MTG: Creator Spotlight – The Grim Tutors
Check out our spotlight on Magic community creators! This week, we talked to Oblivion and Pez from The Grim Tutors.
Welcome in, Praetors and Planeswalkers! One of my favorite things about Commander is the rich community of creators, influencers, and players that have formed around it. YouTube, Twitch, and podcast influencers all provide a unique perspective on the game, whether through playing, deck tech, or just general banter. Creators like these are usually the first introduction players have to the game; they play a huge part in promoting and growing the community. If you love EDH, you probably have a creator to thank. This series is designed to shine a light on some of those brilliant creators.
Oblivion (left) and Pez (right) of the Grim Tutors.
This week, we’re talking to Oblivion and Pez of the Grim Tutors. They play EDH on YouTube and Twitch and talk with other MTG personalities to help new players understand the mechanics and other aspects of the game. They’re a relatively new channel, but a great entry into the game and worth a follow whether you’re a new player or a veteran.
How Long Have You Been Playing Magic?
Oblivion – I learned how to play in January of 2021, played maybe three times, then really picked it back up in January of 2022.
Pez – Since original Innistrad, 2011.
What Drew You to the Game?
Oblivion – The art was always so interesting, and I have always enjoyed card and board games. I didn’t expect it to be the massive game that it is!
Pez – The art, gameplay, and having a friend who was already playing the game.
How Long Has Your Channel Been Around?
Oblivion/Pez: We started our social media accounts around Memorial Day weekend, and our first video “Meet the Makers” went live on June 5 – so we are still under 6 months old!
What Makes Your Channel Unique?
Oblivion/Pez – We focus on teaching Magic as a hobby and find it incredibly impactful to teach the rules and minutia of the game in a way that is both entertaining and accessible. We are starting our gameplay series during October, where we will be starting off by teaching you how to play a format, then having gameplay content for the format with in-depth analysis. Why did we pick this deck to build, why did we keep this starting hand, and why did we make the game decisions we did – this way, the viewer has the entertainment of the gameplay as well as the knowledge that is critical to learning how to play the game. While watching someone take game actions isn’t a replacement for playing yourself, it can be an incredibly useful tool for new/returning players.
What Advice Do You Have for Up and Coming Content Creators?
Oblivion – This is the advice we got from Dylan & Cam of Play to Win that I will always pass along – “Don’t be afraid to mess up; you can always do another take, lean into the improv of it. Always set out to make the best thing you can, but then always want your next one to be a little bit better than the previous.” Or something like that. 🙂
Pez – Don’t worry about how fancy it looks or the numbers; just make the content, and people will come.
What’s Your Favorite Set?
Oblivion – I really loved Streets of New Cappena. This may be because it was the first pre-release I ever did, or thinking the story was really interesting, or my love for art-deco… but that set has a lot of really interesting cards in it I enjoyed playing.
Pez – Khans of Tarkir block
Which Commander is Your Favorite and Why?
Oblivion – Probably a toss up between Thalia and the Gitrog Monster or Teysa, Orzhov Scion. For the princess and the frog, I enjoy being able to keep my opponents at bay with a light stax strategy while I find my win, she’s a hell of a blocker (first strike AND deathtouch?!), she draws you cards, and people often don’t see her coming. Teysa is my first pet card – she was the first deck I built with a focus on synergy, and I enjoy her ability to use white creatures to remove anything I find pesky on my opponent’s board. As it turns out, all the things she does that I have in that deck are called “aristocrats”, so apparently that’s something I liked without even knowing it (at the time).
Pez – Lord Windgrace. Drawing cards, recurring lands from your graveyard, and his ultimate allowing you to blow up problematic things on the board and win the game!
You can check out all their links at their Linktree.
Tune in next week for another Commander Spotlight!
