You can join me supporting children's hospitals, and you can do it for free :)

Hi Everyone, it's been ages since I've posted here and so much has changed in that amount of time. MTG has taken a backseat and Hearthstone is my go-to game for now, I'm also starting a new chapter now that my medical school clinical training has finished!

Here's the TLDR: You can raise money for Children's hospitals, it's as simple as continuing to share your interest in Hearthstone and I'll raise money on your behalf, or you can join me with your own Extralife drive.

Extralife is an organization that works with children's hospitals in the USA and Canada to facilitate gamers raising money to help sick kids. I raise money with them by streaming Hearthstone on Twitch.tv and committing to donate when I reach certain ranks in the game. Currently if I hit rank 15, 10, or 5 I donate $5 for each. If I hit legend I'll do something crazy!

Here's how you can help for FREE. Help me with the latest deck tech, coaching, or just sharing your experiences on twitter. The better I play, the more money we raise!

If you want to join with your own Extralife page or even join my team "Hearthstone 4 Help", just sign up here: http://www.extra-life.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.team&teamID=28149

With this sort of fundraising structure, I can raise money within my own means and I'm not asking anyone else to donate outside of their own!

--- Two Minutes is up ---

Overtime!

Background:
I'm a medical student (Soon to be MD) who has had the opportunity to work around the Detroit area and I've seen the challenges that our local communities face. For me, being a physician is about more than treating the people I see firsthand but also about working with communities and helping those that need it the most. I'm combining the fun I have playing Hearthstone with streaming games online and raising money to improve care for our young patients.

I've been very lucky to be a part of online communities with other games (looking at you #HMSVU and Hearthstone peeps) who have gone beyond their own internet worlds to support others. Helping other people doesn't require a lot of money or time but the sum of all our little efforts can make a world of difference for someone in need.

You can help and donate to your own regional Children's Miracle Network hospital too!

Thanks for reading and I hope you'll either join me, or help someone else, you've got it in you :)

@Ricostravels

Top 8 Ricotravels things, when not playing magic:

So every once in a while, usually while driving long distances, the idea of putting together a list like this comes together and I need to scratch the itch to put it out there!

---

Top 8 Ricotravels things, when not playing magic:

1) “Oooh, a new variation on a deck I’m dying to play…MUST get these cards to remain on top of the meta”

No matter how many times I tell myself this isn’t going to happen, I end up spending far more money on cards in the big gaps when I don’t get to play any games in paper than when I’m actively playing. Chasing the dragon….

2) “If I had more time, I wonder how far I could push my MTG playing ability”

I think about this a lot, I see competitive players repeating great performances at tournaments and often wonder if I have the mental focus and endurance to process everything that goes on in a high level match for hours on end. I come from a background of competitive sports and a profession that requires relentless mental precision at times.

3) “I wish I could be tutored in playing high level MTG”

This is something I wish I could do, even if it’s just to gain a better appreciation of what goes through the mindset of players better than me. You don’t get better without tangible feedback, and there’s a reason super-teams practice together.

4) “Hearthstone is so much more convenient to pick up and get matches in, I want to hit legend”

This really is just an extension of 2, with a pinch of 1. I genuinely believe the games I’ve logged playing HS have given me an insight into value plays, tempo, playing around certain cards, that have sharpened my understanding of MTG. HS often comes across as the “harmless” (read, free and less time intensive) alternative to MTG when I’m frustrated I can’t get out to play at FNM or events. Legend seems like something that seems out of reach, only as a matter of time…and maybe specific card resources. (I do appreciate that there’s more to it than that!)

5) “I’ve always wanted this card, it would fit PERFECTLY in my [never really sees play] EDH deck”

This mind-itch is the bain of my wallet’s existence. No, this card isn’t going to change my EDH deck drastically. Yes, my “EDH deck” (collection of expensive and individually awesome cards that don’t see the light of day) is a money pit.

6) “Think of all the things I could do with the cash if I sold out of my currently spiking cards”

This is logic battle I have with myself all the time. I never buy more than 4 of a card, because on principle, I want to only ever buy cards with the intention of playing them. I wrote an article earlier about the absurdities of card prices in modern spiking as they do. I completely get the logic behind selling high and buying low. I also appreciate that what I do by not selling my spiking cards could amount to micro-hoarding (buying and then the cards never seeing play). As a rule, I don’t generally sell cards, I don’t want to lose the internal reward for buying cheap, by having to pay top dollar later to play with said cards. We all have different definitions of value, this is one of mine. That said…blood moons are worth how much these days?!

