Jonathan Choi

@heresasianjon
Location:
Roanoke, VA
Occupation:
Video Director/Producer for StarCityGames.com
When did you start playing Magic:
Summer 2011
Favorite Format:
Standard/EDH but Legacy is slowly pulling me in.
Accomplishments:
Worked for Ashton Kutcher, Google, and Yahoo, Produced a commercial bought by Yoplait/General Mills. Scrubbed out 0-3 my first Magic tournament.
Favorite Color of Mana:
Blue
Favorite Decks:
Esper Control, Venser Control
Most Memorable Game of Magic You've Won:
Playing against Mono-Red, I drew and played all 4 of my Spreading Seas on his Mountains to stop him from playing any spells. He never saw another mountain all game.

Jeremy Noell

@jeremynoell
Location:
Roanoke, VA
Occupation:
Video Director/Producer for StarCityGames.com
When did you start playing Magic?
Summer 2002
Favorite format:
Limited
Accomplishments:
3 Michigan Association of Broadcaster awards, 1 National Broadcasting Society award. Magic-wise? Nothing of note.
Favorite color of mana:
I’m partial to Black/Red, but I will play with any deck that looks fun.
Favorite deck:
Odyssey-era Mono Black, Doran Rock, Mythic Conscription, or Mono Red whenever it’s viable.

Daniel Schoenbach

@MagicShoebox
Location:
Roanoke, VA
Occupation:
Video Director/Producer for StarCityGames.com
When did you start playing Magic:
1994
Accomplishments:
July 2008 (Durham, NC): Level 1 Judge | August 2009 (Roanoke, VA): 1st - PTQ Austin | September 2009 (Charlotte, NC): 16th - StarCityGames.com Legacy Open | October 2009 (Austin, TX): 257th - Pro Tour Austin | May 2011 (Providence, RI): Level 2 Judge
Favorite Format:
Vintage or Cube
Favorite Color of Mana:
Red
Favorite Decks:
Vintage Control, Merfolk, Super Friends, Storm, MUD
Most Memorable Game of Magic You've Won:
Beating Paul Rietzl Round 1 of PT Austin 2009 in my first ever professional-level match of Magic.

Jesse Snyder

@Fru17Spr34d
Location:
Roanoke, VA
Occupation:
Video Director/Producer for StarCityGames.com
When did you start playing Magic?
Summer 2002
Favorite format:
Kitchen Table
Accomplishments:
Survived working in Local News.
Favorite color of mana:
Three way tie for Red, Black, and White.
Favorite deck:
I've always been partial to Tribal decks, Onslaught being the new block back in my day. Otherwise, I love anything Timmy, especially Domain decks circa the Invasion block.
Most memorable game of Magic you've won:
I only ever played casually, but I do recall being particularly pleased by winning a game of Emperor when I dropped a kicked Dralnu's Pet with Draco as the discarded creature.

Reuben Bresler

@MoxReuby
Location:
Roanoke, VA
Occupation:
Video and Coverage Content Associate at Star City Games
When did you start playing Magic:
Three weeks after Exodus was released (1998)
Favorite Format:
Cube.
Favorite Color of Mana:
Green
Favorite Decks:
Green-White splash Blue Mirari’s Wake Control from Invasion-Odyssey Standard.
Most Memorable Game of Magic You've Won:
When I first started playing Magic, I located a store near my house in Columbus, Ohio, called Darts USA (now long gone). I was 12. All of the other guys were way better than me because they were playing cards like Survival of the Fittest and I was playing cards like Opal Gargoyle. But they helped me progress in the game and took care of me and put my mom at ease when she dropped me off at the store every week and left me with a bunch of strange men. Flash forward a few years; I’m like 18 or so. I’m playing draft at an FNM at Comic Town in Columbus, Ohio (it’s still there). I played against BJ, one of the guys from Darts that I knew all those years ago that I could never beat. I crushed him. I drafted better, I built my deck better, and I played better. I had never beaten him when I went to Darts, and now I beat him handily. And he was happy about it! He was like a proud papa when he signed the match slip. It signified just how far I’d come in my Magic career.

