Wanted to make a Magic related post since I think there is a fairly reasonable chance I have played my last game of 2014. The first part is going to sound like a very nice brag/humblebrag post, so enjoy! This heater has been crazy. The last tournament I entered that I failed to make the money in was GP Richmond (March 2014), a tournament with an absurd number of people, where I started 8-0, only paid out 150 (I think its more accurately 230 for the attendance number today?), I was in ~150th going into the last round, WON my match, and then dropped 20% in tiebreakers to just barely not cash because of bad software not being able to calculate 2 day tiebreakers for that many people. Since that time I have played in 3 Pro Tours (top 16, top 50, and top 25 as far as points are concerned), 9 GP top 8s (9 day 2s, 9 cashes, 3 top 8s, and 3 virtual top 16s with the current point system). I also made the playoffs in the VSL. Its been truly crazy going on an insane run to get Platinum last year and to hopefully start that journey to a 3rd year in a row of Platinum this year (I have already locked gold with 3 PTs to go). Im not a stupid person. Nobody is aware of how much variance is in Magic more than me. SPOILER ALERT: its not a small amount. I think Ive been playing really well, but I know Ive run insanely well. Theres a reasonable chance I dont win another match the rest of this season and thats just something that happens. Im very fortunate to be in the positions Ive been in. Now, for the real reason for this post (although I gotta admit I LOVE that first part!!!). I got a lot of people to thank. I really have the best friends and team in the world. Im a pretty big fan of my own drafting and deck building abilities, but playing with the best in the world makes me exponentially better. So much work, communication, and effort go into every success in this game, and they are a huge part of all of it. I have the best family and support system in the world, including my little doggy, who is my emotional rock (also my parents, my actual emotional rocks). I also have the best fans in the world. I dont really like using the term my fans because most, if not all, are truly fans of Magic, pros, and the community, of which I am extremely fortunate to just be a part of. Its crazy how many people comment on my posts, tweet at me, or come up to me at tournaments to show their support or to offer praise upon me. Its beyond humbling, and I hope I proved from the first part of this post that I prefer my humble to come in brag form. I cant count or begin to remember how many of you have brought smiles to my face from the encounters and messages Ive received, the comments on my articles, and just the overall presence. I feel like fans doesnt begin to serve the right purpose here and the closest monicker I can come up with off the top of my head is friends I havent met yet. Thank you. This message of thanks goes double for everyone who contributed to my PT Atlanta rant tilt thread...I feel like that has been a huge turning point. There were so many people who reached out to me there. There were friends and family, of course, as there always are and have incredibly always been there for me, but also so many people who Ive never met who had stories of their own struggles, their own ideas, their own wisdom, their own words of support. I read every word. I tried to take as much to heart as I possibly could. And Ive tried to be a different person. Since that thread went up, my record in Magic GPs and PTs, not counting intentional draws, has been 87-24-1 (not counting the 12 byes). I know this is not going to continue as nobody can realistically win anywhere approaching 80% of their matches over too long a sample. But this has been 6 months and over 100 matches and I know I couldnt have done it without a change in mindset that, in large part, was brought on by that thread and the support I received. I pulled off 5 match wins in a row in that tournament to reach a goal. Back against the wall at GP Portland, we rattled off 5 in a row to get Cheon on the PT. Just the last few events, after poor starts such as 1-4 at PT Hawaii (about as bad as you could ever start), won 10 out of 11 to put up a real finish. GP Nashville, the same thing, as we started 3-2 and won 8 out of 11. Another mediocre start in GPNJ just this weekend and winning 7 out of 8 to close. It was very easy for me to give up, to blame variance, and to not put my best foot forward in these events. It was easy for me to tilt off on social media at my misfortune and to disperse blame. Well, here I am untilting off on social media, to thank my fortune, and to disperse credit. Thanks community, thanks friends and family. My life is so much better because of you all.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Nov 2014 23:38:00 +0000
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