Dies to Removal

Ok so I'm still learning my pro players so who's MJ so I can learn to avoid the douche.

Twitch.tv/Darkest_Mage

Michael Jackson

I mentally criticize my opponent for keeping a terrible hand that folded to thoughtseize as i thoughtseize him.

Next game: Snap keep a hand that folds to thoughtseize against a deck that im pretty sure is running thoughtseize.


This is why I'm never going to go pro at mtg.

Just build your deck with only 4-ofs, gg brah thanks for the packs

Z gets most of his material from MJ so he can't be all that bad.

MJ is a good guy, we've worked together before. He's just extremely tiresome at times.

He's creatively exhausted, and his creativity was his biggest strength as a player. Its kinda depressing to watch. When he is motivated and happy he is one of the best players in the game. Go back and watch some of his matches from 2007-2010 and you;ll see what I mean.

Or even watch his feature match vs PV at Pro Tour RTR; in a Jund mirror, PV gets 2x nut draw on the play and MJ destroys him both games anyway.

He has just lost his passion for the game, and it makes him too easily frustrated and as a result insufferable to work with. I do hope he returns to form.

I like that MJ was listening to the same song by Back that plays in the NGE: End of Evangelion movie when the angels kill Asuka. Such a beautiful song that accompanies such horror.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH32Chen5Vo

I can never be defeated!

Music I was talking about starts at 4min

I should probably do something for Valentines Day. That's what normal people do right?

Im playing in a PTQ, that'll do.

1. This gets fixed pretty damn soon.
2 and 3. These are important as fuck, I guess?

The intermission bumps explain how a lot of the technical stuff(like the 3D maneuver gear) works and actually makes sense.

1. The protagonist is a whiny, hyper-idealistic bitch (and not in a deconstructing way, like Vash). I wouldn't be surprised if he turns out to be some sort of chosen one that is able to defeat the Big Bad with the power of his own belief in himself. Or maybe he grows in a believable, interesting way throughout the series. I don't know, but I seriously doubt it.

And this. Oh, this.

If there's one thing this Anime isn't, it's optimistic. There will be no "I believe in myself and my friends so we can do anything!" tropes here.

I've started watching AoT too, I was skeptical at first, but I've grown to like it. Stick with it.

I loved it. I just hate how I got to the end and the story's not over.

I wanted to tell you something, but I forgot JS. I think you have tremendous potential as a player, but what holds you back is your psyche. You've come so far as a technical player and deckbuilder in the last 18 months, but to reach that next level, you need to grow as a person as well. Mastery takes commitment to two ideals:

1. hard work, dedication, sacrifice, practice, learning - whatever you want to call it. You need to give yourself fully to the task and always be learning, always have an open mind and always seek out challenges. Make the most of every opportunity and embrace the grind.

You've come to far with no. 1; further that anyone else here easily.

2. detachment from results. You need to understand that it doesn't matter on any given day what your results are; we have bad days, we get unlucky, we make mistakes. We're perfect in our imperfection. The only true failing is in failing to learn. Don't get
too caught up in success; it is fleeting. Don't become despondent with bad luck; it too will pass. All you can do is look at what happened, look for opportunities for growth and continue on your journey. It doesn't matter what happens in any one day, only that you're on the path to improvement over time. I didn't dub you figure of destiny for nothing; even the greatest hero begins as a lowly 1/1 do nothing.

Understanding that growth takes time, both as a player and as a person, is your next challenge.

"Don't wish it were easier, wish you were better."

Thanks Z, I appreciate the words of encouragement. I think you are right.

"Don't wish it were easier, wish you were better."

I recognize that, where is it from?

Jim rohn ( a motivational speaker, though ive never heard of him before i heard the quote on animal crossing funnily enough)


It's probably my favorite quote ever.

One of the most meaningful things Pip ever said to me (she didn't come up with this, but still) "If you fail here, you're just a man who could only come so far. There's no shame in that"

You have to give yourself permission to be the best you can be, but also to accept that you might not be the best. Life's lessons are acquired in the journey, not in the destination.

Pretty good 7000th post for Zem.

Pretty good 7000th post for Zem.

I agree.

HB Doc, do some drugs homie

One thing I learned from reading star wars books interestingly enough was the importance of "jedi focus" or simply giving yourself fully to a task and having a laser like focus. Living in the here and now as it where.

When you're in this state of jedi focus, you don't really have time to care about the bad beats because your task, your goal, your world, is winning that game of magic. The more you can improve your focus, the more you can "get in the zone" or achieve the psychological flow where your function at your highest level of mastery. This is an actual real thing that everyone's heard of and that has been researched and shit, but there's not really a magic button to turn it on, HOWEVER, with supreme dedication, you'll find yourself slipping into it more frequently as opposed to accidently.

It's why in sports, you see the best athletes go on hot streaks. They've been performing at this
elite level so long and constantly training that the sheer volume of there activity causes them to enter flow more frequently.

This all mostly falls under Z's first point at least tangentially, but I've found simply losing yourself in the task is the easiest way to no notice all the bad beats, and it's always useful to hone your ability to focus.

Alternatively, the universe doesn't give a fuck how unlucky you are so fucking deal.

Whichever approach works for you

I'd assume I'm the person who accepts bad beats the best(I don't REALLY believe in luck) so my advice might not be the most helpful. Acknowledging that nobody actually cares about your woes though helps you to not care about them, trust me. Something I learned from my family.

"There is no genius other than one which is expressed in the works of art; the genius of Proust is the sum of Proust's works; the genius of Racine is his series of tragedies. Outside of that, there is nothing. Why say that Racine could have written another tragedy, when he didn't write it? A man is involved in life, leaves his impress on it, and outside of that, there is nothing ... it prompts people to understand that reality alone is what counts, that dreams, expectations and hopes warrant no more than to define a man as a disappointed dream, as miscarried hopes, as vain expectations." - John Paul Sartre

^ that quote is literally my answer to everything.

Considering I didn't know who MJ is and I was only basing what I know off of what you guys were saying at the time, it felt like douche was the right word for the situation.

Speaking of douche:

http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=589928

Sally is just an internet treasure sometimes.

How does James have 7000 posts? I have barely any compared to him and I'm basically a virgin who lives in his mom's basement.

The past few pages have reminded me of why I'm here...sharing. Be it experience, wisdom, frustration, humor, triumph, anger, excitement--whatever--we share it here. Thank you, my clan, for sharing who you are and where you've walked. <<tips hat>>

And lest I forget--

Happy Birthday, Doc!

Cheers to you, inkmaster!

Yeah, it's great being part of this. We're a very diverse bunch of people, but that gives perspective to one's own life as well. And we have at least one thing in common: the love for this game. The knowledge on various aspects of Magic available to us here is just amazing. I've been playing since '94 and I'm still learning a lot. I just wish I could contribute more to the brewing and testing...

Photo, is....is that a Venom-Stormtrooper in your avatar?

Here's to Doc

And yes, Photo's sig is just next leveling me.

What is this that I feel?

I don't know, but I'm not worthy.