5 Magic: The Gathering Life Hacks To Make Your MTG Life Easier!

[@SheevPalpatine]

I sleeve my tokens in different color sleeves from my deck. Prevents accidental shuffling into my library and can serve as a helpful divide between my library and sideboard in my deck box.

[@Cyranth]

+WizardtheGrey I find that using a number of clear Dragon sleeves with two token cards (facing each way) is a great package to take with me to Drafts

[@CurrySoSpicy]

+WizardtheGrey +1 all my tokens go into cheap UltraPro's and my actual deck is double sleeved inside KMCs. Good way to not mix them up.

[@AlexHauck]

+WizardtheGrey This! I always use clear sleeves for my tokens for this exact reason. I started doing that when the Commander 2014 decks came out (I'm still relatively new to MTG) and the tokens were double-sided.

[@oliveryoung2260]

+WizardtheGrey I do the same with my commander

[@Schlumbuo]

you could just not sleeve tokens

[@burbigasmurgnakobaki586]

I've trained myself to say "Untap, Upkeep, Draw" for every turn, it's useful for when opponents want to cast spells during my upkeep.

[@akuloonmodder7998]

YESS I do that too!

[@KokNoker]

I do that. I remember the free 8th edition learn to play magic game was great at burning that into by brain

[@andrewdifederico4911]

I think it's useful. I've done it for years, but I can't remember where I picked it up from or exactly when I started

[@ProudNitro]

Thanks to this comment I have picked up this habit too!

[@nanania15]

So do i. But my community has an inside joke were we alos say lunch

[@thomasfleming8131]

Man, as someone who only started watching The Professor's videos a year or so ago, going through the backlog is entertaining not just for the content but for how different he looks and sounds.

[@HighTechRedneck9]

MTG Life Hack: Meet someone new to the game? Give them some cards to help them get started.

[@brentgould958]

I started recently, and some random kid bought me a Rhystic Study while I was at a comic shop playing commander. Definitely gonna return the favor to other new players some day!

[@Yoho4867]

My dad has a massive collection (with some extremely expensive cards) and he was more than happy to let me pick and choose for my first deck (it sucked and I took it apart but he was just excited we finally had something in common)

[@saintwalker9732]

My buddy has dozens of boxes with 5k+ cards in each, and he is more than happy to just GIVE us cards as long as we put together a reasonably good deck with them. Great guy. Always trying to get more people to play MTG :D

[@wildlifehelpersorganizatio1756]

Someone did that to me I could never thank them properly

[@vbush17]

Thank you!

[@mythicmtgtech]

The die on library hack is 100% must. I am suggesting the upkeep counter to help with the new scrye rule also. Move to attack is also just a competitive must do. Great video as always!

[@abnormallynormal8823]

mythicmtgtech a coin is great too. You can find really cool challenge coins on amazon. Personally I use the 10g weight from a Logitech g403

[@jek__]

@@abnormallynormal8823 those tiny weights are very cute, that's a good idea, I might have to start bringing that little case with the foam padding for counters of all sorts lol

[@Ericnorify]

The upkeep tip blew my mind. I forget upkeep effects constantly.

[@ashtonemberton6207]

lol try forgeting dictate of krufix

[@plastikk12]

Yup.

[@cassieprice9479]

Same here especially with nyx fleece ram on the field

[@jonathandemers2786]

Same that's super helpful! I'm definitely going to start doing that!

[@BW-CZ]

I know it sounds weird, but I have it opposite: I always remember upkeep but I often forget to draw a card until later in the turn, lol.

[@IndraSunrise]

When a creature comes into play, it has summoning sickness. Place the card upside down, bottom facing your opponent, not towards you. First, you won't be confused whether you can use it. Second, your opponent can read the card, if he is unfamiliar with it.

[@nyft3352]

I usually leave those creatures slightly separated from the rest whenever i'm playing some aggro/midrange deck... but i mostly play commander so i order them by "kinds" like mana dorks or big beefy bois and such.

[@CaptPoco]

This is a great tip! I never thought about this but I'm going to use it in my next game.

[@alanpetit3107]

Oh good idea ! Thx for the tip !

[@FiretruykLOL]

great tip

[@Sick1982]

AND, they don't have to touch your cards to read them!

[@tranzeagle]

I usually say combat phase for going to attack especially if I see islands.

[@EmptyJarDoto]

In ygo it's normal at a higher level of play to declare all/nearly all of your phases every turn and even when attacking say out loud specific steps of the battle (so you don't get bamboozled by the other person claiming you used it immediately and he didn't chain his effect but rather used it at the damage calculation step or negating something you played and then saying you can't play anything because you "obviously" played it at the last step and it's over).

[@HD_Dabnado]

Tip: Never let your opponent overwhelm you with their deck. Just try to focus on what you need to do to win, not their 23 1/1 flying deathtouch Hornets...

[@carsonperry6443]

XD

[@alexlorenz5852]

Or your 30 1/2 crows because your playing a casual match with unstables *cough* crow storm *cough*

[@bryantwest7087]

I played against a guy who just used a black rat deck and the card effect said there was no limit to how many of that card type was in the deck. Can't remember the exact name of the card but believe it was close to "rat hoard". Most annoying thing ever. Rats had death touch and were easy to summon. He ended up with 16 of on the field at one point.

