The Hidden Depths Of Magic: The Gathering

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[@casketbase7750]

“You know what a good opening hand looks like and when to mulligan.” You overestimate me, Professor.

[@draksinus]

"I shouldn't keep this hand, but I'm going to rock it." has become my unfortunate motto.

[@TheodoreBrown314]

@@draksinus That’s literally any casual EDH player ever xD

[@zimoy.701]

Mulligan decisions are honestly one of the most skilltesting actions in magic. And sideboarding.

[@gigantomastiaCuddler]

Hijacking for visibility does anyone know which video is the functional errata tarmogoyf video at the end? I can't find it.

[@NStripleseven]

I play on MTGA, and I mulligan so rarely for some reason that I once got a hand with only one land and I accidentally clicked the “keep” button

[@TSGypside]

Story Time: When I first started playing, I had a R/U counter/burn deck my friend had made me. I was playing with people who had much better collections/cards than me. It was a 5 player game and the player before me was clearly lining up a combo (it was written all over his face). I played Spy Network which had quickly become one of my favorite cards in the deck because I loved having information others didn't. I chose the combo player to look at his hand and top of his library (remember that not even he got to see that card when I did). I got a panicked expression and he started looking really smug. I convinced the others that he needed to be taken out before he drew that card. They laid into him and took him down to 2 life. He laughed as he drew what he assumed was the final piece of his combo... then stopped laughing when he saw it was a swamp. I shocked him before he could retaliate at me for what I did. Knowledge is power, kids... haha.

[@bluesight_]

You are eeeeeevil love it tho

[@obadijahparks]

Sounds like me.

[@MTG69]

And this is why commander is one of the purest formats of MTG. I started playing in 95, and was out of the game for awhile. Came back and avoided commander like the plague. I was always thinking, that's not the MTG I played as a teenager. Sat down and finally played a game of commander, and all the nostalgia feels of playing MTG came flooding back. EDH made me fall in love with MTG all over again.

[@carlschneider4229]

@@MTG69 This was me. Got out at Masks, got in at M21/TBD, thought Commander was dorky- 100 cards and a "commander"? Oh how little I knew.

[@Eric_The_Cleric]

I want to only say your name checks out but this story is far too good to just say that. That is probably the most epic "no one expects the new player to outplay them that hard" moment I have ever heard of. Props, dude.

[@Geallach83]

Okay, that Elizabeth Harmon spoof was Next Level.

[@ethanuys6903]

Ruin crab! I concede

[@DonovanPresents]

What is the reference from though? I feel a little lost on that one...

[@douwereitsma4202]

@@DonovanPresents The Queen's Gambit. It's on Netflix and well worth the watch.

[@tonehunter8755]

Agreed. That was top 1

[@benvoliothefirst]

Came for the prof's insight and humor, stayed for the spot-on chess analysis!

[@davidtuffelli-rail2214]

You forgot to touch on the most important aspect of hidden information: keeping useless land in hand to bluff 😁

[@CreeTheChroma]

Bold of you to assume I know what's in my deck.

[@lowlyspy]

Bold of him to assume we know what a deck is.

[@lawrenceblade4437]

Bold of him to assume we know what a card is.

[@tilleruez6869]

Srsly after creating enormous number of casual edh decks i couldnt remember anymore what's inside them x)

[@mars___sumner]

Bold of him to assume we know how to read

[@lawrenceblade4437]

@@tilleruez6869 EDH Deck building channels:"They grew up so fast" 🥲🤧

[@johnrobertson1]

“Ruin Crab? I concede!” Stop stealing my Arena strats!

[@NeutralGuyDoubleZero]

Opponent: plays their first mill card Me: *explodes*

[@blakmajk3512]

Ha!

[@blakmajk3512]

You are one sexy b...., Prof! 👍🏼👍🏼

[@3nertia]

I feel personally attacked >_>

[@DJBVWA]

Ditto. I also concede to r1 discard, just tells me I'm in for an annoying game.

[@christina.morris]

I absolutely loved Foretell. It was such a great marriage of flavor and solid mechanical gameplay. I'd love to see it come back in the future!

