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My 2015 in Review & 2016 Goals

Here were the five goals, word-for-word, that I wrote down and set for myself at the start of 2015:

  • Write more articles
  • Play more MTGO
  • Qualify for a PT
  • Qualify for two of four Regional PTQs
  • Have a GP Day Two conversion rate above 50%

I attempted to set goals that were open-ended and achievable, yet challenging. It’s easy to set goals that either don’t push you hard enough, or are unreasonably above expectation. You have to find the sweet spot.

So, how did I do in 2015?

Write more articles – Admittedly, I did a very poor job of this in 2015. I had a lot of half-written articles that I was too lazy to complete. I’m going to once again try to write more next year, and try to find new ways to motivate myself.

Play more MTGO – I didn’t really meet this goal at a level that I was satisfied with. The reintroduction of Leagues on MTGO did provide a more convenient way to play, and I’ve been playing a lot more since then. The MTGO PTQ system has also become a lot more convenient, so I’m going to continue to try and play in more online PTQs.

Qualify for a PT – I managed to get this one done at one of my last possible opportunities to do so. Atlanta will be my first PT!

Qualify for two of four Regional PTQs – I qualified for exactly two RPTQs after winning two PPTQs this year. I certainly could have tried harder to make it to the other two RPTQs, skipping out on a few preliminaries here and there. I’m going to try to ramp up this goal for next year.

Have a GP Day Two conversion rate above 50% – Well, this was a little sad. I only made Day Two in two out of seven Grand Prixes that I attended in 2015. The silver lining was that I converted those two Day Two’s into decent finishes. With the cut for Day Two changing to 6-3 next year, this type of goal will be easier to achieve but won’t mean as much anymore.

2015 was the best year I’ve had in Magic. I never imagined that I would Top 8 a Grand Prix, let alone win one. I qualified for my first Pro Tour, along with two of my friends. I also Top 8’ed my first SCG Open in March at the Richmond Invitational. I got to take a vacation to GP Vegas and have a great time with a bunch of friends, and, while there, I played in my first feature match on camera. I faced off against many pro players throughout the year whom I respect and admire. The past year is going to be difficult to top next year, but I want keep pushing myself to improve as a player.

Here are my five goals for 2016:

  • Qualify for another PT
  • Reach Silver Level in the Pro Players Club (18 Pro Points)
  • Make Day Two of a Team GP
  • Qualify for three of four Regional PTQs
  • Expand my range in Modern

Qualify for another PT – I have several opportunities lined up to complete this goal. Finish Top 25 at PT Atlanta, Top 4 at the RPTQ in February, or x-2 at any of the nine Grand Prixes that I plan on attending in 2016.

Reach Silver Level in the Pro Players Club (18 Pro Points) – I currently have eight Pro Points, plus at least three from attending PT Atlanta. That leaves me with seven Pro Points to earn by July 31st in order to hit Silver. I’ve seen a lot of players in situations of needing X amount of Pro Points to reach the next level in the Pro Players Club, and I know that it’s not easy; the pressure to perform is high. If I do get really close to reaching those 18 points, I might even be convinced to fly out to an extra GP. Completing this goal would also complete my first goal, so I’ve set myself up for a two-for-one. Value.

Make Day Two of a Team GP – This goal has eluded me and my teammates for three Team Sealed GPs now, despite the heavy amounts of preparation that we put into them. Myself, my roommate Dan, and my friend Matt came close this year at GP Detroit, but lost our win-and-in for Day Two. In 2016, we have our sights set on GP Washington D.C. and GP Louisville.

Qualify for three of four Regional PTQs – Like I mentioned previously, I’m going to try to make an effort to attend more PPTQs in 2016.

Expand my range in Modern – I play a lot of Modern, but tend to make the “safe” choice and play cards that I’m familiar with (usually blue ones). In Standard, I’m more willing to stretch my range, but there are usually less decks compared to the vast format that is Modern. I don’t come close to owning a playset of every Modern staple, so maybe part of this is to expand my Modern collection. In 2016, I’m going to force myself to play other decks that I’m less familiar with and that maybe don’t have blue cards in them. This could include decks like Jund, Junk, Burn, Infect, Scapeshift, and Tron.

Here’s to a great 2016 for all of us!

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