[@Words-of-encouragement.-.]

@@bryantwest7087 probably relentless rats

[@jek__]

Ie: stay calm and avoid tilting. Regardless of what Chandra says, getting mad won't help you win lol

[@jovi___]

Please don't take this the wrong way. When I first started watching you me videos, your style of speech was somewhat annoying to me. But now I can't tell you how much I appreciate your clarity. It's so refreshing. Keep up the great work!

[@gaspardiaz123]

I love the way he talks tbh, it's so different and refreshing. His facial expressions are pretty fun, too.

[@dragonboyjgh]

he used to be an english professor after all

[@TheEzzran]

This is pretty much exactly my sentiment. The speech patterns sounded annoying to me but the information was incredibly useful, and the presentation was clear, even if it could be somewhat grating at times. Eventually I just got used to it, though, and it doesn't bother me anymore. TCC is pretty much my primary source for MTG advice and deckbox recommendations now.

[@SwedishNeo]

@@dragonboyjgh I would have swear he used to do theater at the big stage with the way he over-pronounce everything. xD

[@puttputt524]

Jo Vi it annoys me but it is fun seeing other youtubers reference him.

[@dominik5863]

NEVER USE ELASTIC BANDS INSTEAD OF DECK BOXES. it's such a hassle to get the band off and it even ruins sleeved cards after time

[@coreyhaskell7393]

Agreed my sister did this and it annoyed me

[@kovacszsolt6005]

As a "less bad" alternative one can use cerain hairbands which have a loose fabric layer on them. They aren't as rigid and sticky as rubber, but can hold sleeved cards nicely in a pinch. Be sure to check the size though. One can also carry hard plastic cards and band them on the top and bottom of the deck so it keeps a better form. I always have a couple of them on hand because who know what can happen. Not great, but better than most bad options.

[@antslarmstrong9883]

Hair ties for women are just fine I get the cheap ones so they aren't super tight

[@cuchilloc]

Yep and if they dry they leave your cards all sticky

[@demiurge2501]

I do this constantly lmao

[@LegolasNordark]

Never get confused about land drops again by playing them upside down when they first enter the battlefield!! Filp them right side up when it's your next upkeep!!

[@42CZ]

that can get you in trouble, because of the kimigawa flip cards

[@sagebauer1077]

+42CZ what? how? I don't think there are any cards from kamigawa that affect only "flipped" permanents...

[@42CZ]

for inaccurate displaying of board state. in causal groups you shouldn't get in trouble. even in fnm level of rel you shouldn't have a problem. but the argument can be made.

[@thomasfox0]

+42CZ its only ever a problem if you are on a featured camera match or if your judge says its not allowed. most people dont really care, even judges, if you explain why you are doing this, ESPECIALLY in Amulet Bloom. I do this constantly as a way to show what i have dropped. also, he said LAND drops, not any other type of permenant. Kamigawa didn't have flip lands. just flip creatures/enchantments.

[@42CZ]

***** true more just trying to warn people that their opponents can get a judge to ding you for it and be in the correct. they can also do it if you rearrange the order of your graveyard.

[@Scott-J]

A way to prevent playing more than one land per turn is to play the land-for-turn where the creatures usually go, move it down with the other lands on your untap step. Or play it next to your library, or with the top of the card facing you. The point is, put the land-for-turn somewhere different on the turn it is played.

[@RealSnitch]

When you're attending a sealed deck event, have a pack of already sleeved basic lands - 10 of each - it will save your time for deck construction..

[@pawels.5669]

This. Have an upvote.

[@Bobacus6122004]

"OH GOOD! An island." I lost it.

[@voxena2657]

Wait ... I CAN TAKE PENNIES FROM THE JAR AT STORES

[@ryansraven]

No pennies in Canada 🇨🇦

[@thirsty1629]

Well that’s exactly what I always do

[@cheez-itman2784]

Only if it says "donations"

[@darkmatter9233]

In many stores there is a small container that says “leave a Pennie, take a Pennie”

[@danacoleman4007]

@@darkmatter9233 I don't think I ever saw anyone misspell penny before

[@modelix123]

Use deodorant

[@darthxplagueis1030]

André Hatushikano dude seriously. Can't play fnm anymore because the whole place smells like shit.

[@GaelGomez_-_-_]

It's REALLY underrated

[@DanielKjeldal]

Also don't go too far with deodorant and cologne, just because your grandmother bought you a bottle of 2 dollar cologne for Christmas doesn't mean you should use half the bottle every time you go out.

[@jek__]

Preferably, put effort into washing yourself properly. Deodorant doesn't always work great and often just makes people smell like flowers and BO. Also antiperspirant is really bad for your kidneys

[@tastytetrahedron2976]

B.O.-dorant

[@theinvisiblegentleman1142]

"Use bath beads as counters" starts to break down when I buff my 4/4 creature to 34/34 until the end of turn.

[@JimmyR42]

5 people didn't realize that EoT effects aren't +1/+1 counters... I mean, you did the calculation once to realize its a 34/34, it's not as if you need to keep track of that information for "later" if it doesn't last until "later".

