Welcome to the fourth installment in our ongoing Community Corner Creator Spotlight series! In this article series, we interview two content creator groups at a time, getting their insights on the game as well as how they've made their way in the field. Last time, we brought you interviews with Blue Collar Commander and the team behind Commander Sealed. Today, we are proud to present two more interviews; this time, we spoke with the duo of SteelCityMTG, Brad and Steph, as well as LizOfLorwyn!

SteelCityMTG

Brad and Steph make up the dynamic duo of SteelCityMTG. They are streamers from Pittsburgh, PA, and are self-proclaimed "Connoisseurs of Crunchy Board Games," according to their content's Facebook page. The two also have a strong presence on many other social media outlets, including Bluesky, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitch!

Who/What introduced you to Magic? What is the first set release you remember playing?

Brad: A high school friend introduced me to the game in the summer of 2010. The group I hung out with around that time started playing Yu-Gi-Oh! kind of ironically because we all remembered playing when we were younger. One of those friends introduced me to Magic when we were hanging out at his house one day, and I unironically fell in love with the game. The first products I bought were for Worldwake and Rise of the Eldrazi, but my first prerelease event was for Core Set 2011, which I only remember because of the Sun TitanSun Titan prerelease promo they gave me.

Steph: When I got to college, I was pretty deep into Yu-Gi-Oh!. I had a fairly large contingent of my friends who played, and then I met Brad in early 2012. I did my best to convince him that Yu-Gi-Oh! was a better game than Magic, and he did his best to convince me that Magic was a better game than Yu-Gi-Oh!. He won that argument. The first prerelease I remember attending was Return to Ravnica, but I bought a lot of product and singles from the Innistrad block beforehand! My first deck was a black/red 60-card kitchen table undying deck.

What is your favorite card/commander and why?

Brad: My favorite card is Spell QuellerSpell Queller. It represents my favorite way to play the game: tempo. It's a flashy, evasive creature that answers a threat posed by my opponent while simultaneously allowing me to advance my game plan. This isn’t a great card/strategy for Commander, though, unfortunately. My favorite commander is Noyan Dar, Roil ShaperNoyan Dar, Roil Shaper. (I was earthbending before it was cool.) I built the deck after I opened him as my prerelease promo during Battle for Zendikar, and after 11 years of playing and tweaking, it has become a pretty degenerate control deck looking to win by suiting up an Inkmoth NexusInkmoth Nexus.

(Author's Note: You can find Brad's Noyan Dar deck here.)

Steph: My favorite card is The Great AuroraThe Great Aurora! People talk about how green doesn't have boardwipes and they couldn't be more wrong. This card sort of reads like a weird Warp WorldWarp World, but I've learned how to use it as an efficient win condition. My favorite commander is Seshiro the AnointedSeshiro the Anointed. Nobody expects Snakes to be good (and they mostly aren't wrong about that), but Seshiro makes them VERY big AND draws me cards when they hit people. The deck uses FogFogs to help me stick around long enough to find a classic mono-green wincon like Craterhoof BehemothCraterhoof Behemoth or even the aforementioned The Great Aurora!

(Author's Note: You can find Steph's Seshiro deck here.)

Why do you create content for Magic?

Steph & Brad: We believe that Magic is too expensive not to try and squeeze every last drop of fun you can out of it. We believe you get the most fun out of your booster packs if you treat them like game pieces instead of lottery tickets. If you're going to open the packs anyway, why not play some games with them first? We try to demonstrate that you don't need a whole draft pod and a booster box in order to #PlayWithYourPacks; you really only need one buddy and a handful of packs in order to play some really fun games. So that's what we do on our Twitch stream! We play a variety of two-player Limited formats to show how fun they are.

What sets your content apart from other creators?

Steph & Brad: In a world where pack cracks and box breaks run rampant all across the spectrum of pre-recorded/edited content, we believe we offer a fresh voice to the conversation about what creators can do with their booster packs for content. The ephemeral “high” that comes from opening a mountain of booster packs in quick succession is fun, but we love being the “weird ones” in the community who encourage people to step away from the temptation to crack every pack they get their hands on and instead use that product to facilitate a rewarding social and strategic gameplay experience with their friends.

Limited is great because every single player, regardless of skill level, has an equal opportunity to do/build something awesome when they sit down at the table. The barrier to entry is low, and the potential social/strategic payoff is high. Our content highlights this, and we’re proud to make a few more converts every time we stream.

Oh… and we also play Commander once or twice a month (because we love the format and can’t help it). Our games are wildly fun, and we love to use this as an opportunity to host and highlight some absolutely incredible gameplay guests from all over Magic’s content ecosystem.

What about life outside Magic influences your content?

Brad: I have long had an affinity for learning new things and sharing those things I learn with other people. I have channeled that largely into two things: studying the rules of the game and learning the specifics of the different Limited formats we play. One of my favorite kinds of streams we do is called "Judge Talk and a Booster Box," where we spend a few hours diving deep into different facets of Magic's many, many rules while taking the occasional break to open collector boosters.

We also begin each of our Sealed Showdown streams with a quick primer on the ins and outs of the set we're about to play so we know what kinds of cards we should be looking to build with in our decks. Both of these give me plenty of opportunities to not only learn more about this wonderful game but also share that information with our wonderful viewers!

Steph: I’m an incredibly social person. Interacting with people and making new friends is what gives me energy and feeds my soul, so while that does not influence the subject matter of our content, I think it does have a fairly major influence on the nature of our content. I thrive in a live-stream environment. I love talking to people and bantering with chatter as Brad and I play games. I love the inside jokes we have with our community, and I love that we provide so many ways for our chatters to be involved in the content we produce.

