MTG is a game of variance. Certain situations happen which may seem rare and can cost games. How we handle this variance in magic and more importantly in life is a lifelong skill.
Bad and disappointing things happen and will continue to happen in life. You can’t win at everything. Anyone who has played competitive sports knows how hard athletes work. MTG is similar. Variance occurs. You will not always draw that explosive hand. You’ll go on streaks where you’ll feel unbeatable and others where you’ll just be beaten.
How do we handle this with a game (MTG) we enjoy?
- We walk away (take a break) from the situation. (This could mean taking a break from a game or skipping a FNM once in a while.) Too much of any one thing can make a good thing, bad.
- We practice taking bad losses in stride. This could mean smiling after we lose, or simply not letting a loss impact our positive attitude. Usually an opponent is more receptive to telling us where we may have gone wrong (if we are upbeat after a match)
- Remember we all make mistakes at some point and nobody is perfect. The people who learn from their mistakes the quickest are usually the best performers.
I make mistakes and need to remind myself of these three things as well!