EXT. NIGHT – LOCAL GAMING STORE, FRIDAY
Day One of Duskmourn Draft is the prologue of the film, when you have an idea of what you're getting into but nothing has been locked in yet. It's the dread manifesting. As the film begins, it ramps up the
If you're a horror movie buff, I hope you're enjoying Duskmourn as much as I am. I should also warn you ahead of time that the card references may keep coming, just like the
But, much like the opening scene of a horror flick where the characters you meet don't always survive until the end, this prologue will give you a taste of what you're in for without telling you how it ends.
Limited enthusiast Sierkovitz, a former Pro Tour player, explained that formats tend to follow a similar formula. Sierkovitz spends most of his time analyzing new Limited formats from his home in Cornwall.
"It's a bit of a myth that the format is solved in the first week," he explained. "Sure, most of the time the 'best' deck is found early by invested players and they feast, but that's only the first step. The real solving starts after that. You can't expect week-one strategies to stay on top in week four. Draft is a self-correcting game where you have to constantly keep moving just to stay in the same place."
That's a perfect description of competitive Limited. That philosophy is why so many players heading to Vegas next month plan to put hundreds of hours of preparation into their Duskmourn games. So, how are the best of the best enjoying the House?
INT. NIGHT – SUBURBAN HOUSE
In this room, lit dimly by a computer screen, we have one of the most intimidating sights of all: a World Championship competitor firing up Magic Online ready to do battle.
"My general approach with new sets is to experiment as much as possible. I like to prioritize cards and strategies I haven't tried yet and see what I can make work rather than just drafting the 'best decks,' which are usually wide open in the first week," explained Ryan Condon, whose Limited prowess guided him to a 2nd-place finish at Arena Championship 5 earlier this year.
For Condon and other members of Team Sanctum of All, "getting ahead of the format" should be taken literally.
"In general, I think getting experience with the set ahead of time is irreplaceable," they explained. "When getting to know a Limited format, I want to find a set of archetypes and a set of drafting strategies that flow well together and give me a flexible approach to any draft. I tend to spend the early part of the draft picking up uncommons and rares that I know matter more than all the commons without committing myself to a color, picking those flexible commons if none of those cards are available, then settling in a color pair once the signals become clearer."
If that sounds like it's a little in the weeds, that's because it is. The weeds are where the winning gets done.
"Right now, I'm really excited for four-color and five-color nonsense decks, and I hope they end up being good in this format. These tend to be my favorite archetypes to draft because they require skill but are often quite consistent to put together once you know what to prioritize," Condon elaborated. "But, like any good Limited player, I'm excited to draft what I'll win with.
"I intend to win the World Championship this year, so check back with me later."
🏆 start taking Eomer pic.twitter.com/UBHrQCp0M7
— Ryan Condon (@rcondon17) September 24, 2024
While Condon dives in before they can even hold the set in their hands, Eduardo Sajgalik doesn't
"I think I have a very different approach, because I barely look at sets until a couple of days in," he explained.
When I started working on this edition of "The Week That Was," I can't say I expected to hear that. But digging deeper, Sajgalik's logic matches that of his peers. The early days of Duskmourn have been about experimenting, and only after some time will that grinding of Pro Tour preparations kick in. For Sajgalik, who has been a key part of Team Worldly Counsel for years, spearheading the team's Limited prep, focusing on the process has never been more rewarding.
"The Limited metagame will evolve in the coming days and weeks following release, so early on, there's no need to over-analyze. Just read the cards, learn the mechanics, and have fun! After that, you need to work to understand that metagame as it evolves. Online resources are critical, but dig deeper and don't just look at the top cards," he explained. "Look into what people are underrating, find the cards that are good in multiple archetypes, and try to get a vision for what makes sense to draft in the set."
While Sajgalik may take a few days to start burrowing into Duskmourn, that doesn't mean he's idle.
"Biases are very dangerous, and it's very likely you will develop some when first playing a set," he explained. "Watching a wide variety of viewpoints, like different streamers, can help you see differences and make critical judgments on whether you agree or disagree with their takes. Don't dismiss things right away. Even if you disagree with an evaluation, it might give you information into how others perceive the set, which can give you an incredible edge come tournament time.
"I love the underrated cards, the gold in the mud. There's always something out there that people miss on, and nothing feels better than winning $2,000 in an Arena Open because you got a last-pick common that fits perfectly into your archetype."
For the longtime Pro Tour competitor, the love for this process goes way back. All the way back to the days of large-scale regional Prelease events.
"I recall qualifying for my first Pro Tour because I learned the set while judging a Prerelease event in Paris. I remember how huge they were, about 500 players, and it gave me a wider view of the format," recalled Sajgalik, who hopes to write up much of the draft process he's perfected with Team Worldly Counsel into a free mini-book for aspiring Magic up-and-comers. "That's one of the reasons I'm such a big proponent of watching streams to learn. You focus on different aspects watching Magic than you do playing Magic.
"I've seen the evolution of what we've done with Team Worldly Counsel and how we've improved over time to become a Limited force at Pro Tours. Taking in new players from around the world, showing our process, and seeing them succeed is something that makes me really happy, and I want to make that as accessible as possible to everyone."
The Road to Magic World Championship 30
EXT. DAY – LAS VEGAS CONVENTION CENTER
Over the past six months, Frank Karsten and I have been looking back at each of the previous 29 World Championships as we approach Magic World Championship 30 coming up in Las Vegas. Thousands of Magic enthusiasts will flock to the desert a few short weeks from now, and by the time the dust settles on the weekend, we'll have crowned our new World Champion from among the small field.
We started back with old magazines, grainy footage, and classic decks from a different century. Today, we're up to the year 2021 and a Magic World Championship that set a milestone in a different way: it was the first (and so far, only) World Championship to be played entirely remotely. Like many things in that time, it was a novel experience for all involved. While it may not have looked exactly like the World Championships that preceded it, the level of competition was as elite as ever.
For Yuta Takahashi, the start was a nightmare: he finished the dreaded 0-3 in Draft. That's almost impossible to come back from with almost zero margin for error at the World Championship. It would take a perfect Standard run to make the playoffs, and that's exactly what Takahashi delivered from his home in Japan. He took Izzet Dragons to eleven straight wins, culminating in the World Championship match against Jean-Emmanuel Depraz—a name you might recognize as the reigning champion.
That match returned the World Championship title to Japan after a nearly ten-year hiatus. The victory remains the crowning achievement of the
Takahashi's career has barely slowed down since. He's earned several Top Finishes since, including a finals appearance at Pro Tour Thunder Junction where he narrowly lost to countrymate Yoshihiko Ikawa.