[@AcadianBacon8]

When I used beads I had large ones of one color and then tiny ones of a very different color, and the large ones I counted as 5's and small ones as 1's, or 10's and 1's depending on what kind of deck I was playing.

[@carlosandino5524]

It takes a little getting use too but when your opponent has seen your hand leave the cards upside down in your hand. That way you know what they have seen. It is legal to write down their cards just watch any tournament broadcast.

[@jayp4687]

I hacked my mountains, now they produce 3 mana.

[@LongHairedTeen]

+Jay P is it all blue?

[@jayp4687]

Any color :D

[@nitrodog96]

+Jay P What color deck are you even playing?

[@jayp4687]

Well, the hackin went somewhat wrong, an now its pink-ish

[@nitrodog96]

Uhhhhh... alright then.

[@alexandervilla5673]

About last week one of my sleeves on my commander deck split and i didn't normally bring extra sleeves with me but after i watched this video I started keeping extras. Well I'll be damned if I wasn't in a similar situation prof explained. It was a long night of commander and the store i was at didn't have the sleeves I was using.

[@koskey06]

my tip is to play your new deck out by yourself just to make sure you have enough lands etc.

[@asbquez6494]

That's called goldfishing (ie you're playing against a goldfish)

[@ludwigvonbeethoven3157]

As a continuation on the upkeep effect hack, you could keep a bead of the same color as the one on top of your deck so you can quickly recognize which cards have an upkeep effect.

[@lukehannigan70898]

u r a genius

[@Lsaldana92]

If your game have an effect that makes either player reveal his/her hand write down the cards that are revealed (including lands), and when one of the cards is played from the list cross it out, this is so you still have the same information as you opponents.

[@andrewmoore7014]

+Laura Saldana Absolutely! It's amazing how much that helps.

[@Nesree0]

Some cards actually say look briefly would it be a cheat to write it down for those cards?

[@Lsaldana92]

+Björn Oakhand nope that is now open information

[@andrewmoore7014]

You see a lot of Modern players doing it (because Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek). I've had judges ok it. Public information just like Laura said.

[@Carbon762]

I like to just lay out my hand on the table and start a new hidden hand of cards I draw. But remember, when you brainstorm, your opponent no longer knows what you have or do not have, so you should collect all face-up hand contents into your hidden hand at that time.

[@Maximillian1329]

I see players who bundle all their lands together into a single pile or cluster. I like to separate my lands out by color, having vertical rows for each type. That way it's easy to simply look down and reference how many of each you have for planning combos ahead. Plus it looks nicer

[@LucaNocca]

I like to seperate them by colour but no more than 4 in each "pile". Keeps it nice and tidy.

[@notjoaquindecastro]

Maximilian Fox That's because in games, like commander, they would last for a long time or if you ramp so high that those vertical rows won't even fit. If they have that many lands, they would usually divide them into two piles for utility lands or pain lands. Also, with this many lands, even if it's a five color deck, they don't need to worry about colored mana and fixing.

[@andrelanca2700]

Maximilian Fox I have won games where my oponente just forgot I had an utility land. so organizing and showing them exactly what you have might play against you. this is the same reason you keep shuffling your hand and never "stack lands" when you first draw. magic for me is a great mind game.

[@savedroknapp1926]

André Minhoto Well now... do you call that fairplay?

[@newname4941]

@@andrelanca2700 Sounds like a dick move, that might even get you banned.

[@alexanderhahn501]

Can I just say, I remember watching your videos since before this one, and Im really glad that your channel has grown like it has. So deserving.

[@demnslayer09]

I just wanted to tell you thank you for helping me learn everything I needed to know to start playing MTG a year ago :)

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

+Svenshine My absolute pleasure.

[@tmpcreep1856]

If you happen to have a Crown Royal bag laying around, those make good dice bags. I was given one to me by my grandfather.

[@emilysmith3594]

I just thought you got a bottle of whiskey with your sweet dice bag. 😋

[@rainvixen3931]

My boyfriend and I have one of those too :) works great.

[@noamemerson-fleming285]

Yo I have one of those

[@brianwhalen69]

Crown Royal, the unofficial sponsor or Magic and D&D.

[@nicholasfarrell5981]

I use the bag that came with an old pair of Skullcandy headphones. Works just as well, and isn't easily mistaken for another player's dice/counters bag.

[@noisepollution4473]

This is a fairly simple one, but I've found the best way to both avoid arguments and avoid missing triggers in MTG is to just say each phase aloud as you go through it. Some people might find this irritating; I however appreciate when someone does this, as it gives me ample time to respond to phase changes and makes me feel less in the dark about my opponent's turn. Doing this is especially nice for upkeep triggers, because if you go through the motions of saying "Untap, upkeep, draw" every turn, it is harder to forget them.

[@SeraphimKnight]

I like to keep 3 colors of bath beads; they represent 1, 5 and -1 for any counters I might need. So even a creature with 25 +1/+1 still only had minimal amounts of counters on it.

