Confidence is the Key
Hi, I’m Jake Meszaros and this is my first MTG article.
The average Magic player who attends the local FNMs every week and the occasional PTQ/1k event are the players who are the most subject to this lack of confidence. Usually, these players are guided by the bigger and better players from their store, usually 1800+ rated players who have top 8 experience in a large event. In the case of my local store, players like Kar Yung Tom and Nicholis Rahill are always available to comment on a deck choice, playtesting, and card options for decks. I am sure that these two men both deal with a great many number of players who seek guidance from them would both agree that confidence is a huge part of playing Magic well. However, many of the players that seek guidance from these players are often lacking in such confidence, which is something no other person can fix. Allow me to use the example of Kar Yung Tom, one of Quebec most dominant plays in terms of top 8s as of late.
“I was always confident in MTG, but would become easily intimidated by who people considered the best players in Quebec.” Were Tom’s thoughts before heading into the 1k Champs event help in February. Piloting the weekend’s latest deck, Boss Naya, Tom raged through the Swiss, finishing second after the Swiss, but unfortunately losing in the top 8. A few months later, he top 8ted again, playing Mike Flores’ UWR control, placing first after Swiss and solidifying his rating to be among the top 100 in Canada (98th to be exact). Clearly Kar Yung Tom’s confidence level has increased in those last few weeks. “I feel confident about my game. Now that I’ve proved I can play at a high level, I’m more confident going into games against better players.”
Another player that I have been in touch with for quite a while is Nicholis Rahill, After turning his game around to become a serious contender in Montreal, He explains why self-confidence is so important when it comes to Magic.
“Confidence is key when it comes to playing MTG, being under confident for a particular match can lead to misplays or keeping a bad hand / making a mad attack, only once you are calm and confident, you can begin to analyze the game state properly. Overconfidence is also an issue, as it can lead to making bad plays, or under estimating certain cards or even players, the key to success in magic is to find that perfect harmony where you are not only calm and confident about your ability to play , but also attentive to the game state and all its secrets.”
After discussing with Rahill, I realised that I was the perfect example of both a lack of confidence and overconfidence. At the recent PTQ Amsterdam, I came in playing a similar list to Patrick Chapin’s devastating Red. Originally I wasn’t confident in my matchups at all, Mythic being the matchup I disliked the most, until I started the day 2-0, beating both Mythic and Boss Naya, despite significant lifegain in both decks. In the third round I played U/W control, a matchup I thought I could win considering I had beaten both Mythic and Boss Naya, although getting through Wall of Omens and eventual Kor Firewalker would be difficult. Game 1 I stomped my opponent, getting out a turn 5 Summons with double Bushwhacker. However, games two and three I lost to 6 Wall of Omens and 3 Firewalkers in 2 games. I was overconfident in the matchup, which led me to make stupid plays like burning an omens late game, when I was sure he had a Baneslayer in hand. A clear sign of negligence caused by overconfidence that I could end the game even if he had a Baneslayer in play (also a pure sign of stupidity). I also underestimated my opponent as just before I had heard him talking about being unsure how to play U/W control, which led me to believe I had the upper hand, even though my matchup against control is very difficult.
To conclude, I believe that there are too many Magic players out there who are unaware of just how important confidence is to a player. Whether it’s not having the confidence needed to play a certain deck, feeling like you’re worth a million bucks, or feeling so down that you’re going to quit competitive magic, confidence plays a bigger role in magic than most people tend to realise.
Mediocre Magic 