Every Magic the Gathering tournament I have ever won was the result of crushing defeats at earlier events. The road to success is paved by failures. Writing is no different. I nearly failed grades 4 & 5 due to poor writing. I failed the English proficiency test in college despite English being my native (and only) language. To address my poor communication skills I decided to start writing about Magic the Gathering.
I published my first article 1 year ago. My most popular pieces include: Git Gud Scrub, Cheaters Never Prosper, and Modern Burn Tips & Tricks. While not all my articles have been hits, most of the feedback has been positive. More importantly, my weaker articles helped me improve as a writer. Now, I’d like to share everything I’ve learned to help other people reach their potential as content creators!
1 Start With An Outline
When building a house, construction workers don’t just lay down bricks. They follow a blueprint that meticulously explains “where” and “what”.
In most MTG content, authors make great individual points that are well articulated. However, MTG articles often lack cohesion and are overly long. Starting with an outline allows you to end with a clear and concise article.
All my feature articles started with an outline, which you can still see the remnants of. The bolded section headers in my Modern Burn Mulligan Guide are unchanged from the original outline. The only difference is that the bullet points under them have been converted to fleshed out paragraphs.
Good outlines address two things:
1.1: What the article is about
1.2: What makes the article interesting
For 1.1, start by writing down the arguments you want to make (e.g. the bolded section headers). Then, jolt down some bullet points pertaining to how each argument will be explained. I’ll also include blank tables to map out how mathematical results will be presented.
When writing anything >1,000 words you will hit brick walls. You’ll hit points where you’ll either run out of ideas or have trouble articulating ideas. If you’re just going 1 line at a time, this will halt your progress. With an outline, you can just skip to a future section. You can return to the “blocked” section later.
Speaking of 1.2:
2 Make It Interesting
Anyone can write a primer, sideboard guide, tournament report, or any other sort of MTG content. However, the real goal is to write interesting content. Everyone has the potential to make interesting content, provided they’re willing to put in the thought and effort.
Give readers something they can’t get on their own. I’ve always looked up to Frank Karsten both as a player and creator, so my constructed and especially limited content includes math. Mathematical analysis is something everyone can use, but not everyone would do it on their own. Find a creative way to bring your strengths into your content.
Bugs can be features! I always loved content that outlined the decision making process, especially LSV’s “What’s the Play” series. However, I am not remotely as good at Magic as LSV. I was originally apprehensive about making my “Your Move” series (1, 2) since I felt unqualified to give high level advice. However, I realized that instead of telling people what to do, I could ask them! I really enjoyed the user polls in “Your Move” and will be making it a regular series.
My x-factors have been math and user polls, but your x-factor can be anything. If you’re having trouble finding something, I recommend adding a “tips and tricks” section. Readers love quick tips, since it gives a tangible way to measure how your content makes them win more.
If you’re writing a primer, consider adding something like “5 cool interactions you should know”. Using Burn as an example:
Other ideas include deck specific bluffing tips (e.g. if you play X early it generally means you have Y in hand), 2 card sequencing combos (e.g. resolve Lightning Helix before Skullcrack so you don’t prevent your own lifegain), and any sort of visual aids. User engagement is a tried and true way to stand out. Ryan Saxe’s phenomenal draft pick articles have been a major inspiration to me.
3 Why > What
Michael Flores’s Who’s The Beatdown is the greatest MTG article ever written. Instead of writing about what happens during tournament magic games, Flores explained why games play out the way they do. This meant his article could apply to any deck/format/era.
Anyone can write about what cards go into a deck, or what to change around in sideboarding. Explaining why certain cards are worth running, or why it’s crucial to sideboard in a certain way is far more valuable. By understanding theory, readers can apply your insights instead of simply memorizing them. Sooner or later new cards will come out anyways.
If you are giving readers insight into strategy, explain the process not just the conclusion. For example, in my Canadian Highlander Primer, I explained why creatures were effective before mentioning what specific creatures are worth running.
The best streamers (Reid Duke, Nummy) explain their moves instead of just showing them. Written content can go even deeper than live videos since you don’t have time constraints. For example, PVDDR’s articles are even more in-depth than his must-watch videos. The number one rule in movie making is “show don’t tell”. For writing, that becomes “explain, don’t tell”. If you aren’t covering why then a quick deck tech video is a better fit than a feature length article.
4 Proofreading
I don’t actually sit down, write, then publish. In addition to starting with an outline, I also do numerous re-writes. After the first draft, I’ll rework sections to use concise phrasing. All of my featured content involved 8+ rewrites, while my self-published work (like this article!) aren’t held to the same standard. As a rule of thumb, a 1,300-1,500 word first draft can be retold in a 1,000 word final draft.
As an author, you always know what you’re trying to say. For readers, it might not be as clear. The best solution is an editor. If you don’t have one, try changing the font type & size before reading the article outloud to yourself. This can trick your brain into thinking it’s someone else’s work.
I don’t spend much time behind my keyboard. Usually I’ll think about what I want to say and then go for a walk/workout. While moving around, I’ll focus on how I want to articulate each paragraph. About 25% of my creation time is spent physically writing and 75% is spent exercising while thinking of phrasing. This is especially helpful when finalizing drafts. I’ll read the entire article then go for a walk while thinking about it.
5 Know Your Audience
I put this last because it’s the least obvious. However, the first thing you should do when writing is figuring out who the article is for.
Level One Magic by Reid Duke and Burn vs Counters by Patrick Sullivan are two of my biggest inspirations. Although Reid is a world class player, he understood that brand new players would benefit from a “crash course” in tournament magic. Using simple English he distilled high level ideas into simple heuristics. Patrick, the best Burn player ever, instead targeted experienced players who wanted an extra edge.
You don’t just need to see what to write. You must know how to write it. For new players, you need to expand the scope and lay out ground work before jumping into examples. When targeting experienced players, you can recycle common terminology and spend more time on theory than specifics. Level One Magic explains the background before presenting examples. Burn vs Counters gives examples and then explains the theory behind them.