How I Won a Pioneer RCQ

Sometimes in life, you just know it.

Sometimes you just know that there’s something really, really good that’s waiting for you ahead. And as many players can attest, with some tournaments you just have this finnicky, buzzing feeling that there’s gonna be a great outcome.

During the week leading up to the July 16th Pioneer RCQ - what would be my first in-person competitive event in almost 2.5 years - no matter what I did to fight the thoughts, I simply could not get rid of the feeling that I was going to win this tournament. And I can’t explain why I was so dead set certain that I was going to win. I just knew it.

By contrast, one of my most important principles is to never approach a tournament expecting a certain outcome. Seems like a pro way to think, right?

Rather, I play in tournaments to have the opportunity to play good Magic against good players, with hopes of one day playing against the very best. I play in tournaments aiming to learn something that helps me improve as a player. I play in tournaments intending to execute lines of play that will demonstrate my growth as a player. If you’re going to approach a tournament with expectations, then these are fairly reasonable ones to have.

Well, I tried to fill my mind with these more reasonable aspirations and fight the unreasonable expectation that I just. couldn’t. shake. I could literally feel the sparks circuiting through my brain two days before the tournament, shocking every notion of practicality I tried to entertain. Driving out of my neighborhood the morning of, I told myself, “this tournament is practice. Sheerin, the goal of this tournament is to prepare for other RCQs ahead and get in some valuable in-person reps.”

What I wanted most was to be able to come away from the event knowing I played my best, and knowing that I didn’t make the type of egregious errors that keep players from reaching higher levels of play.

Needless to say, mission accomplished. I rebounded from a disastrous round 1 and fought through 4 more tough rounds of swiss to reach top 8. I played clean games, reinforced previous lessons and executed strong lines of play. I did that all while fulfilling my lofty, impractical expectation. I got my invite for the Pro Tour Qualifier at Dreamhack Atlanta in November.

Now, how I earned the invite is a story worth telling. The swiss portion was super exciting. Top 8 was interesting, unexpected, and somewhat underwhelming. And what transpired between my last post and this one definitely played a considerable factor in the outcome of the tournament. I’ll talk about that period in another post though, because the growth I experienced during that time propelled me to begin growing again as a player.

In this post I’ll summarize the few weeks leading up to the tournament, and the actual matches. Let’s dig in.

Get back

In early June I went through one of the most difficult times of my life, when my wife and I had to say goodbye to our 13 year old pup Bricks. I won’t get into details here, but needless to say the grief was absolutely mind shattering, and still remains to be brutally difficult. Later that week I pulled myself together enough to fire up Arena and play some matches to help distract my mind from the silence in the house. I needed to fill the void in my nights when I would normally pound the pavement through the neighborhood with my boy.

I sluggishly climbed back onto the ladder with a deck I played exclusively that spring - Explorer Rakdos Midrange. The deck does everything I want to be doing in Magic - activating planeswalkers, turning creatures sideways, having a flexible sideboard plan, and most importantly, crushing control. The deck had proved to be impossible to put down for several weeks.

Throughout March and April I started picking up the remaining pieces I needed to build the deck in Pioneer, as I planned on running it as my de facto deck for RCQ season and for my return to paper Magic. The last in-person tournament I played was in February 2020.

Without many in-person Pioneer events close to me where I could practice the deck, I signed up for the Cardhoarder rental program at the beginning of July so I could jam leagues on MTGO and get a better sense of the Pioneer meta. I even played some Mono Green Devotion, but ultimately thought it was too fragile and unable to play from behind.

With Rakdos I was able to pull out a handful of 3-2s, a 4-1 and a couple forgettable leagues, but no trophies. Still, I was able to learn the nuances of the Pioneer version, which was the ultimate goal of the leagues.

Pre-tournament prep (and casual fun) at the LGS

The Tuesday leading up to the tournament I went to my favorite LGS, Get Some Game for Tuesday night Pioneer so that I could get in some in-person reps. Unfortunately, there was only me and one other player, so we shuffled up and got to it. My opponent opened with a Haunted Ridge on Turn 1, and I followed up with a Turn 1 Thoughtseize, confirming I was in a mirror match. I was definitely excited about this, because I had struggled in the mirror and knew I needed some work in the matchup.

