Humans of Magic

Raphael Levy is a Magic Hall of Famer and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt from Toulouse, France. He holds the record for most consecutive Magic Pro Tours played. 0:00 Intro 0:43 Playing 90-plus Pro Tours in a row 9:40 Happiness, finding balance 13:38 How Raph’s PT streak ended 19:05 Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) journey 28:20 All-in…or all-out 31:18 BJJ mental game, big guy vs. small guy theory 40:26 How Raph ran his first marathon 53:42 State of today’s competitive Magic 1:03:42 COVID-19 and the Magic Pro League 1:09:23 Magic vs. parenthood

Maria is a Magic competitor and streamer based in Germany. 0:00 Intro 1:20 Content creator origin story 5:52 Competitive gamer origin story 9:42 Discovering Magic The Gathering 12:31 Success in competitive Magic and the gender barrier 20:17 The Venus and Mercury League (VML) 25:14 Misconceptions about VML and inclusiveness 31:42 Maria’s stream audience and how she focuses 40:11 Creator goals and finding balance 50:20 A Magic family 59:57 The Queen of Midrange 1:07:19 Balancing content with family duties 1:10:13 Peer recognition from other creators

Arthur King is a Chinese-American Magic player based in Shanghai, China. Arthur's podcast is called "The BingKing Podcast." Find it at https://www.youtube.com/@LookitCrows 0:00 Intro 1:03 Arthur’s origin story 8:53 Playing Magic during college 13:35 Moving to China 17:49 Getting into Commander 22:07 A fork in the road 29:09 Dancing in public spaces 36:14 Why Arthur stopped drinking 44:30 Life in China (as an ABC) 48:56 People want connection 54:23 Happiness 1:00:11 Has data ruined everything? 1:05:40 Doing hobbies for the wrong reasons 1:13:44 Building Commander decks 1:17:32 Nobody cares about the Magic story 1:21:00 Magic’s failure in the China market 1:30:17 Shanghai EDH rocks 1:33:12 How Arthur would fix Magic 1:38:45 The Magic social contract 1:41:55 Magic needs to be more watchable

Sierkovitz is a Limited Magic aficionado, data analyst and host of the Magic Numbers podcast. He is a long-time collaborator with 17Lands.com and focuses on making data accessible to Magic players of all skill levels. 0:00 Intro 0:35 Biggest trap with using data and win rates 9:56 Content creation goals and norms 17:51 “Limited is just a very small field” 22:03 The audience for advanced Magic data analysis 30:21 About the Companion mechanic 35:16 Advice for novice or returning Limited players 52:31 Building vs. playing Limited decks 56:54 If you’re frustrated with Magic Arena or losing in general, do this 1:02:37 Common pitfalls (that players can’t get out of) 1:06:55 Giving Sam Black his flowers 1:11:05 Where is the ultimate introductory course for Limited? 1:19:21 Positioning Limited in physical and digital Magic 1:27:51 Are we in the Golden Age of Limited? 1:30:52 Sierkovitz’s Magic origin story

Niv Shmuely is a Magic player and medical doctor from Israel. He has played in three Magic Pro Tours and the World Magic Cup as a member of the Israeli team. 0:00 Intro 3:30 How Niv got into competitive Magic 7:37 Pro Tour Valencia and the flood 11:50 Worlds Team Tournament - Israeli national team 15:52 Med school, Legacy format, COVID years 18:34 Pro Tour Philadelphia 24:23 Challenges to being an Israeli Magic pro 27:08 How family shaped Niv's Magic career 35:05 Why Niv chose med school (and changed careers) 43:37 Prague, Amsterdam and European transport 48:10 Present Israel situation, October 7 memories 55:57 Putting October 7 into perspective 1:04:54 Israel's military retaliation 1:12:00 Western reactions - now vs. Oct 1:19:05 American public sentiment towards Israel 1:24:40 "Hamas is not a government" 1:29:34 Be well-informed, thoughtful and supportive 1:36:32 Negotiation challenges 1:40:16 What needs to happen to achieve peace? 1:46:39 Anti-Zionism and anti-semitism 1:56:50 Palestine needs a state

