I'm pretty enthusiastic about the game, and it doesn't matter to me if I'm winning or losing.
When I lose, I just say something like,"awww man." Then I usually joke about a stupid play I could've done that would've made no difference to the outcome (e.g. Hymn to Tourach myself). Afterwards, I would laugh/smile and extend my hand for a handshake.
You can't possibly win them all in a game like Magic, so there isn't a point for me to get upset.
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Why are there so many mirrors at the gym?
I already know what I look like. That's why I'm there.
If the game is close, or dynamic, I love it...win or lose, it's an experience I love. So I can take the loss very well, as it was fun in the meantime.
However, I freely admit, if I get screwed out (Mana screw, mana flood, etc) or otherwise feel like I'm not really playing the damn game, I can get a little sullen.
All in all however, I am far and away from being a sore loser, so...yeah.
If it is in one-on-one, competetive, I evaluate my deck and my play. Did I do well? Did I get mana screw? Can I do something different? Was there something I did not have an answer for? Do I need to change the deck to include the answer?
If it is one-on-one casual, my response depends on which of my decks it was. I know some of my decks are crap decks, and I pull them out on purpose to sometimes give the other players a chance. In casual, it doesn't do good to win all the time.
In grand melee, I don't mind winning. Hell, I don't mind being the first one targeted. I take it as a compliment that everyone considers me the one they need to get rid of first. If it is the same thing, game after game after game, I get a bit frustrated. That is when I pull out my Kaldrageddon deck, blow everything up but get to keep my stuff, and let them know what it is like to be picked on. And then I put it away and play a few more games, usually losing them all. But my point gets across.
Sometimes, the casual grand melee games aren't about who is the best player, they are more about who is the quietest or the one who can convince the others that someone else is the threat.
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Currently playing:
Standard: WBRG Aggro-Reanimator Humans GRBW
Modern: UR Twinning RU G Venus Fly Trap G U Artifacts Aggro U
I believe there is a difference between winning and beating. You can win the lottery but you can't beat it (Legally). Likewise, you can win a game, but you can't beat it (Legally). You can, however, beat an opponent. No matter the outcome of a game that was won someone did win it. The question is whether or not someone was beaten.
If I lose a game where I wasn't beaten, then I'm usually upset at the outcome. If I pay to enter a tournament then I hope to eliminate as much randomness from the game as possible, but it still happens. I draw lands when my opponent is on all spells, my opponent misplays constantly but still comes out ahead for whatever reason, etc. I would be upset at these losses. If I'm beaten, which is to say outplayed, then I'm humbled at the loss. I have no problem losing when I'm beaten.
TL;DR: I'm upset when I lose to randomness, but I accept it when I'm beaten.
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Oh, what's that you say, Karn? You remove poison counters? You should tell that to Mr. Rosewater.
I blow up and throw my cards at my opponent and just rage! I have been known to sock someone randomly on my way out, or pull out a knife and stab random products. I want to be known as someone who raged in style!
No, I usually say good game and shake their hand. I know I'm not very good in public matches, so I brush it all off to learning and keep trekking. I see if there is more time for anther game and dual another one. Even at the $30 Legacy tournament after Christmas was pretty easy going for me, even if it was competitive. I had fun and learned and that was all that counted for me.
Last night's FNM I went 2-1-1 and finished 9th out of 31 players, just missing top 8 again. I know a lot of players who would be totally bummed out over this but the way I look at it, I won 2 matches and drew a third, OR, I only lost 1 match all night.
I always try to take away whatever positives I can out of a night. I've missed so many top 8s just like that, that if it bothered me, I'd probably have quit playing by now.
All 4 matches went down to a 3rd game. Every match was a battle. That's what makes Magic fun. Not so much winning or losing. If I had gone 4-0 and won every match in 5 minutes I would not have had as good a time. What? Sitting around for 40 minutes having to wait for the next match? Playing all of maybe 20 minutes of Magic all night?
