Locations
I’ve been monkeying with the format of this column a bit lately; I hope you don’t mind. Feedback has been pretty positive, so I am going to continue monkeying. A while back, I wrote a follow-up article about someone I’d previously mentioned as a Midwest grinder to watch, letting everyone know that my instincts had been good and that he had finished eleventh at his first Pro Tour appearance. Let’s not get carried away and pretend I scouted some total unknown with potential, though—I mostly wrote about Ray because he had just won a Pro Tour Qualifier and he was such a dedicated grinder that he was in the Top 10 in the world for Planeswalker Points last season. His play-every-weekend-and-win-more-often-than-you-lose strategy was paying off.
Similarly, I want to talk to you today about someone who isn’t exactly Magic’s best-kept secret but who is someone I feel is poised to break out in a big way. His first taste of real success suited him, and he has been on the bubble quite a bit lately. Now that he knows he can break through, I expect to see his name a lot more in the future. Best of all, his Twitter feed is great value. He’s kind of the Magic Twitter equivalent of a cute girl who doesn’t know how cute she is. His Twitter stream is full of good insight, and he doesn’t have enough followers to guard his secrets yet. This is a good opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Enough talking about the man in the third person; let’s meet him. This is “Who to Follow – Who Are They Now?”
DeShaun Baylock
Where You Know Him From: Grinding in the Midwest, Grand Prix Top 8 coverage
Current Title: Grinder
Social Media:
Perfect Storm Bio and Archives
This is DeShaun, seen in his natural habitat of the Top 8, making his Top 8–competitor face. He has come a long way from Top 8’ing eight-man Drafts when I first met him to finishing Top 8 of a Legacy Grand Prix, and I expect the hits to keep coming. He was chased out of DC by a huge storm, but he made it home safe and sound, and I had a chance to catch up with him and ask him about his success this weekend in Legacy. Read a little about his exploits here, although a little bad luck and a bad matchup cut his foray into the Top 8 a bit short.
Tell me a bit about how your weekend went.
This weekend, I want to play Magic. I did well, and I had a great time. I finished the Swiss portion with a record of 13–2. And I finished in eighth place; this means I'm probably going to Valencia with Ray rololololololololo [Jason: He’s referring to Ray Perez Jr, discussed above] and boy wonder a.k.a. Tristan Woodsmith [Jason: Tristan is a teenaged grinder also from West Michigan who is on a bit of a tear for himself].
Tell me a bit about your preparations for the weekend. Which matchups worried you?
My preparation for this weekend started with the StarCityGames Invitational—a lot of Angry Orchard [Jason: That’s an alcoholic cider you should really try] and everyone on Team Perfect Storm. I was very worried about Storm—no matter how many times you Thoughtseize, you're still dead.
Were you concerned about True-Name Nemesis?
[I was] so concerned that I switched from R/U/G Delver. Without Equipment, he’s very, very good—with Equipment, he's unbeatable.
What are some other notable high finishes you’ve had?
I’ve gotten two StarCityGames Legacy Top 8s, infinite Top 16s and 32s on that circuit, thirty-third at Grand Prix Columbus, Top 8 at GP DC, two lowly Pro Tour Qualifier Top 8s, and so many ninth-place finishes that only Travis Cullum [Jason: Travis is a Team Perfect Storm player who may be the unluckiest man on earth] has me beat.
To what do you attribute the recent success you’ve enjoyed?
My success lately has been fueled by Ray [Perez Jr.], Tristan [Woodsmith], Travis [Cullum], Josh [Glantzman], Trevor [Petrelli], The Chris Jobin, Caleb [Estrada], [Ryan] Hovis, and, last but not least, Aaron [Katz, Perfect Storm’s editor and a talented grinder in his own right, qualifying for Pro Tour Kyoto last year], who had that baby and is there with me in spirit but actually not there to check my decklist. I mean, Ray ain't the only Magic player from the hood, so I can let him have all the glory.
Anyone you want to shout out?
Shoot out to Willard’s barbecue and Korean fried chicken and the Storm player who beat me when I had double Meddling Mage, a V. Clique, Brainstorm, and double Flusterstorm. He did not want to see it!
When you talk about Magic in the state of Michigan, the east side of the state receives most of the attention, with Team RIW producing a seemingly-endless supply of pro players, but West Michigan’s Team Perfect Storm is giving them a run for their money.
A pensive Baylock reacts to his game loss for mis-registration.
A loss in the first round of the Top 8 is mitigated slightly by the excitement of qualifying for the Pro Tour in Valencia and his best finish to date. It’s tough to say which game loss was more inevitable, the misregistration or the turn-two Emrakul, the Aeons Torn during Game 2.
Buoyed by the newfound popularity his success and feature on Daily MTG has earned him, he’s still at a point where he is responding to questions from followers, which makes now such a great time to start following. He’s been very up-front about his choices and his testing, whereas some players guard that information. Just hit me up if you ever need a translator.
@mxfrodo195 pretty much how I live my life. I understand my roll in society. I provide the daily word jumble for everyone!
— DeshaunBaylock (@deshaunbaylock3) November 16, 2013
@meddlingmage I was on my way but I didn't have the correct mages and was punished. Forgive me for my lack of faith.
— DeshaunBaylock (@deshaunbaylock3) November 18, 2013
@meddlingmage thanks I may have sided the card more than I should have. But hey who was counting?
— DeshaunBaylock (@deshaunbaylock3) November 18, 2013
@deshaunbaylock3 there has to be a Meddling Mage/Gitaxian Probe deck out there.
— Chris Pikula (@meddlingmage) November 18, 2013
@brute_steamer @Cybren it was the best sword by far on the day. Sword of fire and ice was the second best equipment.
— DeshaunBaylock (@deshaunbaylock3) November 19, 2013
@brute_steamer @Cybren mirror and combo decks that have removal for the Mage. A way to battle through abrubt decay.
— DeshaunBaylock (@deshaunbaylock3) November 19, 2013
It’s really funny to see what he was saying on Facebook two short weeks ago after a disappointing finish at a local event.
It doesn’t take a change sometimes. It takes putting the work in, learning the matchups, and preparing yourself for success. Still humble despite his recent success, I imagine this Pro Tour qualification is only the first step in his burgeoning career. Give this man a follow, and you can thank me later.
That does it for this week. I can’t promise a strong finish from someone well worth a follow won’t pop up next weekend as well, but if it does, you can be sure I’ll be all over it. Thanks for reading, and be sure to join me next week for more of the value to which you’ve become accustomed.