7) “I wish I was more involved in my HMSVU community, I personally feel very invested in it, wish I could do more”

Every single time I listen to the cast, I wish there was more I could do to become more involved. As an original fan of a cast, I do feel like work and life has pushed me a bit further away from the SVU recently that I’d like to be. Aside from actively tweeting and chatting with SVU members and the cast, I do feel a bit like I’m looking on from the outside these days. One day I’d really like to make it to a bigger event, with no time restrictions and just plain hang out.

8) “I would NEVER spend that much on a card” (see 1 and 5)

…lies.

---

Feel free to ask me anything:

http://ask.fm/Ricostravels

GP TORONTO SVU

2015 GP TORONTO SVU

So let me preface this by stating at 3am Friday morning, I did not know I was going to be able to make it to Toronto. I was in the midst of the 30hr on call and given its nature, you never know what will come through the door. By 8am that morning I knew this was perhaps my only realistic chance to meet a good number of the #HMSVU #EhTeam and other virtual twitter buddies I'd met along the way and said, life it short let's go for it!

---

Given the nature of my degree, my down time largely consists of connecting with a tight circle of friends, with people virtually, or travelling to and from destinations to study. Simply put, I felt this was my one shot in the next few years (potentially) to put faces to names. I'll let the photos do most of the talking :)

HMmidget, the first guy I met at the event. I sat down unannounced, said his hoodie looked awesome
and proceeded to lose my mind with his friendliness and helpfulness at meeting all the
other SVU and MTG fans we both knew through twitter. Awesome guy and thank you
again for signing that proxy :)

The man with the marker, El Derf!! Here seen trying to rip my heart out.
Was so so cool to meet derf, I felt like a million bucks when he first did my
avatar for twitter which proxy since has put on my token. Such a talented dude,
I was grinning from ear to ear just getting to see him at work!

Ken - Designer of my current HM/BSB/Kraken playmat, I know of 3 people globally who have decided to get one based on seeing mine!
TSG - Honestly got the sense I could have spent hours shooting the shit with him, extremely approachable, very likeable guy, one day hopefully we'll get to play cube together!
TMoles - One of the most dedicated travellers to events I know, drove from hours away to be at this even and I'm so glad I got to meet him! Hopefully we get that rift in time!

The GeistFather himself MrScottyMac! - One of the warmest personalities I have met. Completely got caught up in the moment and forgot to ask you to sign the angel token I had in my Team Geist deck with me!

BATMAN! A busy man so didn't get to chat but great meeting you in person!

Had to get some shout outs to those who couldn't make it (Bruce)!! 

EvilKYT - Not as evil as you would think! He actually went on to crush this thing going X-3, attaboy!

Nick El Nutz - First grapple shirt I've spotted in the wild! First GP! Nice hanging out and talking PUCA!

BloodFrayGiant and BloodyMessJess! Didn't think I was going to get a chance to meet you two but Midget came through at the 11th hour and managed to say hi on the way out (2 hours was not nearly long enough). Until we meet again!

Finally, MattyStudios, caught in the act by KerryDan slinging the cardboard. I am so grateful that he is still leading the charge with Heavy Meta SVU or I'd never have been anywhere near the event today or to be honest probably MTG! Keep at it bud, must have missed you by minutes!

Until the next one! 

So despite having to study my ass off the rest of the weekend, I made it and met some awesome awesome people along the way. Not pictured were Trevor and Genevieve who were in the midst of games so I didn't want to disrupt their play but got a hand shake in at the least and Tony from F2F games, awesomeEVERYday :)

---

One thing that struck me about this group was how approachable everyone was, there was a real sense of familiarity and energy that everyone was just really happy to be there and to meet people they had in some cases "known" for years but had never met. Crazy world we live in. Next time I meet you all I want to be playing in the event. That's my goal for sometime in the next 2 years. 

