Blog 22: Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your Block Presentation and/or your senior project? Why?

I am most proud of the confidence and fluidity in which I presented myself throughout my Block Presentation. The reason why is because I was usually not able to speak on my Project Topic without confusing people. However, I was able to execute such actions today.

(2) Questions to Consider

a. What assessment would you give yourself on your Block Presentation (self-assessment)?

I would give myself a P.

b. What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?

I would give myself a P.

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?

I was able to enjoy my senior project throughout and stay passionate about what I love. I never got discourage over the tedious work I needed to complete this senior year.

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would have you done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?

I would schedule more time to get to Pro Tour Qualifiers, other than that... everything this year was perfect.

(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.

The Senior Project has been helpful in the sense that I know how to play Magic in a competitive sphere more successfully. The other beneficial aspects that were produced through my Senior Project Topic include an enhanced perspective of how to execute tasks successfully. As well as confidence in being able to complete long-term goals without getting discourage halfway through. Being able to do multiple things well instead of sacrificing the quality of one task to complete the other is no longer an issue. If anything, my Senior Project Topic has taught me how to have fun even when doing crucial and precise work. For example, setting a rubric for myself(similar to that of the rubrics used throughout this year) and managing my time better to complete tasks has brought back the positive side of something that could’ve been equally stressful. Last minute work versus scheduled out and planned progress.

Blog Post 21: Mentorship

Literal

Log provided
Mentor: Amit Patel, JS Anime

Interpretive

Information about the metagame,  the reason why it's important is because it influenced my best answer. The sideboard is the key to dealing with your metagame woes.

Applied

It's given me an overall better sense of what competitive Magic the Gathering really is. I came into this year having such a general sense of the term. However I have become enveloped by the  intricate and detailed methods in which one becomes a profession at the game. Therefore giving me a broader sense of my EQ.

Blog Post 20: Exit Interview

1) My essential question is: What is the best way to win a Magic: the Gathering Pro Tour?
My first answer is using the options available and bending that knowledge to your advantage.
My second answer is that your sideboard is the most important asset in winning a Magic the Gathering Pro Tour.

My third and final answer is that the best way to win a MtG Pro Tour is finding your playstyle.
My Best Answer is answer two  because it drastically increases your chances of winning in multiple matches by removing dead cards from your hand and replacing them with more effective ones depending on the matchup.

2) The process that i took to arrive at this answer involved several hours of playtesting different deck compositions online and determining which cards work best. I soon noticed that when playing against  meta decks, some cards in my main deck hadn’t any purpose. I often lost because of the dead cards in my hand. Which got me thinking about the importance of substituting those cards with more effective ones depending on the matchup. Each card was classified by what they did for me on the sideboard and by which matches they would be useful for. This process required that I look up information regarding my answer two and the statistics behind that.

3) I didn’t face many problems except not being able to go to qualifier tournaments. This was due to their distance from my home. Most of the qualifiers for standard in California had already passed and the closest ones were in Las Vegas or Albuquerque. However I was still able to get the testing information I needed online due to Cockatrice and Tournament Deck Stats that were provided.

4) Turtenwald, Owen. "Owen’s a Win – How Do You SideboardBy Owen Turtenwald  //  6 Apr, 2014." Channel Fireball. N.p., 6 Apr. 2014. Web. 07 Apr. 2014. <http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/owens-a-win-how-do-you-sideboard/>.

Wescoe, Craig. "Becoming a Better Magic Player: Seven Exercises by Craig Wescoe - Magic the Gathering TCG Article." Becoming a Better Magic Player: Seven Exercises by Craig Wescoe - Magic the Gathering TCG Article. N.p., 19 Apr. 2012. Web. 17 Jan. 2014. <http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article.asp?ID=10422>.

The first sources gives me so much information on how to sideboard and pretty much answered any doubts I had about my answer two being the best answer. It provided scenarios that any player would need to consider when sideboarding properly. The second sources gives an overall solid rundown of the key points of what makes you a better magic player. If the points emphasized in the article are followed then an enhanced performance is the only thing that can become of it.

