I'm not big on the idea of
making New Year's resolutions.
I personally try to make myself
better all the time.
I
usually pick small things and
work my way up. A lot of people
look at the new year as a chance
to make some big changes. And
that's totally fine. Every good
idea starts somewhere. It
usually begins with the thought,
which, when put with motivation,
can get the ball rolling.
I bring this up, because I've
been having several discussions
with players lately regarding,
their level of play. Many
people want to get their quality
of play up. They also want to
get a higher DCI ranking.
Others want to qualify for the
Pro Tour. Some just want to
qualify for Nationals.
Whatever, your goal is, be aware
of the odds.
You can't just go from being an
average 2-2 player in your local
Friday night Magic crowd to
dominating qualifiers. I guess,
in reality, you could. I just
wouldn't bet on it happening. I
take that back. I would bet on
it. Against it.
I know this all sounds negative,
but it should. You should get
reality in check before taking
on a large endeavor. There is a
lot to be thought about. There
are some sacrifices that you
will have to make. There are
some things you will need to
work on and change. So, I'll
quit being so general about
things and I'll give you some
specific things that you can
work on.
At some point you will need
to start playing more. This may
sound silly. But how do you
think Michael Jordan, Magic
Johnson, and Larry Bird became
great basketball players? They
spent a ton of time in the gym.
You need to practice your
craft. Natural born skill can
only take you so far.
More often than not, when I ask
a player how often they play
competitively each week, I get a
saddening answer. The most
popular answer is ONCE. How
good would the best players you
know be if they only played once
a week on a regular basis? They
probably wouldn't be one of the
best players you know. And just
playing around with your fun
decks can only get you so far.
You have to get someone skilled
to play against you. Go to your
local store. Find that player
you acknowledge to be a better
player and get some help from
them.
It's about more than
playing. More often than not,
there is a huge exchange of
ideas that happens. You can
learn one thing that might step
your game up. You might learn
one rule, or maybe a combat
trick, that can raise your win
percentage up a few points.
Anyone can learn the rules to
the game. But the good players
are the ones that learn the
tricks and nuances. When you
play more often you are on top
of the latest trends in each
format. You're also less likely
to get surprised by something in
a tournament.
And playing in Friday Night
Magic is good. It's a start.
And you should continue to play
in FNM. It's a good practice
field to try out a few new ideas
or strategies. But don't expect
a lot from it as the local FNM
crowd isn't going to be as
skilled. Try to play in more
events at your store outside of
FNM. Most stores hold drafts
weekly. Others do tournaments
on Saturdays and/or Sundays.
These are the events you should
be targeting to get into.
One of the biggest reasons is
the difference in K value. The
K value of a tournament
determines the point scale of an
event including
the maximum amount of points
that can be gained or lost in
each match. This is a huge
concern for those of you wanting
to get your DCI rating and
ranking up. FNM will only get
you maximum of 8 points per
win. This means if the
absolute lowest rated player in
the room played the absolute
highest rated player in the
room, there will only be a
change in 8 ratings points. So,
don't expect your rating to
climb too fast playing just FNM
events. Those other events
however START at 16K instead of
the 8K on FNM. Depending on
other variables, these other
events can be 24K or more.
Playing in these other events
will go a long toward preparing
for the next level and getting
your skills up. And it will at
the very least, get your
competitive play per week up to
TWO sessions. But, there some
other things, that players need
to work on to better themselves
on an even more personal level.
I'm about to say something that
sounds a little harsh, but it
needs to be said. It's
something that players have a
hard time getting a grasp one.
Simply put, don't feel sorry for
yourself. You WILL lose. In
every game there's a winner
and/or a loser. That's just the
way it is. You WILL make
mistakes. You're only human.
It's something we do. Don't let
small things get to you. Just
chalk it up to error or
something. Learn from the down
times. Just don't repeat and
mistakes. Doing this over time
will minimize your mistakes.
Don't make excuses. Players so
often wanted to say their deck
screwed them or whatever, when
that many times isn't the
issue. Look at the match as a
whole and see if there is
something you could have done to
buy another turn or two. Should
you have targeted a different
creature with a spell? You
never know. Small things can
change the outcome of a match.
If you get asked something like,
"Why are you playing that card?"
don't say something silly like,
"This is just a fun deck." Do
the smart thing and ask for
suggestions. See if they might
know of a creature or card you
may not be aware of.
Read, read, read. Right now is
definitely a huge information
age for gamers. No matter what
your game is, there are
thousands of websites that
mention and talk about it.
After all, that's why you are
reading now. Keep doing it.
Check back weekly. There is so
much information out there.
There are a ton of different
opinions and ideas. You never
know when once person might say
something that turns a light
bulb on for you. The best
businessmen in the world still
share information at seminars
and presentations each year.
Most of the time it's just for a
different perspective.
Finally, don't get TOO
competitive. Keep your mind
right. You still want to have
fun. IF you start losing site
of that it's going to start
feeling like a job and you're
going to want to get away from
the game. No one wants that.
If things start getting
frustrating and out of hand,
take a step back. Do something
to relax for a day or two. Take
a few deep breaths. Remember,
it's still a game. That's
something that's easy to forget
at times. And other times, you
just need a reminder.
Well, I hope my perspective was
useful to you all. I hope
everyone is able to step up
their game. Many players I know
are just a few small steps from
being really good players. It's
just a matter of taking the
right steps toward making that
transformation happen.
Until next time,
DeQuan Watson
a.k.a. PowrDragn
PowrDragn at Pojo dot com