Magic Con Amsterdam: June 28-30, 2024. 0:00 Intro 0:38 Why I went to Amsterdam 3:59 General experience 9:06 Notable moments 14:19 Memorable conversations 27:48 Takeaways Memorable conversations: - Justine Jones - Will Hall & Matej Zatlkaj - ZBexx - Josh Lee Kwai - Spice8Rack - Andrea Mengucci - Gabriel Nassif - Kai Budde & Jon Finkel - Rhystic Studies - Reid Duke

Gabriel Nassif is a Magic Pro Player and Hall of Famer from Paris, France. Interview was recorded at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre, during Magic Con Amsterdam. 0:00 Intro 0:54 Pro Tour Amsterdam and Worlds 3:52 Tournament recap - key decisions 7:18 Fond Amsterdam (and PT) memories 12:07 Getting back on the Magic grind 15:01 Streaming competitive events 16:35 Thoughts on Magic organized play 19:17 What keeps Gab motivated? 22:13 Playing basketball 27:37 Gab’s brother, American sports, Lebanese culture 32:59 Goals for second half of 2024

Kurohitsuki is a Magic content creator and streamer from Buffalo, New York. Interview was recorded at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre, during Magic Con Amsterdam. 0:00 Intro 1:10 "Kurohitsuki" name and persona 7:15 Kuro's background 10:32 A very special gift 11:27 Becoming a creator 14:58 Favorite creature type 18:13 Getting into Commander and Spelltable 21:57 Deckbuilding - "I'm a Vorthos at heart" 28:04 Favorite Commander of all time 31:33 Favorite Magic card of all time 38:16 Creative consistency - finding balance 44:58 Reaching one's potential 48:43 Wrapping up 2024

ZBexx is a Magic content creator and cosplayer from Portland, Oregon. Interview was recorded at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre, during Magic Con Amsterdam. 0:00 Intro 0:57 Exploring Amsterdam and Dutch culture 6:11 Traveling as a Magic couple 8:35 Choosing a Magic content lane 11:19 Branching outside of Magic 16:09 Keeping up with Magic set releases 19:12 Positive self-talk, confidence, role models 24:02 Hardest time as a creator 29:22 Dedication to the cosplay craft 32:19 Fan feedback and connection 34:06 Birds of Paradise 36:57 On working with brands 40:43 Lorcana at major conventions 44:04 Disney sponsorship - what if?

Vitalii "V" Ponomariov is a Ukrainian Magic player, LGS owner, and IT professional. He currently lives in Lviv, Ukraine. V and I first connected in 2022 when he shared his perspective on Ukrainian Magic on the Magic The Gathering Subreddit. He introduced me to his friends in the Ukrainian Magic community, which allowed me to make the Humans of Magic feature "This Ukrainian Life." I am fortunate to have V on again to tell his story. 0:00 Intro 1:03 Opening an LGS in Ukraine 8:03 Ukrainian Magic scene 18:56 Outlaws of Thunder Junction...in Lviv 26:40 Finding meaning in an existential threat 35:52 "It is a luxury to be able to prioritize myself" 41:22 Russia, geopolitics, destroyed opportunities 51:51 The indecisive West 1:00:41 Magic and tabletop games as mental relief 1:02:59 Music, creativity, guiding principles 1:10:20 "Fear of Missing Out" in Magic 1:18:54 Lord of the Rings and Universes Beyond Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Sam, a.k.a. Rhystic Studies, creates videos about the art, history, and culture of Magic: the Gathering. 0:00 Intro 1:50 Podcast monologues, Twitter bios 7:31 Discord fan interactions 10:39 Recent interviews 14:08 On being a solo act 16:02 Collaboration opportunities 18:41 Creative choices and financial viability 21:17 The indie game developer 22:57 Hbomberguy and taking on epic projects 27:59 Confidence (and experience) trumps fear 34:29 Level-ups as a creator 38:21 "The guitar is the ultimate feedback machine" 41:26 Keeping oneself creatively honest 45:07 What Rhystic Studies is really about 47:57 On being misunderstood 49:27 Guitar talk 54:32 Heat in Austin, TX 56:26 Podcasting in one take 59:35 Productivity systems and removing friction 1:05:02 Planning for future events (and a wedding) 1:08:55 Getting security for events Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Rob Bliss is an artist and illustrator for Magic The Gathering. Rob is also a concept artist and has worked on productions such as Harry Potter, Guardians of the Galaxy, and The Dark Knight. 0:00 Intro 1:00 Speaking engagements 5:08 How Rob developed his style 12:30 Early life as artist 15:23 Imitation breeds uniqueness 20:21 Strength of initial arrogance 23:34 "Making it" as a young artist 30:38 The 2000 AD comic book experience 38:29 Moving into concept art 39:29 Illustrating Magic cards 47:04 Phallic images - setting the record straight 59:32 "I'll quit something because I hate doing it" 1:04:36 On conforming as a creative 1:15:50 Working on the Harry Potter movies 1:21:43 Working with Guardians of the Galaxy 1:28:11 On humor and opening up to people 1:33:28 Playing records as a DJ 1:40:16 On public speaking Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