Glenn Jones

@SecludedGlenn
Location:
Roanoke, VA
Occupation:
Coverage Content Manager for StarCityGames.com
When did you start playing Magic?
I started playing in 1998.
Favorite format:
I love Cube Draft above all others.
Accomplishments:
Day 2 at GP Daytona Beach, Tampa, Atlanta, and DC. Q'd for PT Kyoto, Honolulu, and Amsterdam. Punted a lot of important matches along the way.
Favorite color of mana:
I like to taste the rainbow.
Favorite deck:
Whatever is winning. I do often avoid linear aggressive strategies.
Most memorable game of Magic you've won:
Casting Splinter Twin on a Haze Frog in ROE draft remains one of my favorites.

Joseph Bono

@JosephBono
Location:
Seattle, Washington
When did you start playing Magic:
I started playing back in Antiquities and durdled around for a few years before I headed off to college. I started playing again during Time Spiral when my roommate and I discovered that we were both lapsed players from our ill-spent youths.
Favorite Format:
I love playing Momir basic online, but my favorite format is Legacy by a fair amount. I love the variety of play experiences you get in Legacy.
Accomplishments:
2009 Washington State Champion, day two at Pro Tour Paris, playing at Worlds in Chiba, top 32 at GP Portland.
Favorite Color of Mana:
White. I'm a judge, I like order and rules.
Favorite Decks:
I like most of the combo decks in Legacy, my current favorite is Aluren. In Standard I really enjoyed playing Worldwake era Jund, New Phyrexia era Caw Blade, and this sweet Jon Loucks Splinter Twin/Soul Sisters/Pod deck from summer 2011.
Most Memorable Game of Magic You've Won:
In game two of the semi-finals of States 2009 I was playing Jund against local ringer Martin Goldman-Kirst's Turbo Fog. With about eight cards left in my library I attacked for lethal for the fifth turn in a row when Martin uttered the now famous words "I don't even need to block" and cast a Safe Passage. I slammed a kicked Unstable Footing onto the stack and when Martin didn't have a Negate for it I locked up the win and a great NW Magic story.

Zack Hall

@zchall
Location:
Springfield, MA
Occupation:
Sales Manager
When did you start playing Magic?
1999 - right when Urza's Saga was released
Favorite format:
Before the change from seven to four years, it was Extended. Now that it's just double Standard though, Legacy has taken the title for me. I like the variety of decks and all the wacky cards and interactions you get to witness.  
Accomplishments:
I have cashed 8 out 10 Pro Tours I've played in, and I have one GP Top 8. I also have the honor of being Gerard Fabiano's 3rd biggest fan (behind his mother and Ben Lundquist of course). I suppose this is where I'm obligated to mention I lose bets and do stupid things too.
Favorite color of mana:
Blue, with the power of the Mountains being a distant second.
Favorite decks:
Jushi Blue, Pattern Husk combo, Burning Bridges, which I played at my first tournament, Aluren, and U/G Urzatron.
Most memorable game of Magic you've won:
Playing with Faeries against Olivier Ruel with Quick 'n' Toast on Day 1 of PT Hollywood; our epic game three saw him go through 3 Wispmares, 2 Cloudthreshers, and about 2/3 of his library. I had all 3 Bitterblossoms in my graveyard along with all 3 Cryptic Commands and had used almost all of my relevant cards. I then resolved my Ancestral Vision while facing down his third Thresher and what was most likely another Cryptic in his hand. I drew my 4th Bitterblossom, a removal spell for his Thresher, my fourth Cryptic Command, and a Mutavault to win a memorable game against the Hall of Famer.