Rico :)

Pondering

Hi Everyone, I've been AWOL for the most-part over the last year or so, life and the grind towards my career aspirations have kept me pretty busy to say the least (if you follow me on twitter you've got just a taste). I finally got to an FNM after weeks of "too tired", "too much work", "I just don't have the energy to be the new kid on the block today" and really enjoyed the rounds I got in!

Inspired by the tournament reports of other #HMSVU in the field (particularly @tholness) I'm attempting to write my experience up. I'll set the scene first by explaining that my day started at 4am with almost 8hrs of surgery experience and being on my feet for the most of a nearly 13 hour work day. I'd decided that I was going to FNM regardless of how tired I felt, it was an experience I didn't want to miss (AGAIN!).

---

The local store is a little brick and mortar, old school shop with a smaller focus on MTG and an owner who is nice but a little old school! I showed up about 20 mins before tournament time, exhausted, but holding the RW Midrange standard deck I'd thrown together over the past few months of trying to buy low and trade high over pucatrade. A deviation from my usual fast tempo/glass cannon decks. After registering and sitting around feeling awkward but too tired to care, and the shooting the shit with the locals, we got down to business.

G1: Black "dash" aggro.
Match up was vs a really nice local artist who was admiring my HM/BrainstormBrewery/Kraken playmat (thanks @Load3r, it was a hit all night) and refreshing me on some of the optimal orders of play (constructively). We played our matches and with the exception of the 2nd match where I stabilized thanks to Wingmate Roc, really showcased the speed and power of unanswered dash abilities! (0-1; 1-2)

G2: Big Green
My first buddy from the deep south, wearing a big green tee and towering over me, I should have known I would be up against some seriously huge green creatures. Long drawn out back and forth battle between his ability to get Hydras out on the battlefield and my attempt to chain them to the rocks or exile them while jabbing back with goblins! We ran out of time but it was one of those grappling matches where we both came away saying "that was awesome" (0-1-1;1-2, 1-1).

G3: Standard card mashup
At this point I was really starting to drag, I had been up for almost 20 hours at the end of a very long week and had to consider being on 30hr surgical call a day later. My opponent was a very pleasant player who had been out of the game for 15 years. Really had a good time finding out what was new to her over the course of the match and had fun filling the role of the tutoring player, teaching the intricacies of planeswalkers and the like. To be perfectly honest, while the thrill of playing cards was there, this was more about connecting with other players and sharing the game state. I think it's something that can be lost when we collectively take things too seriously, but this was a good one to go out on. She was playing a mashup of standard cards that a local player had put together (1-1-1; 1-2, 1-1, 2-0).

A decent record for a first outing in standard for ages (years?), wish I could have played the whole event but bed was calling.

My deck: http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=80233

---

A lot of people are buzzing about Hearthstone being on iPhone today, I'm happy that more people get to try this great game out.

Give it a try! Add me to Battle.net: Ricostravels#1196 and DM me to let me know what you think :)

Just some parting thoughts:

1) We do not live in a MTG OR HS, pick one, kinda world. Enjoy either, both, or neither

2) WotC isn't doing itself any favours with the lack of progress on MODO, I for one am completely burnt out on their digital disaster-piece. I feel entirely justified in saying this based on the amount of already limited time I've had invested, only to have tournaments crash on me repeatedly.

3) Be active in your #HMSVU community. If you're not happy with CFB smothering TSG out of the HM picture, be vocal about it. Let people know you're taking your business elsewhere. Don't let bullying quietly fade into the background.

#JustPlay

@Ricostravels

If you want to win these:

Go here: http://http://goo.gl/forms/bn0Kl7bZOa Cross your fingers. #WinOneShippedToYourDoor!

Happy Holidays! :)

@Ricostravels

Thanks for checking out the site!

--

I'm on temporary hiatus with impending exams, feel free to read any of the articles and let me know what you think :)

--

Rico

Hearthstone has made me a MUCH better Magic player

There is something in all competitive hobbies that I like to call the "glass ceiling". It's not the societal barriers to the highest accolades or positions that exist outside the gaming world, but it is a very real psychological barrier that says "I'll never reach their level, there is something others see that I just don't get". This was my approach to Magic for years (actual game time probably only a few months -- I travel), others understood the game at a level that no amount of reading, watching videos, or theory crafting could help me with.

Enter Hearthstone; Blizzard's answer to CCGs, following the "free to play" model, Hearthstone has set out to create an engaging card game that their website totes as "Deceptively simple. Insanely fun.". I think it does this and a lot more.