Too many people look at the glass as half empty. I try to look at half full. On nights when I go 1-3, I won 1 match. On nights that I go 0-4, I know that the deck I played was really bad and never to play it again. I always take away something positive out of a night.
Oh, the one match I lost was essentially a battle of who had the better worst hand. My opponent saw all of 2 creatures that whole game. They just happened to be a Silverblade Paladin and a Restoration Angel. LOL. I saw a couple creatures too (we both drew lands like crazy) but nothing that could block a double striking flyer and that was game.
It happens. We both had crappy hands (in fact he said that I had this one early on). I just had the crappier one. It was an exciting match against one of my best friends there. I couldn't have asked for more even though that one match kept me out of the playoffs. Oh, he went undefeated going into top 8 but I don't know how he did because I'd already left for the night. I didn't stick around for the pre-release.
Anyway, last night was just another reminder that I look forward to playing and just hanging out with my friends than winning.
In Constructed, I try to think where the deck (or myself) had failed and what I could do to improve it. Magic is fun, even when losing, I wouldn't be playing this game if it weren't.
I'm going to try and post an honest response, even though I can hear all the responses I'm going to get about taking the higher road etc etc etc.
I just want to say that I try my hardest to be nice, but I'm also going to try my hardest to be brutally honest with this post:
I'm a sore loser,
I don't mind losing if I respect your skill level, and I am the first to question you on what lines I took, and what lines I didn't take and what could have been improved upon, but only if I respect you as a player.
I'd probably consider myself in the top half of FNM grinders at 52% if I was being generous.
I hate losing to ppl who don't even know enough about magic to know why they beat me. I hate losing to people who over-commit into a board needlessly, and I don't have the wrath to punish them with. I hate newer players who nutdraw and beat me on turn four and start recommending changes to my deck. I hate losing to people who from knowing what I played last week, design a deck designed to beat me and only me, while losing to everything else. I tell myself that it's not important, and that they'll lose in the long-term, but when I get paired against them and they beat me with maindeck hate, it stings. I hate when they think we're equals or worse that I'm one of the best and that they just beat the best. It makes me want to stand up and physically point to each and every individual in the room that they actually SHOULD be afraid of.
I think in short, I just hate losing to cocky newbs, who don't understand the grand scope of the game. Who think they beat you one time, and are suddenly on the same level as you. The level between beginners and top player is so massive that it's almost as if they're playing different games. It's taken me 4 years, of dedication, play, practice and research, and I can now confidently call myself a beginner. Every so often in a blue moon I'll make a move that goes beyond simple A, B, C, magic.
When I beat someone I'll be courteous, but if I know you're better than me, then I know you're serious, and I know some small part of you must be raging a little at losing to a scrub. So I'll just pack up my things quick as I can, and leave. I make it a point to talk with you later, but not right away. Especially if I know that I won the game because I drew awesome and you drew terribly.
I don't know what my post was trying to accomplish, but I guess the conclusion is yes, there are certain situations that cause me to rage a bit, and usually result in me hoping the person will leave soon, so I can take the next 2-3 minutes to fume and recollect myself.
Depends on the loss. I find magic to be a GAME first and a competitive activity second. If I lose to someone being a jerk I may say something about them being an ass. If the loss is fair, I have zero issues. I play with some of the best players in Legacy and find douchebags to be the bigger issue more than the actual win-loss. Losing to noobs isn't a problem whatsoever (seriously we were all new once).
I also am a huge fan of "the gentleman's loss" for competitive best-of-three play. If you're in an overwhelming board state and it's going to time, I concede to give the match to my opponent. I've had opponents respect this at later events and do the same to help my cause as well. It's another aspect of losing I feel competitive players never discuss.
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That which nourishes me, destroys me
10th at SCG: Syracuse (2014), GP:NJ Last-Chance Grinder Winner (2014):: Former Legacy Mod
I mean, hell, we're all on a forum for something that most people would describe as a "children's card game"...do what makes you happy. You are never too old to enjoy yourself.
I like losing competitive games with fun, polite opponents. I dislike drawing four lands in a row after mulliganing to four lands and a Gatecreeper Vine. Especially if my opponent is just gnawing away with a Drainpipe Vermin or something.