[@stan665]

+SeraphimKnight you can also tape pieces of paper with the numbers on them to the bottom of the counters and they should show through

[@HingleMcCringleberry-f6d]

+SeraphimKnight I used to use pennies for -1 and dimes for +1

[@Myrdden71]

I play casual with a group of players, and I keep about 12 different colors to use for tokens of various kinds, poison counters, 1/1 counters, and other uses. It helps differentiate Squirrel tokens from Pests and such by having different colors when you don't have token cards to use.

[@dovydasgrigas441]

Man DRAFT chaff will be hilarious at my local game store when the full art Battle For Zendikar Lands Are Released

[@xzysyndrome]

4 years later...this is funny.

[@samsamsABC]

I like to take a draft kit with me with 50 or so sleeves and 18 of each basic land. Usually good enough to save on time during the draft :)

[@DarkTider]

Tip: Get into the habit of always attacking BEFORE casting things in the main phase. Yes, sometimes it is relevant, such as sorcery removal or haste creatures, but otherwise there is usually no benefit to casting them before combat, and leaving the mana up means your opponent has to keep guessing whether you may be ready to use a combat trick. A lot of players actually forget there IS a main phase. Another tip is to always bring the apropriate tokens. Often it can be a problem for both players when multiple tokens are in play that can not be indentified at a glance, and it will help avoid having to ask what the board state is, especially when having to figure out if that face-down creature is a morph or a manifest

[@locus_of_magic217]

When watching Tolerian Community College videos, it can be a good idea to speed up the videos to 1.25 or even 1.5 speed if your English skills can accommodate it. At 1.5 speed, the speech is slightly fast (like normal conversation speed with an excitable friend) and due to near perfect articulation very easily understood.

[@jaydub5515]

Hah. I just started doing this like 5 videos ago

[@stevogurl4219]

I had no idea you could even do this!

[@tjyycgaming7968]

It is much less relaxing though....

[@SwedishNeo]

And if you want an idea of how he sounds when drunk, slow it down to 0.6x the speed. :D

[@DiabolicScars]

Every time you talk, it makes me feel like sneezing, but your calm demeanor and thorough clear analysis on everything in life makes it all better..

[@xwraiths]

Sleeve your commander in a different color sleeve from that of your deck. This makes sure you will never have to waste time searching your deck for your commander, and makes him stand out. Many card stores send cards in colored sleeves, which can allow you to have unusual colors at the ready for that one centerpiece of your deck. Sleeve tokens in old sleeves that you no longer use for your decks. This protects them without needing additional investment, makes them look better, and since you don't shuffle tokens, those sleeves will last basically forever. I still keep my tokens in red ultra pros from the early 2000s! (which have faded a bit, so now have a very unique semi-transparent look) As much as possible, bring the tokens your commander deck uses before the game, and store them with the corresponding deck. This cuts down on time lost looking for the right token, makes the boardstate clearer, and allows you to customize decks with themed tokens!

[@GigaLordShinyMudkip1]

Draft chaft is an awesome concept. My store does it and it is amazing for just picking up single card of some common or uncommon needed for standard or some casual deck with friends. Its a great system.

[@liv4themoments]

Sometimes players get confused as to which creatures attacked last turn (especially when Vigilance creatures are attacking). So, as a courtesy to my opponents, I always place attacking creatures either to one side of my board OR I push them up just a little bit further than the rest of my non-land permanents (sort of forming a third row of permanents on my end of the board).

[@JakeMGolle]

One mtg hack: watch tolarian community college videos

[@bornedestiny8179]

Jake Golle agreed

[@abeldelatorre6933]

Best hack

[@Willsr14]

Stack similar lands on top of each other (but not so it covers the bottom ones) to save space on the table. Carry a pen and paper set with you to write down life totals and notes, especially if you get to see their hand. It's much better than dice and judges can easily track the life totals if there's a disagreement between players. If you aren't playing anything until second main phase, announce you're going to second main phase, as it makes a difference with cards like Infectious bloodlust.

[@gazzelleFLORENCE]

+Will Rogers In tournaments it's against the rules to use pen and paper to write down anything in their hand, even if you are allowed to see it.

[@AlleonoriCat]

+wesley christensen Pros doing it at protour so why someone saying we can't do the same?

[@84K45UN4]

wesley christensen But in the MTG world championship in the finals, they used paper and pen to track the other player's hand when used though seize... So I don't think that's forbidden on any tourneys.

[@devotedruid]

+wesley christensen today you can even ask for your opponents full deck list during play

[@gazzelleFLORENCE]

+Peacock Knight If this is the case, then I must have been misinformed. I apologize, and thank you for informing me of this.

[@skinnedsheppard9179]

MTG tips I've learned quite recently: 1. Don't leave unsleeved cards in a hot car, they will get ruined. 2. Even if your cards are in a box, AND in your backpack, try to avoid going anywhere in the rain. Somehow it always finds your cards. 3. (This one is a bit cheap and kind of not super nice) While drafting, if your local game store has an excess of lands to be used in drafts, usually they wont stop you from keeping the lands you use for the draft deck. This is a good way to get some lands if you're newer. 4. When drafting, it's usually safer to not listen to other people if they give you tips to "improve your draft deck". There are a lot of people out there who will actively give you bad advice so they have a better chance at winning more games. There are also people who sometimes will steal cards from you while modifying your deck. These people are rare, but they still exist.