An introduction to the Israel-Palestine conflict with Spice8Rack, Magic YouTuber and political activist. 0:00 Intro 3:00 Ground rules and expectations 6:47 Resources - journalists 9:07 Resources - coordination 10:32 Resources - education 11:15 Resources - books 22:26 How do we know if a resource is legitimate? 32:12 How do we know if an influencer is legitimate? 40:32 Social media has real value (but use it wisely) 49:52 Be well-informed - and take action 53:10 It's okay to be emotional (on the internet) 58:59 Willful ignorance and team mentality 1:03:18 Why the Israel-Palestine conflict is important 1:09:52 Campus protests and institutional response 1:16:15 Student protesters should be commended 1:19:23 anti-Zionism vs. anti-Semitism 1:27:04 Scale of what's happening, business interests 1:35:46 Use of force - the Israeli state's position 1:44:59 Definition of "Nakba" 1:49:44 What needs to happen next? 1:58:25 Israeli government and American dependency 2:08:28 Managing expectations with the West 2:16:38 Final words - call for action --- Spice8Rack's recommended resources: [JOURNALISTS] - WizardBisan1 - on Instagram & TikTok - Eye on Palestine, Middle East Eye - on Instagram & TikTok [COORDINATION] - National Students for Justice in Palestine - on Twitter & Instagram - BDS (Boycott Divest & Sanction) - Palestine Action - Jewish Voice for Peace - Palestine Solidarity Campaign [EDUCATION] - Dr. John Duncan - "JohntheDuncan" on YouTube [BOOKS] - S. Englert - "Settler Colonialism: An Introduction" - R. Khalidi - "The Hundred Year’s War on Palestine" - S. Awad, & B. Bean - "Palestine: A Socialist Introduction" - B. Bashir, & A. Goldberg - "The Holocaust & the Nakba" - A. Lowenstien - "The Palestine Laboratory" - A. Davis - "Freedom is a Constant Struggle" - F. Fanon - "The Wretched of the Earth" - J. Abusalim, J. Bing & M. Merryman Lotze - "Light in Gaza" In the conversation, we referred to Kyle Hill as "Phil" -- sorry, Kyle!