Blog 19: independent component 2

Literal
a) I Jamison Jackson affirm that I have completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work
b) Turtenwald, Owen. "Owen’s a Win – How Do You SideboardBy Owen Turtenwald  //  6 Apr, 2014." Channel Fireball. N.p., 6 Apr. 2014. Web. 07 Apr. 2014. <http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/owens-a-win-how-do-you-sideboard/>.
c) (provided)

Interpretive
a) the significant part of my component definitely had to be helping fellow magic players get better at what they're trying to improve on. Lending advice and pitching ideas for card combinations play styles and strategies even though it might not be for competitive play was still a vital aspect of the component. It helped me fulfill a role of teaching which of itself opens doors to knew opportunities to learn. (Evidence provided at the bottom of the independent component two log)

Applied
Independent component two helped me answer my Answer two which had to deal with building a sideboard and the thought processes involved. For example I spent a significant amount of time helping Lionel perfect his sideboard by pitching him ideas with the 4 General rules of sideboarding for my "ic2" at the same time. I acquired new knowledge from the input he gave back to me through my assistance to him. Lending me a new perspective on the matter.

Monthly Post: March

My RUG list is completed, I switched out my elvish mystics for syncopates. I love it.

Blog 18: Answer 3

EQ: What is the best way to win a Magic: the Gathering Pro Tour?

Answer 3: Finding your playstyle is essential to winning in Magic the Gathering

1)Playing your deck would become easier and second nature (Ex. You'd have an easier time of knowing what to do even against difficult matchups)

2)It would be fun. (Ex. If aggro was your playstyle, you'd have an easier time playing winning with that instead of forcing yourself to play a top tier control deck.)

3)You'd be less nervous in tournaments because your deck would become predictable and repeatable like a thesis for a science experiment. ( You'd be able to expect it to perform the same way every time you play the deck. Win the way it's supposed to, and lose to its faults.)


Moore, Ray. "Confronting, and Embracing, Your Play Style by Ray Moore - Magic the Gathering TCG Article." Confronting, and Embracing, Your Play Style by Ray Moore - Magic the Gathering TCG Article. N.p., 20 Mar. 2006. Web. 27 Sept. 2013. <http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/article.asp?ID=6463>.

Conclusion:
All in all it takes a Playstyle that you're comfortable with to minimize errors because you won't be second guessing your actions as often causing you to win more.

Blog 17: Fourth Interview Questions

1) What do you recommend for the sideboard?
2) what strategies do you implement when you practice?
3) What's the deal with the price jump of cards even when they're out of rotation?
4) Is three color alright to play right now?
5) What do you think drives the supply and demand of the cards?
6)when's the best time to buy
7) is it better to hold onto cards or just to sell them when you don't use them.
8) How do profession mtg players afford touring everywhere?
9) What's the most insane price that you've seen for a card
10) how do you think money affects viability in tournaments
11) why is there such an open gate for uniqueness and opportunity, but the meta is stuck?
12) Snapcaster is $40 why?
13) did melira pod get nerfed because of the drs ban?
14) is it intimidating going to events?
15) do I even stand a chance?
16) What influence does the pros have on the casuals
17) magic in general?
18) is jund monsters going to be a thing?
19) Why do people still play standard
20) why isn't modern more pronounced?

Monthly Post: February

In February, nothing much happened that was significant. However, as time passes my knowledge increases. I keep on thinking that one day, I'll be able to get to a Pro Tour. HEY! there's a PTQ in March. I'll try to check that out.

Blog 16: Advisory meeting #2

EQ: What is the best way to win a MtG Pro Tour?

Answer #2

The sideboard is one of the most essential tools that can cause you to win a Pro Tour.

3 details to support the answer (a detail is a fact and an example)

1)You can add in cards that would deal with certain threats that your opponent has. For example, adding in more removal spells can help you get rid of more creatures.

2)You can take out cards that are useless. Some cards in your deck fare better than others against certain opponents. Siding in cards can make your deck faster or give you a greater edge than before. For example you don’t need 6 mana cost cards if your opponent tries to win by turn 3

3)Adjust the amount of good cards so that you have more. for example adding an extra Stormbreath Dragon just because they’re playing white and they wouldn’t be able to get rid of it.