[@andrewreuter7703]

Your videos have got me into magic and the thumbnails clearly states the topic of the video (plus your modern merfolkwas my first modern deck, a deck i was skeptical about at first, but have grown to love as a solid teir 2 modern choice)your videos have helped me navigate the seas of accessories,deck boxes and sleeves, so can I say from the bottom of my heart, you are tolarian community college's equivalent of pulling a alpha black lotus:A blessing.

[@Minotaur360]

My opponents usually complain that they don't know what a card does, so if I know the cards well enough, I play with the card flipped, so that the opponent is able to read it. It helps speed the game along.

[@andrewmoore7014]

+Andre Galarza If an opponent seems new to the game I put the card down flipped. If it's just one card I'll just ask if they want to read it.

[@fionncaomanac339]

Exactly, I've been in matches where my opponent had to pull the card off the board and read it for about 12 seconds for every card I ever played so i just decided I'd play them upside down so the game wouldn't drag on forever.

[@xzysyndrome]

And then there are those who intentionally play foreign cards...

[@piggles1019]

@@xzysyndrome ooh, that man might be me. Foreign cards are cheaper a lot of the time.

[@kainshannarra2451]

@@piggles1019 building a kobold deck and some of the ones I ordered are in Italian, since they were cheaper... only about 25 - 30, rather than $40 - 60

[@honeyham6788]

to stat remembering upkeep, I stated playing Oloro in Commander. Not only is he my new favorite Commander next to Marath, his ability forces me to remember my upkeep before I do anything at at all

[@hammdogporkington3058]

"There's a lot with Magic: the Gathering that doesn't have to do with skilful gameplay." Abzan.

[@N8Maple01]

Hammdog Porkington Rhino all the way!

[@martl8615]

Belcher also comes to mind...

[@photosinensis]

Draft chaff can also be useful in a Standard Pauper deck. Frankly, I'd love paper pauper support. It'll help get people into the game., as it has a low cost of entry (if you're spending $100, you'd better be pimping that deck).

[@ryanoutram7059]

Your prayers have been answered, friend

[@DuzMachines]

For the Rebound mechanic, I put the card that will be rebounded next turn on top of my library face up :D

[@freezewindow1]

+DuzMachines they don't allow that in tournament play though, so it's best not to pick up that habit

[@andrewmoore7014]

+DuzMachines You can't put the card there, but you can put just about anything else. A coin, a token, etc.

[@ryanhruskajr]

I wouldn't recommend doing this, as already stated you can't do that in tournaments. Best not to get used to that. If you cast a card with rebound, you exile it after it resolves. The exile zone is meant for reminding you about it. If you have issues remembering to cast your rebound spell during your upkeep, just place a bath bead on top of your library, as the Professor suggested.

[@ettoreozzy9932]

I must say, using counter on the deck to not forget upkeep always help me, and I always announce "battle" wait a lil "attacks?" to make sure I can declare attackers and I also always announce "go to damage? " to confirm there's no trick they want to use before damage. It's helpful for both players :)

[@ContextG]

Something I like to do with my printed sleeves is to double sleeve them in clear Penny Sleeves. They are sized just right to cover the printed sleeve, makes it easier to shuffle them, and you save your printed sleeves from damage. They also come in packs of 100 so you always have an extra 25 if one of them gets damaged. This has allowed me to use a pack of my Ashiok printed sleeves for the past year and they still look fresh to this day, without any blemishes, scratches, or the back printing peeling off in any way.A set of Kiora printed sleeves I own are in the same condition and all it costs to have them stay like that is 1 dollar. Very well placed investment if you're one of the players who loves to keep their sleeves clean and in good condition.

[@Bakemono8666]

Proff says to watch a clip, I watch the clip even though I've seen it. Hope you hit 1.000.000 views soon

[@Parhelion2]

I know this video is pretty old but this is something I’ve found helpful in my experience. Before going to any limited event you should sleeve up 10 of each color basic lands. That way you have a little extra time to deck build instead of spending time sleeping cards. It may seem minute but it helps immensely

[@Snorlax237]

Use the boxes that come in pack bundles to store multiple decks! I use them to carry at the most 3 sleeved commander decks at once! (Depends on sleeves, I use eclipse)

[@PIZZLEdeTWIZZLE]

Life hack on how to shuffle a cube would be awesome :D

[@prplprince8730]

PIZZLEdeTWIZZLE with patience

[@selkiestorm3232]

For counters have a few distinctly different colors to represent different types of counters ie red for -1-1 and green for +1+1, it helps to eliminate confusion as to what has pulses or minuses ect. Oh another great thing if you play a lot of limited is to pre-sleave about 15 of each basic lands, it will give you more time to build your deck.

[@rbradt1]

My tip is: if you're casting a bunch of spells for a combo or something, don't just rapid fire cast those spells. Ask your opponent if it resolves or if he/she has any responses.

[@gemrald]

rbradt1 Unless a player wants to respond to his own spells.

[@MonsterTeegs]

"Maintaining priority I play ... still with priority I'll tap ... and in response cast ... for free ... and ... I win!" - Me, a blue player

[@jamiehall9001]

I personally am new to the MtG scene, but I know with our group, you need to specify if you want to cut decks. A way we've remembered is to roll, then ask as you roll "Cut or Uncut" it becomes habit after you do so multiple times, making it easier.

