Helping Others Helps Yourself

People ask me sometimes how they can improve at Magic. I’m not always sure why they are asking me, but I do my best to help them. Usually it’s people who are already playing fairly well, but can’t seem to ever make it to the top of the PTQ level. They 4-3 or 5-2 a lot, or just can’t get through the first round of top 8. It’s a frustrating level of skill to be at because you feel like you are SO close to making it to the big show, but that’s not always the case. It feels like if you just corrected a mistake in your round three match, then you would have ended up at 6-1 instead of 5-2.

That’s not how it works. There is a big difference between 5-2 and 6-1. Each round you play at a Magic tournament while you are undefeated, your opponents on average get harder. The later you get, the more skilled opponents you will see at x-1. After two losses, most players still playing will not be great opponents. Your games will be much easier. Going 5-0, 0-2 is a much different experience than 0-2, 5-0.

Round 1 is generally pretty random. You might get a level 3 pro, you might get a six –year old child. In general, you can expect an easy match. The people who are undefeated at the end of round three are generally going to be better than the people at 2-1. By round 4, you start seeing the same people who are always at the top tables. The further you go down, the more random the players get. You have a higher probability of seeing tier 2 or below decks and players who will give you games. By the end, at least half of the people playing for top8 have been there before, generally over and over again. And you know what? Most of them will win.

They win not just because they are better players (though they probably are), but because they are used to playing at that higher-level of competition. They are used to the pressure, and they have played dozens, if not more, matches in the same position. Win, top 8, lose, a few packs. They are ready for this match in every sense of the word, and if you are not, you are at a serious disadvantage.

So, how do you start winning these matches? Play more of them. The more you are used to playing high-quality opponents, the more calm and collected you will be in that situation. The more you are used to having a crowd around your match, the easier it is for you to ignore it and just play your game. There isn’t a shortcut for getting used to the pressure, but there is a good way to get used to playing better opponents. Play more of them.

The idea is simple enough - to get better at Magic, you need to play against the best players possible. If you live in New York, or Los Angeles, or any hotbed of tournament action, this may be as simple as finding the right store. If your area doesn’t have any top tier players, then you need to bring the level of the players in your area up. If you are the best player around you, you will need to show the players around you how to beat you. This may seem counterintuitive – you win in the long run by losing short run, but the important thing is to win when the PT slot is on the line instead of a few packs at FNM. Many people want their opponents to be better, but they don’t want to lose to them. It reminds me of St. Augustine of Hippo famous quote, “Lord, make me chaste – but not yet.” If you help your opponents get better, you will lose more. That’s fine. The more you lose, the more you will learn because your mistakes will begin to matter, and you will have to find new ways to take control of the game.

The skill level of playgroups has a tendency to average out. If your opponents aren’t getting better than you are getting worse. You may still win every FNM, but the skills you need to win at higher levels will atrophy when you don’t need to work for your wins. To an extent, being better than your opponents will make them better as they pick up on your tricks, but you need to do more than that. Some people don’t want to improve, but when they do, point out their mistakes. Tell them about the things they do wrong. Talk to tem about how they always draft the same deck, and how why they need to stop playing goofy standard decks. Let them borrow that fourth Cryptic Command for a tournament. Or the second, third and fourth Cryptic Commands, even if it may beats you. How much do you really learn from beating a deck that is using negates instead? You may win a few more packs now, but if your goal is to play in the big game, you should sacrifice those for possibility of future winnings. And how much does your opponent learn by playing decks full of cheap substitutes?

If you are simply playtesting, then talk about game states. If you think your opponent made a huge mistake, take some time to go over it. That‘s what playtesting is for. You don’t need to allow takebacks, but at least let people know when they make mistakes in testing so they won’t make them again. You may win every playtesting match because your opponent Mistbind Cliques at the wrong time, but that doesn’t help either of you in the long run. I’ve seen people I’ve tested with allow their opponents to make the same mistakes over and over again just so they could win playtesting matches. That’s the worst thing you could possibly do. I’d rather lose every playtest match than one at a tournament. The better your entire playgroup learns to play decks and magic in general, the more productive your testing will be.

It’s easy to view improving at Magic as a solitary activity, but it‘s rarely so. The only way to improve is to be challenged, and the only way to be challenged is to play against players of around your level or better. If you aren’t willing to help the people around you to improve, then you will be stuck forever being a big fish in a little pond.