How Pros Prep for the Pro Tour & Other Misconceptions with Matt Sperling

Support the show, join the community & get exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/heraldshorn  On the 39th (not 40th, holy L) interview of the Herald's Horn, Cal is joined by Matt Sperling to discuss how the pros prepare for the Pro Tour. Also covered: Judging Discourse, pro team dynamics, how to keep your head up when stuck, common misconceptions about Pro play, and more!  Follow Matt: https://bsky.app/profile/mattsperling.bsky.social  Herald's Horn Substack: https://heraldshorn.substack.com/  Cal's podcast about retro video games, Level Up: https://linktr.ee/leveluppod_  Follow us: https://bsky.app/profile/heraldshorn.com  https://bsky.app/profile/moderatelymtg.bsky.social  https://bsky.app/profile/blackgirlmage.bsky.social  https://bsky.app/profile/emmapartlow.com  https://bsky.app/profile/caljones.com  ---------------------------- 0:00 - Intro 1:00 - Welcome Matt Sperling! 3:30 - Pro Tour Prep: How Does It Work? 8:44 - High Level Magic as a Part-Timer 12:45 - Team Prep is Surprising to Some 18:49 - Pros/Cons of Shorter Prep Times 26:01 - Common Pro Play Misconceptions 31:00 - Sperling's Sick of It: Judging Discourse 36:20 - More Misconceptions 43:00 - Matt's Recent PT Performances 44:38 - Spiking vs. Consistency Incentives 53:49 - Back to Matt's Last Year 58:35 - Advice for Those Who Feel Stuck 1:03:46 - Is Matt Almost Done With Magic? 1:09:08 - Matt's Final Thoughts 1:10:08 - Outro