The 2026 Unity League Season is over, and Jan Schmidt is Germany's 2026 Player of the Year. Jan rose to the top by acquiring 2418 points across multiple formats, accruing 9 Top Finishes throughout the season with 2 wins. He is competing in the German Nationals tournament taking place tomorrow, November 7th 2026, where 43 players from across Germany will compete to become the 2026 German National Champion. In the lead-up to the tournament, I sat down with Jan to talk about his season, his thoughts on Magic, and his thoughts heading into the tournament.

Congratulations on becoming Germany's Player of the Year! How are you feeling?

Jan: Thanks a lot! Still a little sick from a cold that some friends brought home from the RC in Ghent, but otherwise really good so far.

What would you say was your biggest achievement this season?

My biggest achievement was willing the Destination Qualifier in Hof to qualify for Ghent.

The data from this Season shows you performing exceptionally well with aggressive decks across multiple formats, including with Izzet Prowess in Modern, which you used to win the Destination Qualifier in Hof. What drew you to the deck?

For years I used to play different variations of Merfolk in Modern and Legacy. At first I stopped playing that archetype in Legacy, and after the RC in Prague some years ago also in Modern. After that I played some UB Midrange in Modern, which i still enjoy a lot, but the deck just doesn´t feel that you can keep up with the meta in the last one or two years and after Cori-Steel Cutter 's printing, I tested Prowess. Since then I've stuck with it for more than 90% of my Modern matches, as the deck keeps getting good results. So I just tested it, qualified for RC Antwerp with it at the second tournament I played with the deck and didn´t feel the need to adapt, as the deck keeps getting good results for me.

On your journey to becoming Player of the Year, you accrued a total of 2418 points, gathering a total of 9 top finishes including two wins. Is there a secret to your consistency?

For me, the most important thing is to have fun playing Magic, so I usually only play formats and events I enjoy - that's why I mostly play Modern and Legacy and almost no other formats. Besides that as I stated before, I've played the same deck for the majority of my events, so I had a lot of experience playing that one particular deck, which might have helped in some situations as well.

You mentioned you mostly play Modern and Legacy. Do you have a favourite between the two?

I mostly prefer Legacy over Modern, but this also depends on the meta of both formats. Unfortunately the Legacy community in my hometown isn't that big, and as there are no major Legacy events besides Eternal Weekend, I don't have the opportunity to play a lot of Legacy.

What is your favourite deck you have piloted this season and why?

That's a tough one. I think it was the UW Blink deck I played in Legacy. Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd with Quantum Riddler is already really good, but also having 4 copies of Stifle gives a lot of possibilites. Blinking out your opponent's creatures and having Containment Priest was a lot of fun as well.

Magic has changed a lot over the past year, both in terms of the competitive scene and the impact of sets like Lorwyn Eclipsed, Secrets of Strixhaven, and Reality Fracture on multiple formats. How have things felt from your perspective?

I really like that there was no "major modern set" like Modern Horizons etc., and that the format didn't completely change. Having one or two cards in each set that are getting tested and played in Modern helps in terms of not having the format stay the same without any changes for years, without the need of having Modern Horizons 4 or a similar set. I really like the change that Reality fracture brought to Modern with Dark Matter Manipulator and the Rakdos Midrange deck.

As a Rakdos fan myself, it's lovely to see Blood Crypt back on the menu in Modern. I suspect you've been busy testing for Nationals this weekend, which includes Reality Fracture Draft as one of the formats. What are your feelings on Draft - do you feel particularly confident?

Draft is one of the formats I don't enjoy as much as I did 10 years ago. On the one hand, that's because of the Universes Beyond sets, which I really dislike, and on the other hand because there are too many sets coming out each year. So I did test Reality Fracture a little bit for Nationals, but not as much as I should have. So I feel more confident than some of the Limited RCQs I've played where I didn't play the set in advance, but there's still room for more testing.

What are your thoughts on Reality Fracture as a draft set?

So far I really like it, and I think it's one of the better sets that have been released in the last few years.

Is there a particular archetype you're looking to draft into in the tournament? Are there any archetypes you're hoping to avoid?

Not really. I'm not so confident drafting 4/5-colour goodstuff piles, but otherwise I am open to whatever the packs will have to offer.

German Nationals will also feature Modern, a format in which you have had great success this season. How confident are you in Modern for this tournament?

I feel all-right for Modern, but not great. The matchup against Basking Broodscale feels really bad. Domain Zoo also had quite a revival after Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury was banned, and if they start with Leyline of the Guildpact and Scion of Draco on turn 2, it's almost unwinnable. Besides that, I feel really confident.

Modern, of course, has garnered a lot of discussion in the past few months as pro players have been debating the position the Broodscale deck occupies in the format. What's your take?

I think that the deck attacks from too many angles if you compare it with other decks. I heard from some of my friends that on Day One in Ghent they only won with the combo once or twice, and all the other games were won with Emrakul, the Promised End . For me, the combo feels like the bait, or what buys the time to get into the late-game with Emrakul online. But if you don't respect and answer the combo, you die to it as well. So I kind of feel like Broodscale is a little too hard to attack, and has too many strong win-cons.

What would it mean for you to win German Nationals?

Winning German Nationals would be absolutely awesome, as it is what everyone is there for. Especially because the Unity League Magic Cup is a Team Trios event, which for me personally is the most fun way of playing Magic.

Is there anyone you would like to shout out before we wrap up? Where can people find you?

Thanks to my brother who comes along to most of the tournaments with me, and has helped a lot with the limited preparation. I only have Instagram, but you won't find anything related to Magic or TCGs in general there!

Thank you very much for taking the time to speak with me, best of luck in the tournament this weekend!

Thanks a lot! Have a nice evening.

Tune into the German Nationals broadcast, live through November 7-8th 2026, on the Unity League Twitch and YouTube channels.