The Competitive MTG Library
Every essential article a serious Magic player should read — from Karsten's manabase math to Saito's tournament mindset. Curated across 15+ years of pro-level writing. Dead links restored via archive.org.
New to MTG? Start with the Your First FNM track — zero jargon.
What's new in the Library
Secrets to INSANE win rates? The MTG Study That Changes Everything
Battle Chads, with Eduardo Sajgalik & Sahar Mirhadi · YouTube · 2026Battle Chads host a conversation with Eduardo Sajgalik (Pro Tour player, longtime competitive analyst) and Sahar Mirhadi on a data-driven MTG study of what actually drives win rates — deck choice, play patterns, and technical skill. Fresh (April 2026), highly recommended by the creator.
Banned & Restricted Announcements
Wizards of the Coast · magic.wizards.com · 2024The official banned and restricted list for every competitive format. Always up-to-date, always the source of truth before a tournament.
Introducing Commander Brackets
A shared vocabulary for deck power level
Gavin Verhey & Wizards of the Coast · Wizards of the Coast · 2024The official 5-bracket power-level system (Exhibition → cEDH) that ended a decade of 'what power level is your deck?' confusion. Rule 0 conversations made concrete.
PV's Rule
Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa · TCGPlayer Infinite · 2024PVDDR's eponymous decision-making rule, distilled from 20+ years of pro-level play. The single heuristic he reaches for first when a play decision feels close — short, memorable, and immediately applicable at any level.
Should You Play What Is Best Or What You Know?
Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa · Three For One Trading · 2024PVDDR on the eternal tournament question: is it better to play the strongest deck or the deck you know best? His honest, nuanced answer.
Start Here — Your First FNM
7 welcoming reads to help you prepare for your first Friday Night Magic — mana bases, mulligans, and how to play your deck instead of fighting it. Skip ahead to RCQ, Pro Tour, Commander, or Limited once these feel natural.
7 reads · 34 min total
All Reading Tracks — Pick Your Level
Your First FNM
7 articlesStarting out — give yourself a fighting chance
For players preparing for their first Friday Night Magic. The foundations that help you play your deck, not fight it.
Level One: Building a Mana Base
Reid Duke · Wizards of the Coast · 2014From Reid Duke's foundational Level One course on magic.wizards.com — the chapter that teaches you how to build a balanced, reliable mana base. Every concept built from the ground up, no gatekeeping, no jargon.
If you only read ONE thing about manabase construction before your first FNM, make it this. Reid writes like he's patiently teaching his younger self — and the chapter is hosted directly on magic.wizards.com. It's THAT good.
How Many Lands Do You Need in Your Deck?
An Updated Analysis (2022)
Frank Karsten · TCGPlayer Infinite · 2022Karsten's 2022 refresh of the definitive answer to 'how many lands should my deck have?' with updated hypergeometric tables adjusted for the London mulligan era. The mathematical foundation of ManaTuner.
This is the article that makes ManaTuner possible. Karsten works out the math so every deckbuilder can stop guessing. If you read only one piece about manabase construction, make it this one — and read it with ManaTuner open in another tab.
How to Beat Bad Luck
Matti Kuisma · Hareruya · 2021A Finnish pro breaks down the difference between variance you should accept and variance you can fight — and how beginners confuse the two.
Everyone loses their first FNM to 'bad luck'. This article is the medicine: Kuisma shows you exactly when variance is real, when it's an excuse, and what to do about both. If you've ever said 'I would have won if I had drawn my lands', read this twice.
The Art of the Mulligan
Patrick Chapin · StarCityGames · 2010Chapin's canonical treatment of when to keep, when to mull, and why. The article that made the mulligan a skill instead of a reflex.
Chapin wrote this in 2010 and it's still cited in 2026 pro-level discussions. He treats the mulligan as a mini-game you can train for, with a framework every beginner needs before their first tournament.
Important Things for Tournament Success
Part 2: Having Fun
Tomoharu Saito · ChannelFireball · 2013Part 2 of Saito's 6-part series on tournament success. On why "having fun" is not the opposite of taking Magic seriously — it's the engine that makes taking it seriously sustainable.
