I don’t know about you, but I can remember back to when I first played Magic – we’re talking circa 1995. I’d spend summer afternoons at my friend’s house slinging Craw Wurm,Llanowar Elves and Thicket Basilisk. I’d go digging for Channel and try to bust out the biggest Fireballs I could.

I can remember exactly how I’d play, too. Everything I cast was during my first main phase. And understandably, I didn’t win much.

When I finally came back to the game a few years ago, I eventually gained the basic understanding of how to actually play Magic. I learned that it’s a game of concealing as much information as possible while acting with as much information as possible.

Having two main phases and cards that enable you to act at instant speed permit you to pursue these dual objectives. This dynamic is what prevents the game from being Checkers and instead, more like Chess. It’s one of the many reasons why Magic is as great and as fun as it is.

In Magic, what you have is a world of possibilities for how you sequence your actions, and of course, sequencing is where games are won and lost. In this week’s article, I’ll walk through each spell type and indicate scenarios in which it’s most ideal to play them so that you can improve your sequencing and play more efficiently.

Creatures

When you don’t have attackers on board, your first main phase is generally no different than your post-combat main phase. In this scenario, creatures without flash are cast during your first main phase. 

When you have attackers out, you will typically move through your combat phase before playing any more creatures, unless the creature you’re looking to cast has a triggered or activated ability that can have an immediate impact on combat (e.g., Rubblebelt Boar).

Creatures with flash are almost always played at instant speed on some phase of your opponent’s turn, depending on whether or not you’re aiming to be proactive or reactive.

For example, playing a creature such as Vendilion Clique on your opponent’s draw step is a proactive play. You’re finding out exactly what your opponent has in hand on their draw step, and you’re taking away the biggest threat.

On the other hand, playing a card such as Dream Eater after your opponent declares attackers is an example of a reactive play. Or if you’re the attacker, flashing in Archangel Avacyn after your opponent declares blockers (to give your team indestructible) is both a reactive and a proactive play.

Hand Disruption

An overwhelming majority of hand disruption spells can only be played during main phases. However, you’re typically only going to cast these spells pre-combat.

Doing so allows you to gain as much information as you can before you begin turning your creatures sideways. If you’re playing against a deck that runs Settle the Wreckage, you generally want to hold that Duress until you’re ready to swing for fatal damage, so that you can pluck the Settle from their hand at the perfect moment.

As I mentioned above in the Vendillion Clique example though, you should always recognize opportunities to play hand disruption on your opponent’s draw step. For example, I currently play Humans in Modern, and I’m not afraid to activate Aether Vial and play Kitesail Freebooter after my opponent untaps.

When I played Bant Eldrazi, a similar play was “flickering” my Thought-Knot Seer on my opponent’s draw step to exile the best card in their hand.

Planeswalkers

Sequencing for casting planeswalkers first depends on whether or not you’re playing against a blue-based control deck. If so, you need to identify what your primary goal is in that turn.

If your primary goal is to resolve the planeswalker, you need to move through combat first in order to force your opponent to spend mana to play their removal. The idea here is that they will spend mana on some way to mitigate or eliminate the damage of combat, and by the time you get to your second main phase, they won’t have an answer or enough mana to counter your planeswalker.

If your primary goal is to get damage through, then play the planeswalker in the first main phase.

If you’re not playing against a control deck, you typically want to play the walker in the first main phase so that you can activate its abilities and impact the current board state.

However, there may be situations in which its best to first go through combat and get your opponent to commit more blockers than they normally would if you had a planeswalker on the battlefield. It all depends on what your objective is in a given turn.

Card Draw Spells

Most card draw spells are instants, and as such, it’s usually best to play them on your opponent’s end step. Playing a card draw spell at any other time is only ideal when you’re digging for something that you need at that moment.

Enchantments and non-creature artifacts

Enchantments and non-creature artifacts should generally be played during the first main phase if they can have an impact on the ensuing combat. Otherwise, play them post-combat. Be sure to recognize situations in which playing an enchantment post combat would have a stronger impact.

Instant-speed removal

Instant-speed removal should typically be played on your opponent’s turn, whether it’s during their end step or during combat. Remember, if your opponent has a creature with an ability that triggers at the beginning of combat or when declaring attackers, you need to play that removal accordingly.

Of course, playing instant-speed removal on your turn is fine if you need to make room for an attacker, or if you’re aiming to play around counterspells.

Sorcery-speed removal

Sorcery speed removal is generally going to be played during your first main phase. However, there may be situations in which you want to play the removal after your opponent’s creatures are marked with damage from combat.

Lands

Play them in the post-combat main phase, unless you need them to cast something or activate an ability before the post-combat main phase.

