Silverline was excited to host an evening of Magic: The Gathering gameplay with special guest Seth Manfield, currently ranked as the Number 1 player in the world and the 2015 World Champion. New to Magic: The Gathering? Magic is a trading card game that can be played in-person with collectible cards or online through a deck of virtual cards. There are over 20 million players worldwide.
Over thirty people attended the event at the Silverline Office for drinks, snacks, and socializing with Seth. Fifteen people stayed to play, including my 11 year old son, Gus, and his friend, Marlen, an avid Magic player. Seth discussed his experiences playing Magic, his recent trip to Madrid where he placed in the top four in the PRO Tour Shadows Over Innistrad, and what it is like to be #1 in the world at something. Gireesh Sonnad, Silverline’s CEO, after speaking with Seth, suggested that Silverline should have regular events with the #1 in the world at something.
Marlen, who follows all the Magic stats, gets to hang out with Seth Manfield.
Seth then led a beginner’s overview for the seven new players in the group. Seth was more than happy to discuss the basics of the game and answer a lot of newbie questions.
Next, we held a draft, where each attendee opened more than six packs of cards provided by Silverline to create a deck. Two of us got lucky and got the rare “Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy” card which is currently worth about $80. Seth and some of the more experienced participants helped each player create a deck of 40 cards.
Lena, Kyle, Greg and Victor building decks and starting to play.
Then we started to play. We matched up by level and played for about 3 hours. A number of people got to play Seth, but as expected no one beat him.
Marlen, Ben and Gus hoping for a win against Seth.
Gordon Arnold, a Silverline Developer, explained the following photograph – “What you are seeing right now is he (Seth) has 1 life left and I have 3 lives left and I am just realizing that I am about to lose even though I’m so close to beating the #1 player.”
Gordon vs. Seth
Seth and Gordon then went on to analyze the game and found the critical move that may have changed the outcome.
Kai Yu Hsiung, Silverline’s Chief Revenue Officer, who only started playing 6 months ago, was excited to have Seth join us and provide some perspective on what it means to be a great player. Kai’s not at the top of the office in Magic yet, but he’s planning to get there.
Kai just getting started.
This is my second time trying to learn Magic: The Gathering so I can play my son, and I believe I finally have an understanding of how to play. It was also exciting to see someone who is so great at something be so willing to share his knowledge with experienced and beginners alike. I am excited to help figure who our next “#1 in the world guest” will be! Interested in learning more about Seth Manfield and Magic? Read Seth’s weekly articles.
Want to join our team and participate in other cool events like this one? Check out our careers page, we’re hiring!
Photography by Jonathan Snyder.