38: Know Your Role, Win More Matches with Lee Shi Tian

Lee Shi Tian has 5 Grand Prix Top 8s and is the Champion of Grand Prix Birmingham (2008) he has also made the Top 8 at 4 Pro Tours. He lives in, and joins us from, the tallest city in the world, Hong Kong, China.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Lee Shi Tian when he shared his story on MTG Pro Tutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep38

First Set

Odessey

Favorite Set

Shards of Alara

Favorite Card

Vendilion Clique

What makes Magic: The Gathering fun for you?

Shi Tian love that there are lots of interaction and synergy between cards and that the games is refreshed every time a set comes out.

He also enjoys the people reading part of Magic too. Looking for tells when playing against an opponent is fun for him.

Early Challenge

Being a Professional gamer is not highly regarded in Hong Kong so Shi Tian was constantly asked "When are you going to get a real job?" from those around him. Until he made Platinum it was a constant challenge standing up to the pressures.

Level Up Moment

After Shi Tian's first Pro Tour Top 8 Wizards unbanned Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle which allowed Shi Tian to play the Scapeshift deck.

Shi Tian also joined with Taiwanese player Kuo Tzu-Ching, who was on the winning team of first ever World Magic Cup, to form the team MTG Mint Card. 

This period of his career was full of growth and level ups for him.

Proudest Magic Moment

Top 8 at Pro Tour Honolulu.

The Pro Tour was during a tumultuous time for Hong Kong and Lee Shi Tian was proud to bring attention to the issues his countrymen were facing.

Best Format

Draft & Modern

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Players at Grand Prix are much more diverse so Shi Tian plays the safest deck. The one with the best results.

For Pro Tours he tries to surprise the field because the format is relatively undiscovered by that point.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Limited: You should know your game plan and always track the game tempo. Know your role for the match up. Are you the aggro player or the player with inevitability?

Card Evaluation Tips

Review the spoiler several times and identify supported archetypes.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Evasion is Shi Tian's secret. 

Get lots of cards with flying.

Draft: Remember the 3 best cards in the pack. Do that with every pack to get a feel of what color people are in.

To "read the draft" you should identify the best commons in each color. You see commons more and it's easier to pick up on what is open if you track the commons.

Always draft a good curve.

Team Building

Teams are great because when you're going solo you don't have time to play every deck. Team mates help round out your knowledge.

How to Effectively Play Test

Know your meta game. What's going on locally and how can you beat it. As you scale up change your side board accordingly.

Improvement Suggestions

Watch videos online to pick up on the latest strategies.

Read articles.

Magic Resource

MTG Mint Card

Star City Games

Channel Fireball

Connect With Shi Tian

Twitter: @leearson

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