The Flip Side

So the corollary to my last post is this: you are also human.

And this means that you'll make mistakes, and second guess yourself, and play too cautiously.

What's the solution?

Relax, mainly.

This isn't necessarily easy, but the ability to chill out and just play your game can be invaluable when it comes down to tourney time. How?

Knowing that your opponent is probably having the same issues helps; the monster's never as scary when you know that it's also afraid of you.

Jeremiah already touched on a couple of other things that can help you chill: healthy food, hydration, and prepartion. Feed your body and your brain, and make sure that you are armed with a tuned, familiar deck and have some solid ideas about what to expect in the metagame. No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy, but you'll be much better prepared to improvise if you start from a solid foundation.

The really difficult part is setting aside your ego. Because the stakes are too high, if your ego is involved in the outcome of the game.

I'm tempted to say "set aside your ego because it is, after all, just a game," but ego sidelining is a good idea regardless of the "seriousness" of the pursuit in question. Don't build your idea of self worth upon your victories and triumphs; that's far too fragile a foundation for something so important. There is always going to be somebody better, faster, smarter, or just plain luckier than you. And you're going to have to deal. And relax. And play your game.

It'll be interesting, to see how well I follow my own advice, at KublaCon this weekend ...

~ PeteVG
A Rogue Elf