Alison Luhrs is a creative writer and worldbuilder for Magic The Gathering. She was also the creative lead for Baldur's Gate 3, and is currently the narrative director for Destiny 2. 0:00 Intro 1:00 Doing improv 6:49 Improv's learning curve, embracing failure 12:23 Connecting with the audience 15:37 "Book Club" 19:21 Getting into the games industry 21:46 Career at Wizards of the Coast 24:25 Ixalan 25:38 Magic storytelling evolution 29:27 Writing the Thunder Junction epilogues 32:29 Why Alison left her name off the Ixalan stories 38:12 Subverting expectations 39:50 Research and writing frameworks 43:23 Magic storyline starter kit 46:13 Collaborative writing with friends 49:30 Advice for folks entering the games industry 54:56 Living through the COVID era 56:53 "Badass wilderness woman" (and "Lost" commentary) 1:03:25 Alison's friendship philosophy 1:10:11 Legendary Kaladesh PAX improv event 1:13:15 Being the Baldur's Gate 3 creative lead 1:21:54 Lightning round Q&A Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Andrea Mengucci is a Magic The Gathering content creator and player. 0:00 Intro 1:27 Interview start 3:14 Content evolution, new YouTube channel, logistics 8:32 Connecting with audience, making it fun 13:02 Magic content innovation 16:29 Why Mengu isn't making Commander content 17:56 Modern format bans 20:35 Tournament and Pro Tour mindset 23:00 COVID changed EVERYTHING 26:04 The REAL life of a top Magic content creator 35:38 Surrounding oneself with strong players 38:01 Competitive Magic is in a weird place 39:02 CovertGoBlue's big impact on Mengu 43:31 "I have a bad relationship with Magic Arena" 49:21 The Karnies podcast 54:36 Content creator vs. pro player lifestyle 1:01:12 Mengu's legacy Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Victor Adame Minguez is an artist and illustrator for Magic The Gathering. Victor's Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/victoradameart/ 0:00 Intro 1:00 Beginning of Victor's creative journey 5:53 Making art a viable career 6:38 Artistic ability vs. practice 9:30 "I don't have any other skills" 15:32 Magic art guidelines 17:06 Advice for aspiring Magic illustrators? 20:18 The Grist that sold for $35K 26:09 Early days of working with Wizards of the Coast 29:05 Moving from digital art to oil paintings 35:42 Experiencing creative burnout 41:45 Developing the grind mindset 44:44 How Victor met his wife, Carley Hart 50:17 Magic artist celebrity 57:50 Magic Con Chicago 1:02:39 Fun fact about Victor (that nobody knows about) 1:06:39 Favorite illustration / favorite artists 1:10:23 Value of original paintings 1:12:19 Illustrating for different card rarities 1:14:41 Victor's new passion project Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Evart "Aspiringspike" Moughon is a Magic player and streamer. He is best known for his deckbuilding innovations in the Modern format. 0:00 Intro 0:50 Streaming Dark Souls 6:02 Personal off-stream projects 7:58 Value of effective practice 13:45 Viewership drop when variety streaming 15:53 Deckbuilding process 23:17 Innovating (and breaking) the Modern format 27:50 The Crokeyz tweet 31:30 Right place, right time 36:01 Talking about success 37:42 What Spike learned from Kai Budde and Reid Duke 46:59 Level-up - Pro Tour deck selection process 53:01 Questioning assumptions, intuitive learning, stream feedback 58:28 On expressing negative emotions on-stream 1:01:55 Working on the Lord of the Rings set 1:15:34 Making a tabletop RPG with TCG elements 1:19:12 Boundaries of creative output and personal life 1:22:06 Five questions with Aspiringspike (lightning Q&A) Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Javier Dominguez is a Magic pro player from Spain. He won the 2018 Magic World Championship. 0:00 Intro 1:24 The language of Magic 3:43 Repeatable decision-making 5:23 Leveraging poker skills, studying the game 10:20 Frustrations 12:49 Being competitive vs. having fun 16:46 Choosing Magic over poker (and Hearthstone) 24:57 Was the old Magic Pro Tour ACTUALLY good? 34:42 The love of the game 37:42 Nature of competitive games 42:43 How Javier wants to be remembered 43:15 Becoming World Champion - did Javier change? 49:40 Preparing for Worlds (work-life-happiness balance) 59:33 Javier's climb to greatness 1:01:49 Hitting a ceiling and starting over 1:05:54 "You can be wrong" - a healthy approach to doubt 1:08:16 Goals and process for 2024 1:10:31 Lightning round Q&A Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Foil Bug is committed to serving the MTG community by sharing shiny content, creating premium merch, and guiding players to amazing stores around the world. 0:00 Intro 1:16 What is FOIL BUG? 3:55 Spicerack.gg integration 5:22 Split player bases across two stores 10:31 How the FOIL BUG Store Locator helps new players 12:47 FOIL BUG content for foreign language cards 17:32 James loves German language cards 18:54 Helping players track down hard-to-find cards 24:03 Features - today vs. future 28:22 Shout-out to folks who helped along the way 32:42 Entrepreneurial challenges - and how to overcome them 44:01 Giving it your all 51:38 How to join the FOIL BUG movement Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Kyle and Terren Huck are the owners of Apex Gaming, a Magic The Gathering card shop and tournament organizer in Caldwell, Ohio. The Apex Gaming documentary is now on the Humans of Magic YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@humansofmagic 00:00 Intro 01:49 Kickoff 02:35 Kyle and Terren self-intros 03:48 Apex origin story 07:39 Apex business principles 11:07 Starting a Magic business - managing risk 13:18 Attracting a player base - local & otherwise 17:03 Working with WOTC for WPN Premium store status 20:56 Working on getting Pro Tour invites from WOTC 23:42 The wonderful world of Magic retail 30:33 Any recent customer trends for Magic product? 33:47 Impact of Lord of the Rings, Dr. Who and Universes Beyond 39:36 The craziest Magic purchase...by an employee 42:21 Make the customer experience great 45:26 Carrying Magic product vs. other games 47:39 Lorcana - why it's worth paying attention to 50:37 How Apex started streaming tournaments 54:39 Key focus areas for a solid streaming production 58:02 Tournament storylines & stakes 1:05:10 Deck techs and supporting content 1:07:18 Vision for what's next Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Mason Clark is a Magic pro player and coach. Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Vincent "Deathsie" Chu is a Magic The Gathering Twitch streamer specializing in the Limited format. Sorry gang, the audio quality wasn't great in this one! We recorded it on a whim with ONE microphone on my table :( Have tried to fix and clean it up, but that's the best I could do. Hope you'll still give it a go, because the conversation was GREAT. Thanks for understanding! Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Piotr "kanister" Glogowski is a Magic pro and streamer from Poland. Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Livestreamed on YouTube on Dec 21, 2023. 03:22 Hits 21:13 Misses 32:37 Favorite episodes 52:56 Learnings 1:03:28 Plans for 2024 For future livestreams, sub to the YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@humansofmagic