After taking Game 1, I lost game 2, getting stuck on 5 mana for most of the game with a Chandra, Awakened Inferno in hand. When I was finally able to cast her, I was at 6 life and had to use her -3 ability to wipe the board. I had to do so, even though I knew that my opponent could activate Den of the Bugbear and kill her on the next turn.

I had boarded in Chandra to test some sideboarding configurations, and through this experience learned that she’s a bit expensive and may not be optimal for this matchup. I decided I’d test her a bit more in the mirror that week.

I took game 3 fairly handily. My T1 TS revealed that my opponent kept a hand with 3 Go Blank. Rather than take any Go Blank, I chose his sole Bonecrusher Giant, leaving him with three Go Blank and 3 lands, which kept him fairly inactive in the most critical turns of the game.

After our match I played someone who had just showed up. He was mostly a Modern and Legacy player, but he had the Mono Red challenger deck on hand. My opponent flooded out in Game 1, but was able to get me down to 4 life in Game 2. I was finally able to resolve a Graveyard Trespasser and start exiling all the creatures I killed throughout the game, and my opponent ran out of gas.

After I took that match 2-0 my opponent asked if I wanted to play some Legacy, though I previously explained that I don’t actually own a Legacy deck yet. He pulled out Rainbow Depths and Mono Black Dark Depths, and I thought to myself, “well, when you’re at someone’s house and they offer you a fine bourbon, you always partake.”

Even though I rarely play Legacy, this was definitely an unexpected treat and an opportunity to experience the game from a totally different perspective. I was a bit too conservative with my Wasteland in Game 1 and my opponent had a nut draw, creating Marit Lage by Turn 2. In game 2 I was able to Thoughtseize away my opponent’s Not of this World, since I had a Swords to Plowshares in hand to address his Marit Lage. Talking through it, my opponent and I confirmed that was the correct line of play, but I ultimately flooded out in Game 2 and lost that as well.

Still, it simply felt great to do something totally different in the game and have fun doing it, especially ahead of a tournament.

Saturday, July 16th: Tournament Day

I made the 35 minute drive down the highway to G2K Games, a store I had never played at but used to go to for singles pretty often on my lunch break while at my former job. I didn’t know anyone who played there, but I always really liked the staff there and their inventory is super strong.

I was happy to see G2K finally have an opportunity to host a competitive tournament, and when their chance came, they definitely did it right. Located in a mall, they had access to a vacant store across from their storefront, with enough tables to comfortably sit at least 60-70 players. Only 34 showed up for this RCQ, so reaching top 8 would be all the more challenging since there would only be 5 rounds of Swiss.

Here’s the list I registered:

I knew the list wasn’t optimal, as I wasn’t able to find 2nd or 3rd copies of Go Blank. The maindeck was exactly how I wanted it though. Goblin Dark-Dwellers plays tremendously in this list. Most lists out there play it in the sideboard, but there are few, if any matchups that it’s not optimal in. I couldn’t find a copy of Bloodchief’s Thirst in time for the tournament, so I played a single Strangle, which worked pretty well.

Here’s how the tournament played out.

Round 1: Esper Control

The biggest weakness of Rakdos Midrange lies in its design. The deck has roughly 12 three-drops, all of which are essential to the deck, but it only runs 24 lands. I’ve tried 25 lands multiple times, and the deck floods out far too much. As a result, the deck often loses to itself due to getting mana screwed.

My very first hand of the day had only one land. This was after extensive shuffling and pile shuffling between deck registration and this match. I chose to mulligan, and my opponent kept 7. I drew a fresh 7, and same thing - one land. I shuffle and repeat. Same thing yet again - one land. I decided to keep, but didn’t draw a second land until after my opponent had a Teferi on the battlefield and a Memory Deluge in the graveyard. Rather than reveal more information and play that second land, I decided to scoop and go to game 2.

In game 2 I hit my land drops, but wasn’t able to develop the game quickly enough. I played multiple Graveyard Trespassers, but my opponent was able to resolve a Supreme Verdict and The Wandering Emperor before I could close the game. Loss, 0-2.