I have said, much to the scepticism or complete surprise of a few players, that Hearthstone has made me a MUCH better MTG player. I want to walk you through why.

---

If you talk to some of the best players in magic as I've been lucky to do, you get a real sense of the depth of their understanding of the game. There are unique deck archetypes, card dynamics, and a general synergy that new players try to understand, but at the core, they still don't "get it".

To back up a bit, let me walk you through a common approach I have to problems (in games and in life). I internally examine if the problem is important enough to me to get where I want to go. I look at the major vectors involved in the problem and how it's constructed. Finally, I boil the problem down to the core elements I need, break the pieces apart, and rebuild from the ground up. Magic the gathering, on the surface, seems like a deceptively easy problem to solve. There are game items (cards), rules of play, and there are always a series of objectives that you have to accomplish to achieve your desired goal; winning the game. Here lies the deception, and as a new player, you don't see it until you've been around the block to truly appreciate the depth of the card pool (I still can't see the bottom), and respect the raw value that you can only gain from worthwhile experience.

Let me run some numbers past you; The first iteration of MTG: Alpha, had a card pool of 295 cards, Beta had 302, currently there are over 13,000 unique cards in existence and 1,278 of those are legal in Standard. While so many of those cards are functional reprints of cards you veterans of the game have seen many times before, it's a new and daunting experience for us new kids on the block to see and appreciate each one.

Hearthstone has 465 playable cards. Based on MTG (there is no denying that), it has come to the forefront as a game that has greatly benefit from the balance issues, and many pitfalls that MTG has overcome over 20 years. In many ways Hearthstone has been given the evolutionary roadmap that MTG (As the only big kid on the block) has laid out over years of growth and experience.

---

I will never get the opportunity to play as some of you guys/gals did in the early stages of magic, when there was a reasonable limit to the number of cards and options you had at your disposal. I will likely never get the chance to see a COMPLETELY new archetype shape the future of card games. But Hearthstone, to me, is the closest I will ever get to that opportunity and really is analogous to a polished version of the Alpha and Beta days. It has given me the chance to witness raw card value, lines of play that are worth setting up, an appreciation for long and short game strategies. Importantly it does so with a sense of tangible achievement as I go along, in a casual and non-intimidating manner, in a manner that respects my time and finances.

This simplification of the "problem", in an accessible and well fleshed out presentation, comprised of short, feel good experiences, is arguably the best opportunity for players who don't have a veteran players to guide them through card games and lack personal experience. This brings me back to my original seemingly baffling sentiment; Hearthstone has given me an exponentially richer opportunity to not only improve my understanding of MTG but gaming as a whole. While experienced players may be quick to dismiss it as simple magic, or just not for them, I think it provides the critical fundamentals for new and established players to grow.

Give it a try! Add me to Battle.net: Ricostravels#1196, let me know what you think :)

#FreeToPlayValue

#Lookatitwithfresheyes

#TWEETMEYOURTOKENSYOULUCKYFEW

@Ricostravels

KAPOW! They get it!

Hello again Burninites! As most of you know I'm studying hardcore for important exams for the next few weeks, but I thought I'd break my silence to get back to the roots of GBS to tell you about my newbie experience at a store along my travels!

I haven't played paper in over a year and very much consider myself a student of the game, studying interactions and always looking at ways to refine my routes of play (for the ultra-rare opportunity that I do get to a shop!). I managed to visit Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada this winter and got some MTG games in on the side!

Heavy Meta, the HMSVU Cast, and many others talk about community and player experiences, a lot. It's for good reason, they shape how and more importantly, why we play Magic.

Kapow Ltd, a medium sized shop in Alberta, to me, embodies all the qualities that I look for and keep me engaged in this obsession that is MTG and fostering a community.

<Note: I'm purely writing this to detail my experiences. This shop had no idea who I was, so in my option these guys got it without any prompting, and I think this bodes very well for new stores!>

---

Coming into a new card/hobby store for the first time can be intimidating, I always feel a bit like the new kid in school. Stores that are dark, dank, and underground don't help! I've been to quite a few stores throughout my travels, and the ones that project a bright, well laid out, and CLEAN atmosphere really strike me as shops that are not only interested in catering to the old crowd, but expanding their customer base to easily introduce people walking off the street to fun new experiences!

