DraftMagic Interview with the Lovely Rada (NSFW)

"I’m a bit of an attention whore"

"I’d love to see standard become more diverse and less Jace-dominated."

There’s been a lot of talk lately about women in Magic, or rather the lack thereof. A recent article on ManaNation explored the reasons behind this, essentially saying that the boys-club mentality of the game hurts the potential for a female fanbase. Intrigued by the subject, we at DraftMagic decided to go straight to the source. Actually, we really just wanted an excuse to post these lovely pictures of the incredibly gorgeous Rada, an 18-year old Magic player in Lynn, Massachusetts and a girl who really puts the ‘sex’ in Barbed Sextant. We caught up with her for a quick interview about all-things Magic, including her thoughts on the current limited format, steamy secrets about boyfriend pro-player Darwin Kastle, and her thoughts on why there’s so few female Magic players.

DraftMagic: So how did you come up with this outfit?

Rada: Honestly? (Laughs)  There were those two popular pictures of girls in magic card outfits that guys were drooling over and I was like “Man I can do so much better than that!!” I’m a bit of an attention whore, not a secret to anyone. So one day I was bored so I came up with my magic biki… er, dress!

DraftMagic: Well I’d say you’ve definitely achieved drool-factor with this. Now obviously its a bit of a rare occasion to meet a female who actively plays Magic. How is it you got started playing?

Rada: My high-school guy-friends got me into it about 4 years ago. I played in a tiny store in Weston called “Danger Planet.” It was right around the end of Time Spiral block.

DraftMagic: And where do you play now?

Rada: Most Fridays, you can find me drafting in Pandemonium Books and Games in Central Square (Cambridge, MA.) I go to almost all the prereleases and limited PTQs / 5Ks / cool events in New England. I also play online pretty often under a very intimidating screenname: RadaYay. I think if it comes down to raw hours, I spend more time playing online than IRL.

DraftMagic: What formats do you tend to play the most?

Rada: I’ve only ever seriously played limited. First of all, I find all aspects of draft really really fun. I love the rush of the drafting process: getting an amazing late pick is; aside from the scene of your opponent scooping his board; the most exciting experience Magic has to offer. The skill-to-randomness ratio is perfect for me. That’s one of the reasons I don’t enjoy, say, standard: the rock-paper-scissors environment is annoying. In addition, I always try to be excellent at things I do, and I don’t want to invest the money and time necessary to be really constructed-competitive. It doesn’t help that the collectable aspect of the game doesn’t really appeal to me.

DraftMagic: A limited fan, you’re definitely a woman after my own heart. So then what do you think of the current block, Scars of Mirrodin?

Rada:I like it. I was a little worried about it at first because I think I’m pretty good about picking the good colors to draft and I thought that an artifact set will take away the usefulness of this skill, but I was just wrong. I love the Metalcraft mechanic; I’m also kind of a Timmy so building up my guy with equipment is very satisfying. I love just how many cool draft archetypes there are. I feel like this is the most balanced block for drafting in a long time.

Now as far as sealed goes, I do NOT think that the format is good for that. Infect is usually useless unless you just crack 3 Putrifaxes and 3 infect-dragons (Skythirix) with a bunch of Untamed Mights. And if you don’t, it comes down to how well your artifact base is and whether you cracked good removal, which is true for sealed in general but it feels way more relevant in this format.

I’m not really on top of standard, but from the little research I’ve done, but at first it looked like Scars and especially Besieged were shaking things up a bit; then Dallas proved us all wrong with two decks very clearly dominating the field. I’d love to see standard become more diverse and less Jace-dominated. Perhaps then I’ll even put together some cute 60 cards.

DraftMagic: The infect comment regarding sealed is interesting. I know infect is a mechanic that has divided players. What do you think of it?

Rada: So there’s “the infect mechanic” and then there’s “infect in scars.” Infect mechanic is neat, this alternative way to win the game is a cute spin. However, I don’t draft poison in Scars unless it’s being shoved down my throat. I drafted it maybe two or three times since Scars release and only one of those decks made it to the finals, and even that was in large due to my opponents’ terrible draws. I also just don’t find it satisfying to kill with poison creatures. I think it’s an extremely risky path to take for little reward. Too few infect creatures, you’re way too pack-dependent, let alone just how much you’re relying on your neighbors not cutting you off! I’d give it more thought if in times when infect did turn out to be open, you were a very heavy favorite against Metalcraft or LSV-type “draft good cards” strategy, but you’re not. So yeah, when everyone starts thinking the way I do, I’ll draft infect, but we’re on the second set of Scars and it hasn’t happened yet.

"It’s great to have a companion who shares your passions and hobbies."

"I have never been insulted, or laughed at, or undermined by male players."

DraftMagic: Ignoring Scars for a minute, what’s your favorite draft block and why?

Rada: Hmmm, that’s  a tough one… I love draft and my adventurous personality welcomes every new set with an open heart.

