steppe Lynx What makes Magic fun for you? Depending on where he is in life different aspects of Magic appeal to him. Early on it was the travel, sometimes is the thrill of challenge, but overall it's the life long friends and the connections with people that keep Paul coming back. Early Challenge Not doing well at tournaments made Paul do some soul searching and decide that he will start to prepare the heck out of tournament so he can show up prepared. Proudest Magic Moment Winning the Team Grand Prix in San Jose (2012) with Matt Sperling and David Williams Best Format Team Rochester Draft Sealed Deck Biggest Mistake Players Make Everyone has experienced being blown out. While blow out losses are not fun, many people shut down when there are lot of little things you could be doing to gain incremental edges. Know the sequence you and your opponent need to go through for you to come back and play to that. Assume your opponent will make mistakes. Consider what factors outside of the game are affecting your loss. Is your mana base built right? Did you sideboard correctly? Don't shut down. There is a lot to be learned from a blow out loss. Connect With Paul Twitter: @paulrietzl Like What You Hear? If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review. Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content. I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.