Running through some of my archives I ran into a couple of interviews I had with players at Pro Tour Berlin. What's unique about these interviews was I chose to do them on less common names on the Pro Tour scene. I, personally, tend to participate in events due to my competitive nature. However, some people don't and I thought it would be very interesting to those who have considered attending "bigger" Magic events but perhaps felt uncomfortable with what they might encounter.

Let me first say that I traveled to Berlin by myself. When I go to events I like to take in the sights and local food options so that I can say that I've experienced more than slinging cards in some random city. It's also a great way to find my "new" favorite food or a memory to treasure. The event location didn't really have much for food options and eating a Sausage Sandwich with Mayonnaise and Ketchup isn't what I'd consider as being a great meal.

I met Mike Pinnegar while waiting for our pairings in the main event. We weren't doing well, so we had light conversation while we waited for our pairings to send us into the slaughter house. He told me he was from Ohio and he chose to play Affinity at Berlin. Interestingly, Affinity would end up getting a recharge later in the Extended season. Unfortunately, MOST people had planned to see Affinity as a power within the Pro Tour and had Kataki War Wages and more sideboard slots to take down the march of the machines that is Affinity.

Mike and I shared the following conversation while I was eating a plate of Beef Tips over french fries smothered in Mayo and Ketchup. Now that is YUMMY!!!

Lee - So Mike, why did you come to Berlin?

Mike - Merely to play in the my first Pro Tour and maybe be successful

Lee - What did you enjoy most about the event?

Mike - I really enjoyed socializing and meeting new people. It gives me an opportunity to just relax in a new environment while meeting with people who have the same interests.

Lee - Is there anything you'd do differently to prepare for your trip?

Mike - I would definitely playtest more. While I had heard of the "powerful" Elf decks I had no idea they had evolved into what we've seen this weekend. With the other things in my life, it was difficult to find the time to practice but I would certainly force more time into playtesting to give myself a better shot at winning.

Lee - Were there any Pro Players you had wanted to see or meet?

Mike - Actually, I did come to Berlin with the intent on meeting one pro in particular, Shuuhei Nakamura. He's a fantastic player and an interesting person and a very good friend of mine from home wanted me to get Shuuhei to sign Cursed Scrolls for him. It was actually pretty tough to find an opportune moment to introduce myself and ask for his signature but he was very gracious when I was able to do so.

Lee - What are your final impressions with the event?

Mike - I have to say, that this had the WORST location for food. There was a hotel across the street that was a bit pricey and then a food cart outside of the building we were playing in. It was really far from the airport and hotels which made traveling somewhat challenging. Other than that, I had alot of fun. It was hard work just surviving a few rounds and was very intense. It was kind of overwhelming when I realized that I was in a room with the very BEST Magic Players in the world. I was honored to be here but hoped that next time I would represent myself better.

Mike and I played in a Team Sealed deck together and I had a blast. We were just one win from prizes (top 4) out of 30 teams which I thought was pretty good for a couple of guys who had never played together before.

Come back tomorrow for part two of my interviews from Berlin.

Lee