This guide isn’t meant to cover all scenarios – it’s meant to serve as a general set of guidelines for sequencing. You’re likely going to come across dozens of high-level interactions in which you’ll find exceptions to these guidelines, but until you do, it’s best to try to work within them.

When it comes to sequencing, take the time to know all of your options in a given turn, and do everything you can to make your opponents’ decisions as difficult as possible.

Thanks for reading.

– Jeff Sheerin, MTG Pro Tutor Scribe

While Standard is Magic’s most popular format, the general consensus seems to say that Modern is far and away the game’s most loved format.

After taking the time to finally learn the Modern meta this fall, it’s easy to understand why. The gameplay is always exciting, the meta is always gradually changing from week to week, and you have dozens of incredible deck options to choose from.

And of course, cards don’t rotate out, which is huge for getting the most out of your investment in the game.

Unfortunately though, Modern is a difficult format to enter, especially if you’re relatively new to Magic. A Tier 1 or 2 deck typically costs hundreds, and Modern is an incredibly skill-intensive format.

While you have dozens of incredible deck options to choose from, you also have dozens of potential decks you’ll face – and you need to understand how these decks are trying to win, and more specifically, how they’re trying to beat you.

That’s all in addition to understanding how your deck works.

Aside from the financial obstacles of obtaining a Modern deck, the biggest hurdle to entering Modern is gaining a certain degree of fluency in the format so that you can compete.

• Fluency is being able to smell a fresh Cryptic Command in your opponent’s hand when they have four or more mana available.
• You may not know all four modes of Kolaghan’s Command, but you should know that the Jund player might have it when they have a black, red and one other type of mana up.
• Maybe you’ve only played against GR Land Destruction once or twice, but if you’re fluent in Modern, you’ll know that a turn 1 Utopia Sprawl probably means that one of your lands is getting blown up in the next couple turns.

These are just a few of the many examples of the types of things you’ll need to know in order to gradually become more fluent in the format.

So how do you develop this type of fluency in Modern? I’ll walk you through the steps I took in order to go from fumbling through my fetches to making Day 2 of a SCG Open.

#1: Pick a deck and play it often. This is obvious, but it needs to be stated.

Pick a deck that suits your playstyle and play it over and over again. When prepping for SCG Charlotte, I exclusively played Modern for about 10 weeks – both in person and online. I played it to the point that some weeks the only Magic I played was with my Humans deck.

When you stick with a deck for an extended period of time, you master the different sequences and you become better positioned to see ALL of the lines of play. Sideboarding becomes a breeze, and you understand what cards you have in your deck at a given moment that can win you the game.

Picking a deck and playing ONLY that deck in Modern is the absolute first and most important step towards gaining and maintaining fluency in the format as a whole.

#2: Read every card as much as you have to.

In Modern, your opponents are going to assume that you know what a given card does. These are typically much more experienced players that are used to playing with equally experienced players. Some scenarios to watch out for:

Maybe your opponent is playing fast and you want to keep up with their pace. Slow it down and read the card.

Are you unsure about an interaction your opponent is making? Tell them “it’s on the stack” and pick up the cardboard.

Don’t want your opponent to see that you’re new(ish) to the format? Lose the ego and read the card.

Is your opponent telling you what the card does? Stop them and READ THE CARD. Which gets me to an important note.

I don’t know about you, but I can’t comprehend what I read while people are talking to me. If someone is trying to explain a card to me while I read it, I always stop them and politely say, “I appreciate it, but it’s easier for me if I just read it.” I highly encourage you to do the same.

#3: You need to consult your opponents.

If you really want to get fluent in Modern, you need to make it a point to ask your opponents how they sideboarded against you, regardless of whether you won or lost, and regardless of whether or not they seem like a good player.

This is a tip I frequently mention, but man, oh man did this tip do wonders for me.

If you have to, take a picture of the cards your opponent lays out when they show you how they sideboarded, and write it down in your notebook later.

Rarely will two players sideboard the same exact way against you, but over time you’ll understand what the common denominators are in an archetype’s sideboard strategy. This understanding will tremendously help your sideboarding strategy in the future.

#4: Study a deck a week – at a minimum.

Between the usual suspects for written content and videos and Twitch for streams, there is no shortage of information out there for learning about any opposing deck you want to.

Listen – Modern is a deep format, so take the time to learn at least a deck a week. If you do this, then at a minimum you’ll have a deep understanding of at least 80% of the format in a year.

If you can learn multiple decks in a week, then even better.

I started by learning the following decks (in no particular order): Mono Green Tron, Jeskai Control, UW Control, GW Company, Abzan Combo, Storm, Humans, Grixis Death’s Shadow, KCI, Hollow One, Jund, Affinity, Mardu Pyromancer and Bant Spirits.

