PT Chicago 2025

Chicago PT 2025: Tournament Reflection

What Went Right

Personal Performance

Successfully balanced social energy with focus and necessary recharging periods Maintained a moderate exercise routine throughout the event Adhered to a reasonable sleep schedule Kept dining budget on target (~$220) while enjoying quality food and house meals Utilized time efficiently for testing while maintaining healthy habits (eating, napping, reading)

Team Collaboration

Pre-tournament planning at the house allowed us to refine numerous ideas Successfully coordinated with Moxfield and managed sponsorship activities for the team Made the best of merchandise challenges

Tournament Results

Advanced to Day 2 despite difficult starts Recovered to an even record through intentional mental adjustment Felt confident in deck selection and draft preparation

Areas for Improvement

Preparation

Need more repetitions with the chosen deck before future tournaments Should test specific sideboard cards more thoroughly (practicing by putting cards directly into hand) Develop methods for faster testing:

Assemble more paper decks or proxy decks Find alternatives to MTGO which proved too slow this time

Tournament Performance

Aim for slightly faster pace of play Draft strategy became too greedy in the second draft; should deviate less from plan, especially in high-power packs

Physical Wellbeing

Improve sleep quality during tournament days by:

Better controlling room temperature Addressing snoring issues Implementing a calming pre-sleep ritual to reduce stress Entering room earlier to shower and get to bed sooner Completing all tasks the night before (no morning todos) Optimizing timing of pre-tournament meals Including appropriate exercise the day before

Team Dynamics

Meetings were excessively long and unfocused Need a designated leader to maintain meeting efficiency and focus discussions Delegate presentation control more effectively Some team members were unwilling to try all decks or dismissed options based on personal preference Should give more credit to deck builders to encourage innovation

Mental Approach

Break out of stimulus-response patterns by incorporating more reflection/meditation Focus on high-efficiency testing and reducing panic as deadlines approach Regularly meditate on the “Most Important Question” at each stage

Professional Presentation

Jerseys arrived late Need to update social media during tournaments Take more photos for content Dress more professionally (pack more appropriately) Improve personal marketing and narrative generation

Logistics

Better manage food options during the second half of tournament days Retire earlier the night before events Reduce consumption of sugary foods at the team house