I love Magic, and it's one of my favorite hobbies. That said, I've always known it to be a game, and have never treated it as some high stakes thing. I accept every loss, whether it was a good game or not, whether I droughted, flooded, and/or was crushed, graciously and without anger. I've never let it get to me, except during one or two instances where I've been called a bad player or some such thing. That bothered me, but I ultimately brushed it off. I'm not saying I don't understand when people get upset at a loss. I guess I've just always detached myself in such a way that keeps me from getting upset from a loss while still being able to have good fun in playing. And that isn't to say I don't enjoy winning.
It depends what I lost to. Don't target me with Plow Under or kill me with an entwined Tooth and Nail or I'll flip the table. Mirrodin Standard gave me nightmares.
If I lose in a tournament. I just keep in mind "can't win them all", smile, offer a handshake if my opponent looks friendly.
Relax, and move on to the next person to play against.
I handle loosing very well. One player at least always looses or no one wins. Its interesting that in a tie no one wins thus both lose? If that is the case then only losing is certain in this game. With this thought it makes losing a non issue. I get my enjoyment from the game not the result of the match.
*A thought aimed at an abstract bodiless stereotype*
If winning is the only goal, and your delusional about how much you "should" win then magic is not your game, perhaps a good "push go to win" game would be better suited to you because then losing is impossible guaranteeing the number of wins that you deserve.
I think I handle losses with grace. There are people I might go knuckle-to-knuckle with at my kitchen table (two in particular) but we know it's never, ever personal; just rules and strategy. We tear each other several fresh orifices in most games, but winner is only winner until the beginning of the next game - the game is the game! Winning isn't the game.
So whatever. I just want to play.
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UUU Talrand, Sky Summoner // (W/U)(W/U)(W/U) Grand Arbiter Augustin IV // RRR Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker // (R/G)(R/G)(R/G) Wort, the Raidmother // URG Riku of Two Reflections // RWU Ruhan of the Fomori
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This is why I started playing magic in the first place. It wasn't PT aspirations just making noobs cry by doing things that are perfectly fair.
I find losing to be the easiest thing in the world to do. Maybe because I played tournament chess for so long, and lost plenty of important matches, I don't know. I have no idea what's so challenging about losing. Extend the hand, and offer compliment on the winning play if one can be identified. Be careful not to attribute the other player's victory to luck, but it's ok to mention that you just couldn't find answer X in time.
It's winning graciously that's hard to do, especially when it is obvious that the other player is frustrated with his hand and draws. How to make them feel better? I try to play calmly and maybe mutter, "Well, that was a lucky topdeck," when yet another crushing play from my deck extinguishes the shred of hope that has just started to form. Like when they rip a Goyf to hold off the beats but it gets StPed instantly. My intention in doing so is to call attention away from any skill involved and chalk it up to an insane draw vs a mediocre one, even if the play was (in fact) a tight one that I'm pleased with.
Nothing seems to help, and I hate seeing a demoralized and upset player grumble and pick up his deck for the next round. It is a slight breach of etiquette (the loser is supposed to do this) but I extend my hand in such cases, when it's clear the other player won't.
I have experienced other players graciously conceding when the time limit came, and I'm going to start doing that myself more. It's annoying when folks drag out a half point from a lost game.
One other thing I find helpful is complimenting the other player's cards, card choice, anything really.
As to land flood or screw, I find the best defense is playing Legacy. The low curves and fetching allow easy fixing, thinning, and high threat density. It's much less variant on land than other formats, I've found.
I don't mind losing. What I do mind is people who are very sore winners or losers. For example, when I beat someone, and they yell "you have no skills, you only won because of a topdeck!" Or something similar, I will just tell them a bit about deck design. Stuff like "I put that path to exile in to remove a creture, your creature was a threat, I removed it. Sorry if that upsets you, that's how the game works"
I usually play legacy, but once I stumbled into a game store expecting a draft and turns out they were only playing standard. I was disappointed, because I used public transportation to get there, but one of the employees allowed me to play his GW ramp deck with Thragtusks and Restoration Angels...
