Pairings, Round #7 – Ari Lax

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Chris sits down with the newest Pro Tour champion Ari Lax to talk about his deck, his draft strategy, [card]Loathsome Catoblepas[/card], [card]Paralyzing Grasp[/card] and more!

Topics Discussed:

Did you sleep with the trophy?
You’ve had so many near misses with a PT top 8. When did you know you were in, and what was the feeling like?
How did the top 8 feel compared with winning your first GP?
When did you realise you had won a Pro Tour?
Once you left the venue on Sunday, talk us through what you did. How does a Pro Tour champion celebrate?
A lot of people had a lot to say about your excitement and demonstrative nature at certain top decks, notably against Yuuya and Thiago. How do you respond to the criticism?
Was the criticism at all to blame for your somewhat muted reaction to winning the final?
In general you are talkative and jovial during matches, especially when crushing people with [card]Loathsome Catoblepas[/card]es. How much of that is a mind game and how much is Ari Lax?
Your PT team is quite the assortment. How did you come up with the group you have? Do you feel it’s optimal right now?
Do you think the tide is turning away from CFB and The Pantheon and to teams like yourselves and Face to Face?
You’ve spoken many times about how you came to choose your Standard deck. How hard was Conley lobbying for a brew? What about Wescoe and white weenie?
Your draft strategy was pretty spectacular and mirrors my own right now. What do you think is the best archetype and why is it 5c [card]Secret Plans[/card]?
What memorable stories do you have from the Pro Tour? Any special plays or games you can share with us?
Now you are a Platinum Pro for basically two years, you have a seat at the Players’ Championship, you get a Hall of Fame vote…quite the weekend! Have you thought about what this will mean for you going forward? More GPs, fewer GPs? Full-time Magician?
What will you do with all the groupies?
Were you really 5 when you started playing Magic? How did you get into it at such an early age?
When did competitive Magic start for you?
Talk to us about Team Unknown Stars. Who was involved, and have you been tempted to team with them again? What brought you together?
Do you think current Magic would benefit from a JSS?
Who did you look up to when coming up through the ranks?
How’s testing going for PT Fate Reforged?