Measuring Progress in MTG, 2020 in Review

For my last post of 2020, I’d be remiss if I didn’t take some time to reflect on these past 12 months. As challenging as 2020 was at times, in many ways this was the best year of my life. Having to stay home a majority of the time gave me a great opportunity to physically, mentally and emotionally reset. I’m more focused than ever before on what I want out of my life, how I want to feel everyday, the person I want to be and the actions I need to take in order to become that person.

One of those actions was launching this website and becoming an MTG content creator. Between Twitch streamers and the major sites, there’s a universe of MTG content out there to consume, and I couldn’t be more grateful for readers like you making The Mythic Mindset a part of your content regimen. Every page visit, every like, every retweet means the world to me, so thank you. I hope that the experiences and perspectives I share on here are helping you become the best player - and the best person - you can be.

For me, one of the beauties of this site is being able to document the highs of my journey, the “lows” and everything in between. You’ll hear a lot of people say that our progress is almost never linear - it feels like it zigzags, dips and spikes. Looking back at 2020, that statement couldn’t be more true about my personal development and about my progress in MTG.

No matter where you perceive your progress to be on the vertical axis, or what that progress means to you, what matters most is that your line is always moving to the right. In other words, you’re always trying to achieve your goals, you’re adjusting your approach as needed, and you’re taking the time to periodically evaluate whether or not those goals still matter. Those are the actions that move your progress forward. You don’t stop.

Progress in MTG can be difficult to define, and it varies from player to player. Really, understanding progress is less about measuring where you are on a vertical axis, and more about building a progress profile - a compilation of all of your positive experiences and achievements, no matter how big or small they may be.

Is progress earning a certain number of Mythic Points in a year, or qualifying for a Players Tour? Is progress reaching Top 1200 or improving your win rate? Did you make day 2 of an online event or 5-0 a MTGO league? Sometimes, progress is simply playing new formats and different archetypes in order to develop your gameplay skills and overall understanding of the game. These are the types of factors that serve as the building blocks of that profile.

In fact, learning new archetypes was one of the most significant factors that I used to measure my progress in MTG this year. With the release of Theros Beyond Death I started playing Temur Reclamation and UW Control, each of which came with a significant learning curve considering that they weren’t the styles of deck I typically played. As a result, I developed my gameplay skills and became a much more well-rounded player.

Other achievements include reaching Top 1200 of Mythic in 6 out of 12 months and playing in 7 Qualifier Weekends/Mythic Point Challenges. Before in-person events ended, I also reached Top 4 of my local WPNQ Finals with Temur Rec.

And without a doubt, one of the highlights of my year was playing in a feature match at a CFB Clash.

Finally, the last notable achievement of the year is setting a new all-time high Mythic ranking. At the time of publishing, I’m at 132 with less than a minute left to go in the season, and talk about a great way to close out the year - especially after what was a difficult December.

When Progress Feels Absent

Yeah, December felt like a brutally tough month for Magic, despite what the image above shows. Aside from the last few days of the season, the ladder felt like a slogfest all month long, and online tournaments were devoid of victory for me.

After a disappointing performance at the SCG 5K Qualifier on the 13th, I started doubling down on my focus to play my very best. Doing so meant spending more time grinding matches on the ladder and paying greater attention than ever on my micro decisions.

Unfortunately though. I fell into the trap of expecting to win more as a result of my increased focus. In my effort to play better, all I did was wind up my attitude into a mass of tension, which only grew bigger the more I lost. The following Friday I played in an SCG Satellite, winning only two matches, and the next day I played in the December Arena MIQ, winning a grand total of one game in three matches.

To make matters worse, the frustration of losing caused me to forget that the act of struggling is a critical part of the growth process. Easy wins may boost your ranking or get you to the next round, but they don’t develop your skills the way that a hard-fought match does - win or lose (That said, don’t discount a win that felt easy - add it to your profile and run with the momentum).

While losing may feel bad, especially when it happens over and over again, what’s more important is showing up to play competitive tournaments, playing your best and taking note of the victories and the growth opportunities. The same goes for playing on the ladder.

If losing knocks you off track, check yourself and identify what matters to you in this game. Take some time away from the game, or do something else that you enjoy. Simply put - find a healthy and productive way to feel good and go do it.

How I turned a “miserable” month into a Top 200 Finish

My turnaround began immediately after my last loss in the December Arena MIQ, when I decided to get back to writing. I blew off some steam and talked about how patience wears thin when you give this game your all and still don’t get what you want out of it. I listed out all of the micro decisions and factors that are available for you to manage in this game, and how messing up any one of them can result in a loss.

After about 40 minutes I stopped and saved my work. I let myself have a human moment, and in doing so I realized that my focus was way off. Over the previous two weeks I made one of the worst mistakes an MTG player can possibly make - I turned my back on all of the progress I made in 2020.

I viewed that progress as a reason why I should be winning more, and I was disappointed that I wasn’t at that particular time. As mentioned earlier, that’s just not how progress works.

While it’s important not to settle on satisfaction from previous achievements, you should absolutely continue to recognize them. Remember - progress in MTG isn’t a line on a vertical axis. It’s a profile that you continue to fill with every and any achievement that matters to you.

