The Mental Mana Podcast

Hey folks! In this episode, I do another mental game Q&A where I answer various questions related to the different mental aspects of the competitive game. I also want to announce the release of my new Mental Mana Online Video Training Course! A fully detailed, completely comprehensive online video mental training course specifically for competitive Magic. It contains 15 lessons, 100 videos, various exercise PDFs, and it also includes the e-book version of my book Mental Mana! If you're interested in enrolling in the course, I'm running a 20% discount on it from now until November 12th, so get in there while it's super cheap! Here's a link for you to check it out below: https://www.willjonathan.org/courses/mentalmana

For Episode #19, I sat down with MC1 winner and Magic Pro League member Autumn Burchett to talk about their experience coping with extreme success at the highest levels of the game, and dealing with the feelings of pressure that came that. If you struggle with feelings of pressure in the game, then this is the episode for you.

In this very special episode, I got to sit down with MPL Pro and one of the game's greatest players, Reid Duke! During our conversation, we talk about a whole range of various mental game topics: Coping with losing, dealing with variance, overcoming mistakes, controlling emotions, etc. Reid has one of the best minds in the game, so this is an episode you don't want to miss!

In this episode, I sit down with Pro Tour Aether Revolt Champion and Magic Pro League player Lucas Esper Berthoud to talk about his mindset and mental game during his incredible run to winning Pro Tour Aether Revolt in 2017. He talks about the mental game mistakes he made along the way, as well as the lessons he learned from that experience. Lucas's Twitter - https://twitter.com/bertuuuu Will's Twitter - https://twitter.com/_WillJonathan_ Mental Mana Book - https://www.amazon.com/Mental-Mana-Mastering-Magic-Gathering/dp/1981488774/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Mental+Mana+will+jonathan&qid=1562280496&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Hey folks! I'm riding solo in this episode, but I'm excited to do an episode I've wanted to do for a long time - a pure Q&A episode. I'll be answering mental game questions submitted to me over on Twitter by players from all over the world. Enjoy, and thanks for tuning in!

Welcome back folks! In this week's episode, I sat down with Hall-of-Famer Raphael Levy to talk about the importance of physically and mentally preparing for tournaments, as well as the little things you can do to help yourself focus better when playing. Lastly, Raph talks about the benefits of Jiu-Jitsu for Magic and why YOU want to jump into it. Enjoy! Raph's Twitter - https://twitter.com/raphlevymtg Will's Twitter - https://twitter.com/_WillJonathan_ Will's articles on ChannelFireball - https://www.channelfireball.com/author/will-jonathan/ Mental Mana Book - https://www.amazon.com/Mental-Mana-Mastering-Magic-Gathering/dp/1981488774/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Mental+Mana+will+jonathan&qid=1562280496&s=gateway&sr=8-1

This week, I sat down with well-known MTG Pro, GP End-Boss, and Grixis-Control Master Corey Burkhart to talk about the mental aspects of the competitive game, and the lessons he's learned about that side of the game over the years as he's grown as a player and a person. Corey is an extremely warm, down-to-earth, humble guy, and I really enjoyed talking with him. Thanks for listening, and enjoy!

The life of a grinder in competitive Magic can be extremely challenging and overwhelming. In this episode, I sat down with multiple SCG Tour Top 8 competitor and grinder Dylan Hand to talk about his experiences, the challenges he's faced, and discuss what players can do to help themselves mentally cope with "The Grind". Dylan's Twitter - https://twitter.com/IngrathisMTG My Twitter - https://twitter.com/_WillJonathan_ Mental Mana Book - https://www.amazon.com/Mental-Mana-Mastering-Magic-Gathering/dp/1981488774/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=mental+mana+book&qid=1559887451&s=gateway&sr=8-2

This week, I'm joined by ex-Professional player, streamer, and brewer extraordinaire Conley Woods. In this episode, Conley talks about how his obsessive passion for Magic during his professional playing days consumed his life, stepping away from the game, what he did to re-calibrate, and we go over some ways in which, if you find Magic is also consuming your life, you can help shift away from obsessive passion and find balance.

The Asian Avenger is one of the most enthusiastic, authentic players you're ever going to meet. As a Top 16 finisher in the Mythic Invitational, Magic's most prestigious tournament to date, as well as one of the game's most popular streamers, his infectious love for the game is always on full display and is something every player can admire and learn from. In this episode, we talk about his love for Magic and how he's able to remain so positive and uplifted even during the most high stakes situations and losses, as well as how you can do the same. Thanks for listening, and enjoy!

After an extended break, we're back! This episode, I sit down with Magic Pro League member and current World Champion Javier Dominguez to talk about his Magic life story, his heart-breaking loss at the World Championships in 2017, and how he developed the mindset to bounce back from that experience to move forward. Javier's story is one every player can learn from, so sit back and enjoy!

While it's definitely important to be competitive and have that fire to succeed, it's equally as important that you never forget why you play this game in the first place - Because it's fun. Pro Tour Top 8 competitor and Wizards R&D member Melissa DeTora joins me this week to talk about the importance of having fun at the highest level.

Too often, Magic players are too self-critical with themselves, and this acts as a fence that keeps them from progressing forward. Self-Compassion, the act of treating yourself compassionately in moments of failure, is extremely important. Craig Wescoe joins the podcast today to talk about the importance of self-compassion and how you can become a more self-compassionate player.

Pro Tour winner and Hall-of-Famer Gabriel Nassif joins the cast in this episode to talk about one of the greatest mental barriers to progressing in Magic - The dreaded TILT. We talk about where it comes from, why it happens, and the best way to handle it. Gabriel also opens up about his own struggles with Tilt in the past and his devotion to trying to be better, even today.

The episode I have been waiting to do has finally happened! Ben Stark has, in my opinion, one of the best mindsets in Magic. His overall approach towards the game is fantastic, and in this episode, he talks about how he mentally approaches Magic, his favorite tournament ever, and what motivates him to play at the highest level. You're gonna enjoy this one!