43: Alexander Hayne Plays to His Strengths and Builds a Team to Shore Up His Weaknesses

 

Alexander Hayne is a Magic: The Gathering Platinum Pro Player with 8 Grand Prix Top 8s including 4 Grand Prix wins! He is the Champion of Pro Tour Avacyn Restored and was the 2012 Rookie of the Year. He lives in Montreal, Canada.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Alexander Hayne when he shared his story on MTG Pro Tutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep43

First Set

 
Ravnica: City of Guilds

Favorite Set

 
Ravnica: City of Guilds

Favorite Card

Sphinx's Revelation

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

The challenge of perfecting your game and working on yourself. The game is always changing and keeps the experience fresh.

Early Challenge

Alexander thought he was better than he was when he first started but specifically struggled with combat. Having a plan, looking ahead and doing combat math is a crucial skill that every player needs to develop.

Think ahead five turns and work backwards. Practice this to improve your mind for combat.

Ask for advice from better players.

Proudest Magic Moment

Winning Pro Tour Avacyn Restored in Barcelona 2012.

Favorite Format

Cube Draft

How to Choose a Standard Deck

See what did well at the last tournament and assume people will being playing something that will beat that. Attack the meta from that angle.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Playing by instinct too much. When a line of play presents itself many people react on auto pilot and make a good play when there is a better one available.

Card Evaluation Tips

Wait for the whole set to be released and look for interactions between new cards.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Try to stick to two colors in Sealed unless you have really good mana fixing. Look for solid power level cards and removal.

At the beginning of a draft format feel free to take rares more often than you would later so you can test them and see what they have to offer in Limited.

Draft cards that affect the board with a good curve, good removal and good tricks. Also, keep your eye out for card advantage as well.

Improvement Suggestions

Play with good people or watch people play.

Drafting cube is an economical way to get experience.

Be an aggressive trader.

Read a lot of articles.

Magic Resource

Channel Fireball

Star City Games

Connect With Alexander Hayne

Twitter: @InsayneHayne

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"A wizard who reads a thousand books is powerful. A wizard who memorizes a thousand books is insane." ~Battle of Wits