How Pros Prep for the Pro Tour & Other Misconceptions with Matt Sperling

The Herald's Horn

Support the show, join the community & get exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/heraldshorn

On the 39th (not 40th, holy L) interview of the Herald's Horn, Cal is joined by Matt Sperling to discuss how the pros prepare for the Pro Tour. Also covered: Judging Discourse, pro team dynamics, how to keep your head up when stuck, common misconceptions about Pro play, and more!

Follow Matt: https://bsky.app/profile/mattsperling.bsky.social

Herald's Horn Substack: https://heraldshorn.substack.com/

Cal's podcast about retro video games, Level Up: https://linktr.ee/leveluppod_

Follow us: https://bsky.app/profile/heraldshorn.com

https://bsky.app/profile/moderatelymtg.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/blackgirlmage.bsky.social

https://bsky.app/profile/emmapartlow.com

https://bsky.app/profile/caljones.com

----------------------------

0:00 - Intro

1:00 - Welcome Matt Sperling!

3:30 - Pro Tour Prep: How Does It Work?

8:44 - High Level Magic as a Part-Timer

12:45 - Team Prep is Surprising to Some

18:49 - Pros/Cons of Shorter Prep Times

26:01 - Common Pro Play Misconceptions

31:00 - Sperling's Sick of It: Judging Discourse

36:20 - More Misconceptions

43:00 - Matt's Recent PT Performances

44:38 - Spiking vs. Consistency Incentives

53:49 - Back to Matt's Last Year

58:35 - Advice for Those Who Feel Stuck

1:03:46 - Is Matt Almost Done With Magic?

1:09:08 - Matt's Final Thoughts

1:10:08 - Outro