Get to know those decks, their mana bases, their key cards, etc. – and at the very least you’ll be able to compete against a large portion of the format within a short period of time.

#5: You have to keep and review notes

There are far too many decks and interactions in Modern to remember, and you don’t want to lose because you repeated a previous mistake. There aren’t words to describe the monumental level of frustration I felt the second time I lost a game to Amulet Titan because I forgot about Hornet Queen.

Write down everything that you think is worth remembering and review it often.

#6: Understand that it takes time

Standard is a format that you can pretty much nail down in a month, but it definitely takes an extended period of time to become fluent in Modern.

As you learn the format, you’re going to have some great wins. By the same token, you’re going to have some losses in which you simply didn’t get to play Magic. Be prepared to have those types of games, but don’t let them sour you on the format.

Stick with your deck, continue studying the format, and don’t stop playing events! Your efforts will pay off, and before you know it you’ll know exactly how KCI combos off and all three modes in Collective Brutality – and a whole lot more. It all adds up to your fluency in the format.

And the great news is that once you’re fluent in Modern, you always will be.

Thanks for reading!

– Jeff Sheerin, MTG Pro Tutor Scribe

Every now and then we talk about how to deal with disrespectful players and win, regardless of your opponent’s attitude.

But what about when you’re the disrespectful player? And oftentimes you might not even know when you’re being a jerk to your opponent, especially when you’re in the heat of the game.

“Well why should I care how my opponent feels? Magic is a competitive game.”

This is a totally reasonable way to think. At the end of the day, Magic is just as competitive as football, basketball, soccer or any other sport. Just like those sports, you need to be thick-skinned to play and be successful at Magic.

We won’t get deep into the psychology behind insults and why we choose to disrespect others (if you’re interested though, you can read all about it HERE), but the bottom line is this:

We insult others because of our own insecurities. When playing Magic, we choose to be disrespectful when we want to give ourselves and others the impression that we’re better players, smarter people, etc. It’s a natural defense mechanism, and so many of us do it from time to time in many areas of life.

Some examples of disrespectful behavior include, but are not limited to:

– Intentionally rushing your opponent in order to get them to play faster and make a mistake (e.g., tapping your fingers, heavy sighs, giving your opponent “dirty” looks, “any day now”). NOTE: this is not to be confused with politely asking your opponent to be mindful of time left in the round and to pick up the pace to prevent a draw, or calling over a judge if your opponent is demonstrating excessive slow play.

• Laughing out loud at your opponent when they make a mistake.
• General insults, trash talk or sarcastic comments about an opponent’s gameplay.
• Being a sore loser (yeah – that’s disrespectful too).

If you demonstrate any one of these behaviors, I challenge you to take a good honest look at yourself, because in all likelihood you have some insecurities that are fueling this negative behavior and manifesting themselves in Magic.

And that’s OK. No one is perfect, and none of us are completely devoid of insecurities. But when they’re making you a nasty player, it’s important to recognize and address them.

Because deep down inside, those insecurities are also likely causing you to insult yourself when you make a mistake or don’t reach a certain goal – and that’s when we run into big obstacles.

Is the voice in your head telling you that you’re unworthy, or is it affirming that you have what it takes to win?

I can tell you from personal experience – as someone who has disrespected his opponents and has been disrespected – that if your insecurities are left unchecked long enough, they WILL prevent you from achieving your goals in Magic.

Just as positivity gives life to more positivity, negative thoughts and behavior breed more negativity – which clouds our thinking and causes us to burn out even faster.

Do you think that you might be a disrespectful player? If so:

1) Don’t beat yourself up. Accept who you are and who you’ve been, and commit to change.

2) Focus on your gameplay – not your opponent’s gameplay. Compliment yourself when you play well and don’t dwell on mistakes during the game. If you’re playing against an opponent who you think you’re better than, forget about skill level and focus on playing your best Magic instead.

3) Challenge yourself to stop the negative behavior. By no means is this newsletter meant to make every Magic player a Ned Flanders. In fact, one of the best parts about Magic is how intense and competitive it can be at times.

You don’t have to smile, you don’t have to compliment your opponent or even shake their hand after the match (though you totally should, since these behaviors are easy ways to get you in a positive mindframe).

Just be cool and don’t dis your opponent. You’ll not only put some good karma out into the MTG world, but more importantly, you’ll keep yourself away from the negative behaviors that feed any insecurities, and keep yourself on the fast track to reaching your goals.

It isn’t easy to admit when you have a character flaw, but doing so can open the doors to your biggest goals in the game.

Do right by your opponents, and the multiverse will do right by you.

Thanks for reading!

