Patrick Chapin, “The Innovator,” is a Hall of Famer, Pro Tour Champion, and 5-time PT Top 8 competitor. Author of Next Level Magic and Next Level Deckbuilding, his articles can be found on StarCityGames.com and podcast at TopLevelPodcast.com. Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Patrick Chapin when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep298 01: Patrick Chapin Shares Tips for Improving Yourself and says Don't Try to Convince others You're the Best   First Set  The Dark Favorite Set  Innistrad (Best designed) /  Khans of Tarkir block Favorite Card Jace, the Mind Sculptor What makes Magic fun for you? First and foremost the people. The constant iteration. Early Challenge Trying to convince people that he was actually good. Level Up Moment Realizing that trying to convince people that he was actually good was not as useful as focusing on humbly improving himself. Proudest Magic Moment Inducted into the Hall of Fame. Winning Pro Tour Journey Into Nyx. Best Format Standard Current Standard Deck Biggest Mistake Players Make Focusing their energy on convincing people they are good instead of focusing on finding the truth about how they play. Look for mistakes in every match. Free Resources! www.nextlevelmagic.com www.starcitygames.com www.toplevelpodcast.com   02: Patrick Chapin Shares Card Evaluation   Evaluation Tips Look at every card and ask: "Why was this card printed? Who is it for? HOW can I use this card?" Limited Tips Sealed is often slower but more powerful (compared to draft) because you have six booster packs instead of three. This leads to bomb centric decks. Focus on the key cards you passed, not every card in the pack. Team Building Use message groups and in-person meetings to collaborate with your team. You will only improve to the level of the best player in your group. Bring your group up and/or find more talent if you're the best in your group. Play Testing Constant communication with the teammate as well as taking the two weeks before a Pro Tour off to playtest with the team has been a working formula for Patrick. Improvement Identify what you want to improve first: your collection, win ratio, deck building skills, etc... and focus just on that Magic Resource   Next Level Magic Next Level Deck Building   Interview Links www.starcitygames.com www.toplevelmagic.com     105: Patrick Chapin Returns! Your Questions Answered - 1 Year of MTG Pro Tutor   Sideboarding Sideboards are there to tweak and tune your strategy. Know what your strategy is. Look at similar strategies and make your sideboard similar. Right now, sweepers are very popular - Languish and Planar Outburst. Building Local Interest If you have casual players that you would like to take to the next level, organize regular draft nights. Break off into teams after the draft portion so people can help each other build decks. If you have new players who don't know the rules, introduce them to a Duels of the Planeswalkers and see if they stick around and want more after a few weeks. Missing Triggers Create a shortcut system for your brain. Also, when playtesting, NO TAKE BACKS!! Practice how you want to play at events. Track your mistakes and do a push up for each one you do. Going to Grand Prix and Other Big Events Grand Prixs are like gaming conventions. JUST GO and enjoy it! You will never feel ready if you don't go. If you are nervous about the main event then just show up and walk around, play in some side events, visit artists and vendors and soak it all in. When you participate in the main event, play all the rounds. You paid to play Magic and get experience. Utilize all the time you have. Play all the rounds even if you're knocked out early. Playing against different decks and opponents you don't know is invaluable. Home Brew vs. Net Deck By playing your own brew all the time you are missing out on learning what's working now and why it's working. By net decking all the time you will always be a week or so b