If your first FNM is stressful, Saito's answer is counterintuitive: the pros who last are the ones who kept having fun. This piece will save you from burning out before you even get good.
Level One: Mulligans
Reid Duke · Wizards of the Coast · 2015The Level One chapter on mulligans: the "Two to Five Lands" default, when linear decks break that rule, and how to stop feel-drafting opening hands.
Chapin gives you the philosophy. Reid gives you the default rule: keep 2–5 lands, ship the rest — then the exceptions. It's the safety net before you refine like a grinder. Read this the night before your first FNM.
Level One: Sequencing
Reid Duke · Wizards of the Coast · 2015How to order spells and land drops to minimize dead turns, maximize mana use, and avoid free losses from bad sequencing.
The Analyzer tells you whether you can cast a spell. Sequencing tells you in which order you should. Reid covers the skill without set spoilers — pure long-term fundamentals.
Preparing for an RCQ
10 articlesLeveling up — the competitive curriculum
For players moving from FNM to Regional Championship Qualifiers. The articles that separate regulars from competitors.
Six Heuristics to Make You a Better Magic Player
Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa · StarCityGames · 2019PVDDR's decision-making shortcuts — the mental rules of thumb that let top players make good choices under pressure without grinding through every line.
This is the framework that separates a regular from a competitor. PVDDR shows you the six mental shortcuts he actually uses when the clock is ticking — not theoretical, not romantic, just the heuristics that work. Worth the SCG Premium sub for this one article alone.
How to Prepare for a Magic Tournament
Seth Manfield · TCGPlayer Infinite · 2020Hall of Famer Seth Manfield's tournament preparation process — testing cadence, deck selection, sleep, diet, routine. The practical pro workflow.
Before your first RCQ you'll want to know 'what do the pros actually DO the week before a tournament?'. Manfield wrote it down step by step. Copy it, adjust it, make it yours.
Level One: Sideboarding
Reid Duke · Wizards of the Coast · 2015Reid's sideboarding chapter from the Level One course on magic.wizards.com. The framework for building and piloting a 15-card sideboard that actually wins games.
Sideboarding matters in best-of-three matches, including FNM events that use that structure. Check your event's format; this chapter helps you prepare a sideboard plan for local play and an RCQ.
Level One: Sideboard Plans
Reid Duke · Wizards of the Coast · 2015How to build and execute sideboard plans: unify 15-card construction with in-match decisions, matchup by matchup.
Fifteen sideboard cards mean nothing without a written plan. Reid forces the link: what comes out, what comes in, and which role you play game two. Read this the night before your first RCQ.
Level One: Mulligans Part III — Constructed
Reid Duke · Wizards of the Coast · 2015Mulligans in Constructed beyond the beginner heuristic: archetype exceptions, functional hands vs pretty hands, and linear-deck traps.
The 2–5 land rule breaks as soon as your deck is linear. This is the chapter you re-read before an RCQ with a deck that loses if it misses a key piece — the live replacement for lost CFB mulligan theory.
It's Better to Make One Mistake Everyone Sees Than Two Only You Know About
Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa · ChannelFireball · 2018PVDDR on how perfectionism about visible mistakes often causes bigger invisible mistakes. A counterintuitive essay on error acceptance and growth.
Rescued from archive.org. This is the article that changed how I think about my own mistakes — you'll read it once and then again a year later and see completely different things. Accept visible mistakes, hunt invisible ones.
Tournament Preparation Like A Pro: Ladder And Series
Rémi Fortier · MTGdecks · 2022French pro Rémi Fortier's practical framework for structured tournament prep: using ladder grinding and tournament series as stepping stones instead of sporadic one-offs.
Fortier is a Pro Tour veteran and one of the most structured minds in competitive MTG. This piece is the process — specific, time-boxed, actually executable. Nothing like it in the English-speaking scene at this level of rigor.
Using Your Time Wisely
Zvi Mowshowitz · StarCityGames · 2010Zvi on time management for tournament weekends. With Magic information so readily available across multiple formats, he explains how to maximize potential through expert testing schedule and last-minute deck choice discipline.