The same could be said for the player bases that these stores cater to. I played my first tournament in years (Mono Red, you know it!!), flukishly won every match, and despite professing to be a beginner (which is entirely true) was met with friendly and encouraging players from all skill levels. You simply don't get that in an store that doesn't look after its player base by tending to the needs of veterans and newbies alike. Owners that get to know their customers and maintain the healthy and happy atmosphere in their stores share the benefits with their players!

Kapow Ltd. was great, not only in the shop chatting strategy and sussing out what I was interested in playing, but they also had a presence over email, on Twitter, and Facebook. The days of having a stagnant website were people only know where your store is located and your phone number are long behind us. Interacting, and engaging with players and potential customers is SO key for people passing through, and establishing the nature of your brand on the local scene. I connected with players in the shop, online, as well as with the store owners over email.

For me, Kapow Ltd. seemed genuinely interested in helping me connect with local players, and making it easy to access all formats of Magic (and really spurred my recent interest in EDH). This principle is so basic but I think can be so easily overlooked in established stores that don't look beyond their current player base.

---

I'm away from Alberta right now, but I can't wait to go back and play at Kapow Ltd.! There have only been a few shops that really spurred my excitement to play in their specific environment. If I had to boil it down to 3 principles it would be these: Approachability (friendliness/atmosphere), Accessibility (all playing abilities/genders/social backgrounds), and Connectivity (In store/Social media).

Shout out to Heavy Meta for establishing a similar presence over twitter, and big shout out to the Eh Team for inviting me to hang out while I was in the area (Definitely next time I'm in Calgary!!). Big thanks to Wallie and Nick of Kapow too :)

#BurnOnBurninators

#MakeTimeToHelpNewPlayers

#RETWEETTOBEENTEREDFORFREEGBSTECH!!

@Ricostravels

GBS card price bulletin!

I know this issue has been talked to death at this point, but in case it was worth 2 cents or more, here is my take. 

---

I believe that WotC needs to look at the spikes in prices for Modern staples and directly respond. Not because more people need to be sustained in playing modern but because if they don't people WILL financially fatigue from how expensive this hobby is growing as a whole. There is a big difference in my mind between the player that has been in the game for +15 plus years and the newer guy (<5 years) who loves everything magic and wants to soak it all up (aka acquire cards to play older formats). 

To give you a bit of a background, I played paintball for +15 years and that sport saw immense growth, in part driven by the cream of the crop winning with flashy and expensive paintball guns and newer players looking up to them. I was sponsored, all my paint was paid for, I shot a +2500 dollar paintball gun and this was all designed to drive sales of gear and paint that other players wanted to see. The sport grew immensely, but instead of companies expanding and lowering prices to feed the markets as more got in on the action (which is how normal increase in supply SHOULD work), the entering businesses fixed their prices, seeing what their competitors could get away with. In essence the companies saw what people could pay and each wanted more and more pieces of the same pie. 

The key point to realize here is that both paintball and MTG products are "luxury" goods (in the economic sense). That is, they will thrive when people have the will and an abundance of funds to support them. With the recession, paintball had its teeth kicked in. The sport was at a financial breaking point, and scores of players abandoned the game. At first it wasn't the pros who were left out, but the guys under us who were being told the companies couldn't sponsor them anymore and subsequently, the artificial driving down of costs no longer existed for these players. Tournaments became smaller, prize pay outs went down too, and gradually the vectors (And companies) driving sales and hype for the game evaporated. 

Paintball as a sport is still alive and well, but it's a shadow of the scene it was before. The flashy, expensive stuff is a fraction of what it was when I played, the bubble has already burst. Like so many others, I sold my gear and got out.

I'm writing this because I see STRONG parallels in the hobby we know and love. I'm not going to suggest that at 100 bucks a pop (Scalding Tarn), that I shouldn't just cash out my money cards and walk away from competitive non-standard decks (the extreme luxury items of MTG). There is a breaking point to the greed (Speculators and Retailers fixing prices or driving them up) of "suppliers", the difference in this case is that MTG (not looking at other card games for now) CAN correct some of this imbalance by printing enough of the in-demand cards to put more cards in people's hands and bring the costs down (there IS a limit to the cards that speculators can horde in a attempt to sell high).