Riki Hayashi

@mtgRikipedia
Location:
Blacksburg, Virginia
Occupation:
StarCityGames Events Travel Coordinator
When did you start playing Magic:
Unlimited
Favorite Format:
Booster Draft, although I mostly stick to MTGO
Accomplishments:
Player - Top 8ed a PTQ in Onslaught Block Constructed, made Day 2 of GP Seattle 2005, Judge - 12 Pro Tours, 25+ Grand Prix, Head Judge of 4 SCG Opens and the 2012 Baltimore Invitational
Favorite Color of Mana:
Blue/Green for Constructed. My Commander is Experiment Kraj.
Favorite Decks:
Scars Draft Furnace Celebration
Most Memorable Game of Magic You've Won:
I got a one-shot kill with Untamed Might for 3 and Assault Strobe on my Blightwidow, plus Panic Spellbomb to clear out his one blocker.

Tom Martell

@tommartell
Location:
Los Altos, CA
Occupation:
Attorney / Entrepreneur
When did you start playing Magic:
Summer of 1994
Favorite Format:
Legacy
Accomplishments:
7th at PT Paris 2011, 13th at PT Dark Ascension 2012, 16th at PT Philadelphia 2011, GP Indianapolis 2012 Champion (Legacy), 2nd at GP Columbus 2010 (Legacy), 3rd at GP Salt Lake City 2012 (Standard), Platinum Pro 2012 season.
Favorite Color of Mana:
Blue
Favorite Decks:
Esper Stoneblade (Legacy), Lingering Spirits (Standard), Storm (Modern)
Most Memorable Game of Magic You've Won:
Game 2 of the finals at GP Indianapolis.

Matthias Hunt

@MtGMatthias
Location:
Saint Paul, MN
Occupation:
Math teacher
When did you start playing Magic?
I tried to learn with Revised? I didn't really understand the rules until Champions of Kamigawa.
Favorite format:
Sealed Deck
Accomplishments:
Designed a handful of decks. The current (last?) Rookie of the Year.
Favorite color of mana:
Blue/Green - best when used together.
Favorite decks:
Elves! Or better put, the day I realized that tribe I always used when I was 12 could actually make a tournament-level deck.
Most memorable game of Magic you've won:
Game three of the (virtual) RoY championship against Fabian Thiele in the feature match area during day two of Worlds.

Ari Lax

@armlx
Location:
Detroit
Occupation:
Student
When did you start playing Magic?
I began sometime between Ice Age and Mirage.
Favorite format:
Kami/Rav Standard (pre-Coldsnap and Counter-Top). So many awesome decks that were all viable.
Accomplishments:
3 GP Top 8s (Seattle '09, Nashville '10, Atlanta '11), PT Top 16 (Kyoto '09), and been on the train since then (PT Honolulu, Austin, Rome Worlds, San Diego, San Juan, Amsterdam), SCG Open DC Top 4, responsible for the post-Mystical Tutor U/B Storm decks in Legacy and the popularization of Dinosaurs as a draft archetype in Scars.
Favorite color of mana:
U/B
Favorite deck archetypes:
Aggro-control and combo, notably Faeries and Storm
Most memorable game of Magic you've won:
Ripped the second Island against Adam Yurchick to Cancel my way on to the Pro Tour (hit his Battlegrace Angel).

Osyp Lebedowicz

@OsypL
Location:
New Brunswick, NJ
Occupation:
Marketing Manager - Planning & Analytics
When did you start playing Magic:
Ice Age (The set, not the time period)
Favorite Format:
Block Constructed (any set)
Accomplishments:
Pro Tour & Latin Dance Champion
Favorite Color of Mana:
White
Favorite Decks:
Astral Slide, Psychatog
Most Memorable Game of Magic You've Won:
Top 4 at PT Venice against William Jensen (they ended up changing the legend rule because of that match)