If you've ever left your deck choice to the night before, this is the article. Zvi's framework for budgeting your prep hours is the bridge between FNM-grinding and RCQ-ready. Required reading the week before any competitive event.
How Many Sources Do You Need to Consistently Cast Your Spells? (2022 Update)
Frank Karsten · TCGPlayer Infinite · 2022The 2022 update of Karsten's canonical manabase tables. Adjusts for the London mulligan rule and modern format speeds. The working reference used by ManaTuner's engine.
Land count is half the story — colored sources are the other half. This is the table ManaTuner's engine implements. Bring your decklist, open the Analyzer, and check every pip. Required before any multi-color RCQ list goes to print.
An Introduction to the Hypergeometric Distribution for Magic Players
Frank Karsten · ChannelFireball · 2018Karsten explains the hypergeometric distribution applied to Magic decks — the math foundation behind land counts, colored sources, and probability tools like ManaTuner.
If the Karsten tables are the GPS, this article is the cartography course. Hypergeometric without unnecessary jargon — exactly ManaTuner's contract. Read it before you argue with a percentage on the Analyzer.
Pro Tour Preparation
9 articlesMastering — the hidden canon
For grinders who have read the classics. International pros, rescued archives, and deep game theory you will not find on other reading lists.
Important Things for Tournament Success
Part 1: Concentration
Tomoharu Saito · ChannelFireball · 2013Opening article of Saito's 6-part series. Concentration as a trainable skill — not a mood, not willpower, but a discipline with specific exercises.
Saito writes about the mental state of competitive play with a rigor nobody in the English scene matches. If you've never considered that concentration is a skill you can train like any other, start here. Then read parts 3-7 below.
Innovation And Performance In Magic: The DASH Method
Rémi Fortier · MTGdecks · 2022Fortier's four-step framework (Diagnose, Archetype, Select, Hone) for deck innovation and tournament performance. A methodology, not a recipe.
This is the article Fortier wrote after years of Pro Tour preparation. It's the kind of structured thinking about innovation that usually stays in private Discord servers. The fact that it's publicly available and in English is a minor miracle.
Puzzling Improvements
Pierre Dagen · Hareruya · 2021French Pro Tour regular Pierre Dagen on the small, puzzle-like decisions that compound over a tournament weekend. How to hunt edges everyone else walks past.
Dagen is one of the sharpest minds on the European circuit but most of his writing stays in French. This Hareruya piece in English is the rare window into his process — focus on the accumulation of micro-edges, not the search for a silver bullet.
Les Bases de la Théorie des Jeux (appliquée à Magic)
Moudou · YouTube · 2023French video series teaching game theory fundamentals through Magic examples. Mixed strategies, Nash equilibrium, minimax — all applied to real tournament decisions.
Moudou teaches game theory the way it should be taught — every concept anchored to a Magic scenario you've actually been in. In French, but the math is universal. If you've ever wondered why pros randomize their bluffs, this series is the answer.
61 Cards — Magic Russian Roulette
Patrick Chapin · StarCityGames · 2013Chapin on why cutting your deck to 60 cards is a harder decision than it looks — decision theory applied to a problem every deckbuilder faces.
Every time you choose between 60 and 61 cards you're making a decision-theory problem into an ego problem. Chapin forces you to think clearly about it. One of the purest 'theory' articles ever written about Magic.
Comprehensive MTG Maths Inventory
Anaël YAHI · Google Sheets · 2023A living inventory of every mathematical tool, article, and creator relevant to competitive MTG. Community-maintained, cross-referenced.
This spreadsheet is the meta-resource. Every time you wonder 'has anyone computed X for Magic?', the answer is in Anaël's inventory. ManaTuner itself belongs in this lineage — consider this the map of the territory we're all exploring.
Should You Play What Is Best Or What You Know?
Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa · Three For One Trading · 2024PVDDR on the eternal tournament question: is it better to play the strongest deck or the deck you know best? His honest, nuanced answer.
The most common question a grinder faces on tournament week. PVDDR's answer is not the one you'd expect from a Hall of Famer — it's actually more empathetic than dogmatic, and it will change how you think about your own deck choices.
