Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2 Alex and KYT meet up for the first time since COVID for a socially distanced lobster dinner.

Table for 2 - An MTG Arena Podcast

Return of the Table

Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2 (1:45) Alex talks about playing Temur Reclamation to a PT Online 4 top 8 finish

Alex top 8s Players Tour Online 4!

Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2 Apologies on minor mic friction noise (1:55) Alex details the recent Organized Play announcements and gives his reaction. Is this the death of competitive Magic? (16:05) Reacting to Matt Sperling's glass-half-full tweet (31:00) KYT has gotten Alex hooked on two chess streams: GMHikaru & BotezLive (48:00) Tactics in chess and how it can relate to MTG (1:01:00) Chess coaches often recommend playing slow games (1:14:30) Answer a Q by Nikachu on Twitter: why don't MTG players review their games? KYT suggests an improvement routine. (1:18:00) KYT has identified auto-pilot leaks by recording his poker play

Reacting to Organized Play with a Mix of Strategy

Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2 (0:00) What we've been up to and which games we've been playing (3:45) Is Alex still a Rival and for how long? (29:15) What does Alex think of Ikoria and the Companion mechanic? (57:00) In chess, even the very elite might not play the best move and opt for an easier to play line. Does this happen in MTG? (1:12:24) KYT links the discussion to poker: some players trying to copy solvers, GTO vs. exploitative (1:18:00) KYT is happy to see people tweet about being proud to hit 2000+ ratings on MTGO. Can there actually be a mix of ELO in the ladder? 

The Companion Mechanic, Chess, Best Move vs. Easier to Play

Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2 (0:00) Thoughts on Play Design (11:45) Reaction to Organized Play announcements - what would Alex do? First 2 vs. best 5? (29:30) Alex thinks people who were able to mix a job and MTG as a hobby did it right (31:30) Alex reveals roughly how much he earned as an MPL player in 2019 (1:01:00) London mulligan strategy (1:11:00) Helping finalnub win a Realease Weekend Limited Grand Prix

Organized Play - WWAD

Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2 (2:00) How does Alex feel post-Arena Mythic Championship? How hard will he work to get back in the MPL? (24:00) Success stories vs. survivorship bias. The dark side of MTG addiction. (38:00) Javier Dominguez - best in the world? (42:20) Reacting to some OP changes

MTG Outlook for 2020

Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2 (1:45) Reacting to the current landscape of MTG content (13:10) Tyler Nightingale asks us how we'd get people more invested in the MPL (21:40) The pressure of the upcoming Arena Mythic Championship, how did Alex prepare (34:20) Good Game culture, turning emotions on/off (41:45) Alex is asked what's the difference between him and the average grinder (53:00) Tactics vs. strategy in Magic (57:20) Analyzing the Pinnacle odds for the Arena MC. The level of disrepect!

The Pressure of this Mythic Championship

Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2 (2:10) Talking Paul Cheon, he says TF2 photos make him hungry (5:50) Discussing Strasky (8:20) Proclaiming retirement and crushing (17:00) End of an era, emotional feelings at the last MC of its kind (22:25) What did Alex play at the MC and why (33:45) Alex says they shouldn't push mechanics that only work with themselves (40:00) "I think the London Mulligan is a mistake" - Alex (49:40) Playing the best deck, avoiding testing/data traps

End of an Era

Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2 (2:00) Sergio Ferry wants to know what's the optimal strategy with fractional invites (15:35) What does Alex think of Pioneer? (30:20) Alex doesn't sound that enthusiastic about Standard, explains why Oko is not an enjoyable card (1:00:00) Listener wanted Arena draft advice 

Sergio Ferry, Pioneer, Oko at MC Richmond

Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2 (0:00) Alex is headed to Long Beach, California for MCV! Some Standard talk. (2:30) Listener Q: how does field size change Alex's deck selection (6:25) Do pros hate this Standard format? How skill intensive is it? (10:00) Tips for people fantasy drafting MC5 (15:15) Alex & KYT react to all the news from Riot Games' 10th Year Anniversary Celebration

Hayne Headed to Mythic Championship V

Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2 (6:00) Old school players crushed Grand Prix Montreal, where's the new wave? (17:00) How to keep in mind unorthodox usage of cards during a game (28:30) A popular listener question: how to stay focused for an entire tournament (43:00) Unconventional card choices in Limited (47:00) Throne of Eldraine Limited takeaways (1:00:00) Game theory in drafting

MagicFest Montreal Champion, Auto-Pilot, Focus

Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2 (10:25) KYT is reading Range by David Epstein and trying to extrapolate concepts to apply to MTG (21:35) Widening range within a team (33:20) Conscious and unconscious competence, listening to your inner voice (53:20) KYT asks Alex what he thinks about Jedi Mind Tricks (1:04:50) Reid Duke (1:16:00) Going over ESPN article - The grandmaster diet

Range, Competence, Jedi Mind Tricks

Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2 (2:57) Alex asks KYT which concepts he would teach first to a new player (18:41) Game theory and sideboarding (23:45) Card advantage, tempo, mana usage - people tend to be mainly good at one of them (28:25) KYT takes a shot at finalnub, urging him to expand his deck selection range (41:05) Generalist vs. Specialist, brand value, team value, is Alex Majlaton the best Affinity player in the world? (52:40) KYT on adjusting how opponents will sideboard

3 Pillars of Magic Strategy, Expanding Your Range

Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2 (0:00) Complete nonsense, PARKOUR!!! (7:35) Playing "real" decks, how to dismiss new deck ideas efficiently (18:20) Debating 70/30 vs. 55/45 decks. Alex's success with Sphinx's Revelation. (23:20) "You want to maximize decision difficulty when you're the better player" (38:25) Is it better to play a higher variance deck if the goal is to spike a tournament? (50:45) Discussing decks with high fail rates. How expected player strength can affect optimal deck choice. (1:04:00) Alex & KYT both likely to vote for Pikula for HOF. Is Javier Dominguez still Alex's pick for best active player?  

Deck Selection, Decision Complexity, Hall of Fame

Treat us to cups of coffee ☕ for our next episode - https://ko-fi.com/tablefor2 (0:00) How did Alex do with Esper in the MPL? (6:15) KYT is qualified for the MTG Arena MCQ. What should he play? (9:15) When to play surprise cards? (20:20) What does Alex think of the Organized Play news? (33:50) Will the MPL gauntlet be compelling viewing? (43:55) Instead of trying to build stars with a system, Alex says he would try to reduce the variance of the game itself (47:45) KYT wants a world where the game is marketed so fans can relate to players and not just decks (51:50) KYT asks Alex how exactly he would make the game more skill-intensive

Esper in Standard, OP News, Game Design

Pro Tour champion and MPL member Alexander Hayne chats Magic: The Gathering with KYT over food/coffee.

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Table for 2 - An MTG Arena Podcast

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