46: Hall of Famer Raphaël Lévy Helps You Understand the Combat Phase

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?

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I read every single one and look forward to your feedback.

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"There's no such thing as a difficult thing. It's either possible or impossible." ~Raphael Levy