Information Cascades in Magic
Patrick Chapin · StarCityGames · 2006Chapin on how testing groups converge on flawed conclusions when each member trusts others' tests more than their own. The information theory framework that explains why entire metagames sometimes get stuck in local optima.
The article every competitive Magic player should read once a year. Chapin shows how 'information cascades' lead testing teams astray — and how to break the loop. The intellectual ancestor of every modern 'why is this deck still tier 1' debate.
The Elephant Method: A Case Study
Zvi Mowshowitz · StarCityGames · 2013Hall of Famer Zvi Mowshowitz walks through how he used the Elephant method to tune Team SCG's Bant Control deck for Pro Tour Dragon's Maze. The most accessible introduction to one of the deepest deckbuilding methodologies in MTG.
Zvi's 'Elephant method' is one of those concepts pros reference constantly without ever defining. This case study IS the definition. Read it once and you'll understand why every PT-winning deck has a single 'elephant' card driving the build.
Commander Pod
5 articlesPiloting 100 cards — singleton, multiplayer, political
You're past 60-card. Your deck is 100 cards, singleton, built around a commander. Turns go long, tables have four seats, and the math is different. The Commander canon — manabase theory for 100-card, bracket system, pod politics, and the authors the rest of the internet ignores.
What's an Optimal Mana Curve and Land/Ramp Count for Commander?
Frank Karsten · ChannelFireball · 2019Karsten's adaptation of his manabase math to 100-card singleton Commander. Optimal curve, land count, and ramp targets — different formulas, same rigor as his Constructed work.
The anchor of the Commander track. Karsten proves that 60-card intuition breaks in singleton — you need different land counts, different ramp curves, different hypergeometric inputs. Read this first, then open ManaTuner with a Commander preset.
Introducing Commander Brackets
A shared vocabulary for deck power level
Gavin Verhey & Wizards of the Coast · Wizards of the Coast · 2024The official 5-bracket power-level system (Exhibition → cEDH) that ended a decade of 'what power level is your deck?' confusion. Rule 0 conversations made concrete.
Before this document, every pod started with a 10-minute negotiation. Now you say 'Bracket 2-3' and everyone shuffles up. Read it, memorize the five tiers, and stop having the same conversation twice a week.
The Command Zone
Commander deckbuilding & multiplayer theory (podcast)
Jimmy Wong & Josh Lee Kwai · Command Zone Studios · 2015The most-listened-to Commander podcast. Weekly deep-dives on deckbuilding, format theory, multiplayer politics, and threat assessment. Ten years of archives, searchable by topic.
If you commute or do dishes, this is your Commander university. Jimmy and Josh treat threat assessment, archenemy dynamics, and deck ratios with more rigor than most 60-card content. Start with any 'Deckbuilding Discussion' episode — you won't regret it.
Game Knights
Commander gameplay & political play patterns (video series)
Josh Lee Kwai & Jimmy Wong · Command Zone Studios · 2016The flagship 4-player Commander gameplay show. Watch pros and guests navigate pods, negotiate, bluff, and punish overextension. The fastest way to internalize table politics.
You can read about threat assessment for a year, or you can watch 4 episodes of Game Knights and feel it. Every episode is a masterclass in 'why not attack that player yet?' — the question that separates winners from kingmakers.
EDHREC Articles
Data-driven Commander deckbuilding
EDHREC Staff & Contributors · EDHREC · 2015The strategy hub behind EDHREC — inclusion rates, commander statistics, theme analyses, and weekly data-driven columns. The closest thing Commander has to 17lands.
EDHREC is where Commander players check deck ratios, but the *Articles* section is where you learn WHY those ratios hold. Start with any Community Spotlight or 'Commander Showcase' piece, then dig into the column archives for your favorite color pair.
Limited (Draft & Sealed)
6 articlesCracking packs — from signals to curves
For the pre-release hero, the cube captain, and the draft grinder. Reading the signals, building the curve from 40-card chaos, and the data-driven Limited coverage that changed how the format is played.
Limited Resources
Weekly Limited strategy with Marshall & LSV (podcast)
Marshall Sutcliffe & Luis Scott-Vargas · Limited Resources · 201015+ years of weekly Limited coverage by two Hall of Fame caliber players. Set reviews, draft archetypes, signal reading, and the format's living history.
