Greetings, loyal subjects. Oops, I mean “honorable peers.” My public relations advisors say I may have come across too high-handed in my last public writing, so here is an image you may all revere that shows your Queen’s “human” side. Does it make me more “relatable”?

Now that the philosophers are happy, let’s dispense with the discourse and get down to business: the annual Games of Akros, also known to the people of your plane as the Theros prerelease tournament.

As I work through a few ideas, these have percolated to the top, and I need them off my notice board.

Let’s dive in. Read close; there’s a challenge this week!

Magic Board Game

My God, I have no idea why this hasn’t happened yet. Whatever committee at Wizards is against it needs to be fully changed out with the interns who made it there from ambition and haven’t settled in yet. I always trust interns because they’re without bias and absolutely love risk. As a company that can do small print runs, with near unlimited marketing budgets, let’s just have a damn Magic board game made.

Pro Tour Theros is right around the corner, and as quite a few people seemed to like my Worlds Special it was just the natural thing to do a follow-up for Pro Tour Theros. A few things are different this time around, though.

I interviewed different players. Although I could have chosen to revisit a few, I thought it would be more interesting to focus elsewhere as well. There are so many good Magic players around, that if I continue doing this, I will not run out of players to talk to for quite a while.

The Theros Special is shorter. Where the Worlds Special had some history and general information in it, the Theros Special focuses only on the players. I did this because a single Pro Tour doesn’t have its own legacy like the World Championship, and thus there was just less to write about. Instead of struggling to get something in there, which you might not find all that interesting, I focused on the strongest point of the Worlds Special, the interviews.

The format is different. I did the Worlds Special in LaTeX, but the Theros Special will be web-based.

Just as with the Worlds Special, I am very happy with the way the interviews turned out. Each player was very forthcoming, and the players’ answers give a good impression of the personalities: Narciso answered in a cheerfully ironic way, Kai is a bit more direct, and Olle’s answers seem thoughtful and reflective.

These are just a few examples, but in my opinion that is just the way you would experience these guys if you talked to them in person. To all twelve, thanks a lot in helping me to make the Theros Special what it is. I wish you all the best for Pro Tour Theros!

I untapped and drew the last land in my deck. I set it down, extended my hand, and wished my opponent good luck on the Pro Tour. After that, I thanked the shop owner of Bluegrass Magic for the Top 8 pizza and congratulated him on a well-run event.

I joined the rest of my group in bolting through the rain to the relative dryness of the car, and all I could think about was my desire to play the tournament over again. Not because I wanted a redo, but because Theros Limited was that much fun.

Four of the finest drafters in Chicago had driven to Louisville to PTQ, with three of us Top 8′ing and the fourth losing his win-and-in. The random draft pairings had screwed us a bit, and the rain was preventing us from breaking forty on the highway, but despite it all I just wanted to play more Magic.

It wasn’t always like that. A few years ago, I would’ve been too busy feeling sorry for myself.

I once punted a Top 8 box across a parking lot. Another time, I was so frustrated that I sold my deck, like it was the cards’ fault that I’d lost. After an 11-round losing streak in Kamigawa Block, I quit tournament Magic for an entire year. I know what it’s like to tilt, but it doesn’t control me any more.

On the ride home, someone had an idea.

“You should write about handling defeat, about losing in the finals and going right back to it next week.”

At first I shrugged it off. After all, who wants to read an article on how to lose? Everyone loses.

On second thought, not everyone loses well. I’m not perfect, but I respect people that take a beat gracefully and I want people to respect me. This article is a how-to on avoiding tilt, a diary of my efforts to not be a dick.

When utilized correctly, self-reflection can be among the most valuable tools for improving your ability to excel at Magic and can also serve to make Magic much more enjoyable for you. If utilized incorrectly, however, it can result in exactly the opposite, causing you to lose more and/or to hinder your enjoyment of the game. Today I would like to go deep into the theory tank and share with you my secrets for harnessing the power of self-reflection as it pertains to Magic.

Some of the key questions we will address include: what does it mean to self-reflect? When should you self-reflect? When should you not? What is the best way to do it and what pitfalls should you avoid when it comes to self-reflection? If you put these few simple instructions into practice, not only should your Magic playing skills increase but also your enjoyment of the game. So if you want to play better, win more, and most importantly have more fun doing it, this article is written for you.