Livestreamed on YouTube on Dec 19, 2023. I answered community-submitted questions. For future livestreams, sub to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@humansofmagic

Melissa DeTora is a Senior Game Designer at Wizards of the Coast. She is a former professional Magic player and the first woman to Top 8 a Magic Pro Tour. Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Zvi Mowshowitz is a Magic player, writer, and Hall of Famer. He currently writes about AI, policy and rationality on his Substack, "Don't Worry About the Vase." Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Todd Anderson is a Magic player, streamer, personality, and caster. Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Maria Bartholdi is a host, caster, producer, writer, improviser, podcaster and painter. She is a 10-time Upper Midwest Regional Emmy Award winner and a mainstay of Magic Pro Tour coverage. Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Chris Pikula is a former professional Magic player with two Pro Tour Top 8s and a Worlds Top 8. In 2000, Chris won the Magic Invitational and created the Meddling Mage card. Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

James (Yimin) Zhi is a professional Magic player and streamer from Shanghai, China. He has one Pro Tour Top 8 and four Grand Prix Top 8s. Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Soos_MTG is a Magic content creator and artist from Italy. Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Marshall Sutcliffe is the creator of Limited Resources (the premier Limited format podcast for Magic The Gathering) and Wristwatch Revival (a wristwatch restoration YouTube channel). Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Alex Bertoncini is a Magic The Gathering competitor who rose to prominence via the Star City Games tournament circuit. Alex was suspended from competitive Magic play in 2011, 2014, and 2019 - with the last suspension culminating in a lifetime ban. Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Sam Black is a professional Magic The Gathering player with three Pro Tour Top Eight finishes. He runs a weekly Limited podcast called "Drafting Archetypes." Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