If you draft or sealed at all, Limited Resources is non-negotiable. Marshall and LSV walk through every new set, every meta shift, every archetype evolution — usually the week a set drops. Start with the set review for whatever's current on Arena.
17Lands Blog
Data-driven Limited analysis
17Lands Team · 17lands.com · 2020The tool that changed how Limited is studied. Win rates by card, archetype performance, game-in-hand vs. opening-hand statistics. Backed by millions of real MTGA games.
Before 17lands, 'this card is good' was a feel. After 17lands, it's a GIH WR percentage. This blog is where the team publishes set-level analysis — read it alongside LR to hear intuition and data agree (or disagree).
Reading the Signals — A Draft Fundamentals Primer
Luis Scott-Vargas · ChannelFireball · 2012The classic beginner primer on reading what your neighbors pass: signals, open colors, when to pivot. Cited in every draft guide ever written; the ChannelFireball original went dark when CFB migrated, archive.org preserves the canonical shape.
A formative draft essay — LSV made 'reading signals' legible to a whole generation. If the Wayback snapshot doesn't open on your first try, use Reid's Signals chapter in this track — same lesson, stable Wizards host.
Level One: Signals in Booster Draft
Reid Duke · Wizards of the Coast · 2015Reading draft signals: what neighbors pass, when colors are open, when to force, and when to pivot.
If LSV's archived classic doesn't load, start here. Same core lesson (signals, open colors, pivots) on a live Wizards URL that won't rot.
Level One: Sideboarding in Limited
Reid Duke · Wizards of the Coast · 2015Sideboarding in Limited: using the remaining pool, answering bombs, and what changes between sealed and draft.
In Limited your sideboard is a pool, not a built 15. Reid kills the trap of bringing Constructed sideboard habits into sealed — essential before your first sealed RCQ or prerelease grind.
Level One: Mulligans Part II — Limited
Reid Duke · Wizards of the Coast · 2015Mulligans in Limited beyond the 2–5 land rule: splashy hands, sealed vs draft, and when "almost" is a ship.
Seventeen lands in sealed is not twenty-four in Standard. Reid walks keepable Limited hands when the beginner rule stops being enough.
Browse By Topic
Showing 28 of 28 articles outside the reading tracks above
Fundamentals (6)
Level One: Role Assignment
Reid Duke · Wizards of the Coast · 2015Who's the beatdown in this matchup? Reid formalizes offense/defense role assignment and the traps of getting it wrong.
Level One: Play or Draw?
Reid Duke · Wizards of the Coast · 2015Play or draw: how game length, curve, and mulligans change the die-roll decision — and when to reverse the usual choice.
Next Level Magic Preview — Tempo
Patrick Chapin · StarCityGames · 2009Excerpt from Next Level Magic on tempo: a framework linking mana resources, card economy, and initiative beyond "play on curve".
Level One: The Full Course
Reid Duke · Wizards of the Coast · 2015The complete index of Reid Duke's Level One course on magic.wizards.com. Every chapter linked from one page — the most comprehensive beginner-to-intermediate competitive curriculum in MTG history. Featured chapters in this library: mana base, mulligans, sequencing, sideboarding, role assignment, play/draw, and Limited.
Who's the Beatdown II: Multitasking
Zvi Mowshowitz · TCGPlayer (legacy) · 2003Zvi's sequel to Mike Flores's 'Who's the Beatdown?'. Where Flores teaches the binary (you are either offense or defense), Zvi teaches the harder reality: multi-axis games where you must do both at once. The natural follow-up after the original.
Who's the Beatdown?
Mike Flores · StarCityGames · 1999The single most-cited article in competitive Magic history. Flores' 1999 meditation on who plays offense and who plays defense in any matchup.
Manabase & Mana Math (3)
How Many Colored Mana Sources Do You Need to Consistently Cast Your Spells?
Guilds of Ravnica Update (2018)
Frank Karsten · ChannelFireball · 2018The 2018 pre-London-mulligan version, preserved for historical and cross-reference value. Still cited when a deck hasn't migrated to the modern tables.