[@ajfox84]

Wow, that counter idea is brilliant...I'm so doing that. Thank you!

[@ShrimpFarm23]

Hello Professor, I've watched your videos for quite some time now I made your mardu budget deck which I loved an added a lot more too, but I"ve watched all your product reviews multiple times now because you sound so professional which you are and I'm making my switch from standard to EDH I plan on making a sliver edh deck and a Merfolk tribal deck. I just can't thank you enough for posting youtube videos!

[@Giby86]

You know, during the intro the first thing that came to my mind was "why didn't he ticked up the vial?" I'm proud of myself.

[@Carbon762]

sometimes you don't wanna tick up that vial.

[@Swimmydude11]

+Will Richter Yea, but it was at 1. You generally want it at 2 for Merfolk. Most decks only run Cursecatcher as a 1 mana creature. Judging from his board state, he would have already played them.

[@samholden5758]

+Will Richter You never leave a single vuak on 1 when playing merfolk... you might vial in curse catcher in response to the trigger to tick it up, but there's no way it stays on 1.

[@mischavandenburg]

It's amazing how this content is still so relevant and the quality of the content is still much beter than the majority of content produced today (including mine). Well done sir!

[@beefj3rk]

I use Legos as counters

[@fireinthehole2272]

Same!! Thought I was the only one.

[@jortbune8117]

Legend

[@raipogonowski8450]

That's actually kinda cool

[@RoyalBluePhoenix]

Lego. It is plural.

[@matthewbevilacqua8605]

Evil if you leave some on the floor

[@danlewis7707]

Bring a binder with you, filled only with cards to are comfortable trading, to any event you attend at your local game store. Try and sort it by color and type. Also bring a pad of paper and pen. This can be helpful for keeping track of life totals during game play, but can be useful in lots of other situations as well. I also recommend the MTG: Familliar App

[@lushenguy6756]

Play with the cards in your deck facing you. This way you draw them directly into your hand and not from the side. This also prevents accidentally giving your opponent a peek at your cards.

[@JonHernandez-BasiliskFang]

Lushen interesting

[@HonestyOdyssey]

These videos are very informative. I'm barely 2 months into this magic stuff and your definitely my go to guy. Moreover I'm glad this video was straight to the point. Short and sweet.

[@WarBoy87]

There is a box of free cards at my local RU Game. I always put cards I don't want in there and I take some cards I need from there as well.

[@delathenleso5793]

This came up on my recommendations in 2021. Was expecting the (current) Prof's slightly sarcastic lilt. Ended up getting a genuinely good set of advice that I already share with newer folk at my LGS. Was surprised.

[@TheNutCase657]

Try arranging your graveyard in a vertical stack along the left side of your play area, spread out enough so you can read the names - makes it a lot easier to keep track of what's available from it

[@AristocrateBienEleve]

Here's a tip: When you want to represent +1/+1 counters on a creature, put a dice on the top of the card, on the picture. When you want to represent -1/-1 counters on a creature, put a dice on the bottom of the card, on the text box. It can seems useless while there is only one kind of these counters, but taking the habit makes it more clean when you encounter situations when both are presents.

[@barnesboitano]

Wow... that's a great shop your at Professor!

[@prz88]

Probably his shop

[@PandaJohn71]

A personal lifehack I have is when going to a draft or sealed event if you prefer to play sleeved, sleeve up about 10 of each basic with your "draft" sleeves that way you can more easily sleeve your deck for the actual event. They are basic lands and one of the only outside the Limited pool cards legal.

[@sampo7677]

Wow. Baron Sengir saw the light of day! Homelands was a hell of a set.

[@Cerialeater01]

+sampo7677 sorry but i need to correct you Homelands was Hell as a set

[@IanWhite1979]

+sampo7677 I got him out in my EDH group once. It was glorious as he got 2 counters on him before being removed. I had waited nearly 20 years for that moment.

[@thedarklight6752]

+sampo7677 more like set of hell

[@thomasfox0]

+sampo7677 The other day i learned (TODIL)- Homelands contains the ONLY card that REMOVES poison counters from a player. Leeches.

[@jeremylove92]

+sampo7677 Hell yeah, Homelands! Awful set, but cool as can be. Way more interesting world than the past few sets.

[@geneticon]

Love to see this video in your LGS... would love to see more of this! A great change of pace and good for the LGS image :)

[@MaturinSleeps]

Wow. This is the first video I have seen on this channel. You have a new subscriber.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

+Rain Richards Thank you! Welcome! :)

[@MaturinSleeps]

Tolarian Community College Thanks for the warm welcome.

[@arnoldbiggins9570]

4:21 'FILTHY CASUALS'

[@Reggro1264]

+Arnold Biggins Why? I don't like playing against abzan billion times every single event. And I don't want to drive one, while having resources to. Magic is supposed to be fun and creative, not plain and boring.

