People You Need to Know - OblivionSorrow

(Oblivion Sorrow)

Hey friends! My name is Beth, and I've been creating content online for about six years now. You may know me as the Queen of Cardboard, a Commander streamer who spends way too much time on Twitter. One of the wisest things ever said probably is from Sheldon Menery, the idea that you've got to surround yourself with excellent people.

It's something I've tried very hard to do. I find that when I know good people, it not only challenges me to be a better person, but it helps me to feel like I've got nothing to feel left out of, to be jealous of. If I'm not feeling successful, I know someone close to me is and I can find joy in cheering them on. 

Enter this series, People You Need to Know, where I take the time to introduce you to people you may not know but you definitely should. This isn't just a bid to get you to watch more content, but rather an attempt to bring you closer to the person behind the content. 

My first interview in this series is with someone I met recently in MagicCon Minneapolis. When I say met, what I really mean is I saw this punk outfit, bright green hair, and what looked like a cool person who I would have loved to talk to. However, I was already running late to an event so I yelled as I ran past, "I LOVE YOUR HAIR!" To say that cons are a little overwhelming is an understatement, and I didn't see her again all weekend. 

Meet Oblivion Sorrow

Thankfully the internet exists, or I wouldn't have been able to track her down and catch a game on Spelltable. From the first game, the silly comments, the spicy plays, and the biggest heart, I knew I had found someone special in OblivionSorrow. Oblivion often is accompanied by her partner in crime, Pezo, and together they run a channel called the Grim Tutors, but I'll get to that later. I think one of the most interesting things about Oblivion is that I noticed just how talented a player she is, but it would probably surprise you to know that she had a rocky start in Magic, not too long ago.

While it was hard for her to miss the fact that Magic existed in middle school, Oblivion didn't get the chance to play until early 2021 when a casual date brought up Magic as a hobby. Oblivion was excited to learn, she's pretty big on it in fact, but she was treated as an ornamental fourth player. She was taught the only very basics of the game and despite being the owner of a pretty powerful deck, Kalamax, the Stormsire, she spent most of her games misplaying or playing a land and passing. It's safe to say that didn't work out, and that might have been the end of it. 

Luckily, Oblivion had a friend who was interested in Magic, and in a chance encounter in March of 2022, she met Pezo. This experience was completely different: she had the chance to see an experienced player interacting with his opponents, playing spells on the stack, and what's more, he was willing to teach her all that he knew. It was Pezo's patience and knowledge that finally allowed Oblivion to experience the love of Magic, though she's still not a fan of her time with Kalamax. 

Teaching the Love of Magic

Talking about the Grim Tutors is where you can hear Oblivion's passion. She recognized a gap in how people experience Magic: The Gathering. While older players may be resistant to change, new players are missing a wealth of experience that can make the game intimidating and hard to understand. Oblivion doesn't want anyone to ever feel lost like she did, as she points out no one likes to feel dumb. Because she has a different experience than Pezo, an experienced player with years of competitive play under his belt, they were able to form the perfect team, The Grim Tutors. Their content is all about education, closing the gap between learning about Magic and the love of the game. 

Though they only have a few months under their belt in the content world, it's safe to say that Oblivion's star is on the rise. She's brought her favorite deck, a Thalia and The Gitrog Monster cEDH deck on to several shows, including Play to Win and Mental Misplay. You can check that deck out below. She's also guested on a variety of channels with some casual Commander gameplay. She has time again proven her strength as a pilot and a deckbuilder. 

More than Content

If this were all Oblivion was, you'd know she's an awesome person, but when I asked her about things outside of Magic, she brought up her passion for building a family. She's a mom to two boys that she picked out of foster care. Holding back tears, she talked about their need for a family who would "go on water slides, help them with homework, and tuck them in at night." She knew right away that those were her kids, and if you've ever had the opportunity to listen to her talking about them, you'd know she's doing an amazing job. It was the first thing Pezo brought up when I asked him to tell me about her, but he'd also like you to know that she had a motorcycle once, so that's pretty cool, too. 

If you'd like to know more about Oblivion you can find more info here.

You can also check out some of her games with her cEDH deck here:

WHO'S THE BEST FROG COMMANDER IN cEDH - PLAY TO WIN vs THE GRIM TUTORS

Stax vs Creature Turbo! cEDH Gameplay ft. @PlaytoWinMTG and @GrimTutorsMTG