While I think Scars is the most balanced block in a long time, I probably had most fun drafting Zendikar. Yeah sure you might as well scoop if you miss a land drop or if your turn 2 goes forest-pass, but that fast overwhelming beatdown is very much my style. My favorite way to win is by serious face-smashing. I also LOVED allies! There was just something really satisfying about putting those little +1/+1 counters on your Umara Raptors. Oh and I found Zendikar lands super cool; it’s cool when you can draft more than 24 cards that will go in your deck, it makes it more skill-intensive which I can appreciate. So yeah that set just really did it for me.

DraftMagic: Now what exactly is your relationship to Magic pro player Darwin Kastle?

He is my wonderful boyfriend and; within reason; my Magic idol. People constantly assume incorrectly that he taught me Magic, which is funny, because his impressive Magic career was part of the reason he was able to get my attention in the first place (one of the lesser known perks of the Hall of Fame ring, female adoration). But of course it takes much more than that to win my heart. It’s great to have a companion who shares your passions and hobbies. We help each other grow and get better. And sure, I’m no Rob Dougherty or Dave Humphreys, but together we won our matching IPods in a team challenge at the last PAX East! (And besides, Rob doesn’t look as good in a miniskirt, even if he tells you otherwise!)

DraftMagic: Have you read the recent article on women in Magic which was posted on ManaNation? If so, what are your thoughts?

Rada: Yeah I have and I don’t like it at all. The author only gives one answer to the question he asks in the thesis (Why don’t more girls play magic?) and a lousy one at that. He says the community is too elitist. First of all, every single one of us 6,000,000 Magic players started somewhere. If you are saying it’s easier for a guy to endure being treated like a newbie and being looked down upon, you’ve never been to high school. Everyone starts in the same boat; if anything, new girls receive more volunteer help and support than new guys. I also don’t like that he says “as a community we should be embarrassed to erect another with antisocial behavior, misplaced elitism, or simple prejudice.” I really don’t feel like I have anything to be embarrassed for and it’s obnoxious to be called out on it.

He quotes a woman who said that when she walked into an all-guys gaming room she “nearly turned round and walked out the door” because there was “no one like her.” How old was that girl, eight? Has she never been in all-male situation before? Personally, I love that the community is male-dominant as I get along with men better. It’s fine for someone to not feel that way, but freak out to the point of leaving the room? That’s just strange.

Maybe things changed around the time that I started playing and back in the 90s all guys were assholes, but I have never been insulted, or laughed at, or undermined by male players. The closest thing that happened was at a random prerelease where a guy in front of me asked me if I needed help building my deck. (I smirked at him with a “No, do YOU?” and he backed off). Quite the opposite, I’ve always felt almost admired for being a rare girl at the event. I have tons of guy friends who I talk to about our Magic experiences and I feel like my opinions are just as respected as theirs.

The fact of the matter is women don’t play more because they usually aren’t very good and aren’t very competitive. They statistically aren’t as good at strategy and calculation as men. Yeah, throw tomatoes at me, but if you’ve ever watched girls at your FNM prerelease or PTQ, you’ll have to admit that facts back me up. Girls aren’t good at strategy games, and I see it in both Magic and poker. Pros who have guts to say that back me up: Annette Obrestad herself is on record saying “Girls suck at poker” and so is Doyle Brunson.

Most women I’ve seen play aren’t any good at the game. There are definitely exceptions, I’ve seen couple very talented girls, like the woman who runs our FNMs Amelia; mentioned in the named article Melissa DeTora; my  boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend Michelle… but that’s about it, and I’ve watched perhaps a few dozen female players. If you go to the DCI ranking for your region, you’ll be astounded percentage-wise how many more women are on the last five pages compared to any other five pages.

The point I love to make whenever I say things like that is that it’s totally possible that the person who has the most talent for Magic is a woman. But statistics speak for themselves: girls aren’t as good at Magic as guys, and nobody likes to play a game where they constantly lose.

"Women don’t play more because they usually aren’t very good and aren’t very competitive."

"I’m a giant Timmy. Seriously."

DraftMagic: I’ve got a couple softball questions here… what’s your favorite card and why?

Rada:
1)      Avalanche Riders – <3 (For those who don’t know, that’s Darwin on the card’s art – Ed)
2)      Emrakul, the Aeons Torn – I’m a giant Timmy. Seriously.
3)      Kuldoltha Flamefiend– For multiple FNMs in a row now he’s always been in my deck and I like cards that win you the game.

DraftMagic: I had noticed the strategically placed Flamefiends and thought there might be a connection. Now for a fun question – who is the sexiest man in Magic (card art or otherwise)?

Rada: Cards – Emrakul! Just kidding. Maybe Jace or Koth? I like power!

Players – My boyfriend, duh! Runner-ups are Kibler, Jon Finkel and Gerard Fabiano. Like most women, I’m attracted to excellence so being great at something gives you an advantage!

DraftMagic: Well I’m sure a lot of players will be upping their game now hoping to find a girl of your caliber, Darwin’s a lucky man indeed. Thanks again for talking with us!

Rada: Thank you!