May 31, 2016

Six steps to becoming a better Magic player

This article is geared more towards new and casual players. Although these six steps may appear obvious to seasoned players they are a timely reminder with the 2016 World Magic Cup Qualifiers approaching.

1. READ MAGIC CONTENT

Back in the 90s and early 00s the only readily available resources for magic content were magazines like DUELIST and INQUEST. Since these were printed magazines the content was often outdated by the time it became available.

There is now a wealth of strategy articles on the Internet on websites like:

You will greatly benefit by using these resources to stay up to date with the latest metagame trends and understanding strategy.

For example if you want to play a particular netdeck; the purpose of certain card choices (particularly in the sideboard) will not always be apparent. By reading an article by someone who has played the particular deck extensively you will gain invaluable insight on why certain cards are good (or bad) in particular matchups. By understanding the reason why certain cards are in the deck you will also be able to adjust your version of the deck to suite your particular metagame.

In my experience the decks I've been most comfortable playing against, are the ones I have played myself. It is easier to anticipate what my opponent will do if I have experienced being in my opponent’s situation (particularly after sideboarding).

Unfortunately it is impossible to play every single deck in a given constructed format. However for this reason you can up your game by reading strategy articles on decks that you don't intend to play (but want to beat).

Even if you're a diehard brewer (who detests lazy netdeckers) you should be reading articles on the decks you intend to beat. Successful deck building cannot be done in a vacuum.

2. TAKE YOUR SIDEBOARD SERIOUSLY

You could potentially play two-thirds of your games in a tournament using your sideboard. There are certain matchups where it is impossible to win your game 1 if your opponent is playing a certain deck; draws reasonably and doesn't make any mistakes. Sometimes the matchup is so bad that you'll lose your game 1 even if your opponent makes multiple mistakes and you play flawlessly.

For this reason sideboarding is one of the most important skills required to do well in a tournament.

One of the hardest aspects of sideboarding is knowing what to take out of your deck. Knowing what is good and bad in a particular matchup is not always obvious. Reading articles on the deck is one way to understand how to optimally sideboard in a given matchup. Playtesting the matchup is a better way to gain this insight. (Bear in mind that you can write out sideboarding notes before the event that you can reference after each game.)

The next level is to anticipate how your opponent will sideboard. If you're able to do this you will sometimes be able to blank your opponent’s sideboard strategy. For example if you anticipate that your opponent will bring in a number of cards to destroy your Batterskull, you could take out all your artifacts and therefore cause your opponent to have a bunch of dead cards in his/her hand/deck.

When you build a sideboard for a deck every card included should have a purpose. Even if you are netdecking you should adjust your sideboard to address the matchups you expect to face in the particular metagame you predict you will be playing in.

3. PLAYTEST

Familiarity with the deck you're playing is very important to being successful in larger tournaments. Reading articles and watching deck techs can only take you so far in becoming familiar with a deck. There is however no substitute for actually playing the deck.

Playtesting with a group of players is one of the best ways to learn how to play a new deck. It is important to test both pre- and post sideboarded games.

Unfortunately most of us don't have the time to get together and playtest in a group.

Another excellent way to test a deck is using magic online. Unfortunately this means that you'd have to obtain the cards online. There are of course also free online alternatives like Cockatrace.

Finally you can simply take your new deck to your local tournament.

4. LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES

As magic players we regularly blame bad luck for our losses. If only I had drawn another land. If only if only I drew a burn spell.

If you want to master your deck it is important to recognize when your losses were due to play mistakes.

It is equally important to recognize that magic has a chance element to it. You'll get matches where you play well but your draws are horrible. Sometimes you have to accept that you were on the wrong side of variance and that it is unnecessary to change your deck. It is however important to recognize when you were truly unlucky, if the matchup is bad or you made play mistakes.

5. MULLIGAN PROPERLY

Many games of magic (particularly in Legacy and Modern) are won in the first three turns. Learning to mulligan optimally is vitally important to be successful in magic.

There are certain draws like zero or one-land-hands and the six or seven-land-hands that obviously must be shipped (with certain exceptions of course). Deciding whether to mulligan these type of hands is usually easy.

The challenging mulligan decisions involve deciding whether to keep in a particular matchup, despite having 2 – 4 lands in your hand.

Some decks require you to mulligan very aggressively (Eldrazi, Boggles).

There are also matchups where you need a certain card in your opening hand if you want to stand a chance of winning (a cheap removal spell for Infect or Naya Burn, Stoney Silence against Tron).

Giving advice on sideboarding is difficult since each deck is different. In general you need to ask yourself if can reasonably stand a chance to beat your opponent with the hand you have drawn. Ask yourself if some of the cards in your hand effectively blank given the matchup.

Whether you are on the play or the draw is also of significance here since you get to draw an extra card (after having scryed if you took a mulligan).

6. FOCUS

Winning a tournament requires a lot of concentration during multiple individual games of magic.

At the end of a long tournament you will often feel mentally (and sometimes even physically) drained like you would after writing a difficult exam or a very long day’s work.

It goes without saying that getting sufficient sleep, eating meals and staying hydrated is invaluable if you want to do well in a big tournament.

Magic games often involve taking calculated risks. Drinking alcohol impairs your judgement and lowers your inhibitions. I therefore think it's not a good idea to down a couple of beers in between your rounds if you intend doing well.

Tilting is another obstacle when competing in a tournament.

Travis Woo (from Channelfireball) defines tilt as "a mental state of broken confidence and of broken concentration". Mark Nestico (from Starcitygames) defines it thus: "(T)ilt is what occurs after you experience something that jars you during or after a game and completely alters your state of mind, causing your thoughts to jumble, your attitude to change, and your emotions to do their best Hulkamania impression: they run wild, brother."

Tilting can be caused by your opponent's actions (like when your opponent keeps telling you what your next play is going to be making you feel as if your plays are entirely predictable).

Tilting can also be unrelated to your opponent’s actions such as when you feel frustrated by multiple turns of drawing lands or when THAT STUPID DELVER REFUSES TO FLIP!!!

I will often tilt when I realise I have made a silly play mistake. With my mind now hung up on that mistake I will proceed to make more mistakes.

Personal circumstances that have nothing to do with Magic may also cause you to tilt. Exhaustion during a long tournament can also cause you to struggle to concentrate.

Being able to pull yourself together could often mean the difference between winning a tournament and x-2 dropping.