At the beginning of November, I attended my first “big” tournament for Magic: the Gathering. My expectations for how I well was going to do going in were not that high, but I was determined to play every round and do my best. Let me say right off the bat that I am aware that I am not the best player around. Misplays and getting my timing down are still 2 big things I need to work on. I also went in with a deck missing a much needed card due to the price of said card. With both those already against me, I still went for the experience, the practice, and the fact that my opponents could make the same mistakes I do.
One of the great things about the game is, no matter how good a player you are, a game can come down to what cards are in your deck and what you draw on your turn. You can go from being behind in the game to taking the lead with just the right draw. The “top deck” has won and lost games for people time and time again. This has become a part of the game that everyone both fears and rejoices over. I have been on the receiving end of both types more than a few times in the many years I have been playing and it can make or break a game.
So out of the 9 rounds I played, I ended up going 2-7 at the end of the day. Bad match ups, misplays on my part, and bringing a not “complete” deck all helped with my record. I also wasn’t as prepared as I thought I was for how every match went. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is getting disheartened or upset when things are going bad and letting it show. It’s going to happen at some point when the match isn’t going your way, but showing it is letting your opponent know just how bad things are going for you. It was a good experience overall for me, and one I was happy to have done. It helped prepare me for what to expect when I attend my next one, and it showed me some things I still need to work on to improve my play.
-Fluffy the Necromancer
Real Women of Gaming 