Humans of Magic by James Hsu @humansofmagic Twitter profile

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

Collecting some threads I've written here 1/ who I am + what @humansofmagic is about

Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

Got some new followers this week 😅 Hello everyone. I'm James. I'm big into longform podcasting. @humansofmagic is my passion project. When I interview someone, I'm trying to figure out how they think + get into their Magic origin stories.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

👀

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

End of an era: WOTC has announced that will discontinue printing tabletop Magic cards in Chinese (Traditional). As someone who plays and enjoys Magic in both *Traditional* Chinese and *Simplified* Chinese, I thought I'd give a breakdown / history on this. Here goes...

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

. @TappyToeClaws will NEVER admit this to @TolarianCollege 😮 full episode drops 24 hours from now BE HERE OR BE SQUARE

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

NEVER say this to a cosplayer... full @TappyToeClaws episode drops NEXT TUESDAY

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

5 months

My conversation with #PTMKM Top 8 Finalist @MingyangChen4 : - why WOTC didn't interview him - impact of discontinued Chinese language cards Full interview coming next week.

Mingyang Chen

@MingyangChen4

5 months

Sharing some of my thoughts in Pic on Chinese products printing being temporarily suspended

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

Although discontinuing Traditional Chinese is end of an era, impact to majority of Magic players is fairly small. The overhead of producing another language, with respect to demand, also probably wasn't worth it. Still, it was fun to talk about this! Thx for reading :)

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

:)

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

what draws @bmkibler to Commander? 🤔 full episode next Tuesday! stay tuned.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

Shoot your shot, but keep shooting. I've been rejected/ghosted/ignored by over two dozen potential guests at this point, but I'll keep trying.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

11 months

Sheldon Menery on what would keep Commander going for the long-term. from an interview we recorded in March 2023.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

This week: @Fazendo_Nerdice ! Brazil's biggest MTG YouTuber. An inside look at the amazing Brazilian Magic community 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷 Link below ⬇️⬇️

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

3 months

NEW ISRAEL-PALESTINE PRIMER with @Spice8Rack . An important conversation. Join us, won't you? ⬇️ Links below ⬇️

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

5 months

I wrote this <2 years ago re: discontinued Traditional Chinese cards. Now Simplified Chinese is being discontinued, starting with Bloomburrow. The Chinese MTG community is feeling this one; might be interesting to make a video essay on this.

Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

End of an era: WOTC has announced that will discontinue printing tabletop Magic cards in Chinese (Traditional). As someone who plays and enjoys Magic in both *Traditional* Chinese and *Simplified* Chinese, I thought I'd give a breakdown / history on this. Here goes...

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

Pro tip for interviewers: let the guests talk, stop interrupting them. Let. The. Guests. Talk.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

big episode next week. can't wait. unofficial title: "shoot your shot"

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

600 subscribers, 1.9K views. celebrate the small wins and enjoy the climb ✌️

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

Commander deckbuilding = game design. @bmkibler breaks it down. will keep making clips until FULL EPISODE drops TUESDAY :)

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

Magic is a global game. It is not an American game. Go outside your borders and connect the dots.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

the winner's interview...COMING SOON!

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

Going back to the "listen" example, the traditional word 聽 is actually FIVE words in one. There is a deeper meaning involving hearing, seeing, attention, thinking, feeling. ...that's what listening is! (and what I *try* to practice in my podcast, lol)

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

9 months

Prophetic. @SaffronOlive wrote this back in 2017.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

***NEW PODCAST*** This Ukrainian Life: voices from Ukrainian Magic. The 🇺🇦 players speak out and have a message for WOTC, Hasbro and the global MTG community. (RTs appreciated.) LISTEN:

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

5 months

New logo!