Round 2: Mono Blue Spirits

I sat down at the very last table excited to rebound. I had been in this position countless times before and successfully rebounded, including winning 4 straight matches at a GP in 2018 to make Day 2.

My opponent was young - probably still in high school. He talked a lot and didn’t appear to have much experience playing in a competitive REL event.

In game 1 I drew ample removal and was able to keep my opponent’s board empty. My opponent often chose to activate Spectral Sailor on his turn, which clued me into the fact that I wasn’t matched against a very experienced player. Combined with all of the removal I resolved, I eventually escaped a Kroxa and cruised to an easy win.

We sideboarded and shuffled up for game 2. After presenting decks, my opponent pulled a generous handful of cards off of the top.

Years ago when I decided to start playing competitive Magic, I’ll never forget one of my friends tell me that you need to watch every move your opponents make, especially how they deal cards to themselves. Since then, I made it a habit to constantly keep my eyes on my opponents’ hands, especially when they draw their openers.

I didn’t have a good feeling about what my opponent took off of the top of their deck. After years of tournament play, you get to know what 7 cards looks like. As my opponent surveyed his cards, I asked, “how many cards you have in hand?”

“Uh, wait, what?” he asked.

“How many cards are in your hand,” I repeated. He counted his cards - and what do you know - he drew eight.

I immediately called a judge and explained that if it was FNM or a casual tournament I’d tell him to shuffle up and draw 7, but since it was competitive REL, I was obligated to call the judge. He received a game warning and was visibly flustered.

Unfortunately, mana problems surfaced again. I was stuck on 2 lands for most of the game, and by the time I drew my third, my opponent was too far ahead in life and had enough countermagic to protect his threats.

In game 3 I mulled to 6, but the hand was optimal. Two lands, more removal and a Kroxa. My opponent discarded a Snow-Covered Island to Kroxa, taking three damage. On my following turn I resolved a Go Blank. My opponent read the card, looked at his three cards in hand, hesitated, and finally discarded.

“Can I see what you discarded?” I asked.

My opponent showed me the Essence Capture on top of his graveyard.

“No, you need to discard two.”

“Yeah, I discarded the land too,” he said, pointing at the Snow-Covered Island he previously discarded to Kroxa (that was the only Snow-Covered Island in his graveyard).

After explaining that he pitched it to Kroxa the previous turn, my opponent huffed and discarded another card. As I did in Game 1, I eventually escaped Kroxa, and paired with Bonecrusher Giant and Bloodtithe Harvester, sailed to a match win. Win, 2-1.

Round 3: Rakdos Midrange

You always tend to keep an eye out for potential mirrors, and for round three I was paired against someone who I overheard casting Bloodtithe Harvester and Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet in the previous rounds.

In Game 1 my opponent suffered from the Rakdos condition and was stuck on two lands for most of the game. I picked apart his hand, resolved creatures and turned them sideways to land a relieving win. Game 2 was more like the mirror match I anticipated. Lots of back and forth, each of us killing each other’s Chandra, Torch of Defiance. In the Rakdos mirror though, the player who lands more Fable of the Mirror-Breaker and Graveyard Trespasser normally wins, and that player was me in Game 2. Though my opponent did play a late Kalitas, I cast a Bloodtithe Harvester the following turn and copied it with the Mirror-Breaker, enabling me to promptly take out his Kalitas. Win, 2-0.

Round 4: UW Monument

Two straight wins pulled me up to higher tables and paired me against better players. I sat down across from a pretty approachable guy, and we talked a good bit as we shuffled. After checking decks, my opponent dealt himself by placing each card face down on the table one at a time. He picked each card up one at a time, counting as he does. As always, I count my opponents’ cards with them, and I watch him count to seven, with one card remaining on the table. He began to pick it up, though he didn’t see it, and I immediately told him to hold up.

“I didn’t see it and this was the last card off of the top,” he said. I thought about calling a judge, but wasn’t certain that this warranted a judge call, since he hadn’t seen the card and I stopped him before he put it into his hand. He put the card back on top of his deck and we progressed into Game 1.

After I mulled to 6, a t2 TS revealed Cloudblazer, two Oketra’s Monument and lands. I mistakenly chose the Cloudblazer, when really, I should have chosen a Monument. Though I started to pull ahead in Game 1, my opponent eventually resolved a Monument. Combined with the likes of Charming Prince and Militia Bugler, my opponent was able to keep his hand stocked and his board wide, before going over the top with a kicked Intrepid Adversary.

