I’m almost exclusively a Magic Online player, and I play in a lot of queues.
MTGO is a strange beast. It gives you access to almost unlimited testing matches- this is a good thing. Unfortunately, it also trains you in ways that will trip you up in IRL tournament play. First- it actively reminds you of all triggers- learning to never forget to use a triggered ability is key, when many of your games will come down to one or two points of damage. Second- MTGO games are played in silence. IRL, there is mental warfare going on. I know players who never sit down to a tournament game without some evidence that they have attended a pro-tour- for many, that knowledge is intimidating enough that they start playing badly. MTGO can help you figure out what the correct plays for a given deck are, but it will not give you the complete set of skills you need.
I’ve been wishing that I could find someone better at technical play to coach me, but I don’t know how to find someone who would be willing to do that.
Somewhere in your area, there are weekly tournaments that are being attended by the people who go to every ptq and gpt in your area. You need to be at those tournaments. After a month or so, you will know the regulars, and you will have played most of them. The best way to gain the help of someone with better skill is to join their community of players. To improve, surround yourself with people better than you are.
The deck I had, Zoo, was the awesome deck everyone was playing (or should have been).
I spent the evening reviewing modern, and the decks that are available. It seems very clear that this is a format that until recently has had very little activity- which means the best deck is very undefined. I would expect to see this format flux for quite a while- from past experience, I would expect an early surge of burn and fast creature decks. I would also expect that control decks will be under represented in numbers, but over represented in top 8 play. As the season progresses, I would not be surprised if a combo deck or high synergy deck comes out of no where, while control decks evolve and refine. Were I you, I would find a solid control deck, and play it. Personally, I think Martyr decks look strong, but choose what you like.
MTGO is a strange beast. It gives you access to almost unlimited testing matches- this is a good thing. Unfortunately, it also trains you in ways that will trip you up in IRL tournament play. First- it actively reminds you of all triggers- learning to never forget to use a triggered ability is key, when many of your games will come down to one or two points of damage. Second- MTGO games are played in silence. IRL, there is mental warfare going on. I know players who never sit down to a tournament game without some evidence that they have attended a pro-tour- for many, that knowledge is intimidating enough that they start playing badly. MTGO can help you figure out what the correct plays for a given deck are, but it will not give you the complete set of skills you need.
Somewhere in your area, there are weekly tournaments that are being attended by the people who go to every ptq and gpt in your area. You need to be at those tournaments. After a month or so, you will know the regulars, and you will have played most of them. The best way to gain the help of someone with better skill is to join their community of players. To improve, surround yourself with people better than you are.
I spent the evening reviewing modern, and the decks that are available. It seems very clear that this is a format that until recently has had very little activity- which means the best deck is very undefined. I would expect to see this format flux for quite a while- from past experience, I would expect an early surge of burn and fast creature decks. I would also expect that control decks will be under represented in numbers, but over represented in top 8 play. As the season progresses, I would not be surprised if a combo deck or high synergy deck comes out of no where, while control decks evolve and refine. Were I you, I would find a solid control deck, and play it. Personally, I think Martyr decks look strong, but choose what you like.