Tell us a bit about yourself (Occupation, hobbies anything of interest)?
Hi Keraan, thanks for the interview. I lecture at Wits University in the computer science department. I started playing Magic in Durban in 1996 and haven't stopped since. I lived in Chicago for two years and learned a lot from playing in some of the massive tournaments there. Since coming to Joburg I've drafted almost every week at Russel's Draft. I used to play lots of Standard at Outer Limits and all major events until I had kids - now I really only have time to Draft. So most of my favourite formats and favourite decks are a bit dated.
How long ago did you start playing magic the gathering and why?
I started just before Mirage came out - Fourth Edition and The Dark and Homelands were out. Some friends introduced me to the game. Initially, I played lots of multiplayer until I realised that was stupid and started playing at competitive events around Durban.
Do you pay MTGO? If so do you prefer online or paper play?
No.
What is your favourite Magic format?
Draft - there's no prep - just turn up, open boosters and play. Every deck is different and formats change regularly. I like Sealed as well, but these days everyone can build a good Sealed deck so your success depends a lot on the bombs you open. When we still had the old `damage on the stack' rule experienced players had some extra advantage as well, but no more.
What are your Top 3 draft sets of all time?
Odyssey, Onslaught, Ravnica
What are your Top 3 favourite cards of all time?
Survival of the Fittest - goes into my favourite deck: Rec-Sur.
Living Death - defined a number a cool graveyard manipulation decks.
Upheaval - was great in Psychatog-decks and Threshhold decks.
If you were given the opportunity to design a card what would it be?
I'd like some sort of artifact or enchantment or even instant/sorcery version of Survival of the Fittest.
What is your favourite deck of all time?
Rec-Sur - Recurring Nightmare and Survival of the Fittest combo using lots of creatures with come-into-play effects. You could search for the answers as you needed them.
In your opinion who are the best magic players / personalities in South Africa?
Wednesday night drafters at the Underground.
What are your Magic accomplishments?
I qualified for three Pro-Tours (never going past day 1) and two top-eights at Nationals (but, sadly, no Top Fours). My best results were at Draft - for about 4 straight years of Nationals Drafts, I didn't lose a match. Don't know what happened then.
Most fun or memorable match played/Any epic story about a magic game?
At Nationals two years ago I payed with an illegal deck - it was a Jund deck borrowed from Russel - turns out that there were some proxy lands in there (I hadn't played much standard that year). Quite amazingly, a judge actually spotted that while I was playing - so much for that year's Nationals.
Your thoughts on the current Draft?
I quite like the current Draft format, in which you essentially Draft one of five Guilds. After trying out all the Guilds, I think that my favourite are Rakdos (which has solid creatures plus removal) and Azorius (flying is good in every draft-set). Selesnya is good too, but I've never liked White / Green. I've always enjoyed Blue /Red decks but it seems very hard to get a decent Izzet deck together as your best cards fit well into other decks or are splash-able. Golgari can be powerful but it's dull, and these days I try my best to Draft interesting, as well as solid, decks.
Have you ever considered quitting and if so what has kept you going?
Sometimes you have a bad run for few weeks when nothing goes right and your mana is always wrong, then I may think about quitting. But the challenge of building a good deck or trying some new archetype keeps me interested. Also every new set brings new challenges.
Myself and many others consider you to be the finest exponent of Draft in South Africa over the years. At what point did you feel as though you “got it” and do you have any pointers for people who would like to become good drafters?
That's too kind of you. Here's a few thoughts.
I think that Drafting a fast deck is one of the most important things. If you create some pressure early on, all your tricks and bombs are going to be far better as your opponent must use his resources to deal with your fast onslaught. In any given set, a good archetype is one that you can build using just Commons. Then any good Uncommons or Rares that fit your colours during the Draft are a bonus. I've Drafted some good decks where I ship all expensive bombs on to my neighbours and stick to a simple aggressive plan. I always try to optimize the mechanics of the current set - that's usually where the powerful combos are. These days I don't always go so aggressive as the more controlling decks can be more fun to play. If I open an interesting rare, I will probably try to make a deck with it, or if the format supports a mill deck or other interesting win-condition, I usually try that.
Regards,
Keraan
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