Brad Nelson

@fffreakmtg
Occupation:
Pro Magic Player
Location:
Roanoke, VA
When did you start playing Magic?
2003
Favorite format:
Block
Accomplishments:
2 PT Top 8s, 4 GP Top 8s, 2 Nationals Top 8s, 2011 Pro Player of the Year
Favorite color of mana:
Green
Favorite decks:
Doran/proactive strategies 
Most memorable game of Magic you've won:
Player of the Year playoff

Joey Pasco

@AffinityForBlue
Location:
Baltimore, MD
Occupation:
 Television Production / Management
When did you start playing Magic?
 January 1995
Favorite format:
 My traditional answer to this has always been Standard, due to it constantly being refreshed with new sets. However, the allure of Legacy has been drawing me in recently. Ask this question again in 6 months, and my answer may very well be Legacy.
Accomplishments:
 Being one win away from Day 2 of GP DC. My major accomplishment outside of the game itself is certainly the creation and promotion of the Yo! MTG Taps! podcast along with my co-host, Bigheadjoe.
Favorite color of mana:
 Blue!
Favorite decks:
 Mystical Teachings (TSP/LOR Standard), Faeries (LOR Block), MUC (Mirrodin/Kamigawa Standard), U/W Control (post-WWK PT San Diego 2010)

Adam Prosak

@Adam_Prosak
Location:
Cincinnati, OH/Phoenix, AZ
Occupation:
Writer StarCityGames.com
When did you start playing Magic:
1994, in the 7th grade. The Dark was a cool set!
Favorite Format:
All of them! (but really, Cube)
Accomplishments:
1 GP T8. 6 PTQ wins. Winner of SCG Invitational in Charlotte. 2 time SCG Open winner.
Favorite Color of Mana:
Blue
Favorite Decks:
UG Upheval, Astral Slide, Counterbalance, Turbo Land (of all varieties). Anything with good velocity, really.
Most Memorable Game of Magic You've Won:
I once won a game where I mulliganed to 2 playing a Madness mirror. Those 2 cards were Island and Merfolk Looter. Merfolk Looter is my favorite Magic card.

Cedric Phillips

@CedricAPhillips
Location:
Seattle, WA
Occupation:
StarCityGames.com Online Content Coordinator
When did you start playing Magic?
Ice Age
Favorite format:
Constructed = Legacy, Limited = Mirrodin, Mirrodin, Darksteel
Favorite color of mana:
Anything but blue
Favorite decks:
2009 Standard Kithkin, 2010 Extended Dredge, 2010 Standard Mythic
Most memorable game of Magic you've won:
Grand Prix: Minneapolis 2009. I had to win my final round against Kurt Fruth to qualify for Worlds in Rome the following week. More importantly, the two pro points for attending Worlds were the last two I needed to be on the "train." I had to win one match to complete a lifelong goal and fortunately I was able!

AJ Sacher

@ajsacher
Location:
Wherever the game takes me
Occupation:
Magic player/writer/commentator/analyst
When did you start playing Magic:
I learned the rules as a kid but didn't start playing until Betrayers of Kamigawa
Favorite Format:
Legacy and Draft
Accomplishments:
Two GP T8s, SCGOS Level 8, some other decent finishes
Favorite Color of Mana:
Blue
Favorite Decks:
Meandeck Gifts, Dragonstorm, Faeries, Dark Depths, Cawblade
Most Memorable Game of Magic You've Won:
Too many to list, but the first that comes to mind is one from the swiss of GP Denver 2008 where I won a Faeries mirror on 4 cards from the play without a Bitterblossom

Shaheen Soorani

@shaheenmtg
Location:
Norfolk, VA
Occupation:
Teacher / SCG Writer
When did you start playing Magic:
Urza's Block
Favorite Format:
Standard and Draft
Accomplishments:
9th worlds 2006, Top 8 US Nationals 2008, 5 SCG Draft Open Wins, 3 SCG Invitational Top 8s in a row, 13 PT appearances, multiple money finishes, 4 time State champion of VA! (2 standard, 2 2headed giant)
Favorite Color of Mana:
hmm...blue/white :)
Favorite Decks:
Esper Walkers, greater gifts, blink riders, Esper Stoneblade
Most Memorable Game of Magic You've Won:
All my matches at PT Amsterdam. I played against the biggest names in magic including multiple hall of famers and emerged with an almost top 8 finish.

