In what will be the first of a series of interviews with Classic personalities, for the first installment I had the good fortune to interview Prolepsis9. With respect for everyone's private identity online, Prolepsis9 opted not to give his real name, so I'll be referring to him by his MTGO handle.

Prolepsis9 has, quite simply, been the leader of the Classic tournament scene for some time. Even before the CQ Player of the Year race was begun, Prolepsis9's name was recognized as one of the top players in the format, placing in many events and generally out-playing the rest of the field. He's combined both an incredible depth of knowledge about the format and a good investment of his time to stay on top of the leaderboard.

How long have you been playing Magic?

I had some cards around the Dark through Weatherlight, but only played casually.

How long have you been playing MTGO?

I picked up MODO right after Ravnica release and have been playing since then.

How long have you been playing Classic (competitvely)?

Been playing Classic off and on since it's been on MODO. I had been playing with Gifts Rock in extended and it seemed really good in Classic with the addition of Swords to Plowshares. I Top8ed one of the first 4x events with the same deck with maindeck Leyline because of the domination of Flash

How old are you?

28

Do you play paper magic?

I haven't played paper magic since picking up MODO.

What's your favourite Magic Card, and why?

Life from the Loam. Drawing 3 cards is too good.

How much magic do you generally play in a week/month?

I'm on MODO a lot, but lots of times it's either on in the background or I'm playing games while doing other things.

Was there something about playing classic that specifically drove you to playing it?

When Classic first started getting big I was playing all of the modo-only formats: Tribal, Std w/Van, Singleton, Prismatic, Momir. They were fun formats to play and had a lot of variety. Classic fit right into it. I also had a hard time adjusting to something like Standard where there were constant rotations and terrible prize support (usually 60 players a PE versus 25-30 for the other events).

What are the kinds of things unique to playing classic that you enjoy about it?

I enjoy casting Force of Will and Tarmogoyf :)

Describe your best/most proud moment in classic play. (Could be a particular play, or tournament win, etc...)

Nothing really pops to mind. I'm sure there were a couple of matches I saved from the brink of defeat, but likely my opponent's misplays contributed equally there. I think I'm happy that I've been able to succeed in classic throughout the year on a consistent basis through any number of format-changing events.

What mistakes do you often see your opponents making?

The biggest mistake I can think of off hand is seeing people overestimate the effect their opponents' cards have on the match. This makes them build sideboards that completely dilute the power of their deck and are often just worse than what they side out. I understand the temptation to nullify everything your opponent can do, but like the saying goes, there are no bad threats, but there are bad answers. For example, it makes me cringe every time I see a mono-red burn deck needling sensei's divining top or bringing in hydroblast or vexing shusher, when really they should just keep in bolts. I understand that getting counterbalance locked is frustrating, but the majority of games you win involve bolting them a bunch before they can do anything, so that bringing in a bunch of reactive spells just makes it more likely they'll survive those early turns

What do you feel have been your keys to success in competitive classic?

Being able to read the format really helps. While there are lots of viable decks that can win a tournament, there usually is one best deck. Playing that deck and piloting it steadily will just lead to more wins. On the other hand, once the deck is established you have to figure out if the hate people are bringing in is overwhelming or whether you can shake it off. For example, Necrospike with the transformational sideboard was almost impossible to hate out, but a lot of people I'm sure abandoned the deck because so many people were gunning for it. On the other hand, dredge is probably on the brink of there being too much hate. It's not completely dead against that hate since people often underestimate how effective anti-dredge deck is, but it's probably enough to knock it off being a dominating deck choice now.

When there is no dominant best deck, having a deck you feel comfortable with is important, since there are very few completely dead matchups in Classic. Games usually come down to who makes fewer mistakes, and having a familiar deck will help with that.

Where do you think the future of classic is headed? Do you see yourself continuing to play as more cards arrive?

I'm not sure why I would stop playing. I probably won't make a run for Player of the Year next year since the new DE structure is a lot more time consuming, but it's still a fun format and the new cards will make it fun.

What changes would you make to the tournament structure on MTGO to get more participants in classic?

I think the 10 ticket entry cost for the PEs is probably too prohibitive for most players, across all formats, and that top 8 events are important for any format. They probably could make a compromise between the old 24-player structure and the new 33-player structure and have them fire, while being differentiable from the current 16-man swiss events. I would also lobby for a 4-man queue. As nice as being able to play a match in 30 minutes is, the 2-mans don't really feel like anything, and playing a bunch in a row really makes it feel like grinding. There's also this annoying phenomenon where you end up playing the same guy 3-4 times in a row because you both immediately hop back into the queue after you finish your match.

Regarding classic specifically, I would make sure that the prize payouts are either rotated frequently or just tended to that we don't have a repeat of the Tempest booster flood. If prize payouts are devalued too much, no one is simply going to play.

What do you think needs to be done for classic to remain succesful and/or continue to grow?

I think the existence of a viable budget deck is important to help people enter the format. Elves was great, since it could be built for about 50 tix and was also the best deck choice for a lot of events. Other than that, I think just the dedication of people to the format, the existence of CQ and the Player of the Year contest and the sheer power of the decks are significant draws that should keep Classic growing as a format.

How much money do you spend on MTGO in a month/year? Or are you still playing mostly off prizes won?

My modo account is self-sufficient through events and queues and when I don't have to invest money into new duals and drains or what not, I'm able to cash out here and there, which is a nice bonus for a hobby to come with. Every now and then I'll buy something like the Jace v. Chandra or FTV: Exiled using cash, but that's just because it's easier than dealing with the secondary market.

Do you have any other comments about classic you wish to share?

Not really. I'm like 90% sure if there is a MED4 that Mishra's Workshop will be in it, so I'm excited for that. Right now I'm happy to see Bazaar dredge making an impact on the format

I want to thank Prolepsis9 for taking the time to answer my questions, and I invite you all to discuss using the link below to our forums.