The research source (s) to support your details and answer

Flores, Mike. "Sideboarding Strategies and Tactics, Part 1 : Daily MTG : Magic: The Gathering." Sideboarding Strategies and Tactics, Part 1 : Daily MTG : Magic: The Gathering. Wizards of the Coast, 29 Aug. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. <https://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/feature/262e>.

Concluding Sentence

Your Sideboard can determine if you can hold onto a 2-0 victory, ignorantly lose at 0-2, or comeback to 2-1 in a best of 3 match.

Blog 15: independent component 2 approval

1) I plan to teach students how to play Magic: the Gathering. That way when it comes to my 2 hour presentation I won't have to waste time speaking on the basics when hopefully everyone will know what I'm talking about. Increasing their knowledge of the topic as well as mine. The way I'm going to set this up is by creating an after school MtG tutorial club.

2) I plan on showing evidence of 30 hours by providing pictures as well as a sign in/ sign out log. As well as a summary and question sheet for anyone who attends the MtG tutorial club.

3) This will help me explore one part of my topic that I don't really spend a lot of time on. It won't just help other students learn how to play, it'll expose me to Magic: the Gathering from a new perspective entirely, teaching.

Blog 14: Independent Component 1

Literal

a) I Jamison Jackson affirm that I have completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.

b) Jarrett, Trick. "10 Tips to Playing Better Competitive Magic." GatheringMagiccom RSS. N.p., 10 July 2010. Web. 06 Sept. 2013. <http://www.gatheringmagic.com/10-tips-to-playing-better-competitive-magic/>.

d) Throughout the 30 hours of my independent component I created decks, tested those decks online, and took my skills and knowledge from the tests to local tournaments.

Interpretive

 The entirety of my 30 hours of my independent component consists of trial and error, risks and rewards. I've competed in a few Friday Night Magic Tournaments to determine how well my skills carry over in a live competitive setting. I've challenged myself with the task of creating multiple high quality decks where each card has a specific reason and not just thrown in there just because... As a result of the numerous variety, I spent a lot of time independently trying to determine which cards fit which brews and why. Down to the numbers and probabilities of the matter. I'm very precise about ratios. I'm a perfectionist and spent numerous hours working out the perfect formula. However with feedback I've gotten to the desired result. Along with that, I had to test the decks over and over again. A good magic deck is like scientific theory. It's only as good as if it's proven to work. When you Start brewing you have a hypothesis. My goal in my independent component was to make as many sound theories as possible. As well as increase my skill level in order to comply with my EQ: what is the best way to win a MtG Pro Tour. Every action I took for my independent component stood for an advancement in knowledge. Just like how each action I take in a MtG match is to win the game.
(The evidence is posted Below)

Applied

The way that the independent component helped me understand the foundation of my topic better is simple. It reinforced the importance of the idea that every little but counts. The more time I spent homebrewing (creating decks) the more I understood how the mechanics of good cards worked together. The more time I spent play testing online the more information I was able to utilize at tournaments. For example if I play tested my gruul list online, I would be able to perform better with my gruul list at tournaments which I actually did. This goes to reinforce the ideology that all the small things matter and every single action makes a difference in the end. The end of a game can be reduced to the swing of one damage. In my play tests online, elvish mystic can be the game decider. The independent overall helped me understand my EQ & foundation of my topic overall because of these experiences.

Evidence of Independent Component

I made a tapped out profile online and uploaded the decks that I've homebrewed to be publicly critiqued and shared. I only made the Profile a week ago, normally I store all of my decks on the cockatrice server but I would've been unable to prove the work without making the transition. Here's the link to the list which is o the right hand page of my Blog http://tappedout.net/users/Jaymahsan/

I mentioned Ghor-Clan Rampager in one of my previous posts, However, he's evidence to prove that I went to FNM's in October because that's the way that you would receive the promos.

 Here's the Archive folder from Cockatrice that Archives every match that I've participated in recently, THERE ARE SEVERAL and I'm pleased with the progress that I've made since Day.

This is my jund list, my work of art, my baby, the most efficient homebrew that I've made yet! There's a lot that is invested in this, Time and money. Although this list is a bit pricey, It's been consistent, even in loss, I'm able to put up a fight until the end instead of just being at the mercy of my opponent. You can check the more indepth stats via http://deck.tk/0fDP46mB or you can look at the list on my tapped out page under Jund Midrange.

