Welcome to mtgcatalyst.com. My name is Paul H. Self, better known to the MTG community as the_cardfather. I am a thirty-two year old licenced finance professional, business owner, husband, father of two, mtg player, and one of the oldest continual sellers of Magic the Gathering cards on eBay.

I started playing MTG shortly after the release of Revised as a sixteen year old high school student introduced to the game by some friends. I went to my first tournament with a revised starter deck and two revised boosters. I got demolished, was offered my first trade by a “ripper”, learned about broken combos, and learned to love the game and the secondary market.

The 1997-1998 season was my first quixotic attempt to make the pro tour. After scrubbing out at several big events a twist of fate put me talking with a dealer at Grand Prix Atlanta in 1998. I immediately went home and started selling cards on eBay.

I started Judging as a compliment to my secondary market dealings and I currently maintain a rules advisor card. I don’t play in a whole lot of paper tournaments anymore, but I can be found online playing MTGO. I followed the standard scene for a while, but I now play mostly Block Constructed, and Limited.

MTG Catalyst is a place for the average Magic: The Gathering player who desires to be exceptional.  I’m no MTG prodigy, but I have learned some success principles that apply to any activity in life. I honestly believe that it is possible for anyone who has goals for this game to achieve them if desire is high enough.

This website, which chronicles my activities, is designed to give you a sounding board to improve your game.

Contact me:
ebay, twitter, mtgsalvation.com, and community.wizards.com, as the_cardfather.