I played like crap the whole night, not having spent one half an hour studying that standard metagame, but I didn't really care that night. I didn't deserve to storm into a tournament and beat standard regulars. I misplayed Rest in Peace terribly against that Human Reanimator deck, playing it right away because I am personally paranoid of decks called Reanimator (it was immediately destroyed, I did not recognize the two Innistrad Ray of Revelation in his graveyard). It took him until like turn 15 to win because of bad draws, but he played it well so I told him that he was incredibly unlucky ('You're deck failed you', to be precise) but I played like crap so he won. I think that's a little better than telling someone they won because of luck, but coming from a legacy player that might sound like, 'I think your deck is crap, play legacy!'
edit - I actually like losing every now and then playing casually. I only want to win enough games to be confident that I can do it when I put my money on it.
Losing to control is tough to swallow because you end up feeling helpless, so it makes sense that your going to be a little bitter, especially if your opponent is a bad sport about it. Against anything else I just keep it cool, fun, and respectful.
When I lose, I just say something like,"awww man." Then I usually joke about a stupid play I could've done that would've made no difference to the outcome (e.g. Hymn to Tourach myself). Afterwards, I would laugh/smile and extend my hand for a handshake.
You can't possibly win them all in a game like Magic, so there isn't a point for me to get upset.
I already know what I look like. That's why I'm there.
If the game is close, or dynamic, I love it...win or lose, it's an experience I love. So I can take the loss very well, as it was fun in the meantime.
However, I freely admit, if I get screwed out (Mana screw, mana flood, etc) or otherwise feel like I'm not really playing the damn game, I can get a little sullen.
All in all however, I am far and away from being a sore loser, so...yeah.
The creator of Maro's Magic 8-Ball!
If it is in one-on-one, competetive, I evaluate my deck and my play. Did I do well? Did I get mana screw? Can I do something different? Was there something I did not have an answer for? Do I need to change the deck to include the answer?
If it is one-on-one casual, my response depends on which of my decks it was. I know some of my decks are crap decks, and I pull them out on purpose to sometimes give the other players a chance. In casual, it doesn't do good to win all the time.
In grand melee, I don't mind winning. Hell, I don't mind being the first one targeted. I take it as a compliment that everyone considers me the one they need to get rid of first. If it is the same thing, game after game after game, I get a bit frustrated. That is when I pull out my Kaldrageddon deck, blow everything up but get to keep my stuff, and let them know what it is like to be picked on. And then I put it away and play a few more games, usually losing them all. But my point gets across.
Sometimes, the casual grand melee games aren't about who is the best player, they are more about who is the quietest or the one who can convince the others that someone else is the threat.
Standard:
WBRG Aggro-Reanimator Humans GRBW
Modern:
UR Twinning RU
G Venus Fly Trap G
U Artifacts Aggro U
Legacy:
B Reanimator B
WU Stoneblade UW
EDH
WBGGhave, Guru of SporesGBW
URGRiku of the Two ReflectionsGRU
WUBRGScion of the Ur-DragonGRBUW
Casual
Far too many to list
Now if they decide to toy with me or act like a dick along the way, I'm absolutely coming after them next game. Woe be to them.
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I believe there is a difference between winning and beating. You can win the lottery but you can't beat it (Legally). Likewise, you can win a game, but you can't beat it (Legally). You can, however, beat an opponent. No matter the outcome of a game that was won someone did win it. The question is whether or not someone was beaten.
If I lose a game where I wasn't beaten, then I'm usually upset at the outcome. If I pay to enter a tournament then I hope to eliminate as much randomness from the game as possible, but it still happens. I draw lands when my opponent is on all spells, my opponent misplays constantly but still comes out ahead for whatever reason, etc. I would be upset at these losses. If I'm beaten, which is to say outplayed, then I'm humbled at the loss. I have no problem losing when I'm beaten.