End of the month post:January

I'm Eighteen now! January was definitely my month. Over the course of this month I've been tweaking and tweaking and tweaking and tweaking my jund list. It's become more consistent and the numbers add up quite nicely in my favor. I've been notorious online for abusing Desecration Demo and Stormbreath Dragon together. With some nice support removal, I feel like I'm about ready to go Pro!

Lesson 2 Reflection

1. Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your Lesson 2 Presentation and why?

I was most proud of the the volume and confidence i presented with. The reason why was I felt as if I could talk for hours and still keep the attention of my fellow students.

2. Questions to Consider

   a. What assessment would you give yourself on your Lesson 2 Presentation (self-assessment)?

I would give myself a P

   b. Explain why you deserve that grade using evidence from the Lesson 2 component contract.

I deserve that grade because I believe that i fulfilled every aspect of the P consideration list.

3. What worked for you in your Lesson 2?

The extra 20 minutes I had to present were really helpful, I feel like that the more time I have to present, the better I can teach the class about my Senior Project Topic

4.  (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your Lesson 2?

What I would do differently is find a quick way to help my fellow students understand what MtG is.

5. Finding Value

What do you think your answer #2 is going to be?

A2: The best way to win a Magic: the Gathering Pro Tour is making a solid sideboard.

Blog 12

1 EQ:) what is the best way to win a Pro Tour?

2:) What is your opinion of the meta?

3:) How does the meta game effect your gameplay?

4:) What's usually on your sideboard?

5:) What playstyle best suits your personality and why?

6:) What's your usual wincon?

7:)How do you think Born of the Gods will affect the meta?

8:)What would you like to see from the new set?

9:) Does taking notes help you prepare for future events? How so?

10:) Do you think Xenagos with have an impact on Colossal Ramp?

Blog 11: Mentorship 10 Hours

1.   Where are you doing your mentorship?

2.   Who is your contact?

3.   How many total hours have you done (total hours should be reflected in your mentorship log located on the right hand side of your blog like your WB)?   

4.   Summarize the 10 hours of service you did.

1) I'm doing my mentorship at JS Anime, a local card shop about 5 minutes from my house. It’s the same place I did my summer mentorship.

2) Amit Patel

3) 15 hours soon to be 18 hours by the end of today.

4) I basically compete in local Friday Night Magic tournaments which take anywhere from 3 to 4 hours to complete. So over the course of 4 weeks (not consecutive) I play tested different decks. This gave me new found experience. Amit Patel is in charge of the FNM events at JS Anime, however I still refer to Andrew Dire for some insight. As a result of my progress, I feel I’m confident enough to take on the next Pro Tour Qualifier in the area.

Blog Assignment 10

1) Something I did regarding my senior project over the winter break was homebrew. I cannot stress how important this aspect of MtG is. It literally is the main reason why I'm still interested in the game. You take a few hours analyzing the cards from a set and you constantly question. How can I improve this deck to it's ultimate form. Sometimes that even requires replacing cards that are essential of the former deck to cause the newer deck to perform better in each stage of the game. In the end it all boils down to numbers and ratios, and too much of a good card can actually hinder the overall performance.

2) The, most important thing I learned during break was to not force that many different aspects and colors into one deck. For example, a deck with 1 or 2 colors will generally perform better than a deck with 3, 4 or even 5 colors. The reason being is that there isn't enough support for multicolored decks. You'd often find yourself struggling to find 1 mana to play a card in your hand, but unable to. This would result in things such as a dead hand and a dead draw. Useless cards that are unable to win you the game because you simply can't use them.

3) If I could talk to anyone regarding interview questions, I would talk to the legendary Brian Kibler or Frank Lepore. Brian has always been involved with the core of MtG, and the decks he usually builds are mimicked by many. I would just love to hear his opinion on the current set and future ones to come to know what he thinks their impact will be. Frank Lepore would also be an enjoyable interview candidate for his always helpful analysis and insight of the meta game. What seems to work, what doesn't and why.