Level One: Play or Draw?
Reid Duke · Wizards of the Coast · 2015Play or draw: how game length, curve, and mulligans change the die-roll decision — and when to reverse the usual choice.
What Are the New London Mulligan Odds?
Frank Karsten · ChannelFireball · 2019Karsten computing the mulligan-adjusted probabilities under the London rule. The math behind every "do I keep this?" you face at turn zero.
Deckbuilding & Archetypes (4)
Next Level Deckbuilding
Patrick Chapin · StarCityGames · 2013Chapin's deckbuilding theory book (eBook on StarCityGames). Archetype theory, innovation cycles, and the discipline of building decks that punch above their individual card quality.
Level One: The Full Course
Reid Duke · Wizards of the Coast · 2015The complete index of Reid Duke's Level One course on magic.wizards.com. Every chapter linked from one page — the most comprehensive beginner-to-intermediate competitive curriculum in MTG history. Featured chapters in this library: mana base, mulligans, sequencing, sideboarding, role assignment, play/draw, and Limited.
The Ten Commandments of Deckbuilding
Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa · ChannelFireball · 2013PVDDR's ten-point deckbuilding checklist. Every pro who has published a deckbuilding piece since 2013 has referenced this article.
Dans la peau d'un grand père à Magic, avec Erwan Maisonneuve
Episode #164 — La science du control
Théau Mery & Erwan Maisonneuve · Le Podcaster Mage · 2023Erwan Maisonneuve, co-auteur du Manuel du Joueur de Control, parle de la science du control — l'art de gagner avec des decks qui jouent en réaction. Une masterclass française rare sur l'archétype le plus mal compris.
Mulligans & Sequencing (4)
When to Mulligan
Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa · ChannelFireball · 2015PVDDR's decision tree for mulligan decisions in constructed formats. More actionable than Chapin's abstract framework — direct rules for real tournament hands.
Level One: Play or Draw?
Reid Duke · Wizards of the Coast · 2015Play or draw: how game length, curve, and mulligans change the die-roll decision — and when to reverse the usual choice.
What Are the New London Mulligan Odds?
Frank Karsten · ChannelFireball · 2019Karsten computing the mulligan-adjusted probabilities under the London rule. The math behind every "do I keep this?" you face at turn zero.
Mulligans
Luis Scott-Vargas · ChannelFireball · 2012LSV's pragmatic take on mulligan decisions — less theoretical than Chapin, less systematic than PVDDR, but delightfully direct.
Sideboarding (2)
Level One: Role Assignment
Reid Duke · Wizards of the Coast · 2015Who's the beatdown in this matchup? Reid formalizes offense/defense role assignment and the traps of getting it wrong.
How to Sideboard
Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa · ChannelFireball · 2014PVDDR's systematic framework for constructing and using a 15-card sideboard. The 'why' behind every slot.
Metagame & Data (5)
Important Things for Tournament Success
Part 4: Familiarizing Yourself With the Metagame
Tomoharu Saito · ChannelFireball · 2013Part 4: how to build real metagame knowledge instead of surface-level netdeck awareness. The Saito method for mapping a format.
Banned & Restricted Announcements
Wizards of the Coast · magic.wizards.com · 2024The official banned and restricted list for every competitive format. Always up-to-date, always the source of truth before a tournament.
TUTO MTGO: Est-ce mieux qu'MTGA? (oui)
El_Gran_Boa · YouTube · 2023French video by El_Gran_Boa (TCG FR channel) comparing Magic Online to MTG Arena, arguing MTGO is the better client for serious players. A natural entry point for French Arena players curious about switching.
Petite leçon de stops
Jean-Emmanuel Depraz · YouTube · 2023Essential French video by Pro Tour player Jean-Emmanuel Depraz on MTGO stops — the priority-passing system every online player must master to avoid catastrophic misplays.
Secrets to INSANE win rates? The MTG Study That Changes Everything
Battle Chads, with Eduardo Sajgalik & Sahar Mirhadi · YouTube · 2026Battle Chads host a conversation with Eduardo Sajgalik (Pro Tour player, longtime competitive analyst) and Sahar Mirhadi on a data-driven MTG study of what actually drives win rates — deck choice, play patterns, and technical skill. Fresh (April 2026), highly recommended by the creator.
