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Namibia represented at REGIONAL PRO TOUR QUALIFIER in Sofia, Bulgaria

Tuesday, 06 December 2022

“A DREAM COME TRUE”

From 18 – 20 November, the two winners of our local Pro Tour Qualifier travelled to Bulgaria to join the Legacy European Championships in Sofia.

For Ian and Johannes this was a lifetime experience and we asked them some questions. Here is what they shared with us, and we hope that in future, more players of our community will be able to experience this!

Some pictures taken by Johannes during the event

1. What was your favourite part about the Regional Pro Tour Qualifier?

Ian: “It was a Dream come true. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. Playing against the best players on a big stage. What more can you want :)”

Johannes: “Everything 😊. I enjoyed preparing for the tournament which was a lot of practicing and researching the game which taught me a lot as a player. It was awesome to get to travel just to play Magic and spend many days fully “emerged in the game”. Finally, the tournament and event itself were a blast. We spent the first day playing casual sealed deck events, browsing through an UNBELIAVABLE selection or single cards and merchandise. And then the actual tournament, how inexplicably different it was to play with 400 other players for a whole day, the excitement during the day. It’s a once in a lifetime experience and I truly wish others in our community will get this chance as well.”

2. What did you learn regarding MTG?

Ian: “Not to give into your nerves, I stumbled in the first match because of my nerves. First match of the big tournament. Just stay calm... The rounds are long enough.”

Johannes: “A lot, firstly if you want to win games consistently, you must play the same deck for a long time. Even after 100 games with the same deck you will still learn new things. If a deck doesn’t work in one tournament, don’t give up on it, but instead, go back and figure out why it didn’t perform, and do necessary changes and try again. Secondly, know your matchups and how to play against them. It’s easy to underestimate how much more confidently you can play when you can take good guesses at what your opponent’s options are at each stage of the game.”

3. Was there something that surprised you/ that you didn't expect?

Ian: “The friendliness of all the people involved. From the players to the event staff and even the judges were on point and friendly. Very positive experience.”

Johannes: “The main tournament, although it was at competitive level, was really easy going. It’s not at all like the horror stories you hear where you get punished for every little mistake. All my opponents were easy going and we solved small issues among ourselves, like forgetting a trigger and such. I was also surprised about how cleanly everyone plays: hardly any forgotten triggers or apparent play mistakes and turns were taken timely and confidently. Something I think every player can try to improve on still.”

4. Any tips you would like to give to then next players taking part at an international event?

Ian: “To do whatever they can to go. It is really the best magic experience you can have as a player. The atmosphere of the entire event was electric. Just remember to stay calm and not let your nerves get the better of you.”

Johannes: “Prepare for the event. Choose your deck early and practice with it against as many meta decks as you can. Don’t worry which is the best decks in the meta because at least in pioneer, all the top decks are completely competitive against one another and in the end, what matters more is how good you can play the deck, and not what the international statistics say.”

5. Anything else you would like to share?

Ian: “It really meant allot that the entire Namibian community was behind us, got involved in watching and supporting us on the day. It was really a once in a lifetime experience.”

Johannes: “If you win the next Qualifier, then do everything you can to make sure you get to go to the tournament. This is an opportunity YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS 😉”

We would also like to express our sincere gratitude once more to our sponsors, who made this possible!