I DO NOT understand why WotC is stuck in the mindset that if they feel they "tamper" too much in the market vectors, that they will break the system and strangle local stores. Magic is seeing enormous growth in terms of player popularity, but this WILL be a flash in the pan and not sustained growth if measures are not put in place to stabilize and retain these players. 

I don't want to see the game crash as people cash in their staples and get up and leave. 

---

Take a minute to think about what $100 buys you outside the game and then check that against the power that a single piece of cardboard can weigh in a game of magic. 

I've been playing for less than 5 years and appreciating card prices to me don't have the feel good of "I've had these cards for ages and they're getting better with time", they have the "this paywall is growing and growing" feeling. 

I'm sorry if this comes off as whining, that was not my intent, I want to see a healthy shape for this game and not just watch as history repeats itself. I'm writing this to you directly to fuel discussion and shed what I think is the insightful and underrepresented voice of the junior player (who I would put to you has as much stake in the future of the game as those who have been here for years and years).

#CashMoney

@Ricostravels

The HOT SEAT with David Caplan Canadian Pro Player and @Ricostravels Burninator Inspiration!

Welcome to the Gentlemen Burninator Society's first PRO player interview!! I'm very excited to welcome Canadian Pro Player, David Caplan!!

---

RT: Welcome to the Hot Seat David, I gotta say as THE player who sparked my interest in Red and showed me how to burn to the face it's immensely gratifying to get to interview you! 

DC: Thanks so much for having me!

RT: For those of you who don't know: David's Red Deck Wins list from Worlds 2011 was the first time I got to see mono red in action. I was also the first time I'd seen a Canadian Pro player and also my first year of playing MTG. David went top 4 in that tournament and when I put his list together it was the first time I'd ever won at my local store, and I finished in the top 8. What a rush! So thanks for being an ambassador for Canadian magic and my inspiration for playing red!

DC: Canadian professional magic went through a very long lull, and I can’t get enough of hearing that we are making a splash again and inspiring players.

RT: Where/When did you get your start in Magic?

DC: I started playing magic in 1998 when I was 10 years old. It moved from the schoolyard to summer camp, where I played non-stop with a close friend. I took a little bit of a break when I was younger, but have been playing some sort of Magic pretty consistently since then. I started playing competitively about 3 or 4 years ago, after devoting the majority of my time to eternal formats.

RT: What fuels your interest in Magic? Do you play any other games?

DC: I love problem solving and the logical discussions that from playing the game. The number of people with different opinions, playstyles, and though processes make it so that there is always something you can learn from others to help your game.

I play quite a few other games. I have a big board game collection, and like playing them with friends. I also play some PC games, right now just MTGO and a bit of League of Legends. I also have had some fun recently casually playing other CCGs like Cardfight and Kaijudo.

RT: What do you think of the state of Canadian Magic?

DC: I think it is at the best it has ever been, which makes me immensely proud. We have a huge player base, a steady stream of pro players who are successfully at the highest level of the game, the largest PTQs in the entire world, and an awesome magic community. As I mentioned earlier, Canadian professional Magic took a pretty long hiatus where either didn’t have players consistently qualified for Pro Tours, or they weren’t finishing well at the Pro Tours they were attending. I feel like now not only do we have a group of players who qualify for almost every Pro Tour, but the players who have started qualifying are now finishing better and staying on Tour.

RT: What does the sense of community mean to you in Magic? Do you have a local spot?

DC: When I play locally, I normally play at Hairy Tarantula North in Toronto. Community in magic probably means something different to me than it does to many others who play the game. I have moved around a lot through my Magic career and had the pleasure of being a part of many local Magic-playing communities. While many people would first think of their local store, their city, and the magic players they play with, my “community” doesn’t really have to do with geography. My community is the group of players I talk to, play with, test with, theorize with, and it’s global. While it started with Canadians from all around the country, now our little community has grown to include people from all over the world. Community in any incarnation is the reason I play Magic. The encouragement, knowledge transfer, and of course, the amazing times I have had playing the game, could have never occurred without these incredible people and the connection that this game forges.

RT: You get to play at magic tournaments all over the globe, what's it like traveling and seeing different cultures all sharing the same interest in Magic?

