Q&A with James, our head caster

Siege at the Core 2026 will be livestreamed, from Friday December 4 to Sunday December 6 in Zaventem, and we have found our head caster to guide you through all the action happening in the realm.

We asked him some questions to give you some insight as to who he is and what you can expect from his time behind the microphone.

Meet James

First, a short introduction: how he got into Sorcery, his favourite cards and the moments he remembers.

How would you introduce yourself to a room of players who have never met you?

Hi there! My name is James, known online as Arboghast. You might know me as the proprietor of the Donnybrook Inn YouTube channel, the 3D printed accessories I make, or may have met me at some UK or European events. I’ve built up a lovely community in my local shop The Game Room, Chichester, UK, and I’m extremely grateful for them and always excited to experience this beautiful game with them every time we meet up.

What got you into Sorcery in the first place, and what made it stick?

I found a Magic: The Gathering format through a video online called ‘Party Box’, just at the time that the whole game was starting to feel stale in our pod. It’s a multiplayer Magic format that includes many different TCGs with their rules adjusted so they ‘work’ inside Magic. Pot of Greed? Charizard? Agumon? Proxy Black Lotuses?? Check. It’s very high powered and extremely chaotic.

The best part of Party Box though, is the 2x Booster Tutor from Unhinged. If a player casts one they get to open any booster from any game, and add a card from it to their hand. They then sign and date the card no matter what it is and it lives on in the Party Box forever.

This makes it almost a memory cube, with different moments with different friends being encapsulated inside this game that fits into one box and can be played anywhere with anyone. As the box requires at least some boosters to operate, I went out of my way to find packs from random games, leading me on a wild goose chase searching for weird and obscure TCGs I had never seen or heard of, and learn their mechanics to skew them into Magic systems…

That’s when I first laid my eyes upon a Brobdingnag Bullfrog and instantly fell in love.

What is your favourite Sorcery card?

The impossible question. I want to break this down into 3:

Art - Dream-Quest

To cast - Browse

Card I own - Foil Grandmeowster Wizard

James’s picks: Dream-Quest for the art, the foil Grandmeowster Wizard he owns, and Browse as his favourite card to cast.

Who is your favourite Sorcery artist?

Elvira Shakirova. Her art is absolutely amazing, I love the textures she uses and the variety she can produce, from almost realistic to absurdly abstract. The attention to detail on face features, hair and cloth astound me every time. I’ve met her a few times in London now so I’m very happy she’s nearby!

What is your most memorable Sorcery moment, either in a game or at an event?

I have some very cherished memories of my time at SorceryFest this year, from meeting many new friends and artists, some nail biting games, Flip n Rip with the boys and beers after the tournament or just jamming some 2v2 with the lads at the BnB to wind down at the end of the nights.

But absolutely nothing compares to hosting my own inaugural Donnybrook Inn tournament, the Donnybrook Bash. It was truly exceptional to see all my local friends (and some not so local!) come together and have a great day. The best part was handing out a table full of EC goodies to everyone and hearing afterwards that people had a really fantastic time. The big events sure are fun, but when your local events at home go hard, you’re really winning.

Casting, Siege at the Core and Sorcery content

James explains how he got into making Sorcery content, how he prepares for his role as caster at Siege at the Core and what he is looking forward to.

Have you been to Siege at the Core before?

I haven’t been to a Siege yet, 2026 will be my first year! I do own a River of Flame playmat though so I can feel like I’ve been there before… Sorcery has dragged me further afield than I’ve ever gone for a hobby, and I’m more than happy to put the distance in for another weekend of realm contesting. Can’t wait!

You registered for the event as a player first but switched to casting. What avatar would you have played?

I’m one of those die-hard Avatar of Air players… I never play anything else at tournaments, her play style just speaks to me. At the moment I’m playing her with a fire splash, even though it’s not strictly the best idea. I want to be playing minions that get immediate value with the AoA push, Corruptor Freaks, Kobolds, Monstrous Lions etc.

I don’t seem to do amazingly well with it in the large tournaments, but I’m not an overly competitive player at heart and just enjoy every match, no matter the outcome.

What got you started making Sorcery content?

I’d never ventured outside my own friend bubble before turning to Sorcery. I never went to an LGS to play, never traveled to another city to play, let alone another country. This game gave me the motivation to do that, and the community that grew around me spurs me on to push further. When The Game Room created this fantastic little TTRPG room that felt like a ye olde tavern, the first thing that sprung to mind was playing some Sorcery inside the Donnybrook Inn. I really wanted to film and share it, and so invested myself further into making it happen, and I’m happy that people have been enjoying watching us goof around on the channel. Everything is shot and edited on my phone which surprises most people, but it makes it possible, and if there’s a will, there’s a way.

TGR have been an amazing partner to work with and that makes all the difference too.

James standing inside his very own Donnybrook Inn, his local game shop “The Game Room”

What made you decide to give casting a try?

I did think about it when the call first went out. I’m already putting myself out there, why not? But I figured somebody experienced would sign up and fill the role so I quickly pushed the idea aside.

As it turned out, none of the usual suspects were available to do it and the slot remained open. It wasn’t until a fan of the channel messaged me one evening saying they thought I’d do a good job and should go for it that I thought about it again. If one other person thinks I’ll do a good job, maybe I can, right? So I spoke with Niek [the organiser] and he seemed to have confidence in me too.

So here I am, eager to have a go of it and give it my best shot.

Any matchups you look forward to casting?

I would absolutely love it if I got to cast a match with any of the lads coming with me, but specifically ObiWanKenOBean (Aaron) and his Muddy Pig Druid deck. He was on stream at SorceryFest and in London, and won both times with a death blow via Squeaker. It seems it’s becoming a meme at this point, and I’d find it hard to contain myself if given the opportunity to see it again. Let’s get the Squeakers their hat trick!

How are you preparing for your role as caster?

I’m watching back over a lot of previous Sorcery GC/Crossroad streams, and venturing into Magic tournament streams to see how the professionals really do it.

I’m also going to film and cast over the next few Donnybrook games until Siege at the Core, in a style that hopefully mocks a live stream. I hope that will make for good practice and get me ready for thinking on the fly.

What are the greatest challenges you think you will face?

Going into it I know my nerves will be high as there’s a lot on the line, and the live environment feels more daunting than what I’m used to. When I get into it I might be unstoppable though, so beware.

Then there’s the Frost Mage vs Lavamancer decks coming a couple weeks before Siege, so I’m going to put some work in to memorise those in time in case we see lots of the new cards on the table!

I’m also aware it’ll be a long weekend so I’m going to have to look after myself, make sure I meet up with everyone I want to see, and try not to get too jealous of all the fun happening outside the booth!

What video would you recommend to people as an introduction to your content?

I think all of our videos are quite fun, and every player brings a different personality to the table. I hope the feeling the viewers get is that they’re sat at the table with us.

While I’ve come a long way since the first few uploads production wise, my favourite is still the second episode, ‘Bladedancer vs Magician - The Great Old Won’. Not because it’s myself and my good friend Harry (Frikxion), not because I do some busted Magician things, but because it reminds me of sitting across the table from my friend and us having a great time. (I had a great time anyway… You’ll see…)

We are looking forward to having James in the booth, in front of the microphone. He will be the voice that connects Zaventem to the rest of the world and will make sure that everyone gets to share in the action happening there!

You can find The Donnybrook Inn on YouTube, and James plans to cast the next few episodes there as practice for the booth.

If you would rather watch from the room or give James the chance to cast your game, be sure to register for Siege at the Core.