46: Hall of Famer Raphaël Lévy Helps You Understand the Combat Phase
MTG Pro Tutor - Insights, Tips & Advice from Magic: The Gathering Pros
English - November 24, 2015 09:00 - 1 hour - 84.7 MB - ★★★★★ - 162 ratingsGames Leisure Hobbies bant boros dimir esper gathering grixis gruul mtg mardu orzhov Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Raphaël Lévy is a Magic Player from Toulouse, France. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in November 2006. He has 3 Pro Tour Top 8's and 20 Grand Prix Top 8's with 5 wins to his name and led the French team to victory in the 2013 World Magic Cup.
Click to Tweet: I loved hearing Raphael Levy's story on MTG Pro Tutor today! He was an amazing guest and shared great tips. http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep46
First Set
Arabian Nights
Antiquities
Favorite Set
Innistrad
Favorite Card
Llanowar Elves
Elvish Mystic
What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?
Raphael is very competitive and the challenge has kept him hooked. Even when going through stale periods Raphael stuck around because he loves winning.
Proudest Magic Moment
Raphael joined an international team called Legion in 1997. He did this by qualifying for the Pro Tour by winning a Grand Prix in Djon which was 8 hours away.
Hall of Fame ceremony in his home country of France. All of Raphael's family attended. With them there, along with his countrymen, he felt very honored and proud.
Best Format
Limited (Draft and Sealed)
How to Choose a Standard Deck
Raphael knows his play style and picks a deck that is competitive and that he can pilot well.
Raphael really understands the combat phase and therefore does not play control decks. Choose a deck that fits your style.
Biggest Mistake Players Make
The biggest mistake Raphael sees is in the combat step. Players don't think about it enough.
People don't realize that missing one point of damage in a combat step can lose then the game.
Watch, talk and analyze Magic
Card Evaluation Tips
Raphael waits for the whole set to come out before evaluating cards.
Sealed & Draft Tips
Experiment with Limited yourself. Draft lots of color combinations and you will get a feel for what works and what doesn't.
Read, listen and watch others but always apply what you learn by drafting yourself.
Raphael mentions his draft at GP Madison 2015.
What's In Your Bag
Deck box
Sleeves
Tokens
Dice
Pens
Paper
Banana - healthiest snack you can have (not too heavy and full of nutrients)
Water
Improvement Suggestions
Limited: Buy 6-12 packs, mark the packs and then after you build your deck (draft, sealed, team) you can rebuild the packs, switch around the rares and then play again.
To be a better Magic player you need to not play Magic. This will help you avoid burnout, avoid automatic plays and put yourself in a different mindset for tournaments.
Don't play your cards as they come. Stop and think.
Magic Resource
TCG Player - Raphael's articles
Connect With Raphael
Twitter: @hahamoud
Twitch: twitch.tv/raphaellevy
Like What You Hear?
If you like the show, head on over to iTunes and leave an honest Rating & Review.
Let me know what you like and what I can do better so I can make the show the best it can be and continue bringing you valuable content.
I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.
Sponsors
"There's no such thing as a difficult thing. It's either possible or impossible." ~Raphael Levy