Humans of Magic

Magic Hall of Famer and BJJ Black Belt - Raphael Levy

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

Magic Pro Tour Competitor and Streamer - Mythic Maria

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

An American Magic Player In China - Arthur King

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

Data-Driven Magic The Gathering Analysis, With Sierkovitz

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

Israeli Magic Player and Medical Doctor - Niv Shmuely

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