64: Ondrej Strasky Spreads the Greatness of Magic All Over the World - a podcast by Shaun Penrod talks tips and stories with professional Magic: The Gathering

from 2016-01-26T09:00

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Ondrej Strasky is 20 years old and is already a Platinum Pro! He was the 2015 Czech World Magic Cup captain and has 1 Grand Prix Top 8 at Grand Prix Brussels 2015, and 2 Pro Tour Top 8s at Pro Tour Honolulu and Pro Tour Brussels. Ondrej lives in the Czech Republic.

Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Ondrej Strasky when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor today! Click here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep64

First Set

Time Spiral

Favorite Set

Khans of Tarkir

Favorite Card

Daze

Local Magic Scene: Czech Republic

Prague is the only city where Ondrej can play Magic a lot in the Czech Republic, which is about a 2 hour bus ride away for him. Because of this he mainly plays Magic Online.

What Makes Magic: The Gathering Fun For You?

While Ondrej tries not to place too much focus on winning or losing, playing in tournaments and the competitive aspect is what keeps him playing Magic. Since there is no one in his town that plays he doesn’t get to play much casual Magic.

Early Challenge

The hurdle that tripped Ondrej up the most starting out was his play speed. He played too fast and missed critical card interactions because he didn’t pause to think them through. An additional 5 seconds helps Ondrej avoid stupid blunders. While addressing the way you play is a hard thing to do, the best way to improve is to just take a little extra time.

Level Up Moment

Ondrej grew the most in 2015 after landing in the Top 8 at his first Pro Tour. At the start of the year he moved in with 3 of the best Czech players and he wholly surrounded himself with Magic. They all streamed Magic, talked Magic, and of course played as much as they could, and Ondrej credits their skill with helping push him to the next level.

Proudest Magic Moment

Ondrej’s proudest moment came when he finished 9th in a London Grand Prix. He was super prepared and an article in Star City Games by Brian Braun-Duin helped him find an amazing deck. While he didn’t take down the whole tournament, Ondrej is proud of how prepared he was and feels like he played the best out of everyone there.

How Much Magic Do You Play?

If a tournament is on the horizon Ondrej wakes up and plays Magic until he passes out, and he might squeeze in a bite to eat somewhere in between. During the holidays he slacks off a bit, but now he’s busy learning archetypes and trying out decks.

Best Format

He plays best in Standard, but he loves how fun Legacy is even though it’s not his best format.

How to Choose a Standard Deck

Since the meta game shifts quickly in Standard, Ondrej tries to stay on top by playing Magic Online and seeing how others shift decks from week to week. In regards to setting up a sideboard, Ondrej tries to build it with his main deck in mind as a 75 card deck so he can pick the best positioned 60 to roll with.

Biggest Mistake Players Make

Ondrej thinks players shouldn’t blame luck for their losses, but they shouldn’t beat themselves up when there wasn’t much they could do in a match to win.

Handling loss better can help a player see what they did wrong and learn from their mistakes.

Sealed & Draft Tips

Sealed: Ondrej doesn’t go to pre-releases too often, but he usually looks for cards that pop out to him instantly.

Draft: Ondrej finds the best three archetypes and tries to draft them. He talks to other people who drafted and find what cards are most important to each one.

How to Effectively Prepare for a Big Event

Ondrej thinks you can prepare mostly by yourself for a Grand Prix, but definitely not a Pro Tour. He has a team of 15 and sometimes thinks that’s not even enough.

They will look at what decks are being played after the first Star City Open. Then they start playing and will ask Frank Karsten about deck matchups and post results in forums to help figure out what decks were best.

What's in Your Tournament Bag

Pen

Deck

Deck box for Limited portion

Water Bottle: Ondrej says he stays insanely hydrated throughout a tournament.

How Can a New Magic Player Break In?

A new player can start by building a Pauper deck and playing Magic Online, as decks super cheap.

Improvement Suggestions

Ondrej reads articles written by Brad Nelson and looks at decklist postings from recent tournaments. He thinks reading solid content and playing as much as possible is the best way to improve.

Final Wisdom

If you enjoy Magic play it a lot, and the best thing you can do is buy a lot of packs, watch coverage, and spread the word of how great a game Magic is.