DC: It’s pretty incredible to have Magic-playing friends from all corners of the globe, and be able to travel with them to so many different places. It is interesting that you mention culture, Magic is kind of its own culture. While we may be of different nationalities or ethnicities, the cultural backbone of Magic ties us together in an incredible way. To be able to instantly connect and make friends wherever you travel is such an incredible gift.

RT: Do you have a favourite place you've travelled to play magic? Anywhere you'd like to visit?

DC: Annecy, France is my favorite place I’ve travelled to play magic (It is the location of the Bazaar of Moxen). The town is absolutely gorgeous, and I’ve had a blast every time I’ve gone.

RT: Is there anything you're specifically excited to experience in Magic's future?

DC: I can’t wait for Vintage to be released on Magic Online. Very few people get to play that format, and it will be incredible to see it start being played again. Vintage can teach players things in a way dissimilar to many other formats, and playing it a lot gives you a very different perspective on how the game is played in general.

RT: How did you get started with Manadeprived? 

DC: Qualifying for Worlds 2011 through the Magic Online Championships left me desperately looking for people to work with for the event. As a strictly eternal player up until that point, I didn’t have the connections to other qualified players in the country. I contacted Kar Yom Tom and he put me in touch with Alexander Hayne and a few other Canadians in a similar position. Our first Pro Tour working together we took a Top 4 slot, our second, Alex miraculously outdid our first coming home with the trophy. It has been a truly amazing experience.

<Lightning Round -- We play red, you knew this was coming>

RT: Favourite colour to play

DC: Blue

RT: Favourite card

DC: Nimble Mongoose

RT: Favourite figure in Magic (Player and/or character)

DC: Squee

RT: Favourite Set

DC: Ravnica

RT: Do you listen to MTG podcasts?

DC: No

RT: Do you play any other games?

DC: Yes: board games, video games, card games

<Grabs fire extinguisher>

RT: A lot of new players will see you as one of Canada's top players in the game, do you have any advice for them? Also, anything for aspiring players thinking about going pro?

DC: I think my advice for both groups is the same, ask questions. I can’t speak on behalf of everyone, but I know that the best response I’ve gotten is when I watch a lot and ask a few questions. This is also how I really appreciate being asked questions, it makes me feel like the person is doing their own work to try to figure out why you are thinking the way you are, the first step in improving your own thought process through the game. The more perspectives and the more intelligent questions you ask the more insight you can glean into how others think about the game, enhancing your understanding of it. This applies from the most basic concepts to the most advanced. Also, I can’t stress enough the importance of personal relationships with people who are helping you, if they are invested in your success then they will provide you with the best information they can, and help you work through your differences of opinions. I am a strong believer that you can’t go to a website and learn about something as complex as say tempo from an article. It is something you need to see, experience, and fundamentally understand, which I don`t think an article can provide.

RT: What do you think is the best way to introduce new players to the game and help them get started in the Magic community? What do you think of the state of Magic online in terms of player growth?

DC: The best way to get a new player into the game is for sure to be walked through by an experienced player. In my experience, it is best to be taught in pairs, as it is often difficult for a seasoned magic player to remember everything to tell them without enough questions and discussions from those who are learning. I think Magic Online is a blight in terms of player grown, the software is so dated and users have so many issues with it that it makes it one of the worst tools to use to teach someone or to start someone playing Magic. As far as introducing players to competitive play the software is far more effective as they already know the basic game mechanics and only need to worry about the software issues while playing, instead of focusing on both.

RT: My MTG community started in England but has since expanded across the globe through my travels and with social media (Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook). The core thing I've seen no matter where I've gone, is a shared interest in the game and the rich social experiences that it creates. On that note I'd like to shout out the Heavy Meta Podcast and it's army of listeners (#HMSVU) around the globe for fuelling my interest when I've been away from home!

RT: Do you have anyone you'd like to shout out?

DC: A huge shout out to the members of my Magic communities, I appreciate everything each of you has done for me, and I hope I will continue to return your favors.

RT: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

DC: Look out for Team Manadeprived at the next Pro Tour, the team is constantly evolving and you should be excited to see what comes next!

RT: Thanks again David, really looking forward to seeing you represent Canada and best of luck!

DC: Thank you so much, it was a pleasure.

RT: :D

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