Kudos to my opponent for spiking the tournament with a really uncommon archetype. As a result, I had to work from intuition against aggro decks and my memory of how UW Monument functions. Really, it’s more of an aggro/midrange hybrid that can outgrind almost any deck.

Game 1 ate up nearly half of the time in the round. For game 2 I boarded in ample removal, including board wipes in Ritual of Soot and Chandra, Awakened Inferno. Torch of Defiance came out here because it’s more difficult to protect and isn’t very impactful in this matchup. Ritual is a bit of a non-bo with all of the three drops in this deck, so timing is obviously everything. I drew well in game 2 and ground my opponent to dust with plenty of removal.

We went into game 3 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the round. My opponent mulled to 6, and I kept a fairly slow hand, but with enough removal to get me by and a Ritual of Soot to back me up in case his board ever got out of hand.

This game drew on for some time. My opponent was able to build a fairly imposing board state, but I had what I needed to address it, along with a late Graveyard Trespasser to swing the pendulum back in my favor. I eventually resolved a Chandra, Awakened Inferno on an empty board, immediately pluss-ing her. My opponent resolved an Oketra’s Monument and cast more creatures, but my spot removal along the way and a Chandra -3 helped me stay above 10 life while keeping Chandra intact.

We eventually hit time in the round, but meanwhile, Chandra emblems were adding up on my opponent and bringing me closer to victory. On turn 4 of extra turns, my opponent passed with two warrior tokens and an Intrepid Adversary with two +1/+1 counters. He was at four life.

I moved into the final turn of the match with Chandra at 4 loyalty and 8 lands, one of which was Den of the Bugbear. We had a crowd around our table, including both judges to ensure that the game was moving along. Perhaps it was me losing some mental stamina, but for some reason, I kept thinking that the Intrepid Adversary was a 6/4, which would keep me from winning with Chandra’s -3.

I took about three minutes to consider all of my options, but was just stumped. “Ugh, why does this Adversary have to be 4 toughness,” I thought to myself.

“I will ask you to make a play please,” the judge said.

“Call it a draw?” my opponent asks.

I decided to -4 Chandra to exile the Adversary, though I know doing so will end the match in a draw. As I reached for the dice on Chandra, I looked one last time at the Adversary and the two counters on it.

“Wait, Adversary’s a 5/3,” I said out loud. I turned the dice on Chandra from 4 to 1, clearing my opponent’s creatures. I activated Bugbear, turning it sideways and triggering its attack ability. Win, 2-1.

In-person play definitely taxes your ability to make decisions, but ultimately, I realize that I can’t expect to succeed at a high level if I’m having that much trouble assessing a board state. The reality is that I almost made an absolutely egregious error, but fortunately I’m not having to learn the hard way from it. I am happy that I took the time I needed to survey my options again and again though.

Round 5: Rakdos Midrange

Going into this round I was right at 8th, so it was virtually a win-and-in scenario for me. My opponent asked if I would intentionally draw, but I explained that I had to play it since I was in 8th. And so, I won the die roll, and off we went. I played a turn 1 Thoughtseize, and my opponent revealed the mirror match. As one does in a Rakdos Mirror, I chose his Graveyard Trespasser.

Game 1 was the ultimate midrange mirror match. We demolished each other’s hands with Thoughtseize and Kroxa and killed each other’s Chandras. At different points we both went through the feel-bads of killing each other’s Graveyard Tresspassers, and it wasn’t until I top-decked another Chandra that I was able to get in the last two damage to win an exhilirating Game 1.

Game 2 wasn’t nearly as exciting. My opponent was stuck on 3 lands for most of the game, and I hit all of my land drops and enough removal to keep my opponent’s board clear. Win, 2-0

I hate to see someone else get hit with the curse of Rakdos mana screw, but I was stoked to have not only pulled off an win-and-in for top 8, but to have won four straight rounds of swiss after a rough round 1. And to have achieved all of this on my first competitive event in more than two years.