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

Here's my official #MTGCapenna preview card: 1 of 2 All that glitters is not gold...but it's a VERY nice stash. Thank you @wizards_magic for the #freepreview 🤝 #MTG #MTGSNC

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

***NEW PODCAST*** @ReidDuke : the PT champion's interview. RTs appreciated :) ⬇️⬇️ links below ⬇️⬇️

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

First of all, what is the difference? Spoken Chinese (Mandarin) is the same. It sounds the same. But the way it's written -- traditional vs. simplified -- is different. There are exceptions, such as colloquialisms -- more on this later.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

8 months

Magic in 1996 was WILD.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

last preview before tomorrow's full release. @ReidDuke on what separates him from other highly skilled players: "consistency & well-roundedness"

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

hanging out with the incredible @Blackneto_ . we talked so much, it could've been another episode ;) thanks Joe for showing me around!

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

3 months

Moving day. This being my ENTIRE collection is an absolute achievement. One box.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

When there are less strokes, it's easier to learn, remember, write, and so forth. Easier for educating the populace :) Speaking from personal experience, I grew up in Taiwan but now live in Mainland China. And it's WAY easier for me to remember the characters.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

Traditional Chinese has been around for a VERY long time. It's "traditional" for a reason! But after the Communist Party took control of China, they introduced *simplified* Chinese characters. Biggest advantage? Simplified is easier to learn/write.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

hello! releasing my interview with @bmkibler NEXT WEEK. here's a preview! hope you like it.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

8 months

In the past 3 months I've interviewed Chris Pikula Marshall Sutcliffe Sam Black Kai Budde Patrick Sullivan Saffron Olive This might be one of the most solid periods in the podcast's history.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

10 months

This week: @kaibudde 's 3 DECADES of Magic dominance - a conversation. Link below ⬇️

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

Taiwanese and Hong Kong players VASTLY prefer traditional Chinese cards -- it's not even close. That's because of the historical / political connotations, which I won't go too deep on because then this thread could be a gazillion tweets, lol.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

4 months

Magic The Gathering needs its own equivalent of "staying in your lane." It's a game engine at this point and playing the game for X million years doesn't necessarily give one the credibility/authority to assess everything correctly. Listening works. Try it.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

9 months

My full @meddlingmage interview drops next week. In the meantime, here's a clip where Chris talks about the Magic Hall of Fame. (link below)

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

There are a million-plus examples, but here's one. The word "love." Left side = traditional Right side = simplified In 99% of cases, simplified Chinese uses less "brush strokes" to write the character. the meaning is the same.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

Here's the Chinese word "listen" -- traditional on left, simplified on right. listen 聽 requires 21 strokes to write. listen 听 requires 7 strokes to write. Recall this was pre-internet, so obviously one takes more effort than the other.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

Why Jeff Cunningham is the 🐐

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

***NEW PODCAST*** @Spice8Rack is for the people. RTs appreciated :) ⬇️⬇️ links below ⬇️⬇️

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

holy smokes 😮 this YT "context" feature for cedh vids is INCREDIBLE

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

But there's more to it than that! See, with Chinese characters, it's not just about efficiency. The words themselves, contain a lot of rich history. It's almost like every word has a story inside. Hard to explain, but "stacked" words inside another also create meaning.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

. @jfwong soundbite #1 : "this is the best board game in the world" full episode drops Monday - be here or be square

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

How to become a better interviewer in THREE STEPS. It will take 5 MINUTES to read what took me 5 YEARS (and >80 interviews!!) to learn. Here we go...

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

. @ScrybabiesMTG - the @humansofmagic interview COMING SOON

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

Concrete example time: Snapcaster Mage in Innistrad, simplified vs. traditional Chinese. Can you spot the difference? It's subtle, and honestly, unless you're a regular Chinese practitioner, it's hard to tell.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

while the simplified word for listen 听 is far more efficient to write (7 strokes vs. 21!), the history and meaning of the word is lost. Simplified Chinese is way easier to remember/learn, but therein lies the tradeoff.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

So let's go back to present-day reality. Simplified Chinese is the dominant way in mainland China. Therefore this news won't impact Chinese Magic players - cards are still being printed, same as always. What it does impact is smaller markets like Taiwan ROC and Hong Kong.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

