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You know what used to really frustrate me?
Beating a world champion or “Big Time” player in a side draft or small tournament and then losing to that same person in the main event. The occurrence would happen so often that I would ponder the myriad of different scenarios and outcomes as well as everything in between for days. I’d look at the winning deck list of some random tournament and get so frustrated because it was the exact deck that had I played.
Now I’m obviously NOT a big name or a member of the Pro Tour Hall of Fame, but I have played my share of competitive Magic. I was once the 21st overall composite player in the world and one of the top 5 players in the world for matches played. With this, I did find relative success and some $$$ here and there. On top of this bit of Magic “success”, I used to be a “professional” gambler as well as a Pool and Billiards player.
You might be wondering what the relevance of all this jibber-jabber is to you or to anyone (other than me). Here’s what I’m trying to say, "I know what it takes to make YOU a better player!" I’m not saying that everything you’re about to read pertains to you, but I would guarantee there is something.
Let’s start with the ones you probably already know:
#1 I know the cards better than YOU!
I have spent a majority of my days understanding the cards and how they work. Not only do I know every card in Magic, but I know EVERY deck in the format “card for card”. Why is this important? Because it’s important to know every weapon in an arsenal! NEVER should an opponent surprise you with a card from their deck. You may not think it should be there and you may not think it should be played against you, but it’s there and you SHOULD expect it.
#2 I know my chances of winning are better than YOURS!
If you’re playing poker (like Texas Hold 'Em), you NEED to know every possible out with every card in the hand! This leads me to say that you should be aware of the odds during any tournament or encounter. What odds you ask?
What are the odds of losing any given encounter, Faeries vs. Elves? What are the odds of drawing a certain card from your deck to win a match, Land or Shriekmaw? What are the odds of you getting into day 2 or the Top 8 in a tournament with an X-2 record? In the end, this game is more about statistics and probabilities than anything else. Which is all FACT! Weighing the options or answers before they come is truly a gift that not many players have. Sun Tzu mentions in ‘The Art of War’ the rewards of anticipation many times. In theory, we can both be playing the same deck and the results of our 10 games would be a draw 5-5. However, the person who can anticipate the next play better than the other will often win more. If you can’t anticipate me or my moves, you can’t possibly beat me!
#3 I just play better than YOU!
Did you know, that back in the old days, activating lands for mana was once an activated ability and could be stopped or prevented by cards like Orim’s Chant and Abeyance? Do you remember when you could play instants during your opponents End Step and have their effects continue through your turn (Waylay)? Today’s Magic hasn’t really changed all that much, because though the mechanics have changed they are STILL a major factor in successful play.
Now just watching people cast ALL of their sorceries in Main Phase 1 rather than attacking first and casting during Main Phase 2, doesn’t indicate their NOOB-ness. However, most “Pros” recommend waiting to play (Non-Haste) creatures or sorceries 'til Main Phase 2. One of my favorites is the person playing a Goblin deck (with average casting cost of 3) and emptying their hand by laying land #7 down without any reason. They should hold the land until it is needed for something.
Believe it or not, many of the matches you lost could have ended in a victory and I don’t mean that you could have won IF you had drawn a random card. I mean that you may have provided too much information, played too aggressively, played too defensively or just played too damn bad.
Having bad habits or playing mechanics poorly in Magic is NO different than having a slice in your golf swing or a bad arc in your free throw. They cause you to lose, period. Some things are caused by habits others are a result of not knowing. If you are going to win, you NEED to know what can and can’t be done.
#4 I’m a winner and YOU are a loser!
Have you ever been victim to a Wrath of God just after casting your last creature and having 2 already on the table where your opponent has none? Sucks don't it.
Have you lost because a Turn 1 or Turn 2 creature took half of your life while you waited too long to kill it?
Have you kept questionable opening hands with the wrong mana, too much or too little?
Now you could have said “yes” to any of the questions above and said, ”but this is why” and you know what? It really doesn’t matter. It’s just an example of poor judgment. Much like “fishing” the river card in poker or attempting a “bank shot” in pool, they are very low percentage options and often result in a loss. The pros don’t take chances they don't have to and they really do think about what will happen next.
