3 Decades Of Magic Dominance – Kai Budde

Kai Budde is a professional Magic The Gathering player. He was inducted into the Magic Hall of Fame in 2007.

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Timestamps

0:02:44 the Cologne Conjurers Circle
0:07:55 Kai’s first Magic tournaments – international flights
0:12:03 “if you want to improve…you need to lose!”
0:13:19 internet and usenet access – a huge (informational) advantage
0:17:41 Kai’s first Pro Tour
0:20:29 early days of Magic and the DCI
0:23:28 information asymmetry and breaking Magic Pro Tours
0:28:46 Kai’s growth as a player – preparation over intuition
0:30:30 the testing team edge – “we outworked everybody”
0:33:47 the Hall of Fame induction and coming back to Magic
0:36:01 Kai’s Pro Tour Barcelona testing team
0:40:44 Kai’s unbeatable lifetime achievement and overall Magic legacy
0:42:53 the OG team Pro Tour format and Rochester draft
0:46:27 drafting vs. playing vs. watching (as a spectator)
0:49:18 “fun for the first 20 drafts…and then it gets boring!”
0:50:46 old-school print runs and first-picking commons
0:53:35 Kai’s favorite (and least favorite) Constructed formats
0:55:47 Kai’s Magic Online burner accounts
0:57:26 Team Phoenix Foundation and the German crew
1:00:17 Kai’s motivation and self-ranking as a player
1:05:06 did Kai have any rivalries with other players?
1:05:38 Kai’s invitational card – how it came to be
1:10:30 Kai’s all-time top 5 players (he doesn’t love this question)
1:12:39 Magic, sports betting and Zwi Mowshowitz
1:17:10 how does Kai want to be remembered as a player?