Tournament Mindset (10)
Important Things for Tournament Success
Part 3: Improving Your Magic Environment
Tomoharu Saito · ChannelFireball · 2013Part 3: how your physical environment, playgroup, and daily routine silently shape your competitive ceiling. Saito on the inputs nobody talks about.
Important Things for Tournament Success
Part 4: Familiarizing Yourself With the Metagame
Tomoharu Saito · ChannelFireball · 2013Part 4: how to build real metagame knowledge instead of surface-level netdeck awareness. The Saito method for mapping a format.
Important Things for Tournament Success
Part 5: Building Connections
Tomoharu Saito · ChannelFireball · 2013Part 5: competitive Magic as a social graph. How Saito built the relationships that kept him sharp over a 20-year career.
Important Things for Tournament Success
Part 7: Other Lessons Learned
Tomoharu Saito · ChannelFireball · 2013Part 7 (there is no Part 6 — Saito's publishing order): the closing chapter of the series with the lessons that did not fit anywhere else.
PV's Rule
Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa · TCGPlayer Infinite · 2024PVDDR's eponymous decision-making rule, distilled from 20+ years of pro-level play. The single heuristic he reaches for first when a play decision feels close — short, memorable, and immediately applicable at any level.
Level One: The Full Course
Reid Duke · Wizards of the Coast · 2015The complete index of Reid Duke's Level One course on magic.wizards.com. Every chapter linked from one page — the most comprehensive beginner-to-intermediate competitive curriculum in MTG history. Featured chapters in this library: mana base, mulligans, sequencing, sideboarding, role assignment, play/draw, and Limited.
Level-up : Avoir un plan
Episode #15
Charles Wickham & Théau Mery · Le Podcaster Mage · 2019Deep dive sur l'un des concepts majeurs du Magic compétitif : avoir un plan. Théau et Charles expliquent comment formuler, ajuster, et exécuter un game plan tour par tour — le pendant audio du concept central de PVDDR et Reid Duke.
Level-up : La cohérence à Magic, avec J-E Depraz
Episode #67
Charles Wickham, Théau Mery & Jean-Emmanuel Depraz · Le Podcaster Mage · 2021Le Pro Tour player Jean-Emmanuel Depraz (le même que sur 'Petite leçon de stops' dans cette librairie) explique pourquoi la cohérence — interne au deck et au plan de jeu — est la skill la plus sous-estimée du joueur compétitif.
Level-up : Tourner autour des cartes
Episode #92
Charles Wickham & Théau Mery · Le Podcaster Mage · 2021Tous les tips and tricks pour 'tourner autour des cartes' — la skill de jouer autour des cartes adverses sans connaître leur main exacte. Range-finding et lecture d'informations cachées, en français.
Level-up : Les heuristiques, c'est pas automatique
Episode #125
Charles Wickham & Théau Mery · Le Podcaster Mage · 2022Les heuristiques — ces petites règles qui permettent de prendre des décisions plus rapidement — et leurs limites. Quand les appliquer, quand les remettre en question. Le pendant audio du PVDDR Six Heuristics dans cette même librairie.
Advanced Theory (9)
PV's Rule
Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa · TCGPlayer Infinite · 2024PVDDR's eponymous decision-making rule, distilled from 20+ years of pro-level play. The single heuristic he reaches for first when a play decision feels close — short, memorable, and immediately applicable at any level.
Next Level Magic Preview — Tempo
Patrick Chapin · StarCityGames · 2009Excerpt from Next Level Magic on tempo: a framework linking mana resources, card economy, and initiative beyond "play on curve".
Who's the Beatdown II: Multitasking
Zvi Mowshowitz · TCGPlayer (legacy) · 2003Zvi's sequel to Mike Flores's 'Who's the Beatdown?'. Where Flores teaches the binary (you are either offense or defense), Zvi teaches the harder reality: multi-axis games where you must do both at once. The natural follow-up after the original.
