As you may have noticed, we've got not one, not two, no not even three, but FOUR articles on one day! This is a sweet sweet day and it came about because two of my authors turned in their articles out of schedule. So today we get a sweet surprise!

So on to today's article: How do you play Magic?

I don't mean do you play in MODO, in person, in Magic Workstation or some other way. I mean how do you play Magic as a player? Mentally. In your head.

When I play Magic, I have a hard time looking outwards into the aether and seeing the realm of possibilities. It's something I actively work on, but it was the same with Chess, I just have a crappy focus and I often end up playing based on the board in front of me.

This is a MAJOR problem for a competitive player. The foresight is a necessary and core function for any good player. If you can't predict what is around the corner, then you'll never slow down and eventually you'll slam into another person who isn't paying the attention. Meaning that if you are a good enough player you can go on with this hindrance and still win, but eventually it will bite you in the ass and that is usually when you're up against an equal or better player.

With such a creature heavy format, you also have to be able to survey the battlefield and look for the opportunities. Some complain that this makes Magic more like Chess, having to negotiate the field and find the most opportune attack. I personally enjoy it this way, this puts a lot more in the immediate realm of my mind and thus is something I can grab a hold of. Others though find this a weakness and frustration. Even though I feel these opportunities end up being for the best for me, I do make mistakes and unfortunately they're usually bad enough to cause a swing in momentum. So I then end up behind the eight ball.

The other thing I do is I try not to immediately make the "good play" that I come up with. Meaning I try not to be impulsive. As Jon Finkel said in the audio episode of ManaNationRadio a few weeks ago, "if you have a good play and a better play, then the good play is actually a bad play." So if I immediately make the play I feel is good, I stop and evaluate trying to find a better play, thus seeking out the right play.

Players get so into the game they are nervous and have their tics, they shuffle their hands, drum their fingers etc and they are prone to act impulsively because that is how their mind is wired seeking to act fast without necessarily fully processing the situation. An obvious rookie mistake.

How about when you're losing, how do you play the game? I get antsy, my blood pressure and heart rate rise, I can feel the adrenaline hit my system as my brain kicks into overdrive looking for a solution. And the absolute truth is that some of my favorite moments of the game are when I begin to lose a game and then somehow manage to collect a W from the round.

Other players though, and I still do sometimes, get caught in the quicksand. It's when something goes wrong and affects your mental state such that you begin making more mistakes thus turning a good tournament into a crappy performance. The only real solution to this is to play more, get the confidence to get past it, and stay calm.

Playing the game is, and I don't know if you know this or not, a very important part of playing Magic. The mental aspects abound and every player plays differently. Sol Malka, the creator of the original Rock deck is an unusual player, he is very detail oriented and he touches every card on the board to arrange them into his mental grid, making sure they all line up and such. Where as other Pro players are much more sloppy and they let their cards lay about, overlapping and angled this and that way.

There is no one way to play the game, however it is clear that to be a competitive player you MUST be aware of what your game playing process is.