I had to think for a little bit on what to write about. I've built a variety of decks in the time since I last wrote. I tried out Juza's Tezzeret, UW Caw Blade, Spark Blade, Esper Caw Blade, and Grixis Tezzeret. I went to SCG DC and SCG Dallas. Did poorly and DC and got 42nd in Dallas. Would have made 16th if I hadn't punted my last game against Drew Levin. A lot has happened in all of that time, but what I think is most important in all that is what I've really learned:
If I want to get better at Magic I need to improve myself.
I'm not talking about any sort of play skill or tournament skill. Although I am nowhere near perfect at those, and they are important, I'm talking about a more personal sort of improvement. To get better and perform better, I need to have the best attitude and and the best version of myself I can get.
This was made abundantly clear to me several times in the past few weeks. At SCG DC I got on tilt and totally blew myself out of the tournament. I may have lost to a guy who asked "What's Vigilance?" but that's no reason to get upset. I was in Washington D.C. playing my favorite game and hanging out with some really great friends! What was I mad about? That I didn't go all the way in my first large tournament ever? Please. I needed a reality check. It was time for me to improve my attitude.
Fortunately, I was given plenty of tests to that resolve. (Funny how life does that to you, huh?) I lost to some pretty bad beats against decks that I probably had >90% to win against. I played in tournaments online where I made some stupid mistakes, had some really bad misclicks, and/or had some pretty bad luck. As it started to happen more, my reactions have gradually moved from frustration and anger to a grin and a "Well, that's Magic."
I think this sort of training was a major contributor to my improved performance and SCG Dallas. My first loss was to an...interesting version of Caw Blade. I'm pretty sure the deck was not very good (Although, it did manage to make top 8 in the end, so what do I know?). But instead of getting frustrated at losing to a match-up I was advantaged in, I laughed, shook the guy's hand, and signed my match slip. My better outlook helped me to play better in future rounds, feel better about myself, and allowed me to just have fun playing an awesome game!
To top it all off, Conley Woods's latest article hit home directly for me. I don't think anyone could have put it better:
I have grown in the last few months. At times I knew it was happening, but I miss-attributed why and now that shrouded gem has been revealed. It is OK to recognize the game for what it actually is. It is more than a game to be sure, but it is not something to get frustrated with. It is something to cherish and to admire for you may never be apart of something so amazing ever again.
If I have anything to say about it, Magic will never be a source of frustration for me ever again.
PS: As a side note, a congratulatory shout out to my friend back in Norman, Chris Allen who just nearly missed Top 8ing at SCG Dallas with Grixis Tezzeret! Congrats on a nice performance and good luck at whatever your next event is!
