There's no Magic without motivation. Whether it's Friday Night Magic or the Pro Tour, there's a pull to the game for all of us. For some, it's simple: to be the best there is. For others, it's to prove that they can do it, that they can put their mind to qualifying for the Pro Tour and accomplishing that goal.
It's that latter desire I find to be the most animating. After all, much in life is determined by momentum. When you're working toward a goal and progressing along that path, every match and every tournament feels like a step toward your ultimate goal of making it to the Pro Tour. It's an incredibly motivating goal, and (not to sound too much like your least-favorite middle school teacher) it goes back to the most basic of steps: setting a goal and writing it down. The Pro Tour is the playground of the best of the best, and very few players end up on the circuit by accident. It's earned, and it's usually earned by those most motivated to do so.
But what about those players who are already established on the Pro Tour, or who have even put up a Top Finish or two? In other words, what about Christoffer Larsen, the winner of Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed and runner-up at Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven? What keeps the game's hottest player motivated two Pro Tour final tables later?
It's the same question you might ask of other greats, the Simon Nielsens, Javier Dominguezs, and Reid Dukes of the world. What keeps you coming back?
I've found that often the answer from the best is surprisingly simple, and perhaps more reminiscent of Friday Night Magic than the Pro Tour. Maybe that is what the Pro Tour is in its purest form. Either way, I've found that the thing that often drives the game's greatest is not always a laser-focused desire to be the game's greatest.
It's the fun.
"These days, I just enjoy playing Magic and spending time with the people I've played with for ten years," Larsen revealed in the days leading up to his pre-Pro Tour trip to Spain to test with the rest of Team Cosmos Heavy Play English (the English-speaking version of this standout team), which has been dominant thus far this season. "I'm still trying to digest the fact that I am in this position."
"This position" is one of dominance rarely seen in Magic but glimpsed in recent years by the likes of Nielsen and Nathan Steuer (the teammate who bested Larsen in the Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven finals). With one Pro Tour left this year before Magic World Championship 32, Larsen has a commanding lead in the race to win the Kai Budde Player of the Year trophy at the end of the season. It's something that's on his mind, but it's not what keeps him coming back to Magic tournaments.
"Nothing has really changed for me; it's weird in a way," Larsen said. "I feel like if I can enjoy the tournaments even when I'm not doing well, I'm in a good spot. I don't need to make another Top 8. I'm happy that I get to play the game and travel with my family after the Pro Tour."
Larsen's an animated reminder that Magic is, first and foremost, a game—a very fun one at that. He loves to play Limited—I first met him a decade ago when he accepted me as the final member on his hotel lobby team draft squad—and he's just as quick with a smile or a gracious word after back-to-back Pro Tour final tables as he was then. It's very similar to what many of the old-school returning players at the first major Team Limited event in seven years expressed: playing competitive Magic with your friends is just fun. And when you've qualified for it all, placed the trophies on the mantlepiece, or perhaps even been ushered into the history books, the fun remains.
Put it all together, and you have a pretty good picture of what it takes to make it to the top of the game and stay there: you have to genuinely like to play a lot of matches of Magic. For Larsen, a very busy father of a very full household, this energy comes through with every match he plays. In his daily life, free time may be lacking, but free spirit is not.
Wife allowed me to go join the Young kids after putting the little one to sleep, what is better than a phone about run out of juice, friends, drinks and a little arena qualifier 😎 MTGA on lifemode.
— Christoffer Larsen (@ChrisTheDaneLa1) May 16, 2026
Happy Saturday 😎♥️ pic.twitter.com/PGsbbYRGew
The free-talking championship bout at Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven between Larsen and Steuer was a demonstration of what makes Larsen a special player in our game and what makes the Pro Tour so special at its best: two friends playing a match with all the stakes in the world—with the same demeanor as if you found them in the 1-1 bracket at a Tuesday night booster draft.
"I've known Chris for a while and first worked with him on our previous team, Team Handshake, at Pro Tour Murders at Karlov Manor," said Anthony Lee, one of Chris's teammates. "Chris is extremely intuitively strong, and that's the main asset he brings to the team. He doesn't need to play many games before he understands the important dynamics at play. That speed also means that you can't catch Chris off guard very easily, as he will figure out what he needs to do extremely quickly. He also has incredible mental fortitude and can't be shaken by anything."
Larsen, of course, credited his team and especially Dominguez with helping him find success this year. As the Pro Tour has grown in the years since the return to tabletop play, team dynamics have again become paramount to finding sustained success at the Pro Tour level—and those dynamics often far beyond the battlefield.
"Chris has a powerful dedication to the group as a whole no matter where he is," Lee elaborated. "If you're sick or you're hungry, he'll take care of it. We're certainly the best-fed team because of him. There are some Magic pros good at cooking, but none are remotely as good as Chris at cooking for 20 people thanks to his experience as a naval chef. It's amazing to see the success we're having this year."
Larsen and Steuer are just the tip of the success iceberg for Team Cosmos Heavy Play English, which has bucked the trend of Pro Tour preparation and gone large to cast a wide net. The squad will be stacked again heading into Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering® | Marvel Super Heroes next week and again will look in part to Larsen to prepare them for the all-important Limited rounds that will make up the beginning of Day One and Day Two in Amsterdam, but also the Top 8 for the first time in many years.
"We decided to start challenging a lot of narratives this year, both in terms of how teams are supposed to work and what people at large thought about Standard formats going into each event," Lee said. "It's both validating and exciting to see that pay off. There's still so much to discover."
Standard has steadfastly refused to be solved in 2026, with new or resurgent decks breaking out at both the Pro Tour and Regional Championship weekends in recent months. That sets the stage for Larsen to continue to work toward the one goal most animating him.
"I would be lying if I said that winning Player of the Year wouldn't mean a lot to me," Larsen admitted. "I'm in a good spot, and it's hard to fathom at all being there. Being at the top is crazy. But Player of the Year would be huge."
After all, his kids would love another trophy.
Finally got my trophy from PT Lorwyn! 🏆Due to transport and customs issues, it arrived after I got home from Vegas 😅My daughter is already claiming it’s a 🪷 for her room. Also, if anyone needs a huge suitcase, this one can hold about two @Nathansteuer1 or one PT trophy 😎 pic.twitter.com/jiO8Zz2nLR
— Christoffer Larsen (@ChrisTheDaneLa1) May 14, 2026