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It’s beneficial for me to write out my thoughts.
I can’t count the number of times I have a thought, and then forget it completely
because I don’t make a note of it. Now, I can write out my thoughts before I
forget about them.
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It gives the readers (that’s you) the ability to
criticize my thoughts, constructively. If you disagree with something, or have
anything to add, you can leave a comment. Criticism is always appreciated.
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In the past, people have reached out to me and
explained how I helped them become a better player. This is meant to help
others become better players.
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This gives me a way to cope with boredom at
work…
Now, I’m the kind of person that strives for nothing less
than perfection. Unfortunately, this game will sometimes provide results that
aren’t perfect, which is infuriating. I’m not foolish enough to expect to be
victorious every single game I play. Sometimes, poop hits the fan, and there’s
nothing you can do about it.
I’ll provide a report of my recent Regional experience as a
testament to this, since I was aiming for Top 8. I’ll explain everything that
actually went wrong:
Round 1 vs Shaddolls (2-0)
Round 2 vs Burning Abyss (2-0)
Round 3 vs Satellarknights (Draw) – This is where a
miscalculation on my part may have happened. I won game 1 very easily. Game 2
dragged on and on. At around 3 minutes left, I was considering scooping and
going to game 3, and clock the game specifically so I would have Final Turn.
However, I noticed a lot of my “good” cards (Raigeki, Snatch Steal, Tour Guide,
etc) were still in my deck, and my deck was small in size. There was a chance I
could’ve drawn amazing and won the game. On the opposite side of the coin, I
was also thinking a draw is better than a potential loss… Anyway, I decided to keep going. Sure enough,
time was called, and that didn’t happen, so I lost and a tie was born as a
result.
Round 4 vs Satellarknight (2-1)
Round 5 vs Burning Abyss (2-0)
Round 6 vs Shaddolls (2-0)
Round 7 vs Burning Abyss (0-2) – This is the match that I
felt was out of my control. Both games, my opponent has Maxx “C”, and I don’t
extend because there was no way I could’ve done 8000 damage. He also had traps,
which didn’t help. I could’ve extended through, but I still would’ve lost.
Round 8 vs Burning Abyss (Draw) – Yep, another draw. I won
game 1 really fast. Game 2 was dragging again, and I knew eventually I would’ve
lost, so I scooped 3 minutes before time was called (I didn’t want another
draw). Game 3 was originally configured so I would have Final Turn. However, it
didn’t matter, we both poked each other with Nightmare Shark, and that was it.
The only positive fact that came out of the experience was
realizing I made a good card choice in my side-deck. In that game 3, I sided in
2 copies of Threatening Roar. I originally included two copies because it
seemed going into time is a weakness of mine. Sure enough, I would’ve lost if
it wasn’t for 1 of the copies coming up. Now I know that was an excellent
choice, but was irrelevant because I didn’t make Top 8.
After that match concluded, I was really angry: This was the
worst mood I’ve experienced at the expense of card games. However, this is an article
for a different day…
Now I can come full circle with my point about striving for
perfection. I can acknowledge that if I skipped to game 3 on round 3, the whole
outcome could’ve changed. In striving for the best outcome, did I make the
optimal decision? I’m still trying to figure that one out…
I can strive for perfection, but I’ve already admitted that
perfection cannot be expected in this game. You can play perfect, build the
perfect deck, but still lose to random “sacking”. However, I can still strive
for achieving the best results, by making the perfect plays and building the
perfect deck.
My goals are simple and straight: Win events (Regionals,
YCSs, Nationals, hopefully World Championships, and other related tournaments),
defeat players that are “names” in this game (anywhere from Matt Bishop to
Patrick Hoban) and ultimately have fun and love the game while striving for the
above two goals.
How does one win events, and defeat the know players of the
games? This is what I’ve come up with:
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Playing the perfect game. Mistakes and misplays
should be avoided. These can be as simple as forgetting a Scarm search, or as
complicated as deciding whether or not to continue a game, based on the flow. When
you do make a mistake, learn it, so it doesn`t happen again. Making the best
plays is also part of this. When do you play BLS, Raigeki or Snatch Steal? This
is basic theory that I’ll eventually extend, since I could compose multiple
essays in regards to this subject.
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Having a large card-pool, having the ability to
build the best deck and build the best deck well. These two thoughts fall in
the same category. I make it a point to have access to every single meta deck.
This way, I will have access to the “best deck” at all times. Unfortunately,
this can be expensive… However, this is only half of the pie. The other half is
having access to a large card-pool. You never know when out-of-fashion cards
will suddenly become staples, like Summoner’s Art. Personally, I look through
my cards once in a while to find cards that have become good. I also look for
surprise tech choices (choices that no one expects). I’m currently working on
something like that with Satellarknights to combat the current meta decks. This
assists with building good decks. When building any deck, even the best deck,
you need to tailor it to beat the best decks. That’s why Burning Abyss decks
were maining 3 Enemy Controller; to defeat other Burning Abyss decks… Again,
there’s enough here to write an essay, so I’ll stop for now.
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Become better by practicing with better players,
and do lots of playtesting. The theory behind this is simple: You won’t learn
anything by beating the people that go X-3 at Locals consistently. However, if
you are consistently going X-3 at Locals, constant practice against the players
that consistently go X-1 or X-0 is great practice. That`s one of the ways I
grew to where I am. The players that are X-1 or X-0 consistently should
practice with the people that bear similar results, to help each other grow.
Also, Regionals and other tournaments are great for improving skill-level.
You`ll be playing against players that can properly play the game at these
events, if you do well.
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Attend as many events as possible. This is one
of those that I just realized how
important it is, and I`ve decided to finally take this one seriously. You can`t
win the events that you don`t go to. Every event you do not go to is knowledge
and playtesting you don`t have, as well.
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Educate yourself. Do what you need to do to help
absorb maximum knowledge. Knowledge is power, and the more you have, the more
success you will have. If you gather knowledge better by reading feature
matches and articles, do it. If you gather knowledge better by watching feature
matches and duel videos, do it.
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A little bit of luck doesn`t hurt. Every game
that you topdeck Snatch Steal for the win is a victory. It may be a cheap and
undeserving victory, but it could make the difference between winning, topping
or not topping an event.
This is where I`m going to conclude this post. I`ve made my
goals crystal clear. I won`t stop until I am satisfied with my progress.
My posts will consist of deck ideas and theory, with the
occasional tournament report and alternative post here and there. I`m open to
suggestions, and criticism. Thanks for reading!
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