Adrian Sullivan

@AdrianLSullivan
Location:
Madison, WI
Occupation:
PhD Student in Media and Cultural Studies / freelance writer
When did you start playing Magic?
Late 1993, with Beta. So at this point, it's been over seventeen years!
Favorite format:
Legacy. You can basically play anything, so long as it is rational. If you're good with your deck and your deck is reasonable, you can succeed.
Accomplishments:
2 State Championships, 19 PTs, and Worlds. For GPs, I have 9 Top 64s with Top 32s in Kansas City, Columbus, and Madison, and a Top 8 in GP Memphis. I finished Top 64 of PT Rome and Hollywood, Top 16 at US Nationals, and tied for Top 8 at PT NY '99.
I've qualified people and made them money at Pro Tours with my decks going all the way back to a Pox deck for ALICE (Ice Age/Alliance) Constructed. My most noticed decks include: Counter-Oath (US Nationals 1998), U/G Control ("The Baron"), Necro-Naught, Corrupter Black, and Eminent Domain (Annex-Wildfire), among many others.
Community-wise, I've been writing about Magic since the early, early days, somewhere around 1997. I've worked for Wizards of the Coast, the Dojo, and many more publications.
Favorite colors of mana:
1. Blue/Green, 2. Mono-red 3. Anything not white... white is the worst (boringest) color.
Favorite decks:
I like decks that demoralize my opponents or that they don't understand. If they get out of the game mentally, there are so many ways that the game ends.
Most memorable game of Magic you've won:
In game 3, playing for Top 8 of PTNY, my opponent overextended his green creatures, knowing that there was no reasonable way I could punish him for it. I didn't block with my lone Viashino Heretic and went down to 3 life. I dropped a Phyrexian Tower, sacrificed my Viashino Heretic, and cast Wildfire out the board with my fifth land, leaving my opponent, Pro Tour Villain Trey Van Cleave, with nothing. I won the match, Mike Flores started shrieking with joy up and down, and I just smiled and waited to see if I made Top 8. Sadly, I missed out on breakers...

Patrick Sullivan

@BasicMountain
Location:
Oceanside CA, but originally from Hillsborough NJ. I've got a lot of love for the Garden State, so I usually introduce myself as being "from New Jersey" even though I haven't lived there in close to ten years.
Occupation:
Game Designer for Cryptozoic Entertainment
When did you start playing Magic:
My mom got me and my younger brother a two-player Revised started for Christmas in 1994, and I've been hooked ever since.
Favorite Format:
I think they all have their charms. Modern is my least-favorite format, for whatever that's worth.
Favorite Color of Mana:
Red
Favorite Decks:
Sligh, RDW, and Burn all rate pretty highly. Oddly enough, I had a thing for Turbo-Land back in the day, and Dave Price's U/G/R tempo deck in Invasion Block Constructed, as that was my first PTQ winning deck.
Most Memorable Game of Magic You've Won:
Has to be my match against Gary Wise playing for Top 8 at GP Philadelphia. The "shock" game is obviously pretty famous, but in the second game I got a Game Loss for "Drawing Extra Cards" after there was some mis-communication about who's turn it was, and the third game was also insane, with my Dirge of Dread punking out Gary the turn before he would have killed me after breaking out of my Aurification. Just a crazy three games, with the stakes (my first GP Top 8 on the line) and environment (dozens of people railing the match, though it felt like thousands at the time) taking things to a level I didn't think I would ever experience.