[@WinstonKillDeath]

+John Locke *high fives*

[@depiggyslayer6472]

4:20.... hmm.. 420 BLAZE IT LOL ILL NOSCOPE U M8 GET PHUCKING REXT M8S LOL! sorry i had to

[@prn_Melatonin]

+Reggro Then play EDH. Abzan? Whats that.

[@DrewskiTheLegend]

NORMIES GET OUT REEEEEE

[@ellahazan-fuchs7249]

Life hack that can make the board state much clearer: Seperate cards by permanent type - do an area for creatures, for enchantments, etc. This way you can save a headache for everyone. Also, sort your lands by the colors they produce, in piles.

[@Slapjack88]

I've been doing all those things for years, good stuff. I'm constantly amazed at how many folks neglect the 'move to attack' courtesy.

[@sliwinski1123]

i really enjoyed this video Professor. Keep up the good work!

[@Mechsrule1]

I use metal washers for counters. they are a little bit more expensive, but are more compact, and I have glued paper to both sides, and added text so they have a specific value on the field.

[@derlutzpahl]

Hello, this is the first video i have seen on your channel. Thanks for this informing video. I love that style. I am a new subcriber of your channel.

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

+DerPhysikExperte║Alles und noch viel mehr║ Cheers!

[@derlutzpahl]

Thanks for answering my comment. I am thinking about to buy a Tolarian Community College.

[@derlutzpahl]

Because now ive looked a lot of your videos and every video is better than the other one.

[@PlayByPlay_Productions]

The

[@Midlite]

I love the location and camera shots for this video, great job professor

[@Sephvion]

The problem with carrying around extra sleeves is that the new sleeves, most likely, haven't seen any sort of damage. If you have played with dragonshield sleeves you have noticed that the sleeves scuff up over time. If you throw in a random new sleeves, then it becomes real obvious what card you are about to draw.

[@TheGilby456]

+Sephvion the new dragon shield matte sleeves don't seem to have that problem.

[@multicoloredbeanie3678]

Then throw in a few.

[@sanitydistortion]

+Sephvion Same issue when you swap out a card or two, when making adjustments to the deck, eso si que es

[@markmason2216]

I like to put the Planeschase Die on top of my deck so it's in my hand as I play to help me remember to roll it in larger multiplayer games especially. Thank you for your videos, Professor.

[@AnAnimalSpite]

MTG hack: When you get a fat back box, pull out the cardboard piece in the top and rip off the ends. Then use glue to stick the cardboard piece to your lid. Now your cards at the end won't get their tops dented, and you won't waste hours putting that cardboard piece back in the top of the box.

[@Salamanderman117]

Good call! I always hated the randomly bent cards at the end of the box! >:/

[@noisepollution4473]

+Joseph Casto I've always just put deckboxes or sleeves at the ends in order to achieve the same thing.

[@nickw7235]

Damn I had no idea you going at it for 8+ years prof! I’m very happy for you and your success! Thank you!

[@cstaie85]

big thing I have seen over the years is people playing a PW and then only putting counters on them for the +1 in a multiplayer game. for instance Ajani, Caller of the Pride and only 4 counters on it but the guy did the Ult. We all at the table went crazy thinking he was doing it early until we realized it was out for 4 turns. This caused all other players to ignore it thinking the Ultimate was far off and the guy won with his army if 40 cats. This is one example I have witnessed. Please mention this in your next video. Loyalty counters need to be placed on resolution of cast then added or removed afterwards to show accurate representation of the PW total loyalty not accumulated loyalty after initial.

[@LogMeInGoddamnit]

My girlfriend does this and it bugs the Hell out of me. Counters are cheap. Use them for the full amount of their loyalty when they are cast because what are you going to do if you need less than the full amount of the ult? Put negative loyalty counters on it? Madness.

[@AristocrateBienEleve]

Here's a tip: When you play your land (or your lands, in certain situations) for turn, or when you cast/create/return to the battlefield a creature that have summoning sickness, don't hesitate to put it completely on the right, or the left, of your battlefield, separetely from the others. It will help you remembering either you played your land for turn or you can't attack yet whith the creatures or use their abilities that requires them to tap, and so to your opponents, leading to a clearer comprehension of the battlefield. When it comes back to your turn after, you can put it with the others, to mark that you're free to attack or play more lands!

[@csys690]

Thanks Steve Zahn mixed with Heath Ledger.

[@ShaineEdwards]

Just a small thing our group does, but if a creature gets tapped and does not untap during the next untap phase, we "tap it twice", making it face down towards us (like 6 o'clock rather than 3 o'clock). Next upkeep, "untap" it into the tapped position, then next upkeep after that, untap it fully.

[@KhanGarth]

i can't thing of any time i'd rather use glass counters instead of dice

[@christianfecteau6436]

Glass counters can actually represent 1/1 tokens and such...

[@knickknack4338]

I don't think I've ever seen someone successfully tap or untap a glass bead. I'll stick with cards for that too. I've never seen the point of glass counters either

[@VrilOrgan]

Garth Palmer There are some counters that don't care about the number of counters on them, such as doom, bribery, or bounty counters. Using glass beads will let you differentiate that kind of counter from +1/+1 or -1/-1 counters. They're very helpful for big complex board states

[@1slena]

Garth Palmer someone went infinite on me but I had a forgotten ancient and since they were infinitely casting a creature, I got infinite counters. We represented the copious amount of counters using a glass bead.