All of that is very important to me and is a huge reason why I haven’t reached that “burnout” threshold many creators arrive at when they’ve been at this for a while. (This inclination is also why I find it incredibly difficult to devote time and energy to pre-recorded/edited content.)

Are you attending any upcoming events where players could meet you?

Steph & Brad: We have a couple events in Canada:

• F2F Tour Hamilton (07/06 - 07/07)
• F2F Tour Toronto (07/25 - 07/26)
• CommandFest Toronto (08/21 - 08/23)
• F2F Tour Ottawa (10/02 - 10/04)

We are also likely to be at:

• CubeCon DC (07/11 - 07/12)
• SCG CON Baltimore (09/11 - 09/13)
• Commander Sealed (09/18 - 09/20)
• Eternal Weekend in Pittsburgh (10/29 - 11/01)
• MagicCon Atlanta (11/13 - 11/15)
• CommandFest Alexandria (12/11 - 12/13)

For as much as we love playing Limited, we love Commander as well, and we tend to devote nearly ALL of our time at in-person events playing Commander with guests. So if you’re reading this and going to any of those events… YES, we would love to get in some games with you!

What is one thing you would change about Magic?

Brad: The big thing I'd change about magic is the set release schedule. It is much too fast for my liking. However, if we are going to keep the current pace of set releases, I would like to see the products we receive be more focused on their supposed goals and target audiences. If most sets are going to come with a Commander product, we don't need the Limited/standard set to have a lot of cards designed for Commander as well. This is partially to make the Limited formats better, but I also think it would make Commander better.

Trying to build a cohesive deck with less-than-ideal parts is one of the things that first drew me to Commander (and continues to be why I enjoy Limited as much as I do). I like not being handed all the best pieces for the decks I want to build; make me work for it a bit more.

Steph: Sealed Magic deck products need to have a challenge rating printed onto them. It is an all-too-frequent occurrence that new (or newer) Magic players at events I attend (and also at my local game store) purchase a preconstructed deck to play with, thinking it will be beginner-friendly, only to find out it absolutely is not.

Having a printed challenge rating would be incredibly helpful for store employees in recommending products to new players, and it would be helpful to the new players themselves to ensure they have a product that meets them where they’re at when it comes to gameplay skill and overall comfort with the game.

LizOfLorwyn

Billed as a "Whimsical, Chaotic Good, and New Player Friendly" streamer, Liz, also known as LizOfLorwyn, is a content creator across multiple platforms. Their content creation includes some very cool Magic-based nail art, which is oftentimes themed after cards in the limelight at the time of publication. You can find LizOfLorwyn on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitch.

Who/what introduced you to Magic? What is the first set release you remember playing?

When I was in middle school, our town got an LGS, and I loved hanging out there. My friend’s family played, which sparked my interest. I was never into sports, and I couldn’t commit to theatre, so playing games at the LGS after school became my “extracurricular.”

Funny enough, my friend’s brother was the one who taught me how to play — and now we’re married. I can't remember which release I began with, but I think I began in 2017.

What is your favorite card/commander and why?

Karametra, God of HarvestsKarametra, God of Harvests. I love decks where I can focus on myself and my board state. Landfall triggers are so satisfying, and I hate feeling like I have nothing to do on my turn.

Why do you create content for Magic?

Honestly, it all started when I shared a Magic-themed date idea. That’s when I realized a lot of people don’t see the game the same way I do. We’re all here for the gathering, but I see Magic as a creative outlet as well. I’ve made my own formats, cut up cards for projects, and I really appreciate the art and the lore behind the game.

As I started sharing more of my crafts, thoughts, and ideas, I found an incredible community, and I fell in love with it. As my platform has grown, I’ve realized there’s a real need for positive, encouraging nerdy spaces, places where you can banter and feel free to ask questions.

My goal is to build a positive community where we can teach and enjoy the games we love — not just Magic, but Dungeons & Dragons and others too.

What sets your content apart from other creators?

My content isn’t exclusively about Magic; it’s about building a positive community first. Yes, I make rules videos and educational content, but I also want to spark creativity and encourage and inspire others. In return, they’ll get funny Magic videos, honest reviews, weird decks, lore, and lots of helpful resources to improve their gameplay.

What about life outside Magic influences your content?

So much. I have an incredible marriage, truly beyond anything I could have imagined. My husband is the most genuine and kind person I know, and he often shows up in my videos. A lot of our MTG date night ideas come from the life we’ve built together.

I’m also a birth doula, so caring for families is very important to me. Because of that, I try to keep my content family-friendly (especially in language) so it can be a resource for parents teaching their kids how to play. As a kinesthetic learner myself, reading the cards doesn't explain the cards, so as I teach, I try to approach it from multiple learning styles to help explain it to a wider audience.

Finally, I believe our time on earth is short, and we’re meant to make the most of it. So many people, especially adults, forget that even the most ordinary moments can be full of beauty if we slow down. Fantasy, D&D, Magic: The Gathering, and similar games help us do that. They help us connect to others, and that is a wonderful thing.

Are you attending any upcoming events where players could meet you?

Unfortunately, not at this time. However, we do post whenever we are heading to a game store in case people want to meet up.

What is one thing you would change about Magic?

Accessibility. During my bachelor’s program, I took several classes on making programs and organizations more accessible, and it’s something I’m deeply passionate about.

As much as I love MTG, it’s not a very accessible game. The font is small and not dyslexia-friendly. Cards can be difficult to shuffle and handle. While there have been improvements, there’s still a lot we can do.

One idea I’ve had is creating textured stickers for card sleeves to help visually impaired players identify cards more easily. I’d also love to see larger-print card options, even if that means removing the artwork for accessibility versions.