Even though this was just an RCQ, I couldn’t help but feel incredibly proud when I heard my name announced for Top 8. Though this wasn’t my first time reaching top 8 of an event at this level, I always missed the top 8 announcement, so this was definitely a special moment.

Yours truly, third from the left. Photo courtesy of G2K Games. https://www.facebook.com/g2kgamesrockhillgalleria

Quarterfinals: Mono Red Aggro

I was seeded 4th, which meant that I automatically won the die roll and had the choice to play first or draw first. My opponent was the gentleman standing to my right in the photo above,

Prior to this match, the judge announced that there would be a vote among the top 8 players as to whether or not we would split the prize money among all top 8 players. The vote had to be unanimous. Considering that a Top 8 split would only guarantee everyone $50, I voted against it.

My opponent and I talked a good bit as we shuffled. He made the drive up from Georgia with a few friends. I was simply excited to be in Top 8. After drawing 7, my opponent changed, which is understandable. He was the type to engage in a lot of light smack talk. And I mean A LOT. It was actually pretty constant.

In years prior, my opponent’s banter likely would have made its way under my skin. Not this time though. Instead, I chose to relish in the fact that my opponent was attacking with a Fanatical Firebrand, which meant that I had a pretty favorable quarterfinals matchup: Mono Red.

Instead of getting annoyed with my opponent’s commentary on literally every single play I made, I decided to focus on the most optimal ways to play through and around his Eidolon of the Great Revel (which remains to be an absolute house). I eventually stabilized at 7 life but found my opponent with no cards in and two Thoughtseize in mine. We each tiptoed through a board stall until my opponent drew an Embercleave for fatal damage. My removal was very hard to come by in this game.

Game 2 nearly went my opponent’s way as well. He started very fast, but I drew enough copies of Stomp and Dreadbore. I used a Cut to kill his Bonecrusher Giant, but I was ok with taking the damage since I was backed by a Kalitas to ensure that I wouldn’t lose. My opponent eventually conceded in favor of taking his chances in Game 3.

In game 3 my opponent started quickly again, but I was able to kill enough things and escape a Kroxa. However, my opponent also drew a ton of removal, and he forced me into a blocking scenario in which I had to block with Kroxa. A Wizard’s Lightning took away my Kroxa, and my opponent expressed his extreme pleasure with this result for no less than 3 minutes, talking about all of the removal he had handy.

Meanwhile, I was ultimately ok with the block, because I knew I had the second Kroxa in hand, along with a Fatal Push. My opponent passed the turn with one card in hand. I untapped and asked, “One card in hand?” My opponent nodded, and down came the second Kroxa, forcing a Hazoret, the Fervent into the graveyard.

The following turn my opponent resolved a Anax, Hardened in the Forge and passed the turn. I looked at my Fatal Push and thought, “Ok, this doesn’t feel great, but it can answer Anax. I untapped, drew for turn, and upon seeing what I drew, I gave back to my opponent just a bit of the grating commentary he spewed all game. I looked at the copy of Lava Coil I just drew, then looked at my opponent and said “this is fu***ng gas.” I proceeded to cleanly answer his Anax with top-decked, sweet-as-oxygen goodness.

After I resolved Kalitas the following turn against an empty board, my opponent smiled and reached out his hand like a sportsman. Win, 2-1

Semi-finals: Rakdos Midrange

Well folks, here’s where the story gets interesting - and underwhelming. I sat down across from my Round 5 opponent and mentally prepared myself for what I thought would be a brutal mirror match. Once again, the judge announced that there would be a vote - this time, to split the remaining prize money among the Top 4 participants. If the vote would be unanimously in favor, then we each would walk away with $200 cash, regardless of the outcomes of our matches.

I thought that this was a pretty good deal, so I voted in favor of the split. When the judge announced that the vote was unanimous, my opponent stood up, reached out his hand and said “good game.” Apparently he was ok with the split, and as it would turn out, he would make the finals of another local RCQ two weeks later. Technically a win.

Time to spectate, reflect, and think.

I had a lot of time to kill, so I watched the other semi-finals match, which was between Abzan Humans and Bant Spirits. Both players executed their plays quietly, smoothly and with a ton of deliberation. Collected Company mirror matches are very tricky to navigate, and really, playing against any tempo deck like Bant Spirits or Mono Blue Aggro is extremely exhausting. But even more so, playing with a tempo deck is very mentally taxing. The Bant player wore the furrowed brow fatigue of someone who had played a tempo deck for several hours.