TL;DR: I'm upset when I lose to randomness, but I accept it when I'm beaten.
No, I usually say good game and shake their hand. I know I'm not very good in public matches, so I brush it all off to learning and keep trekking. I see if there is more time for anther game and dual another one. Even at the $30 Legacy tournament after Christmas was pretty easy going for me, even if it was competitive. I had fun and learned and that was all that counted for me.
I always try to take away whatever positives I can out of a night. I've missed so many top 8s just like that, that if it bothered me, I'd probably have quit playing by now.
All 4 matches went down to a 3rd game. Every match was a battle. That's what makes Magic fun. Not so much winning or losing. If I had gone 4-0 and won every match in 5 minutes I would not have had as good a time. What? Sitting around for 40 minutes having to wait for the next match? Playing all of maybe 20 minutes of Magic all night?
Too many people look at the glass as half empty. I try to look at half full. On nights when I go 1-3, I won 1 match. On nights that I go 0-4, I know that the deck I played was really bad and never to play it again. I always take away something positive out of a night.
Oh, the one match I lost was essentially a battle of who had the better worst hand. My opponent saw all of 2 creatures that whole game. They just happened to be a Silverblade Paladin and a Restoration Angel. LOL. I saw a couple creatures too (we both drew lands like crazy) but nothing that could block a double striking flyer and that was game.
It happens. We both had crappy hands (in fact he said that I had this one early on). I just had the crappier one. It was an exciting match against one of my best friends there. I couldn't have asked for more even though that one match kept me out of the playoffs. Oh, he went undefeated going into top 8 but I don't know how he did because I'd already left for the night. I didn't stick around for the pre-release.
Anyway, last night was just another reminder that I look forward to playing and just hanging out with my friends than winning.
I just want to say that I try my hardest to be nice, but I'm also going to try my hardest to be brutally honest with this post:
I'm a sore loser,
I don't mind losing if I respect your skill level, and I am the first to question you on what lines I took, and what lines I didn't take and what could have been improved upon, but only if I respect you as a player.
I'd probably consider myself in the top half of FNM grinders at 52% if I was being generous.
I hate losing to ppl who don't even know enough about magic to know why they beat me. I hate losing to people who over-commit into a board needlessly, and I don't have the wrath to punish them with. I hate newer players who nutdraw and beat me on turn four and start recommending changes to my deck. I hate losing to people who from knowing what I played last week, design a deck designed to beat me and only me, while losing to everything else. I tell myself that it's not important, and that they'll lose in the long-term, but when I get paired against them and they beat me with maindeck hate, it stings. I hate when they think we're equals or worse that I'm one of the best and that they just beat the best. It makes me want to stand up and physically point to each and every individual in the room that they actually SHOULD be afraid of.
I think in short, I just hate losing to cocky newbs, who don't understand the grand scope of the game. Who think they beat you one time, and are suddenly on the same level as you. The level between beginners and top player is so massive that it's almost as if they're playing different games. It's taken me 4 years, of dedication, play, practice and research, and I can now confidently call myself a beginner. Every so often in a blue moon I'll make a move that goes beyond simple A, B, C, magic.
When I beat someone I'll be courteous, but if I know you're better than me, then I know you're serious, and I know some small part of you must be raging a little at losing to a scrub. So I'll just pack up my things quick as I can, and leave. I make it a point to talk with you later, but not right away. Especially if I know that I won the game because I drew awesome and you drew terribly.
I don't know what my post was trying to accomplish, but I guess the conclusion is yes, there are certain situations that cause me to rage a bit, and usually result in me hoping the person will leave soon, so I can take the next 2-3 minutes to fume and recollect myself.
I also am a huge fan of "the gentleman's loss" for competitive best-of-three play. If you're in an overwhelming board state and it's going to time, I concede to give the match to my opponent. I've had opponents respect this at later events and do the same to help my cause as well. It's another aspect of losing I feel competitive players never discuss.