– Jeff Sheerin, MTG Pro Tutor Scribe

As they say, Magic is a fairly simple game to learn, but really difficult to master. Interactions and game phases can be very tricky to understand, and the more you begin to understand certain rules, the more questions you might have about different interactions.

That said, you’re not going to know everything about the game when you play in an event. This will be the case for at least your first year of playing, if not longer.

So what happens when your opponent makes a play that you don’t think is legal?

You have two options:

A) Take your opponent’s word for it that the play is legal

B) Hear it from a judge

Maybe you’re playing against someone who seems to be more experienced than you and you don’t feel comfortable questioning them. Or perhaps you just want to keep the game moving along.

But no matter how skilled of a player your opponent might be, the fact of the matter is this: as far as you should be concerned, there’s only a 50% chance that they’re actually right, and you should always be sure that they are.

This is when it’s good to be distrustful.

The last thing you want is to lose a game or a match because your opponent: 1) Was incorrect on the rule in that scenario, or 2) Lied about the rule in order to ensure that the play worked out in their favor (a.k.a. cheating).

Scenario #1 is more likely than #2, but it’s important to remember that the people who cheat do so because other players and judges allow them to get away with it. Don’t be the player that lets a cheater get away with it.

As trite as this point may be, when in doubt, always call a judge.

Over the course of my time playing competitive Magic, I’ve encountered numerous situations when my opponents have made questionable plays, or I’ve made plays that my opponents didn’t believe were legal.

In fact, just the other night my opponent made a play that didn’t seem right and I insisted on questioning him. We discussed the play for a couple moments before I finally said, “I understand, but I just want to be sure.”

When I’m on the other side of it and my opponent questions me, I always explain why a certain play is legal and finish by saying, “But you’re more than welcome to ask a judge.”

And yeah, there have definitely been a few times when my opponents tried to convince me that a rule was a certain way, only to have the judge rule against them.

Never, ever, ever make the mistake of not asking for clarification on a questionable ruling or line of play. You literally have nothing to lose by asking a judge for clarification, but you have everything to lose by not asking.

Additionally, if you walk away from a game without understanding why a certain line of play is legal, you’re limiting your growth as a player. Each question you ask is an opportunity to level up.

Always be sure, and never be afraid to ask questions. Even the best Magic players in the world aren’t infallible.

What are some iffy lines of play you’ve encountered that demanded some insight from a judge? Tell us all about it by replying below or posting it on the MTG Pro Tutor Facebook page.

Thanks for reading!

– Jeff Sheerin, MTG Pro Tutor Scribe

Thanksgiving was a couple weeks ago here in the U.S. – a day when millions of people gathered with their families, stuffed their faces with turkey and mashed potatoes and considered all that they’re thankful for. You’ve gotta love tradition.

But why just be especially thankful on one day?

There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be thankful every day – and if you’re looking to get better results in Magic, then you may want to demonstrate your gratitude more often.

The biggest reason I’m mentioning this is because I actually have first-hand experience of the benefits of feeling thankful – and as a guy who isn’t super upbeat and happy all the time, gratitude is what digs me out of some of the worst mindsets – even in Magic.

I’m not going to get into all of the science behind the many, many positive benefits of feeling thankful – the experts mention that pretty well in this article.

I will say this much as it relates to Magic – being grateful will:

• Reduce tilt. Feeling thankful has a way of negating negativity.
• Reduce your pressure to win. Because when you’re grateful, you feel like you already have so much, and you won’t feel like you have to win.
• Improve your experience at a given event.
• Help you think more clearly. Feeling grateful reduces your worries, freeing up brain power for other things – like combat math!

It all adds up to more success in Magic.

How do you be more grateful?

It’s easy. Just think of what you’re grateful for. You can write down what you’re thankful for when you’re in between matches, or you can just think it. It’s really that simple.

When I’m in the middle of a match, I always try to catch myself in the moment every now and then and think to myself, “I’m just thankful that I’m sitting here playing this game that I love.”

If you want to focus on other Magic-related things, you can be thankful for your friends who travel to events with you and playtest with you, or be thankful for the awesome cards that you have. You can even be thankful for your improvement at the game.

Of course, it should go without saying that you shouldn’t simply be thankful for Magic-related things. What else in your life are you grateful for?

If you really want to feel the maximum benefits of gratitude, start your day by thinking of 10 things that you’re thankful for. By the time you get to 8, you’ll feel like you have it all.

Be thankful and win more. It sounds cheesy, but I’m telling you – IT WORKS.

What are some of the things you’re thankful for? Tell us about it by replying to this email or by posting on the MTG Pro Tutor Facebook page.

Thanks for reading.

– Jeff Sheerin, MTG Pro Tutor Scribe