[@Nootlest]

I agree for sure

[@Sombres]

"You know what a good hand looks like, and how to mulligan" Big assumption there as I feel forced to take a 2 land hand to avoid a worse hand

[@goldcreeper7376]

Two whole lands ? Why that's perfectly appropriate for legacy !

[@SaberToothPortilla]

I hate the feeling of being down a card, especially going first, feels too bad. lol

[@Alikaoz]

A hand that can play some of the cards in it is good enough.

[@elipetrou9308]

Honestly, in my main korvold deck 2 lands are perfectly fine

[@frsk6460]

mulligan to 5 is weakness

[@releonhardt268]

"Ruin Crab? I concede" is basically my entire strat

[@PokeStatsStudios]

Play a reanimator deck and then laugh at them for milling your bombs for you

[@daygoncornhole2395]

@@PokeStatsStudios sadly not in standard 😞 I hate that ducking crab it just makes me want to concede after turn one 🤣!

[@PokeStatsStudios]

@@daygoncornhole2395 try Kroxa. I've had some luck with that against rogue and other types of mill.

[@daygoncornhole2395]

@@PokeStatsStudios I don't have enough wild cards to craft a kroxa deck and I am strictly an Arena player 😞

[@bensolo7217]

@@daygoncornhole2395 strictly Arena out of choice or necessity?

[@orgazmo686971]

Pro strat: play green, then hidden information doesn't matter.

[@ScornfulEg0tist]

Craterhoof doesn't care about hidden information

[@Russian_engineer_bmstu]

@@ScornfulEg0tist not unless it is a foretold counterspell

[@razaali4616]

@@Russian_engineer_bmstu veil of summer doesn’t really care about counterspell

[@VentBoy311]

Revelation

[@frsk6460]

i play 2 things Elves and Faeries in Commander and pauper (cant afford Modern kekw) and i love green it is my favourite colour by itself but i really like Blue/Black interaction and flavor.

[@cobaltdeleon]

"Hidden depths of Magic" Alternatively: "Dammit all I hit off my Mosswort Bridge was Dark Depths."

[@jeffreygenehk]

"Ruined crab, I concede" - pretty appropriate given the fnm no deck building restrictions on arena yesterday.

[@sunzet4640]

I love when Prof talks about Tarkir block, my all time favorite sets

[@QuietAsHeimdal]

Ditto, the amount I drafted during Tarkir and the boxes and boxes of product I got at the time is a little embarrassing xD Plus the standard of story-telling and flavour hasn't been matched since IMO

[@ecpracticesquad4674]

I love this video, especially as a control player. One of the biggest advantages a control player has, at times, is straight up bluffing. There have been so many times that holding a land or two in hand has bought be a turn or two just because my opponent doesn't want to risk running their draw into my counters or removal.

[@The5lacker]

"You know your own deck, what cards are in it, and how it hopes to win." I don't always know 'bout that last one, chief.

[@peterpeterson4800]

Lantern Control does something similiar by influencing draws, which is information that is normally hidden from both players. And scrying does the same for yourself. But both has the added bonus of being able to influence something that would be luck dependend. You could still draw a bad card, and your opponent could still draw a good card, even if you put the card to the bottom or into his graveyard. Hidden information is also the reason why you should always keep lands in hand if you don't need them. More hand cards make your opponent more likely to think you will have good cards in your hand. Same with playing your spells in the second main phase. It makes it look like you might have a Lightning Bolt or a combat trick you will use after he declares his blocks, if you still have more cards in hand and more mana available. Your opponent might also make worse decisions in blocking if he doesn't know that you will play more creatures afterwards, so you will have your own blockers or an even bigger attack next turn.

[@eaglebach3154]

Upcoming show at Netflix: Professor’s Gambit

[@biancalages1431]

"And you know how you hope to win" Me, a controller player: Ah... Sure... I will... Negate losing..?

[@JayTheDragonKing]

Awesome video! Great concepts to think about as a magic player. Also I especially loved the creative part of the video where you try to imagine the different decision tree is in magic quickly became bewildered, that was hilarious and a great touch in this informative video

[@matthewgarcia7308]

Stopped 3 minutes in to say I am loving the editing! The channel has come a long way with the graphics and you and your team disserve some praise!