So why does it matter? Well, aesthetics and history. As Magic players, we love foreign cards, making decks unique, etc. Removing Traditional Chinese as an option makes it...one less option. Taiwan/HK players are not a huge market, so it's not realistically changing much.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

interview in the bag! coming soon.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

:)

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

***NEW PODCAST*** @jfwong of @commandcast is in the house. RTs appreciated :) ⬇️⬇️ links below ⬇️⬇️

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

Spice8Rack interview now up for @humansofmagic patrons. Patrons get full episodes before everyone else. ⬇️ Patreon link below ⬇️ public release on Monday - see you soon!

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

***NEW PODCAST*** the @tiddypills experience: her creative journey, filmmaking & transitioning. RTs appreciated :) ⬇️⬇️ links below ⬇️⬇️

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

Some of the tweets I posted earlier were in poor taste, and worded poorly. As someone who wants to highlight the best of the MTG community, I took down said tweets. Will do my best to do better. Sorry to disappoint folks out there. I'll work on it.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

It's challenging because there are some words which are EXACTLY THE SAME in both writings. 人類 = humankind in traditional Chinese 人类 = humankind in simplified Chinese 人 (human) is same, because it's 2 strokes, nothing to simplify 類/类 (kind) is different!

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

Jimmy Wong FULL EPISODE now up for @humansofmagic patrons. ⬇️ Patreon link below ⬇️ public release on Monday - see you soon!

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

The history of cards DO matter. If you're like me and care about language consistency in your decks, then it would be a feel-bad to: (1) have your existing deck be mostly traditional Chinese (2) not have new traditional Chinese cards to add!

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

40% of my episodes this year have been with folks outside of the USA. Really proud to represent Magic on a more global scale.

Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

Magic is a global game. It is not an American game. Go outside your borders and connect the dots.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

This whole business is made more complicated because not 100% of Magic cards printed in English are printed in simplified Chinese. And not 100% of simplified Chinese cards are in traditional Chinese. English > traditional Chinese > simplified Chinese

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

The @ScrybabiesMTG intro is pure 🔥 Can't WAIT to unleash this episode. It's gonna be a great one.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

pro tip: @scryfall makes it super easy to check whether a traditional chinese version of the card exists. green circle = simplified chinese red circle = traditional chinese

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

***NEW PODCAST*** @SheldonMenery , Godfather of EDH, in his most personal interview yet. RTs appreciated :) ⬇️⬇️ links below ⬇️⬇️

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

HOT OFF THE PRESSES. Reid Duke #PTPhyrexia champion's interview now up for @humansofmagic patrons. Patrons get FULL EPISODES before everyone else. ⬇️ Patreon link below ⬇️ public release on Monday - don't miss this one!

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

Just for fun, here are some traditional Chinese cards I picked up when visiting Taiwan a few years ago. They are just subtly different. Notice also font changes over time, Crop Rotation (old) vs Narset (new)

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

THANK YOU for 1K on YouTube ❤️ carving out my path as the un-Magic Magic podcast ✌️

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

***NEW PODCAST*** @anzidmtg is the new king of MTG coverage. RTs appreciated :) ⬇️⬇️ links below ⬇️⬇️

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

olá 👋 @Fazendo_Nerdice - COMING SOON!

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

***NEW PODCAST*** it's Olivia @goberthicks ! 🦾 Commander & CAG 🦾 metalsmithin' 🦾 civic duty 🦾 representation 🎵: @kuplasound LISTEN:

Olivia Gobert-Hicks | Humans of Magic

Olivia Gobert-Hicks is a Commander player, Commander Advisory Group member, metalsmith, streamer and general bad-ass.

humansofmagic.com

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

***NEW PODCAST*** the REAL Skyler Warfield - an interview. RTs appreciated :) ⬇️⬇️ links below ⬇️⬇️

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

solid recording week :)

