The Magic: the Gathering Pro Tour is where the best players in the world battle it out with finely tuned decks, insane skill, and high-stakes pressure—but if you’re not deep in the meta, it can feel like watching chess in a foreign language. Don’t worry. Whether you’re a casual Commander player or just MTG-curious, there are simple, smart ways to make the Pro Tour fun, accessible, and even addictive to watch.

Here’s how to turn the broadcast into something you’ll actually look forward to, in three best ways to enjoy it.

1. Follow a Favorite Player or Team

Having someone to root for gives the event stakes. Many top players are part of teams like ChannelFireball, Team Handshake, or Hareruya, and they often have distinct playstyles or personalities. Follow them on social media before the event. Learn what deck they’re on. Then, when they show up on camera, you’re not just watching MTG—you’re watching your person try to crack the top 8.

Bonus: It gives you a lens to understand match decisions and side boarding strategies more deeply because you’re tuned in to their whole tournament run.

2. Use a Companion Stream or Discord

Watching alone can be dry. Watching with commentary—your own or someone else’s—adds context and flavor. Use Twitch chat (with a grain of salt), jump into Discord with friends, or watch alongside a content creator who’s doing a live recap or co-stream.

This turns passive viewing into an interactive experience where you’re asking:

• “Was that the right mulligan?”
• “Why did they play that land first?”
• “Would I have made that attack?”

3. Learn the Meta Beforehand

Nothing kills interest faster than watching cards you don’t understand. Before the Pro Tour, check out a metagame breakdown—most outlets post expected decks. Learn the top 3-5 archetypes and their key cards. Once you can identify what a deck is trying to do, every game becomes a high-level puzzle you can solve along with the players. You’ll start spotting key moments: the exact turn the control player stabilizes, when the aggro deck misses lethal, or how sideboard tech flips a matchup.

Follow a player. Watch with others. Know the meta.

That’s how you turn watching MTG Pro Tour from background noise into a full-blown esports thrill. Thank you for reading, and until the next blog post.

The recently concluded Pro Tour Hour of Devastation in Kyoto has declared the Brazilian Powerhouse Paulo Vitor Damo Da Rosa as the Champion of the tournament. Paulo Vitor, also known as PV, has finished Day 1 unscathed with an 8-0 record before taking the rest of the 16 Swiss rounds in first place. He piloted the most popular deck in the current Standard, Mono Red or what they called as Ramunap Red with the name of origin from the uncommon HOU Desert.

It was a variance of these Mono Red decks in the Top 8 but I think it was PV’s list in the sideboard that somewhat out-edged the mirror. The key cards were Aethersphere Harvester and Sand Strangler.

The playoffs was probably one of the epic PT matches that I have witnessed (even if it is only on live stream). PV came back to win from a 0-2 deficit in the quarters versus Seth Manfield. He utilized the Aethersphere Harvester’s Lifelink to gain advantage in the damage race whereas Manfield also failed to destroy the vehicle. I remembered that turn wherein he used Abrade to kill Kari Zev before PV attacks and in post-combat PV dropped the Harvester.

The semifinals was also a mirror match with Wing Chun Yam wherein PV got ahead 2-0 but Yam was able to come back to take it to a decider Game 5. It was one hell of a matchup but also a scene of one of a major mistakes in Magic history. Quoting a Reddit post of the scenario:

“Yam had PVDDR at 11, all tapped out. had Collective Defiance in Hand, and drew Incendiary Flow with Hazoret on board. That’s exactsies, and in his excitement he tried to attack with Hazoret before casting his spells. Unfortunately, you’re not allowed a take back at the PT. Since he indicated he wanted to go to combat by trying to attack, he’s passed priority on his first Main Phase. PVDDR is obviously going to also pass priority and he moves into Beginning of Combat.

Both Incendiary Flow and Collective Defiance being sorceries, he can’t cast either in BoC. Since he has 2 cards in hand, he can’t attack with Hazoret. This was Game 5, and he then proceeds to post-combat main phase cast the Collective Defiance and pass back to PVDDR. This eventually causes him to lose the game.”

That did the match and PV was back in the Pro Tour Finals again with the matchup against Sam Pardee’s BG Constrictor. The match took 5 games and in the last game, PV started fast with hard hitting creatures as Sam could only muster a Grim Flayer that could not block as PV rallied with Earthshaker Khenra, Ahn-Crop Crasher and Hazoret. Sam was also lacking spot removals and he could only offer a handshake in defeat as PV Eternalized the Khenra for the final points of damage.

Congratulations to Paulo Vitor Damo Da Rosa as winner of Pro Tour Hour of Devastation and Player of the Year 2017.

Japanese Pro Player Shota Yasooka has been known for playing unusual decklist based on the Control archetype in Constructed formats. It was no surprise that he piloted an innovative Grixis control this weekend at the Pro Tour Kaladesh in Honolulu, Hawaii. He went undefeated in Day 1 at 8-0, worked his way to the Top 8 in the second day, and eventually won the trophy and title of Pro Tour Kaladesh Champion.