As I watched both players jockey for advantage, I naturally assessed how I would matchup against both decks. I was confident I could beat either deck, and knew it was possible for either player to beat me. I felt slightly better about the prospect of playing against a humans deck, considering all of the removal in my 75, but I knew that I had plenty of tools (and a ton of familiarity) in order to navigate my way to a match win against Bant. I still remember jamming tons of UW Spirits in Kaladesh standard, and going to FNM each week with a new flavor of UW midrange or tempo featuring one of my all time favorite cards - Spell Queller.

I also knew that a slow start or stumbling on land drops against either deck would be fatal to my win chances. That’s just how the game goes. I then began to entertain another possibility - something I was historically conflicted about. Something that contradicted some of my values as a player, but might also be a smart thing to do, considering the variance of the game. I began considering offering my opponent to-be a prize split, in which I would get the invite.

My history with prize concessions is this. In 2018, I played in a similar sized PPTQ, played out of my mind to reach the finals, and then accepted my opponent’s offer to give me the RPTQ invite and some of the prize credit in exchange for a bulk of the prize pool.

After that event, I was thrilled with the day that I had, but I swore that I would never accept an invite in that fashion ever again. I told myself that I didn’t earn the win, and that if I wanted to reach the highest levels of play, I would need to be able to win finals matches.

Later that year, I found myself back in another PPTQ finals. The judge approached my opponent and I, telling us that we could split the prizes. My opponent seemed eager to take a prize split, which would give him a box of Masters 25 and give me the invite and some credit. Considering the promise I made to myself earlier that year though, I told my opponent that I’d prefer to play, We proceeded to play out the match, which I ultimately lost 1-2.

I drove more than two hours each way for that tournament, and I kicked myself the whole way home for not accepting the offer. The reality is that I probably should have been looking at some of the decisions I made during the match, and how they might have caused the end result. I wanted so badly to be driving home with the feeling of victory and another opportunity to play for a Pro Tour invite. I remember talking to a friend of mine about this experience and how I was so conflicted between whether or not I should have taken the concession. His stance is that it doesn’t matter how you get the invite, but he understands why someone would be motivated to play it out and earn the invite through a victory in the finals.

Four years later, I found myself facing the same decision. As I stood in what was once a sneaker store and watched my potential opponents duel it out, I reflected on those tough moments from 2018. I also reflected on everything that had transpired since then - including how much I grew as a player in that time. I thought about the GP Day 2’s I reached, making top 4 of a WPN PTQ and winning a feature match for a CFB event, among countless other smaller achievements that demonstrated my vast improvement as a player. Including winning five straight matches that day.

Finally, I thought about my growth as a human. My ability to focus on what matters the most and choose optimism over pessimism. My ability to believe that all people are good, mean well and go through their own unique struggles. My ability to believe in my abilities, and how I can recognize the things I can control and what I cannot control.

As the Abzan player reached out his hand and conceded to the Spirits player after a grueling Game 3, my mind was made up.

The Finals: Bant Spirits

As my opponent made his way to the restroom, I sat down at the table and asked the judge to refresh my memory on how to go about offering a prize split without getting either of us disqualified. Even after what had transpired at PPTQs in 2018, and despite my ongoing internal conflict with finals concessions, I felt the urge to offer my opponent a prize split.

My rationale to do so goes as follows:

1) I was very pleased with my gameplay throughout that day, and I was very proud of my performance that day overall. Reaching Top 8 in my first in-person competitive event in more than two years, and the fashion I did it in - winning four straight matches after losing the first one - had me on cloud nine. Simply put, this day was already a win.

2) I was very confident in my ability to win. As such, I’d be more than ok to play if my opponent turned down the offer.

3) I’ve played and watched a LOT of Magic since 2018. I know that even for the best players in the world, no match is a guaranteed victory, but the possibility of variance is guaranteed.

4) I knew that at this level of play, prize-splitting in the Finals for an invite isn’t uncommon - or unreasonable.

