Sebastián Pozzo was thrilled when he learned of the creation of the Magic Pro League a year ago. With the competitive debut of MTG Arena moving Magic into the esports realm–not to mention the stability it provided for those competing at the highest levels of the game–Pozzo felt like Magic was making giant strides forward.
There was just one problem: he was on the outside looking in.
"If they had announced the MPL one year earlier I would have been in it, but as it worked out I didn't have quite a good enough year to make it. I felt like I was step a behind," he said. "That was hard."
Just one year removed from being the best Constructed player in the world across professional Magic, it was a tough pill to swallow for the Argentinean. At the same time, Pozzo's friends and teammates reached even greater heights: Luis Salvatto earned the Player of the Year title, Javier Dominguez won the Magic World Championship, and Matias Leveratto won Mythic Championship III this year. Even as he celebrated their successes, Pozzo was left fighting for his own breakthrough in the new world of Magic.
For many in Pozzo's position, it would be impossible to stay motivated. Timing and circumstance had left him wondering what the future of Magic held for him. But missing the cutoff for the Magic Pro League did offer Pozzo one thing that inclusion never could: perspective. Unable to compete in the MPL, Pozzo instead looked inward. He identified the parts of his game he felt most needed improvement and went to work on himself, even as he struggled to post a great finish at the first Mythic Championships in the 2019 season.
"My New Year's resolution was to get better in my mindset, [changing] the way I approached tournaments and my mental preparation," he explained. "We play under a lot of pressure at these tournaments, and when I think of the best players in the world it's the players who are always calm and cool. I think it's the mental side that is more important than just great technical play."
Pozzo summed his philosophy with a succinct belief. "Magic isn't a game of making genius plays; it's a game of not making mistakes."
As he worked to improve his approach and get to where he wanted to go, he realized that missing out on the Magic Pro League may have been hard but it was also presented an opportunity. Why focus on the negative when he could focus on what he still had in front of him?
"I always want to be thankful of what I have. It's about the journey and not just the destination," he said. "Even though I fell outside of the MPL, I appreciated the opportunities I had. I've never felt like the universe was out to get me, and I think if you focus too much on the negative things that happen to you then you'll never move forward.
"If I had made the MPL this year I may not have been able to appreciate it. I've seen players who have a lot of success early, and when that success doesn't come later it's easy to get frustrated. That's why Javier is such a great model. He just loves to play the game, and even after he won [the Magic World Championship] he wasn't any different. For me, that was amazing to see."
Watching his friends succeed only reinforced Pozzo's commitment to the process.
"I know those guys; they're humans and they make mistakes but they are good enough to win. That was motivating," he explained. "One of the reasons I admire Javier is that he had a lot of close misses before he won."
Pozzo took that to heart and kept working—and it soon paid off. He made it to Mythic Championship V via MTG Arena qualifier.
"MTG Arena has no borders. I was able to qualify from playing from home, and then I finished in 20th at that tournament," Pozzo recalled. "That was huge for me."
It was the exact springboard Pozzo needed. With the Mythic points from the event and the announcement of the Rivals League, suddenly he had both a goal to shoot for and a realistic path to get there.
And then came Mythic Championship VI in Richmond.
One of the players that inspired me the most to improve my game! Gracias! https://t.co/5bWFai0HCo
— Sebastián Pozzo (@sebastianpozzo) November 10, 2019
It was a lifechanging tournament for Pozzo, who entered the tournament feeling the pressure but began Round 1 with a sense of freedom as it was announced that he and other players who had competed at recent tabletop Magic Mythic Championships would receive invitations to the first Players Tour of 2020. What followed was possibly the best weekend of Pozzo's career as he stormed his way to his first Mythic Championship Top 8 and advanced all the way to the semifinals before dropping a close match to Hall of Fame member—and Magic Pro League player—Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa.
Less than a year after missing the Magic Pro League, Pozzo finds himself heading to Magic World Championship XXVI as one of the four top Mythic Point-earning Challengers from across the world.
"I made my first Top 8 in a field of 500, which was a dream for me," he said, "That's a huge personal achievement for me regardless of what happens with the MPL or [the World Championship]. My approach isn't going to change: I'm going to keep focusing on the things I can control and take what comes with that."
That mindset was exactly what Pozzo needed as the final round—and his final 2020 MPL hopes—closed out at Mythic Championship VII.
It's going to take me a while to digest this but it makes me want to improve! There where many games I lost this year that I could have won to prevent this scenario, so I will learn from this and do better next year. Om Shanti. https://t.co/4CoyqDdBqn
— Sebastián Pozzo (@sebastianpozzo) December 8, 2019
Invitation to the Magic Rivals League and qualification to the most prestigious event of the year—Magic World Championship XXVI—is the stepping stone Pozzo will use to make his case for the Magic Pro League in 2020.
Get to know more about the incredible competitors of Magic World Championship XXVI and find your champion for February!