10th at SCG: Syracuse (2014), GP:NJ Last-Chance Grinder Winner (2014):: Former Legacy Mod
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Commander:
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U Kami of the Crescent Moon U (Flagship Deck)
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WUBRGX Pauper XGRBUW
Relax, and move on to the next person to play against.
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*A thought aimed at an abstract bodiless stereotype*
If winning is the only goal, and your delusional about how much you "should" win then magic is not your game, perhaps a good "push go to win" game would be better suited to you because then losing is impossible guaranteeing the number of wins that you deserve.
I think I handle losses with grace. There are people I might go knuckle-to-knuckle with at my kitchen table (two in particular) but we know it's never, ever personal; just rules and strategy. We tear each other several fresh orifices in most games, but winner is only winner until the beginning of the next game - the game is the game! Winning isn't the game.
So whatever. I just want to play.
News flash: this is a children's card game. Just because you won does not mean you are above anybody else.
It's winning graciously that's hard to do, especially when it is obvious that the other player is frustrated with his hand and draws. How to make them feel better? I try to play calmly and maybe mutter, "Well, that was a lucky topdeck," when yet another crushing play from my deck extinguishes the shred of hope that has just started to form. Like when they rip a Goyf to hold off the beats but it gets StPed instantly. My intention in doing so is to call attention away from any skill involved and chalk it up to an insane draw vs a mediocre one, even if the play was (in fact) a tight one that I'm pleased with.
Nothing seems to help, and I hate seeing a demoralized and upset player grumble and pick up his deck for the next round. It is a slight breach of etiquette (the loser is supposed to do this) but I extend my hand in such cases, when it's clear the other player won't.
I have experienced other players graciously conceding when the time limit came, and I'm going to start doing that myself more. It's annoying when folks drag out a half point from a lost game.
One other thing I find helpful is complimenting the other player's cards, card choice, anything really.
As to land flood or screw, I find the best defense is playing Legacy. The low curves and fetching allow easy fixing, thinning, and high threat density. It's much less variant on land than other formats, I've found.
Overall record: 139-98-15
Total number of matches: 252
Win percentage ignoring draws: 58.649789
Win percentage including draws: 55.158730
I usually play legacy, but once I stumbled into a game store expecting a draft and turns out they were only playing standard. I was disappointed, because I used public transportation to get there, but one of the employees allowed me to play his GW ramp deck with Thragtusks and Restoration Angels...
I played like crap the whole night, not having spent one half an hour studying that standard metagame, but I didn't really care that night. I didn't deserve to storm into a tournament and beat standard regulars. I misplayed Rest in Peace terribly against that Human Reanimator deck, playing it right away because I am personally paranoid of decks called Reanimator (it was immediately destroyed, I did not recognize the two Innistrad Ray of Revelation in his graveyard). It took him until like turn 15 to win because of bad draws, but he played it well so I told him that he was incredibly unlucky ('You're deck failed you', to be precise) but I played like crap so he won. I think that's a little better than telling someone they won because of luck, but coming from a legacy player that might sound like, 'I think your deck is crap, play legacy!'
edit - I actually like losing every now and then playing casually. I only want to win enough games to be confident that I can do it when I put my money on it.
Legacy:
RWBG Goblins
RRR Burn
WBU Affinity
UBR Sac-Land Tendrils!
BBBPox
Next possible deck: D&T, but that just wouldn't be right.
Modern: R Goblins (work in progress)
Standard: I only care about standard when Goblins is a deck.
Limited: I only care about limited when Goblins are in the set.
Pauper:
RGoblins
URCloudpost
other decks
Goblins.
Game where I didn't play magic (mana screw, played against belcher, etc): Statistical variance happens, I guess. GG.
Game where I lost due to a misplay: TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILT
Games lost to stupid/bad cards: THIS IS BULLSH**. WHO PLAYS MAINDECK RAKDOS CHARM ANYWAYS??
Games lost due to being tired: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....
Games lost due to me playing my bad pet deck: Oh, shut up, it's awesome when it works.
shake my opponent's hand, say good game and good luck, then go have a smoke and come back after for another game.
I enjoy the game itself and the end result won't change that.