James Hsu is the creator of the Humans of Magic podcast. James is interviewed by Matej Zatlkaj, a Slovak Magic: The Gathering pro player and commentator. Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Evan Ferrante is an actor, producer, and the World's Biggest Tom Cruise impersonator. Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Kai Budde is a professional Magic The Gathering player. He was inducted into the Magic Hall of Fame in 2007. Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Christian Calcano is a Magic and poker pro from New York. Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Seth, probably better known as Saffron Olive, is a full-time Magic content creator for MTGGoldfish. Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Jonathon "Nikachu" Zaczek is a Magic YouTuber and Modern Merfolk Master. 0:00:10 who is Nikachu - from Merfolk master to all-around YouTuber 0:10:10 why Nikachu is so committed to Merfolk 0:16:00 difference in playstyle - Magic, poker and chess 0:19:45 edges to be gained in Magic from playing Merfolk 0:25:05 tournament notoriety and the YouTube tipping point 0:35:30 the YouTube endgame - how much is enough? 0:39:15 forks in the road - choosing to make videos above all else 0:45:09 on work ethic, time management, and complacency 0:49:44 "your number one priority is to make AMAZING videos" 0:54:21 shuffling PSA - mana weaving IS cheating 1:05:05 on controversy, hateful comments and why Mox Opal should stay banned 1:17:11 with platform comes responsibility 1:24:07 on the integrity of Magic judges 1:33:44 Nikachu doesn't like short-form video - here's why 1:35:56 why Nikachu is a 'lone wolf' creator --- Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Kupla is a musician, producer and Magic player from Finland. 0:01:20 who is Kupla? 0:05:52 how Kupla started playing piano 0:09:57 90's musical nostalgia 0:13:05 teenage musical style and influences 0:15:51 experiencing Magic The Gathering in Finland 0:21:04 James and Kupla grew up on 90's Magic (and InQuest Magazine) 0:25:22 the appeal of older Magic formats 0:31:59 making the transition to full-time musician 0:43:16 how to improve at making music? (the creative spark) 0:51:30 maintaining motivation // flow state 0:57:11 "growing and learning is quite painful" 1:02:46 Kuala's songwriting process 1:12:35 music as time machine // Smashing Pumpkins love 1:17:10 on balancing nostalgia and the future 1:19:42 on fatherhood 1:25:35 a musician's perspective on Spotify 1:29:58 the effect of technology and AI on creativity --- Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Eric "Efro" Froehlich is a Magic Hall of Famer and poker pro. 0:00:48 recent health situation 0:09:27 the day of the surgery 0:14:58 family reliance 0:21:50 after the operation 0:27:51 the role of memory - in life and Magic 0:32:33 loyalty, obligation and regret minimization 0:35:36 has Eric changed after this life-or-death experience? 0:41:51 Eric's online persona - "brick-wall defense mechanism" 0:53:24 a fateful conversation with Patrick Sullivan 1:00:03 looking back - Eric's reputation and legacy 1:20:53 what does it take to be great at Magic? 1:29:51 key people who helped Eric on his Magic journey 1:35:41 current relationship with Magic and WOTC 1:49:17 corporate governance - how things work at WOTC 1:53:38 Gab Nassif and the evolution of global Magic teams --- Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Justine Jones is an artist and illustrator. She started illustrating Magic cards with her Secret Lair interpretations of iconic cards: Reaper King, Sliver Overlord and The Ur-Dragon. For Magic art-related inquiries, including ordering Justine's artist proofs: [email protected] 0:01:00 moving from Baltimore to Philly 0:04:49 Justine and James are both avid runners 0:15:23 who is Justine Jones, the artist? 0:21:25 doing artist proofs during the pandemic 0:29:54 on dabbling in digital art and coloring 0:37:21 on being an MTG artist - "the Ur-Dragon IS me" 0:48:46 the initial Secret Lair assignment 1:00:02 Justine's creative 'arc' and artistic influences 1:13:05 Dark Souls and World of Warcraft 1:16:55 the Magic community is pretty darn cool 1:20:48 Justine interviews James 1:27:10 "I can't NOT do art" - on creative motivation 1:36:01 creativity involves consistent (and monotonous) output 1:40:40 open-ended creativity vs. art commission requests --- Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Elba is the creator of the Fazendo Nerdice ("Doing Nerdy Stuff") YouTube channel, which specializes in Magic and all kind of wonderful games. 