[Guide] How to Become a Magic YouTuber or Twitch Streamer

Karn, the Great Creator | Illustration by Wisnu Tan

Magic fans across the world dream of becoming Magic celebrities, whether it’s through Twitch, YouTube, or other means. And who can blame them? You become a celebrity in the community and can make a whole lot of money by doing something you love.

What’s the best way to become a content creator, though? And is it as lucrative as it looks from the outside? Like any internet career, there's more going on behind the scenes than you might think. Not every form of content creation has an easy route to monetization and those that do often have strict requirements you must meet before making any money.

Let’s take a look at some pointers for becoming the Next Big Thing in Magic: The Gathering, as well as some of the benefits and drawbacks for doing so.

What is a Content Creator in MTG?

The Crowd Goes Wild | Illustration by Mike Burns

There’s a wide variety of ways to become an MTG content creators. The most common routes players take to create MTG content is by streaming live games on Twitch or recording gamenplay videos for Youtube. Of course, there are many other types of content out there, including podcasts, articles (like this one!) and more. Some people used an established online presence or an impressive track record in competitive MTG events to build their following while others worked their way into prominence by consistently producing excellent content.

How Do I Become an MTG YouTuber?

If you want to start to produce MTG content for YouTube, all you need to do from a basic point of view is make a Google account, open up “YouTube Studio” on YouTube and create your channel. From there all you need to do is upload your video and it’s there for everyone to watch!

Of course, you need to create videos that people want to watch. To do this, you need to do some editing to optimize your video’s pacing by cutting dead air, like your time in the queue or periods where players disconnect or Ponder their orbs. Luckily, there are plenty of free video editing software packages such as Lightworks or DaVinci Resolve that one can learn to use thanks to the plethora of tutorials on YouTube or other websites.

It also helps to find something that makes your content unique and stand out from the crowd. Why should people watch your videos instead of someone else’s? This could be some kind of hook, like playing a particular type of deck, or generally very slick, well-edited videos.

In order to monetize your channel, you need to become a YouTube Partner by getting at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of views in a single 12-month period. Most channels, MTG or otherwise, never reach this point and it often takes lots of time to do so. As an example, my channel Pass Left Drafts (which is currently on hiatus) took over two years to get to 1,000 subs (although I got 4,000 watch hours just over a year into it).

How Do I Become an MTG Streamer?

Most MTG streamers (and most gaming streamers for that matter) stream on Twitch, although you can also stream on YouTube as well as other sites. To stream Magic, either Arena or MTGO, you need a program to stream your gameplay with. Two common, free options are OBS or Streamlabs. Having a microphone and potentially a webcam are also important elements for quality.

Just like with creating YouTube content, you’ll be competing with other Twitch streamers trying to build a name for themselves in the MTG community. You need to consider what you can do to stand out from the crowd. What will you stream? Is it going to be the same format, or will you mix it up? What will you do that sets you apart from everyone else?

If you want to make money through Twitch, you need to become a Twitch Affiliate. To qualify for affiliate status, you must have 50 followers, stream for eight hours on seven different days over a 30-day period, and average three viewers per stream. It’s much easier to become a Twitch Affiliate than a Youtube Partner.

How Do I Become an MTG Podcaster?

If YouTube or Twitch isn’t your speed, you might consider entering the world of podcasting. To make a podcast, all you need is a way to record your audio and something to talk about! You can then publish it to one of the many podcast services, such as Spotify or Podbean.

Podcasts really benefit from having additional people to talk to, much more so than Twitch or Youtube. Whether this extra person is a co-host or a guest slot, conversation helps keep the flow going and makes podcasts more interesting. Of course, there are some great solo efforts out there, but I’d say these are the exception rather than the rule.

There is no inherent way to monetize your podcasts outside of sponsors. Spotify is looking to introduce a method to pay podcasters for the adverts they put in your podcasts in a similar way to monetization on YouTube.

How Do I Become an MTG Writer?

Plenty of news outlets have teams of writers on their staff, who are often paid for each article they write! You could even apply to write here on Draftsim and join our expert team of content creators on this site!

What Other Ways Can I Be an MTG Content Creator?

The methods of creating content mentioned in the points above probably cover most of the content you will interact with, but there’s a whole host more! Cosplay, organizing tournaments, commentary and more! If you’re making something that others can consume and enjoy in Magic, you’re a content creator!

How Do I Make Money as an MTG Content Creator?

Making money isn’t the end-all be-all of content creation. But if you want to turn your passion for MTG into something more serious than a hobby, you need an income. Even if it’s just intended to cover your expenses or help keep you motivated!

YouTube and Twitch have monetization methods built into their platforms, but most people seriously making content on there, whether for Magic or not, supplement this with sponsorship deals. Sponsorship deals are even more important for forms of content creation such as podcasting without direct monetization routes.

These deals can come from anywhere, such as Magic-related organizations, online games, meal delivery companies or more. No doubt you’ve seen examples of these types of sponsorship deals in your time spent consuming content. Sponsors typically pay by giving a code to the content creator, who then gets a small amount of each product purchased with the code, or they pay by the number of views that videos/streams or whatever else usually get.

Another important monetization route is crowdfunding via sites like Patreon. This allows fans of your content to send regular money over to you for the content you make. This can either be done per ‘episode’, or, more commonly, per month. Many content creators like this as it gives a relatively stable income that isn’t directly related to the number of views that the content gets.

Who is the Best Content Creator in MTG?

Choosing the best content creator in any format is a bit like choosing the best restaurant in a city. There's rarely one correct answer and personal preference always comes into it. That said, there are some numbers on the biggest content creators out there.

Looking at YouTube, there’s a couple pulling ahead. First is Tolarian Community College, who’s quickly closing in on being the first Magic YouTuber to get to 1 million subscribers. This is a significant milestone for any creator, even if other genres of YouTube channels already have many times this number. Closely behind the Prof, however, are the Game Knights of The Command Zone, who have sometimes been above TCC, though the two channels are usually pretty close together.

Is it a Good Idea to Become a Content Creator in MTG?

If you think you would enjoy becoming a content creator, give it a go! Seriously, you don’t have much to lose and getting involved with that space can come with a lot of positives! It should be noted, however, that it isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme and you shouldn’t go in expecting to be the next Professor.

It’s also worth noting that Magic content seems to be on a little bit of a downswing. I’ve noticed quite a few content creators losing funding and CovertGoBlue has discussed retiring from creating MTG videos. Of course, content goes through cycles in popularity, and you shouldn’t take this as an entire reason not to have a go!

Wrap Up

Captive Audience | Illustration by Dmitry Burmak

If you want to create some Magic content, there’s nothing really stopping you if you have the right equipment. You should give it a go! The biggest pieces of advice I can give you is to find something to set yourself apart from the rest, whether it’s the audience you present for, your style or something else, and to be consistent in the content you put out. Plan a schedule and stick to it.

Are you thinking of getting into the content creation world? Or are you already a content creator? We’d love to hear your experiences in the comments below, and of course, feel free to let us know where we can find you!

I hope you’ve found this article useful today and that your content goes viral!