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

I gotta be me

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

So effectively, if you're building a paper Magic deck, it's nearly impossible to build it out of 100% traditional Chinese cards. You could *probably* do 100% simplified Chinese and it's a lot easier. Think of recent printings like lack of German in some sets -- same deal.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

6 months

I'd like to mentor content creators. Specifically: - interviewing - podcasting - finding your niche (MTG/other) I'd like to start off by doing this free of charge. If you think you could level up from my experience, DM me.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

Next week on @humansofmagic : "This Ukrainian Life" 🇺🇦 RTs appreciated.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

Here's my official #MTGCapenna preview card: 2 of 2 Citizens and cats unite, on a solid 2/3 body 🐈✊ Thank you @wizards_magic for the #freepreview ! #MTG #MTGSNC

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

***NEW PODCAST*** What's the best way to CEDH? Let's ask @HigherMTG of @PWPMtG . RTs appreciated 🤝 ⬇️⬇️ links below ⬇️⬇️

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

***NEW PODCAST*** @G3RRYT joins us for Episode 100. Gerry keeps it real & you should check it out :) LISTEN:

Gerry Thompson | Humans of Magic

Gerry Thompson is a professional Magic player, content creator, and co-host of the Arena Decklists podcast.

humansofmagic.com

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

1. I do the podcast as a passion project. 2. I welcome all feedback to make the show better. 3. I will never publish any DMs or emails you send me. Thanks for reading (& listening). --James

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

2022 podcast bucket list: ✅ interview reigning Magic world champion the @Nathansteuer1 episode...coming soon.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

"What's your favorite Pokémon?" ft. @TappyToeClaws

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

7 months

Wanna get pumped up for your next tournament? Listen to this *epic* monologue from @masoneclark Full episode next week! #AlwaysImproving @CCMTG

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

This was 1st year I got "serious" about @humansofmagic - weekly releases, YouTube, leveling up my interview skills. LOTS of bumps and bruises on the way. Want to share them here:

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

7 months

Talked to one of Magic's most creative people The @Aspiringspike interview - COMING SOON

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

. @blackgirlmage is a storyteller. Full episode next week on @humansofmagic :)

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

SKYLER WARFIELD interview now up for @humansofmagic patrons. (patrons get full episodes before everyone else) ⬇️ Patreon link below ⬇️ public release on Monday - see you soon!

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

5 months

New podcast: a convo with @JavierDmagic A deep-dive into how Javier plays at a world-class level - his mental models, heuristics, and more. (links below 👇)

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

One year ago, I decided to make @humansofmagic a weekly-release podcast. One year and 55 episodes later, I'm still doing it :) Thank you for the support. It means the world to me.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

listening to @TheResleevables and smiling to myself and remembering the first Magic product I ever got to play with my brother my pouch was a soft material, though - different manufacturing run, perhaps?

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

my guests are so incredibly good-looking it's unbelievable

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

Interviewing the spikiest of spikes next week 🏆🏆🏆 Have questions for @Aspiringspike ? Hit us up 👇

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

solid recording week.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

***NEW PODCAST*** @bmkibler on Magic The Gathering in 2022. RTs appreciated :) ⬇️ Links below ⬇️

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

6 months

This is the story of @apexgamingMTG - the next big thing in regional MTG coverage. A documentary by @humansofmagic ... Link in replies! ⬇️⬇️

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

thanks to @TaaliaVess , I watched this last night what a crazy wild ride. good times, though 😅

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

5 months

Always a good time chatting with @Mengu09 . A true professional, in more ways than one! Podcast coming soon :)

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

1 year

"the internet...what have we become?" - @jfwong full episode drops Monday.

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Humans of Magic by James Hsu

@humansofmagic

2 years

***NEW PODCAST*** a fun chat with @SaffronOlive 🫒 @MTGGoldfish origin story 🫒 the art of brewing decks 🫒 community Q&A! 🫒 future of Magic 🎵: @kuplasound LISTEN:

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