Here below is his Grixis Control winning decklist:

Maindeck
1 Jace, Unraveler of Secrets
2 Torrential Gearhulk
4 Thing in the Ice

2 Radiant Flames
3 Painful Truths
1 Transgress the Mind
2 Unlicensed Disintegration
3 Harnessed Lightning
3 Void Shatter
2 Glimmer of Genius
1 Ceremonious Rejection
2 Negate
4 Galvanic Bombardment
1 Essence Extraction
3 Anticipate

4 Spirebluff Canal
2 Wandering Fumarole
4 Evolving Wilds
4 Sunken Hollow
3 Smoldering Marsh
2 Mountain
2 Swamp
5 Island

Sideboard
2 Ceremonious Rejection
1 Negate
1 Radiant Flames
1 Jace, Unraveler of Secrets
1 Transgress the Mind
2 To the Slaughter
2 Confiscation Coup
3 Weaver of Lightning
2 Summary Dismissal

I saw this deck archetype being piloted by one of my favorite Pros, Raphael Levy at the current Standard Pro Tour Kaladesh in Hawaii. I have not seen if it was featured in the deck tech area but basing upon the matchup coverage, I think the decklist looks like this:

Lands
1 Evolving Wilds
7 Mountain
7 Island
1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
4 Wandering Fumarole
4 Spirebluff Canal

Creatures
3 Advanced Stitchwing
4 Stitchwing Skaab
4 Wretched Gryff
4 Prized Amalgam
4 Elder Deep-Fiend

Spells
3 Kozilek’s Return
4 Lightning Axe
4 Cathartic Reunion
2 Tormenting Voice
4 Fiery Temper

We just wait for the final decklist to be posted at the mothership site after the Day Two of the Pro Tour has finished.

Last weekend’s major MtG happening was the Pro Tour Eldritch Moon which was held in Sydney, Australia. The PT Trophy was claimed by Czech Pro Lukas Blohon, playing Black White Control. It was somewhat an epic Finals as he faced the newly minted Player of the Year Owen Turtenwald which was piloting a Temur version of Emerge and Emrakul. Lukas defeated Owen three games to none.

Below the winning decklist:

Maindeck
3 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
3 Archangel Avacyn
1 Linvala, the Preserver

3 Liliana, the Last Hope
2 Ob Nixilis Reignited
1 Sorin, Grim Nemesis
2 Transgress the Mind
3 Read the Bones
2 Ruinous Path
4 Languish
4 Grasp of Darkness
2 Ultimate Price
2 Hallowed Moonlight
2 Anguished Unmaking

4 Shambling Vent
4 Forsaken Sanctuary
4 Caves of Koilos
1 Blighted Fen
4 Plains
9 Swamp

Sideboard
1 Ultimate Price
1 Transgress the Mind
1 Anguished Unmaking
4 Duress
2 Dead Weight
2 Infinite Obliteration
4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar

So I was scouring through the Modern decklist from last weekend’s Pro Tour Oath of the Gatewatch held in Atlanta and found an archetype that I think my poolmate played from our last local Modern tournament. The deck is of a Naya aggro type but can lock opponents’ mana with maindeck Magus of the Moon and additional Blood Moon in the sideboard. It was piloted by Phillip Braverman and went 8-2 in the Modern constructed portion of the Pro Tour.

Here is the decklist for Magus Zoo:

Maindeck
1 Birds of Paradise
2 Grim Lavamancer
3 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Kitchen Finks
4 Knight of the Reliquary
2 Magus of the Moon
4 Noble Hierarch
3 Scavenging Ooze
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Voice of Resurgence
4 Wild Nacatl

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile

2 Arid Mesa
2 Forest
1 Gavony Township
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Stirring Wildwood
2 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills

Sideboard
1 Ancient Grudge
4 Blood Moon
1 Crumble to Dust
1 Dismember
1 Eternal Witness
3 Lightning Helix
4 Stony Silence

The Eldrazi invasion did not just stop in Zendikar. They proceeded to dominate in Atlanta last weekend and garnered a win on the Pro Tour event. The six Eldrazi decks in the Top 8 slot were mostly owned by the pros from Team Channel Fireball but it was Jiachen Tao with his Blue Red version, mostly composed of cards from Battle of Zendikar and Oath of the Gatewatch, which triumphed in the tournament.

Below is the winning decklist of Pro Tour Oath of the Gatewatch:

Maindeck
4 Drowner of Hope
4 Eldrazi Mimic
3 Eldrazi Obligator
4 Eldrazi Skyspawner
4 Endless One
4 Reality Smasher
2 Ruination Guide
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Vile Aggregate

3 Dismember

3 Cavern of Souls
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Eye of Ugin
1 Gemstone Caverns
2 Island
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Shivan Reef
2 Steam Vents

Sideboard
2 Chalice of the Void
2 Gut Shot
3 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Ratchet Bomb
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Spellskite
3 Stubborn Denial
1 Tomb of the Spirit Dragon

Source

One of the interesting decklist I found while I was browsing the Magic: the Gathering Top Standard finishers at the recently concluded Pro Tour Battle for Zendikar last weekend was the one piloted by fellow Filipino Victoriano Lim.