[@obviouslylee]

That is a very old school thing to do. They still used those glass beads on the pro tour up until 2011-12

[@petetrbovich7575]

One idea I use that nobody seems to consider is to always carry a mini Post-It notepad and a pen. Slap the post-its on card sleeves, tokens, or wherever to keep track of game state, like whether a permanent can't untap during your next untap step, what creature your clone is copying, or other special effects. And hey, carry some ad cards (the kind you pull from packs) and together with the post-its, you can have a token for every occasion.

[@d00dxKVLT]

when playing high tide have two or more calculators handy.

[@mynameiscloud611]

My father drilled it in me when we were learning to play to say each phase out loud when moving to it "Untap, Upkeep, Draw, Main 1, ect." that way not only I remember to do those things but it also lets my opponents know. It has stuck with me all of these years and I still will get quizzical looks when playing at my LGS from time to time.

[@Aryawrds]

Professor, how tall are you?

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

+Arya Suradinata Just a sliver under six foot.

[@Aryawrds]

+Tolarian Community College and by the way, Ultimate Guard playmat is yet to be graded by you. I am still waiting for that! 🤔

[@tomtee6252]

+Arya Suradinata He's Seven foot, I tell you!

[@Aryawrds]

+Tom Tee whoa, really?

[@peytonceltigar9677]

+Tolarian Community College XD just a sliver did nobody else catch that

[@decameter]

I don't usually have trouble remember upkeep triggers, it's usually remembering combat triggers which is why I always say my steps outloud now. MTGO has helped a lot with remembering steps and informing my opponent. I feel much more confident in my play now that I sort of verbally and mentally go through it. A good thing I find is always looking at your opponent and keeping your board as consistent as possible, the cleaner and easier it is to understand at a glance the easier it is for both players. Follow your opponent steps as well! Remember at any point where your opponent interacts with the stack or moves to attacks you have priority, and you can always speak up to inform them if they've skipped ahead. It's a lot easier to go back a second then to get half a turn confused.

[@Sheriff_K]

Why do you need Counters when you can just use Dice? So much easier... I always carry a bunch of D6s in my Deckbox for Events. (Dice is easy, because counting Counters is hard...

[@thomasfox0]

+Sheriff K because some players INSIST on using hard to read dice. Counters are single items and are easy to read. example: www.amazon.com/MTG-Spindown-D20-Life-Counter/dp/B00F10EPZ0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1441329544&sr=8-2&keywords=izzet+spindown&pebp=1441329542443&perid=0DBHZJ3K4CTKAXKFQY4F my friend INSISTS on using this stupid spindown for life. No one at the play group likes it because it is VERY difficult to read unless you are 2 feet from it.

[@FrozenSpector]

+Sheriff K I like to use both. I use the bead counters so I know how many individual Counters have been placed on the creature and then some dice (usually D20's) to visually see the summed up Power/Toughness from said counters. This way, at a glance I can read one creature which could have, say: five blue +1/+3 counters and two green -1/-1 poison counters and a temporary +3/+2 spell effect, etc., on it to differentiate different effects throughout the game. Helps reading a Heroic Deck much easier for me.

[@Sheriff_K]

+Dredrik Salkon I don't condone using D20s, they can tip over rather easily, and can't mark life above 20. I mean regular D6 6-sided dice, they have dots on them, and are really clear. That's what everyone uses, and it's easy. Counters are just hard to keep track of with 2+... Easier to glance at a Die and see what number it has.

[@SheonEver]

+Sheriff K I simply have dice of one color for +1+1 counters, another color dice for +1+1 bonuses that aren't counters, and then a handful of regular counters for level-up counters or any other kind of exotic counter. For example if I used 3 different color of dice certain cards, like warden of the first tree, would regularly end up with 3 dice of 3 different colors on him. I think that's too complicated. Hell even my friends I regularly play with have trouble keeping the two colors of dice straight.

[@Sheriff_K]

+Shion Kreth I've never ended up with more than 1 Counter type on a single Card.. :S

[@3piece598]

A life hacks video is an outstanding idea professor! I personally would love more of these as a new MTG player!!!

[@Venisor21]

Play creature upside down to indicate that they are summoning sick.

[@murpesx]

+Kendall Sain I've recently started doing this and love it. It really helps keep a busy table in order.

[@FictionExistence]

+Kendall Sain Might get confused with another Morph creature on the field. But not the worst idea

[@tiraichbadfthr]

I do this too, it let's the opponent have ample time to read the card clearly, too.

[@axolotl0671]

Kamigawa flip cards your opponent can get confused and think it’s one

[@Cr33pYL1LTh1nG]

Or pennies. I put pennies on cards I have something sickness and I use small six sided dice for counters

[@non-progenitus9951]

The counter on top of the deck has been especially helpful!

[@Stan3013]

Number 6: Always use siege rhino, even when rotating out

[@robertuzumaki5974]

Still in my modern Deck😎. Got a Problem? Dr. Rhino will fix it.

[@VOID-GRIMM_Sinn]

Bro your channel got me into magic last year. Love it and keep up the great work