214: Hunter Cochran Shares His Rise to a Grand Prix Top 8
Hunter Cochran is a 25-year-old graduate student of physics at Stony Brook University. He’s originally from Arkansas and Texas and has made the top 8 of three GPs, winning one. Hunter lives in Long Island, New York.
Click to Tweet: I got a ton of value from Hunter Cochran when he shared his story on #MTGProTutor! Listen here: http://bit.ly/mtgprotutor-ep214
First Set
Onslaught
Favorite Set
MIrrodin, Darksteel
Favorite Card
[draft]Perilous Vault
Tireless tracker[/draft]
Early Challenge
Not having the access to cards and the money to buy very competitive decks. Difficult to play ranges of decks and be able to think from other perspectives and learn new types of decks and strategies.
Breakthrough Moment
During the PPTQ in the Spring of 2015 when he decided to spend some money and attend the events.
Worst Magic Moment
A very embarrassing and lowest moment that got him banned from playing Magic in a local venue in college. Playing against a good player that got him rolled by his opponent’s super deck. Got angry, throw his fist to the table, punch the table and sat on the table for the rest of the day.
Proudest Magic Moment
His first PPTQ win in just 3 months of playing.
Deepest Thing You’ve Learned About Yourself
Learned controlling emotions when results are unfavorable to you.
Biggest Mistake Players Make
Not having a very clear vision for the game, not knowing your role and how your deck is built and the difficulties to pinpoint why you lose the game. For Constructed – thinking about things before the tournament. For Limited- thinking about things before your round.
Tips to Curve Frustration
Try to be pretty animated and vocal with opponents. Try to make interaction and experience be personal. The more you see your opponent as a person, the easier to beat frustration.
Parting Guidance
Magic is a community game so build relationships, talk to people who might help you to open and close doors and get so much perspective on Magic.
Magic Resource
Connect With Hunter Cochran
Hunter can be found in the MTG Pro Tutor Facebook group.
Check Out Magic Story
Magic Story brings the lore of the Multiverse to life in an audio presentation never before heard in the Magic community.
Listen to Episode 1 here or on www.magicthestory.com