With my renewed focus, I took the rest of the day off from Arena, went for a run and had a great Saturday night with my wife Rachel. I picked it back up on Sunday and Monday, finally reaching Mythic on the 21st. After that I took a much needed four-day break from MTG, as Rachel and I went on our annual pre-holiday trip. This year we went to Richmond, enjoyed a fun road trip and spent most of our time at a boutique hotel downtown. We reconnected, celebrated our personal achievements in 2020 and did some goal setting for the year ahead. On Christmas Eve we drove home and spent the holiday with family.

It had been so long since I took a solid multi-day break from MTG that I forgot just how refreshing these breaks really are. For four days I didn’t play a single game of MTG, I didn’t write about MTG and didn’t consume any Magic-related content. The break felt great, and it effectively positioned me to be at my very best for the final days of 2020.

The Final Grind

Refreshed, renewed and ready to rock, I eased back into the ladder on the 26th and 27th, resuming my grind with Sultai in Historic. I went up and down the 90% range, but I made sure to maintain a neutral perspective on the outcomes of my matches.

The morning of the 28th I learned that the upcoming SCG Satellite would be Standard, so I decided to switch formats for my final grind. Aside from making day 2 of a CFB Clash in November, ZNR Standard had been particularly difficult for me, but I simply wasn’t getting any more traction in Historic. As such, I decided that another format change was necessary.

With three days left in the season, I knew that time was of the essence. While Esper Doom or Mono Green Food are likely the best decks in the format, I don’t have much experience with them and I knew that I didn’t have much time to gain proficiency with them. So, I picked up my old friend Gruul. Yes, it’s the most popular deck in the format, but it’s what I’m currently most comfortable with, and I knew that it would give me my best chance of reaching Top 1200.

So on the 28th I got to it, going 10-11 and falling from 97% to 95%. Despite my renewed focus and changing formats, the struggle continued.

But, I didn’t let the losses take my focus away from what mattered most, and on the 29th I went from 95% to #369 in 11 matches. An outstanding 10-1 run, and I knew that type of streak was exactly what I’d need to finish in Top 1200.

Of course, rank decay is real, and the lower your ranking is, the less stable it is. When I woke up on the 30th my rank was #472, which isn’t the most ideal spot with 28 hours left in the season. If I decided to not play, I’d run the risk of getting knocked off of the leaderboard in the final hours. So, I decided to ride it out for a bit and jammed some Vintage Cube on MTGO. I knew that doing so would help me improve as a player, and I had a bunch of Play Points just sitting there in my account, so there was no real cost to playing. And as I learned, Vintage Cube is an absolute blast, and I look forward to jamming a few more drafts while it’s available.

By 8:00 PM my rank was #582, and I knew that all bets were off in terms of finishing in Top 1200 if I decided not to play. I also knew that the further my rank fell, the faster it would continue to fall. At that point, I realized that I had nothing to lose by playing, because I had already achieved so much over the course of the year. By the same token, I also realized that I had everything to lose by not playing, because I’d be depriving myself of an opportunity to play in mid-high Mythic.

So I reviewed my decklist one more time and clicked PLAY. Within seconds I was paired against #74 - and it turned out to be the mirror match.

This match played out the way most mirror matches do - one player draws better than the other. And in the Gruul mirrors, when there’s a hint of your opponent’s blood in the water, you go for more. That’s precisely what I did in game 1, establishing a fast board state with Lovestruck Beast and one of my three copies of The Great Henge, finishing with Embercleave.

In G2 my first 7 was relatively slow, with two Kazandu Mammoth, two Great Henge and three lands. I shipped it back in hopes of getting a hand with more removal, and my hopes were fulfilled. My opponent had a slow start, and I immediately killed a turn 3 Edgewall Innkeeper. I followed up with a Lovestruck Beast, which my opponent stole with The Akroan War. Fortunately, I had my own copy in hand, and I decided to use it immediately so that I could play The Great Henge on the following turn and open up the game from there. My plan worked out perfectly, resulting in a 2-0 win and rank #133 on the Mythic leaderboard. A new achievement reached. Season over.

End Step

Had that match not ended favorably for me and had I not finished December in Top 1200, I’d still be in the same place I am now - and that’s what I realized before playing my last match. I still have yet to play in a Mythic Championship, and I knew that going through the struggle of trying to reach Top 1200 can help me get there.

More importantly, I knew that it was a great year for me in MTG, and I wouldn’t have had the experiences I did in 2020 if I didn’t improve as a player along the way. Not reaching Top 1200 wouldn’t have taken that progress away, so I knew that in the grand scheme of things I had nothing to lose by playing. Either way, I’m glad I did, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the experiences I had in MTG this year. They wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t chosen to become a better player everyday.

Before you shift into 2021, make sure you’re reflecting upon everything you achieved in 2020 - both in and outside of MTG. It was a brutally difficult year for so many of us, but I guarantee that you have some significant victories from the past 12 months that are worth celebrating. Leverage the forward momentum those achievements provide, and keep building your progress profile in the year ahead.

Make 2021 yours.

Thanks for reading.