(A Blog Every Day in May 2013 Challenge Entry)
Currently
I’m sitting up at A Novel Place playing some Magic: The Gathering. I
just drafted some two weeks ago, but it’s been awhile since playing
competitive in the Standard format. So far I am 3-0-2. The first Draw
was earned against a friend I’ve not seen in weeks. He wasn’t too happy
with it, though. The second Draw was with another friend where we didn’t
even play, but still secured our slots in the Top 8.
For
those unfamiliar: that’s a good thing. It means I get an additional
promo and play for additional product, as I battle for first place.
Taking the second Draw felt dirty — I like duking it out slinging
cardboard — but it gave me time to write up today’s post. Speaking of
which…
Today’s prompt:
Day 25, Saturday: Something someone told you about yourself that you'll never forget (good or bad)
Level Up
I
apologize, but I can’t think of anything profound that anyone told me
that I can conjure up from memory. You have the stereotypical “you can
be anything you want to be,” “you can do anything you put your mind to,”
“look both ways before crossing the road.” There are many of those
phrases that I’ve heard from parents, friends, mentors, etc over the
years.
There
is an incredibly good chance that there are multiple nuggets of wisdom
bestowed upon me that would make for a great piece for this entry. At it
is, though, my mind is in game mode as I await the matches to finish up
and for the Top 8 to begin.
One
comment from a friend — the one I got my first Draw from
today — has always stuck with me. Naturally it’s associated with Magic.
About
a year ago now, during a Friday Night Magic (FNM) event, I played the
same friend in a match up. The deck I designed used similar cards and
tactics of a well-known deck at the time. Once I played a few cards he
was positive he knew what I was playing. I don’t netdeck (that’s where
you copy a deck design from the winners of worldwide competitions) so
mine was more of an original brew.
After
overplaying his hand, I eventually took over the match by casting board
wipes, which he was shocked to learn I had in the deck. He was a bit
confused with my card choices, and even argued about my build —
stating I was using the wrong tactics with the type of deck I was
playing — but I took the criticism in good stride.
Later
I found out he told one of his good friends (best friend?), who is a
mutual friend of ours, that I “Next-Leveled” him. Meaning that I had
played in such a way that he thought he knew what I was playing, and how
to play against it, but in the end the deck was different than
expected; catching him by surprise. I thought it was awesome hearing this, because it meant the
build worked it’s magic. Part of Magic is a mental game, and so many
players expect people to netdeck and copy the pros. This means when
someone builds outside of the mold, it can literally blindside your
competition.
Considering
his years of playing magic and playing ability, I took the comment to
heart and with honor. Sometimes I’ll bring it up (like now) with friends
in fond remembrance. I’d like to think I “Next-Leveled” him today too, even
though our game ended in a Draw. We will see.
By they way, I took his compliment as stating that I was an awesome deck designer and player ;-)
So,
like I said, my mind is on Magic at the moment as I am about to head
into the Top 8. At this point, having gotten to the Top 8
is rewarding enough. Anything more is a bonus.
Has
anyone ever told you something (good or bad) that has stuck with you
through the years? Feel free to share. Hope more “good” than “bad”.
PS. Ended up getting 4th place, while my brother got 7th. For the first
time in our competitive history my brother and I were paired up against
one another. But, I slapped him around pretty hard going 2-0 against
him. Also, I was using a deck he mainly designed and I tweaked and
changed out the sideboard (pretend you know what that means, just know
it’s important).
It felt like Justice.
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