Podcast appearances and mentions of alex majlaton

This week we’re taking a strategic look at the London Mulligan and discussing how it impacts gameplay, deck selection, deck building, and mulligan decision-making. This was inspired by a blog post by Alex Majlaton, read that here: https://neverdraftingagain.blogspot.com/2020/10/we-probably-dont-understand-london.html Here’s the reference image for the end story:

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

In the second of two parts, Cedric Phillips sits down with long time pal and Mythic Championship Cleveland Top 8 competitor, Alex Majlaton, to break down his blog post about his experience at MC Cleveland. In Part 2, Ced and Alex talk about the frustration of making Top 8 of the MC and still not being a Gold level pro, why Alex hated the article he wrote for StarCityGames.com, the type of content Alex wishes he saw on Magic websites, and the difficulties of coordinating a content website in 2019.

In the first of two parts, Cedric Phillips sits down with long time pal and Mythic Championship Cleveland Top 8 competitor, Alex Majlaton, to break down his blog post about his experience at MC Cleveland. In Part 1, Ced and Alex talk about the good and bad portions of Alex's weekend including what it's like for Alex to finally have a crowning achievement in his Magic career, why Alex continues to play Magic after all these years, why he suffers from Imposter's Syndrome after playing 34 Pro Tours, and the anxiety he suffers from when watching himself make mistakes in prior matches.

KYT and Andy welcome Pro Tour titans Jon Stern and Alex Majlaton to discuss Thursday's Organized Play announced changes, the differences between Pro Tour Club levels, Pro Players advising Organized Play, and their thoughts on the 2018 Pro Tour Hall of Fame ballot. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/firststrike/support

KYT, Derek, and Andy welcome the Affinity master himself, Alex Majlaton to talk about Affinity in the Jace Modern, as well as discussing playing after bans, and the new Magic 25 Limited format. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/firststrike/support

Vitor Grassato has a couple Grand Prix top 16s and finished 6th at Grand Prix San Antonio with Jon Stern and Alex Majlaton. He recently got 2nd place at GP Sao Paulo 2017! Vitor lives in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Vitor Grassato when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep231 First Set Prophecy Favorite Set Ravnica Favorite Card Meloku the Clouded Mirror Early Challenge Vitor constantly wanted to improve and would always talk to players who were better than him. Worst Magic Moment In 2010, Vitor was coming off one of his better results at the time. But he was young and angry and got in fight with a judge. He got banned for 3 years! After cooling off he talked to the judge and got his banning cut in half. Vitor took this time to change his entire mindset. Proudest Magic Moment Making 6th place with Jon Stern and Alex Majlaton. What Have You Learned From Magic If you want results, you need to focus at the maximum level. Biggest Mistake Players Make Miscalculating win percentages and choosing to draw when you should play. Parting Guidance If you want to reach the Pro Tour, you have to think it's possible and practice. Connect With Vitor Grassato Twitter:@VitorGrassato ‏ Check Out Magic Story Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community. Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com   Sponsors

“There’s really no reason to not be direct about what you want, or what you’re going for.” Alex Majlaton is a pretty darn good Magic player, with 26 Pro Tour appearances and 8 Grand Prix Top 8’s. He is doing solid work as the mathematical mind behind Team East-West Bowl. But more importantly, he’s humble about his status as a player and incredibly passionate about giving back to the community. Alex and I talk about his early childhood days, forays into competitive Magic, learning from experiences, and more. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to chase Pro Tour dreams, this episode is worth the listen. Time stamps: [3:15] Introduction [5:50] Growing up [9:02] Childhood hobbies [10:21] Washington, DC / Maryland / Baltimore [13:42] How Alex got into Magic [16:12] Earliest Magic decks [18:11] Alex’s two favorite cards of all time [20:37] Getting competitive — the why and how [27:04] The advantages of being a mathematician [30:20] The Pro Tour scene / First major success with Affinity [33:09] Affinity for Affinity (pun intended) [36:49] Alex’s approach to Magic improvement [39:11] No sacred cows — a learning breakthrough at the Pro Tour stage [44:35] Lessons from Pro Tours / Quantitative approach to Limited [49:46] Maintaining the fire [51:34] Questions that people ask Alex about [55:16] Contributing to the community = personal improvement [57:51] Team East-West Bowl / Breaking the format / Analyzing Limited [1:01:46] Magic-related goals [1:04:57] What needs to happen for Magic to advance as a game [1:07:03] How Alex plans to get from Silver to Gold status [1:09:23] What would Alex tell himself, if he could go back five years? [1:12:58] Shout-outs to Ben Friedman, Team East-West Bowl, the Maryland community, and Andrew Mitchell