Secrets to INSANE win rates? The MTG Study That Changes Everything
Battle Chads, with Eduardo Sajgalik & Sahar Mirhadi · YouTube · 2026Battle Chads host a conversation with Eduardo Sajgalik (Pro Tour player, longtime competitive analyst) and Sahar Mirhadi on a data-driven MTG study of what actually drives win rates — deck choice, play patterns, and technical skill. Fresh (April 2026), highly recommended by the creator.
Level-up : La cohérence à Magic, avec J-E Depraz
Episode #67
Charles Wickham, Théau Mery & Jean-Emmanuel Depraz · Le Podcaster Mage · 2021Le Pro Tour player Jean-Emmanuel Depraz (le même que sur 'Petite leçon de stops' dans cette librairie) explique pourquoi la cohérence — interne au deck et au plan de jeu — est la skill la plus sous-estimée du joueur compétitif.
Level-up : Tourner autour des cartes
Episode #92
Charles Wickham & Théau Mery · Le Podcaster Mage · 2021Tous les tips and tricks pour 'tourner autour des cartes' — la skill de jouer autour des cartes adverses sans connaître leur main exacte. Range-finding et lecture d'informations cachées, en français.
Level-up : Les heuristiques, c'est pas automatique
Episode #125
Charles Wickham & Théau Mery · Le Podcaster Mage · 2022Les heuristiques — ces petites règles qui permettent de prendre des décisions plus rapidement — et leurs limites. Quand les appliquer, quand les remettre en question. Le pendant audio du PVDDR Six Heuristics dans cette même librairie.
Dans la peau d'un grand père à Magic, avec Erwan Maisonneuve
Episode #164 — La science du control
Théau Mery & Erwan Maisonneuve · Le Podcaster Mage · 2023Erwan Maisonneuve, co-auteur du Manuel du Joueur de Control, parle de la science du control — l'art de gagner avec des decks qui jouent en réaction. Une masterclass française rare sur l'archétype le plus mal compris.
What's the Play? The Looter Problem
Luis Scott-Vargas · ChannelFireball · 2014LSV's classic decision-theory puzzle on sequencing with a Looter effect. Original ChannelFireball page is dead and no archive.org snapshot has been found.
Podcasts (5)
Level-up : Avoir un plan
Episode #15
Charles Wickham & Théau Mery · Le Podcaster Mage · 2019Deep dive sur l'un des concepts majeurs du Magic compétitif : avoir un plan. Théau et Charles expliquent comment formuler, ajuster, et exécuter un game plan tour par tour — le pendant audio du concept central de PVDDR et Reid Duke.
Level-up : La cohérence à Magic, avec J-E Depraz
Episode #67
Charles Wickham, Théau Mery & Jean-Emmanuel Depraz · Le Podcaster Mage · 2021Le Pro Tour player Jean-Emmanuel Depraz (le même que sur 'Petite leçon de stops' dans cette librairie) explique pourquoi la cohérence — interne au deck et au plan de jeu — est la skill la plus sous-estimée du joueur compétitif.
Level-up : Tourner autour des cartes
Episode #92
Charles Wickham & Théau Mery · Le Podcaster Mage · 2021Tous les tips and tricks pour 'tourner autour des cartes' — la skill de jouer autour des cartes adverses sans connaître leur main exacte. Range-finding et lecture d'informations cachées, en français.
Level-up : Les heuristiques, c'est pas automatique
Episode #125
Charles Wickham & Théau Mery · Le Podcaster Mage · 2022Les heuristiques — ces petites règles qui permettent de prendre des décisions plus rapidement — et leurs limites. Quand les appliquer, quand les remettre en question. Le pendant audio du PVDDR Six Heuristics dans cette même librairie.
Dans la peau d'un grand père à Magic, avec Erwan Maisonneuve
Episode #164 — La science du control
Théau Mery & Erwan Maisonneuve · Le Podcaster Mage · 2023Erwan Maisonneuve, co-auteur du Manuel du Joueur de Control, parle de la science du control — l'art de gagner avec des decks qui jouent en réaction. Une masterclass française rare sur l'archétype le plus mal compris.
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