[@jmil801]

Just want to compliment the production quality of this video and many others.

[@MiguelDVids]

Absolutely brilliant professor! I love this lesson! Please more game theory videos!

[@MCJdiz]

Love the show, and this ep Prof! Thanks for all you do As a Voice for the community! As for the Bluffing Question you had: As a longtime Legacy Miracles player, I would always carry a germ token(signaling Batterskull// StoneBlade) in my box to separate my Main/SB, and made it a habit to put it on the table as I was shuffling for game 1 at larger or non-local events. Easily a half-dozen times, I had my opponent T1 Cabal Therapy me(shout outs to that great "Hidden Info" Card), naming Stoneforge, only to whiff and see my top, counterbalance, etc. Keep on Rockin Prof!

[@rustednail1980]

Hey Professor ! Saw your interview on Take Your Shoes off , what a great interview and honest . As someone who just got back into the game 6 months ago after 24 years . Just wanted to say thank you for the content

[@jonlangthorne7924]

My first deck for commander was the Morph Precon and it’s still one of my favourites to play. It’s always fun watching opponents at the table debate which face down creature to target with removal or whether I have something serious hidden on the board.

[@Benjanuva]

I play Esper control in my local Pioneer group. Since everyone there knows I run Settle the Wreckage, I'm able to bluff having one. I'll have 5 mana open with a Castle Vantress with 3 cards in hand and pass the turn with a smile. My opponent may have lethal damage on board, but the combination of what they do and don't know really alters the game.

[@SuzukaYuka]

That's one of the benefits of stable metagames: when both players know what answers they need to play around It creates those situations were leaving mana open when you don't have your answers is as strong as having those answers

[@kaldheimsnow3449]

Queens Logic homage to Ruin Crab scoop finale…….perfection

[@44883]

I really liked the editing in this video, great job!

[@Kthemurderful]

Think this was one of the best and most insightful & informational videos you've made! Enjoyed every second

[@corey2232]

Speaking of drafting complicated sets, Innistrad introducing double faced cards was a pain. Everyone always saw what you were opening or taking, even if you used those little tokens to hide it.

[@jgcooper]

There was a *great* talk about this in games in general (I think it used chess, starcraft, and mobas as examples). But I could never find the video again, really unfortunate. Trying to find books on this subject as well.

[@carsonmichalowski6075]

I remember right after Magic Origins released, I played a simple, but fun Mono-Black Midrange deck in Standard. The standard Duress gave me decent access to see my opponents hands, and it featured two Morph cards, Silumgar Assassin, a tricky little one (that was actually Megamorph) which could kill something when flipped, and what is now my favorite Morph card of all time, Ruthless Ripper; a cheeky little Morphing 1/1 with a Morph cost in the same vein as Dragon's Eye Savants. It lead to putting my opponents in tough situations where they could never be sure what they're blocking and if (or how) a creature would die. Things were so much simpler back then...

[@hedleybrowning5448]

The ceiling stare was one of the funniest skits you have done. Good man, raised a smile. :)

[@CaptCozy]

I played a lot of Manifest during KoT, so this video hits a particular sweetspot. Fantastic work all involved!

[@danimitetwitch]

Gonna make a morph, manifest, and foretell commander deck and rock up to FNM with spikey hair and dual disk. Yugioh style trap cards and effects, but in MTG. I love it.

[@timhartel8012]

I really like the new background! Great stuff as always prof.

[@nicolasfurger1032]

Love these videos. More Tolarian Tutor please!

[@greysonmiller9407]

"I know exactly whats going on" "No you dont, shut up" "Youre trying to figure out what to kill with feed the swarm because you just drew it this turn" *bruh stare* - Me against my little brother because Ive played against him so many times

[@neil5652]

The good old pen trick. LSV had a great one with a Settle the wreckage a few years back. And Patrick Chapin's '07 worlds was legendary.

[@HiroZeroVirus]

oh this video has been a great help Professor! i am now building a Ruxa commander deck where most creatures are morph/megamorphs. and some foretell for good measure. some generic cost reducers for free creature spam. and of course anthems to make the whole thing a bit more threatening.