He had this version of Eldrazi Ramp based on the colors Black and Green; Black for access to spot and mass removals like Languish and Green for ramp spells for an early casting of Ulamog.

Here is his decklist which he finished 7-3 in the Standard portion of the Pro Tour:

Maindeck
4 Catacomb Sifter
4 Oblivion Sower
4 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
3 Nissa, Vastwood Seer

2 Explosive Vegetation
3 Languish
3 Despise
3 Crux of Fate
1 Nissa’s Renewal
3 Complete Disregard
2 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
2 Hedron Archive

6 Forest
5 Swamp
4 Llanowar Wastes
4 Jungle Hollow
4 Shrine of the Forsaken Gods
1 Sanctum of Ugin
1 Spawning Bed
1 Mage-Ring Network

Sideboard
2 Feed the Clan
2 Ruinous Path
2 Ultimate Price
1 Greenwarden of Murasa
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
3 Transgress the Mind
4 Hangarback Walker

Japan is now back in the pinnacle of Magic. This is after an all-Japanese Finals on the Sunday and last day of Pro Tour Battle for Zendikar (Milwaukee). The champion, Kazuyuki Takimura playing Abzan aggro, battled fellow countryman Ryoichi Tamada, which was piloting a straightforward Jeskai deck. It took a decider Game 5 wherein the board advantage were swinging back and forth to both players. It was then that Takimura outlasted his opponent with Abzan’s superstar Siege Rhino and took down the trophy and title of Champion of the Pro Tour.

Here is the winning decklist of Pro Tour Battle for Zendikar:

Maindeck
4 Shambling Vent
4 Flooded Strand
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Plains
2 Llanowar Wastes
2 Forest
2 Canopy Vista
1 Sunken Hollow
1 Smoldering Marsh

4 Warden of the First Tree
4 Siege Rhino
4 Den Protector
4 Anafenza, the Foremost
3 Hangarback Walker
2 Wingmate Roc

4 Dromoka’s Command
4 Abzan Charm
1 Murderous Cut
4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar

Sideboard
1 Wingmate Roc
1 Self-Inflicted Wound
3 Silkwrap
3 Transgress the Mind
2 Duress
2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor

Here are the Top 8 decklists from the recently concluded Pro Tour: Magic Origins in Vancouver. My favorite was the deck archetype choice of Team Ultra Pro and Face-to-Face Games which I previously featured as a deck tech: Blue Red Artifacts.

Here is the decklist:

UR Artifacts by Mike Sigrist
2nd place, PT Magic Origins

Maindeck
6 Island
4 Darksteel Citadel
4 Shivan Reef
4 Temple of Epiphany
1 Mountain
1 Mana Confluence
1 Foundry of the Consuls

4 Chief of the Foundry
4 Whirler Rogue
4 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Ornithopter
4 Hangarback Walker

4 Shrapnel Blast
3 Stubborn Denial
1 Collateral Damage
4 Ghostfire Blade
4 Ensoul Artifact
3 Springleaf Drum

Sideboard
3 Disdainful Stroke
1 Negate
1 Rending Volley
4 Roast
3 Seismic Rupture
3 Thopter Spy Network

Here are the links to the other Top 8 Decks:

Red Deck Wins by Joel Larsson
Abzan Midrange by Matthew Sperling
Green Devotion by Paul Jackson
Abzan Megamorph by Kentaro Yamamoto

Here is the link to the deck tech article I have posted at the Pinoy Planeswalker website.

This coming weekend will the highlight tournament to end the 2014-2015 Premier Play season. The event is Pro Tour Magic Origins and will be held in Vancouver, British Columbia this weekend July 31-August 2. This three days of Magic will feature the Standard format and Magic Origins Booster Draft.

Day One will start Friday with 3 rounds of Draft and 5 rounds Standard. Day Two will also be the same number of rounds and order of formats, but with players that has qualified with 12 points or greater. Day Three will feature the Top 8 matchups.

Here is the Pro Tour Magic Origins trailer video:

Here is the link to the featured article about this Pro Tour published on Monday.

The recently concluded Pro Tour Dragons of Tarkir in Brussels, Belgium saw an achievement and trophy for the Red Aggro archetypes. The deck was nicknamed as Atarka Sligh because of its splash of Green for Atarka’s Command and was piloted by Martin Dang from Denmark.

Here is the winning decklist:

Maindeck
10 Mountain
4 Mana Confluence
4 Wooded Foothills
1 Forest
1 Temple of Abandon

4 Foundry Street Denizen
4 Monastery Swiftspear
3 Zurgo Bellstriker
2 Goblin Rabblemaster
1 Lightning Berserker
1 Frenzied Goblin

4 Wild Slash
4 Stoke the Flames
4 Lightning Strike
4 Atarka’s Command
4 Hordeling Outburst
4 Dragon Fodder
1 Become Immense

Sideboard
2 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
2 Hall of Triumph
1 Destructive Revelry
1 Goblin Heelcutter
4 Roast
1 Scouring Sands

Here is the video of the Finals match between Atarka Sligh versus Blue Black Control: