PRO TOUR GUILDS OF RAVNICA
What do two Americans, an Australian, a Brazilian, a Chilean and a Brit have in common? It was the first time they got together as a team under the guidance of a group of Professional Players for an event. Pro Tour Guilds of Ravnica (also known as the last Pro Tour in history) was the debut of our Cardhoarder Mentoring Program, and involved numerous hours of individual coaching, draft log analysis, Pack 1 Pick 1 discussions, and sideboard guide reviews. On the first run, our program counted the help of six mentors divided between Limited and Constructed:
For Limited we had Bernardo Santos, Thiago Saporito, and MPL (Magic Professional League) player Jean Emmanuel Depraz.
On the Constructed front Pierre Dagen and myself joined Hall of Famer Willy Edel leading the mentees on the new Standard format.
For most of them, this was their first Pro Tour, or even their first ever Constructed Match in a sanctioned event! Limited specialist and the man behind draftsim.com, Dan Troha, had never played a constructed match at a professional level before and was really happy to be a part of the program: - “It’s the only way for someone like me who only plays limited to have a chance to win a constructed match at a Pro Tour”
Hamish Seymour, the 15 year old prodigy from Australia, also had his weekend of fame. Not only was he one of the youngest players to ever play in a Pro Tour, he also drew the attention of several Hall of Famers who were impressed by his skills. He had an interview with Brian David Marshall and highlighted how important the Mentoring Program was on his preparation.
Their results were quite impressive! We managed to place four of our seven mentees into day 2 of the Pro Tour, with 2 of them falling short of a requalification on the very last round. Despite not being qualified for the next Mythic Championship the group has stuck together and is constantly helping each other and sharing strategies on our group forum. They are excited to welcome the next round of Mentees qualified for Mythic Championship Cleveland!
New addition to our Limited mentors
If you are familiar with the Magic Online Championship, you know how hard it is to qualify for the most prestigious tournament you can play on the platform. Only 24 people get to fly to Seattle every year and grab a chance to win those USD $40,000. Imagine how hard it is to qualify two years in a row! Mainly playing Limited! Not many are able to make a claim to such feats as our new limited mentor José Cabezas.
A known draft and sealed master of the game, José is excited to be able to share his thoughts with the Mentees and help them have the best preparation possible for the next Mythic Championship!
Mythic Championship Cleveland
As we move forward with our program it is time to announce the Mentees that will join our team in preparation for the next Mythic Championship:
Kevin Perez
After representing Guatemala at the World Magic Cup as its Captain for the last 3 years, Kevin finally made it to the Pro Tour after a top 4 at the last Regional Qualifier.
Adam Hernandez
American Adam Hernandez is a brewer at heart and found himself qualified for his first Pro Tour after a top 8 at GP Milwaukee in November.
Davide Cazzella
Financial Analyst during the day and a Magic Online Grinder at night “Juzam-Djinn84” is known for his proficiency piloting unfair decks in Modern, but now is looking for some guidance in both Standard and Limited at the biggest stage.
Thomas Gobeli
After 17 years playing the game, Switzerland native Thomas Gobeli qualified to Mythic Championship Cleveland by piloting his pet deck “Martyr Control” through a Magic Online Qualifier.
Felix Grezes
A teacher himself, Felix believes that the best way to improve is with guidance, and that the mentor/mentee relationship is crucial for someone trying to get to the best of their game.
Max Mick
Max Mick joined the Cardhoarder Mentoring team for Pro Tour Atlanta, and managed to qualify for what will be his 3rd Pro Tour Appearance. He is looking forward to continuing his mentorship and giving another shot at a strong finish in Cleveland.
With Ravnica Allegiance out on Magic Online it's time to start testing! If you are interested in joining our mentees for Mythic Championship London please send your application to mentorprogram@cardhoarder.com!