[@kobypeterson]

Loved the Queen's Gambit bit, you always find a way to make me laugh. Thanks for your hard work on all these videos, they are truly awesome.

[@DoylePrime]

A most excellent video sir! I was glued to the screen!

[@jaded718]

Yay hystrodon! That card was great because everyone assumed it was exalted angel so you got to blow people out turn 4 by attacking before playing a 4th land (also there were a lot more bears then)

[@Mekose]

My favorite thing to do in Modern was to tap my Aether Vial at the end of every turn or in response to something my opponent did; only to then not actually use it. It always got the best reactions out of my opponents who then pause anxiously for a second to check their hand and re-assess the board and it really throws off people's mental. You can also do this with Mana at any time. You can tap lands and float mana in response even if you don't use it.

[@TeaRanosaur]

Today on "why lantern control is the greatest magic deck ever made"...

[@SchwesterAlavana]

This had some smooth editing, I love it

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

I'm glad you like it. Patrick did excellent work on editing this one.

[@PieBandit]

My first set was Khans of Tarkir, and my first promo was Trail of Mystery. I've loved the morph mechanic ever since and haven't looked back

[@dragonhunter8807]

aggressive deck - only eldraine cards... yeah... i think we all agree we are happy that it finally rotates out

[@ebolasoda]

That impression was spot on!

[@toagunga]

The best type of mechanics I like is Mirage Mirror plays in EDH. The shear amount of versatility and technical plays you can do by copying multiple cards and resolving the different effects on the stack makes this card so fun.

[@danielcolliver1993]

This really brings out the need to play my kadena deck!

[@BradyKelley]

"Ruined crab? I concede!" I LOLed on that one. 😁 Great video professor!

[@Weenhander]

This is a super solid episode, prof! Loved the skit too!

[@TRTSMTT]

Excellent content. You deserve the title Professor. This was a great lecture.

[@wofljaw]

With regard to the hidden information aspect of this conversation, it was many years into playing Magic that I realized that I should be saving more stuff to play during my second main phase.

[@BustaChimes]

I’m still convinced Kahn’s block was a peak

[@DrEnginerd1]

This is the kind of stuff that I like watching, you could probably do an hour long video on this topic.

[@DuncanEllis]

this was both a fascinating and weirdly well-timed video. Thank you.

[@johnrobertson1]

Very fancy visual work on this one, Prof.

[@Aguila1138]

1:15 perfect card pun, Prof 😉

[@DETHofMAN]

It fit the trend but I was able to turn 2 Dovin's Veto a Jeweled Lotus that was tutored for with Vampiric Tutor on T1. I knew that was the card he was going to get from previous interactions/games so I had no problem leaving mana open to counter it. Felt great.

[@florisbeerda9984]

Wow, the production value here is really good

[@Keeponelander]

Both players can use the hidden information for their advantage. For example, attack with untapped mana to bluff tricks in your hand, pass a turn, "holding a counterspell or removal" so that your opponent doesn't cast something scary, or the most famous one, not playing the land to bluff having a spell. It adds some interesting decisions and doesn't make the game so simple (especially for computers)

[@chrisriggio1996]

ty for all the videos and please please keep them coming

[@MrR2D2TS]

As a Go player I got a nice chuckle out of the "it's a lot" for the chess move numbers.

[@retromtg1834]

I leave two blue open even if my hand is empty. They know I got nothing, but they don't know that I don't know I got nothing. Its all about mind games

[@boycesteel519]

Sometimes, nothing is a pretty cool hand

[@laurij115]

really usefull, love the teaching style

[@TheMaskedHero]

The imagining sequence was incredible

[@vladimirnovy7928]

Your commander decks? *updated* (even with merfolks :))

[@dandiaz19934]

phenomenal work as always, thanks prof! i learned something new!

[@Xalyn937]

I remember when morph first came out. Very interesting video!