5) I knew that in Magic, choosing “the hard way” doesn’t necessarily earn you recognition - or results.

6) What mattered the most to me at that point wasn’t winning or losing that match, but rather, reaching the next stage to give myself a shot at what really matters to me: to play at a Pro Tour.

My opponent sat down across from me, we greeted each other and I made my offer: $100 and the Dreamhack invite to me, $300 to my opponent.

As my opponent looked towards the ceiling and thoroughly considered the offer, I couldn’t help but simultaneously revel in the excitement of playing in the finals. I actually made it this far again.

After about a minute of silence, my opponent looked at me. “Let’s play,” he said.

I smiled and nodded. “Awesome, let’s do it.”

Left: My opponent, Robert Gathings; Right: Yours truly; Bottom: Judge Mark. Photo courtesy of G2K Games - Rock Hill.

Though my opponent didn’t take the offer, I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest bit. I was pumped to have this chance to play in the finals, and potentially win the whole thing through one last hard fought match of Magic. Through growth as a player and as a person, I earned this right to sit at the finals table and face another very good player. My intention was to do the best I could to play the best I could. And if the match didn’t end in my favor, I’d still take home more winnings than I’d ever earned in a single tournament. A pretty good outcome either way.

Then just as we began to shuffle, my opponent Robert asked the judge if he could ask me what deck I’m playing so that he could assess the matchup and reconsider the offer.

“Well, that’s up to your opponent,” the judge explained to him. “But they have the right to not tell you.”

I was surprised, but I tend to be pretty agreeable. “That’s fine,” I said. “I’m on Rakdos Midrange.”

My opponent began to vocalize some of his internal dialogue, explaining that he wasn’t sure if he would have the time off to make the trip to Atlanta in November. We both agreed that the matchup was relatively even and could go either way, and he asked if I was certain that I would be going to Atlanta if I won the match. I confirmed that was my intention.

Robert reached out his hand and we shook in agreement. The invite to Atlanta was mine.

My opponent and I talked a good bit after the match, discussing potential gameplay scenarios and how evenly the match tends to play out when both players draw the pieces they need. It was all speculation though. We agreed to stay in touch if one of us was in the other’s area.

I sat down in my hot car and called my wife to tell her the news of my successful day. I blasted the stereo and cruised down the highway, periodically shaking my fist in celebration of the victorious day I just had.

Then, an ice cold thought brought me back to reality: what did I just do? And why?

After almost four years of awareness of this concession conflict, I once again accepted an invite through concession. I had a chance to finally win an event through games of Magic, and I turned it down in favor of the easy way. I won the invite to Atlanta, but did I earn the right to play there?

It’s a personal question that requires a personal answer, which varies based on what we value and what we attribute meaning to. If you value always doing things by the books and following traditional methods, then winning an invite through prize splitting probably deviates from those values. If you value competition, precise execution and clean gameplay, then winning an invite through prize splitting goes against those values as well. These things tend to be my values.

But what if I lose the finals - does that mean that I’m not good enough to play at the next level, and conversely, if I win, does that mean I truly am good enough at this game to play at the next level?

Based on my years of playing Magic competitively, the answer to all of these questions is no. Magic is different from football, basketball and professional MMA (a nod to Robert) in that it comes with a huge degree of variance that plays a significant factor in the outcome of a match. No matter how good you are, the way a game plays out first depends upon the cards you draw, and the cards you don’t draw. All of your practice and preparation can mean nothing if you draw poorly.

If the finals were to play out how my first match of the day did, I’d probably be kicking myself for not offering the prize split. If we played the finals, and I won as a result of my opponent being mana screwed in game 3, that certainly wouldn’t have been an indication that I was good enough to play at the next level. These are all possibilities, but instead of taking my chances at achieving the perfect win, I seized the rare opportunity to play at a higher level.

Because playing at the next level and experiencing the growth that comes with it means more than winning another match of Magic.

From here, my next steps are prepping for Atlanta, which is already only about 6 weeks away. And I couldn’t be more excited for the chance to play at the next level.

Thank you so much for reading. I hope that this article helped you learn new insights for developing as a player.

Dedicated in loving memory of Bricks, 2008-2022. Thanks for teaching me to always focus on what matters the most.