0:01:00 YouTube channel origin story 0:08:56 psychology in YouTube 0:12:07 advice for beginning YouTubers 0:19:16 balancing a full-time vs. YouTube career 0:27:54 negative vs. positive content? "choose your words" 0:36:59 mindset and behavioral changes as a full-time YouTuber 0:48:27 avoiding burnout (is very hard) 0:54:16 Elba's secret weapon as a creator 1:00:29 the process of diversifying into different games 1:07:27 content (and life) goals 1:25:20 the Brazilian MTG community 1:44:22 WOTC, sanctioned events and the LGS eco-system 1:59:00 the state of paper Magic in Brazil 2:08:24 the story behind the Anson Maddocks interview 2:15:17 the 'Olá!' origin story 2:22:09 parasocial interactions --- Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Will Hall is an MTG streamer and caster. 0:01:30 the Ukraine stream happened by accident 0:09:36 legal drama with Will's 24/7 Ukraine stream 0:16:28 wanting to give to others - where does that come from? 0:23:10 on injustice and stopping robberies 0:27:18 how Will became a Royal Marine 0:39:09 the YouTube grind - what works, what doesn't 0:52:58 Will's caster origin story 1:00:35 life goals 1:10:23 grinding content - "consistency is the key" 1:15:07 James's Humans of Magic grind 1:21:26 Will's advice for James 1:29:36 Will's casting "low" 1:35:09 does Will have imposter syndrome? --- Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Anna Margaret is a scientist, cosplayer, and content creator. 0:00:45 setting boundaries and people-pleasing 0:04:06 from Disney party princess to content creator 0:08:48 on being bubbly and happy 0:11:41 science - and talent - runs in the family 0:22:56 postgraduate aspirations and forks in the road 0:28:44 misconceptions about content creation 0:33:51 people in Magic are awesome / representation in Magic 0:35:57 the initial creator "spark" 0:43:23 the cosplay mindset 0:52:10 internet virality and negative feedback loops 0:58:02 focusing too hard on "content" numbers 1:00:11 Anna Margaret's content goals 1:11:47 Star Trek fandom (impromptu Star Trek podcast ALERT) 1:35:45 what you want as a creator vs. what your audience wants --- Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Sean Brown is a designer, musician and writer from Australia. 0:00:40 Sean's Australian-Filipino roots 0:08:33 spirituality vs. personal responsibility 0:14:02 current relationship with Magic 0:29:51 exploring a new career direction 0:40:01 "the progress is the point" 0:48:42 Sean's current career - the good, bad, ugly 0:56:52 James's current relationship with the Legacy format 1:00:38 on journaling and trying new things 1:05:08 Sean's music career and current artistic influences 1:11:23 today's music discovery process - is the mystique gone? 1:16:29 an alternative to "basic" content consumption - intentional curation 1:21:26 new AI technologies - ChatGPT and Midjourney - what does it mean for us? --- Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Lexi McQueen is a performer, world builder and dungeon master. She is known for her creative work in the Tabletop RPG space. 0:01:25 selfish vs. selfless Saturdays 0:06:01 growing up as a black Christian 0:10:56 how Lexi's parents influenced her 0:18:42 Lexi's current spiritual beliefs 0:20:49 optimizing for the self // this anime gets DEEP 0:26:12 hinge-points (forks in the road) 0:34:47 college 0:40:34 on coming out 0:56:00 religion as a community-builder 1:02:49 complicit participation in communities and platforms 1:12:06 why Lexi chose to be a TTRPG creator 1:17:03 commoditizing ourselves // internet sensory overload 1:25:43 why James is a creator 1:27:20 "taking back storytelling for myself" 1:31:17 how Lexi became a storyteller 1:43:38 subverting expectations as a Dungeon Master 1:50:40 leading a playgroup or campaign 1:56:54 being a queer black woman in the TTRPG space --- Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic

Michael "Cliffy" Clifford is a Magic player and full-time poker professional. 0:01:45 who is Cliffy - his Magic origin story 0:09:54 Cliffy and James's shared love of the Legacy format 0:13:25 how to learn (and improve at) Storm Combo in Legacy 0:21:35 Lurrus the Storm Combo GOAT! and other super-broken cards 0:24:20 dropping out of college to pursue full-time poker 0:34:54 poker level-ups - game selection and immersive study 0:41:14 working as a casino money-counter 0:52:02 worlds collide - rational vs. irrational gamblers 1:00:06 online vs. paper Magic - are they the same game? 1:05:58 on exploitative gameplay and "action" tells - in poker and Magic 1:13:23 game theory optimal in poker - what is it? 1:22:38 can a bot "beat" poker? 1:29:30 poker cheating accusations - Mike Postle, Garrett vs. Robbi --- Show notes: humansofmagic.com/ Patreon: patreon.com/humansofmagic