In Pro Tour Hawaii, my opponent tried to Repeal an artifact I had with X and X casting cost (which I had set to 5) by tapping 11 mana. He was at 9 life and I was at 5. Now the interesting thing about this play was it was at the end of my turn and he had untapped, but the judge allowed him to take it back. Thankfully, I still won! Two of the matches I won during that tournament were due to my opponents making technical mistakes, which propelled me to finish in the top 40 of the tournament.
Can you hear me now?
Hopefully, you’re not too tired. This next section I’d like to talk about some things that you may NOT be able to change or modify. In fact they are things that you may not consider to affect your game play:
#1 Yep, you’re too OLD!
Believe it or not, Magic is a young person’s game. I’m not saying that you can’t be too old to “play” MTG, but if you’re older than 30 it’s not in your favor to win a competitive Magic tourney. Think about it, how many 30+ MTG players do you know who have won a Tournament? As in many “athletic” sports, a person’s prime is usually 27 to 35, this sport (yes I believe it’s a sport) does NOT seem to find its rewards within the “older” generation. Whether it’s your inability to conceive new decks, strategize, or learn new tricks, you’d better think about retirement after age 30.
#2 Baggage
Do you have a significant other who argues with you before or during tournament days? Is there someone in your life who’s ill? Perhaps you’re an alcoholic or taking some form of medication. Magic is a mental game, and takes its toll out of people in many different ways. As in the aforementioned “too old” topic, baggage can weigh heavily on you and really distract from your true abilities. ALL of those higher paid athletes get paid that way to make sure they have ALL of their needs looked after so that they may “work” on what they really need to worry about, which is their game. Your mental state really does have an effect on your performance.
#3 Which leads me to…
Money! I like it and I believe most people do too. However, the odds are completely against you if you cannot afford the cards, the travel, or (in some people’s opinion) to play online. This game costs money and playing competitively is even MORE expensive. Very few people make money at playing this game, and the ones who DO win are probably not worrying about a mortgage, a car payment or kids. I know that the DCI doesn’t report a person’s current income or employment information, but I’d say majority of our Pro Tour winners have been college individuals who had/have little worries of “mature” life. This also goes back to the baggage issues I referred to in #2 above.
When I played pool, one of my favorite lines was, ”It’s not how much money we’re playing for, it’s just about playing." Which is essentially true, it doesn’t really matter what you play for, because if you’re Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, or Jon Finkel, there’s a good chance you will win. So, why wouldn’t you bet the farm on those guys? Although, I’m not so sure I’d bet the farm on you… There’s a saying when it comes to gambling, “Do NOT play with 'scared' money”. This means gambling with money which is supposed to be for the rent or for baby’s shoes, it can and WILL effect how you play. If you are planning on traveling to a Grand Prix because you want to win a couple thousand dollars, using your next two month’s rent that you worked 60 hours the last to months to earn, you should probably reconsider.
Grand Prix Philadelphia had almost 1000 people in it. Only 128 participants made day 2 which is barely 10% and only half of those are the ones who got prize money. That’s a little over 5% of the entire field! When you consider travel, food and lodging, I probably would have lost money had I won the entire event.
#4 No friends equal No wins!
Magic has really become a team sport. Even though it is recognized as an individual accomplishment when someone wins; I would have a hard time believing that anyone and EVERYONE that has won a major event didn't ahve 5, 10, even 50 people supporting them in testing, finding cards, or finding cash. Especially when it comes to testing, more resources to test is a MUST. This is quite different from tournament magic ten years ago, some random guy could come in with some random deck and win. However, these days, people are smarter, they share ideas online and test it during FNM or online 8 man queues. So go make some friends!!!
I could go on and on with my theories on success in Magic. In the near future, I’d like to provide you with solutions to all of the items above. I hope you enjoyed this! The thing I enjoy most about learning all of this is that the “Richie Rich” kids can’t afford the school where they teach these things -- If you would like to enroll in this school please check out the website at SchoolofHardKnocks.com. Hehe!
Lee
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