52: He Came, He Saw, He Conquered - Will Erker's Journey to String Together Pro Tours

 

Will Erker started playing magic when New Phyrexia came out after a few friends taught him how to draft and play. His first Pro Tour was Pro Tour Origins and then he made it to the Top 16 at Pro Tour Battle for Zendikar playing Abzan Midrange. Will lives in St. Louis Missouri.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Will Erker when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep52

First Set

New Phyrexia

Favorite Set

Innistrad

M14

Favorite Card

Read the Bones
Sign In Blood

Resource management / grindy cards.

Also...

Brago King Eternal

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

The variance.

While it can be stressful, variance is what makes the game great. We aren't playing chess.

Early Challenge

Building Constructed decks, specifically aggressive decks.

Reading articles and watching coverage and deck techs has helped Will improve his deck building skills.

Proudest Magic Moment

Top 16 at Pro Tour Battle for Zendikar

Best Format

Standard

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Identify the style of deck you like (control, aggro, mid-range, etc...) borrow or proxy that deck and practice with. If you really do like it then roll with it.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Not being realistic when you lose. People need to pay attention to the mistakes they make and learn from them.

People blame mana flood, mana screw or variance instead of identifying what was in their control to change.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Draft: Look at your cards between packs, put your creatures in front and sorted by mana cost so you know where your holes are.

How to Prepare for a Big Event

Will uses Magic Online to grind out reps and then plays with friends to round out the experience.

What's in Your Bag?

Water

Trail Mix

Deck

Improvement Suggestions

There are several sites that post "budget" decks that players can build for cheap.

Magic Resource

Yeti Gaming is Will Erker's local store

Channel Fireball

Star City Games

Twitch.tv

Connect With Will Erker

Twitter: @WillErker

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