I lost.
I went to a FNM draft and performed poorly. I drafted a Lorehold deck that seemed quite aggressive to me on the first pass through.
I lost.
I went to work on a Friday morning and was laid off. The company was small and new, recovering from a Chapter 11 bankruptcy. I was early in my career (and still am) also trying to recover from a lay off.
I could relate to the idea of punching up and making a space in the world for one’s self. I can understand that sometimes you don’t meet the mark. You lose.
Back to back, in the same day, I lost in my MtG career and my professional career.
I had not drafted a Lorehold deck and looking at the card spoilers for Secrets of Strixhaven, I admit that I thought of it as a weaker archetype. If there is something strong there, it does not resonate with me.
I think it is instinctual after losses to blame a hundred things.
My opponents opened better cards.
I did not draw the right cards when I needed them.
If the executive team had invested more money into this sector of the organization, our positions would not have been eliminated.
None of those things are under my control.
So instead, I am going to focus on the things that I can control.
I drafted Aziza, Mage Tower Captain. I thought the effect was fun and I rationalized to myself that it could be a powerful effect in Limited even with the set up required. It ended up performing poorly as I either could not set up its effect or when I did it was just a “win more” card.
I envisioned my deck as an aggro deck that would take my opponent to zero before they had a chance to start playing. The deck did not have enough low curve threats and was just too slow to get me to a win.
I figured the deck would be a fast and all in. Following this line of thinking, I did not draft enough removal. This was a poor choice as without the speed to beat my opponent, once they stabilized I had no way to overcome their threats.
Looking back, I passed some cards that perhaps would have been faster for my game plan. I was distracted looking for Lorehold graveyard synergies and resulted with a deck that was detached from my game plan.
Here are my lessons learned from
that reflection.
1. Stick to the plan before games even
start. There were cards in my sideboard that would have been better
for my aggro plan that did lead to some better results when I
switched them in. I did not initially include them because I went for
slower, “synergistic” cards.
2. Removal is always important. I undervalued it and ended up facing an insurmountable wall when my opponents stabilized. I should have also kept in mind that there is a life gain archetype in this Limited environment as well and planned accordingly. Maybe the deck should have been taken to a midrange game plan.
3. Every couple of months, make sure my resume is brushed up.
I performed poorly but I am happy I went to draft. It helped me re-frame a difficult day.
Losing matches reminded me to take the lessons that I learn from my experiences and apply them to the future.
In the meantime, I continue to apply for jobs; draft Magic; and spend time with my loved ones.
Excited to see where things go,
vilestplume
