Affiliate Spotlight: Draftsim

If you’re a wizard who wishes to learn, sharpen, and/or enhance your MTG skills, there are a lot of great resources out there…and we have a close affiliate who is one of them. Draftsim is a valuable online resource for anyone looking to upgrade their Magic gameplay experience. No matter what level you’re on, Draftsim can make you a better MTG player overall. In fact, several of our own members here on Team Inked use them as a resource today, which is why we’re proud to call them a partner!

Just like every affiliate who teams up with Inked Gaming, we want our followers to know more about them, which is why we began this Affiliate Spotlight series. For those who are new to the series, we send 10 questions to any affiliate who is willing to volunteer for this month’s feature. Thankfully, Draftsim volunteered and promptly responded to our questions with 10 thoughtful answers.

Again, the point of this interview is to learn more about our affiliate and what makes them who they are. But, we like to have a little fun with it as well. So, let’s see how they responded to our questions!

Who are you and what do you do?

I’m Dan Troha the owner, head honcho, and chief editor of the Magic: the Gathering site Draftsim. I do everything for the site! Maybe too much. I run and update our draft simulator and the MTGA app Arena Tutor. I also manage all our articles and communities, like our Discord and subreddit!

What type of content do you enjoy making the most?

I think it’s whenever we do a really special article for Draftsim, especially when it’s a data study or something about a crazy draft archetype. I love to work with experts and help develop content with them, whether it’s someone who’s an amazing data scientist or an extraordinary Magic theorist. For example, we recently did an article collaboration with Magic legend Sam Black, and the inspiration for the article just struck me when I was listening to his podcast while I was running. It is so fun to be able to take an idea from that lightning bolt of inspiration all the way to fruition and manifest it out into the world. And it really feels like you’re giving something to the community, too.

What are some hobbies you do when you’re not creating software or articles?

I live in San Diego, so I’m completely addicted to the outdoors – running, hiking, camping, biking, going to the beach, you name it!

What would be the hat to end all hats? What could you wear on your head that would make people stop what they are doing and stare in awe and amazement?

Since I’m not very fashion-inclined, I had to tag in my friend Dan for this one. The answer? An entire ’82 DeLorean. I mean, especially when those crazy doors start opening up on the side of your hat, right?

What mythical creature would improve the world most if it existed?

Gotta go with Phelddagrif from Magic here. That flying purple hippo would bring so much peace, love, and joy to the world, it wouldn’t know what hit it!

In 40 years, what will people be nostalgic for?

I love following the developments in artificial intelligence, especially when it comes to art and other creative human endeavors. We’re already seeing an explosion in AI-generated illustrations, writing, and even music in some cases. The role for people in the creative process is going to change a lot, and I don’t think we’ll ever stop being inspired to make art. But 40 years from now, we may long for that original “purity” of human creation without any influence or assistance from our AI friend(s).

What’s the closest thing to real magic?

OK, as someone who makes Magic: the Gathering content, this is too easy. It really is about the amazing people and lifelong friends we meet at game stores, conventions, and tournaments throughout the years. I am so excited that in-person events are returning and to see so many of my friends I haven’t seen in years!

If life were a video game, what would some of the cheat codes be?

My favorite types of life cheat codes are heuristics and mental models that you can use over and over again to great effect. Take, for example, the idea of compounding. It’s such a beautiful concept – small amounts of focused effort over time cause outsized effects in the long run. And that’s true for everything from health and wealth to hobbies or skills. I like trying to find the 80/20 of everything – speaking of that, learn about and apply the Pareto Principle in life as much as possible!

Do you know why the chicken crossed the road?

We have a neighbor with a chicken, and I’m a keen observer. She loves to visit our yard and kick up all of our mulch. I think the chicken crossed the road because it was following its natural instinct. Chickens are social creatures and like to be with other chickens. So, when it saw the other side of the road, it probably thought there were more chickens over there…

Or it was trying to escape one of the 100 predators that think it’s delicious.

Where can we find your awesome content?

You can find my draft simulator at Draftsim, our MTG and MTGA articles on our blog, and the MTG Arena tracker I make, Arena Tutor, here.

We thank Draftsim for participating in this month’s Affiliate Spotlight and for allowing us to introduce them to our followers. We had a lot of fun with this interview and hope that they did too. With that said, if you, the reader, enjoyed this spotlight as much as we did, we encourage you to follow Draftsim and click through those links that they provided above. 

As always, feel free to leave any thoughts or questions in the comments below as well, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!

Happy Gaming!

Best,

Team Inked