[@CarlosMagnussen]

Hahaa! Loved the 'the Queens gambit' reference!!! :-D

[@alexanderdnieves5286]

"They stopped printing them because they realized it made the games less fun" Me: *Feels called out for playing Sen Triplets*

[@farty555]

This is a very interesting insight into something I hadn't really thought about

[@aor8722]

T1 Thoughtseize, Inquisition of Kozilek or Duress, or why not all 3 with Dark Ritual.

[@dddt5001]

not gonna lie, Dual Strike has been MVP in the Standard Izzet spells deck with Experimental Overload. Especally, if they counter the original and not the copy :)

[@Kulreg777]

I think fortell was a fantastic keyword and I hope to see it a lot more often. I also like the options morph gives you.

[@emperoroftheeternal]

Great video, very interesting, and very well presented.

[@noxer9]

I would love to see the Prof reacting to a "All Gas No Breakes" Video! It's just so different than what he's used to... worlds would collide

[@vanishingGolem]

great lesson! thanks prof

[@TheRedKnightOfPain]

Something I've always done is try to weaponize the information knows, like for example, if I'm against a UW control deck and they just bounced my 4 drop, id play out something cheaper and harder to remove before either replaying the 4 drop or waiting a couple turns to play it. Either the 1st thing eats a counter spell or I waste my opponent's mana

[@sidneyjosephmusic]

This was fantastic 👌🏼 Won’t keep that information hidden

[@wizap7]

I really wish morph and foretell gets more support in future sets. I really like the idea of both. The second deck i ever bought was the sultai morph precon, and i was really underwhelmed with everything but the commander

[@derrickthewhite1]

One major source of hidden information is the deck. You don't know what you're going to draw next (most of the time), and that is a huge deal. And magic has ways to interact with that.

[@zizthesin]

I would have loved if you had mentioned another Reid Duke article for further "Reiding."

[@rowrow_]

Thank you for these thought-evoking videos

[@davidkelly5506]

Great explanation of one of the most complex parts of the game!

[@johncayo9468]

Love fortell. Ranar precon is what got me into commander

[@TP_Rockstar]

An aspect of hidden information that wasn't really touched that much in this video is what you do with it, if you learn something. While I will never a pro in this regard, I like trying to figure out my opponents strategy out loud, talking to them while deducing their plan. The first times I did this, without really planing it, I made my opponent question their main line in the game, since I openly revealed that I figured it out. The power of saying "I'm pretty sure you have [[CARDNAME]] in hand, so...pass" while leaving up some blue mana should not be unerestimated. Now your opponent not only need to consider you having a counterspell, but also if they should play the card you "know" they have. I love magic

[@matteobagni1235]

Always unique and quality content!

[@magezgee4122]

Best bluff story I have: I was playing a Orzhov deck in a round of commander. During the late game, players designated me as archenemy, so I let one take out my creatures and lower my defenses (I could have used tefari's protection) and pretended I had nothing when the Krenko player was giving his 54 goblins haste... When he attacked, I dropped an inkshield and create 108 inkling tokens and clapped them both.

[@trevorwitte4358]

Gave it a like after ruin crab

[@AZDeathMetal]

Man, I love Tolarian Community College videos. I wish I had more people to play Magic with... Right now, I've got two, and one of them rages every time he loses. He never adapts to his opponents decks after losing to them three times in a row. What's a sideboard, amirite?

[@oreocake42]

Manifest has always been such a cool mechanic in my eyes, I need more of it

[@jonbrewer297]

One thing that should be mentioned is, manifesting a spell is usually the same result (barring, e.g., flashback). Manifesting a creature is ALWAYS a different result. Manifesting any other permanent depends on if you can blink. One of the things that made morph so powerful was getting around mana costs with Astral Slide. (And manifest got around things like Phyrexian Dreadnought and Leveler the same way.)

[@thane9759]

Thanks for another great video! Makes my day every time you upload 😊

[@adancein]

A spell with foretell also rhymes, which is good.

[@Yontanian]

Liked as soon as Ruin Crab was mentioned.

[@TxarlesN]

Now I want to make a Foretell with Morph.

[@chrismaxwell3001]

Ooo enjoyed this muchly!

[@frankvanderwaals6034]

Love your vids prof. Long time fan. Chess however, is played on an 8x8 board.