MDV League: Sportsmanship. - by Chris Newton

[Streetz]

This thread is reserved for the dicussion of the following article:

http://www.magicdeckvortex.com/mdvarticle0455.htm

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[Barachem]

Good article, it shows that good sportsmanship and metagaming are key to being recognized as a good player in a magic community.

I know a player in my playgroup who complained about the pre-empted destruction of his small fliers in a three player game as unfair targeting of his deck.
It would be, IF his fliers wouldn't have been Hypnotic Specter and Shimian Specter and him also playing other kinds of black hand-disruption.
Me, playing a mono green deck with some removal in some sorts of forms, like Arahi, the Sky Asunder and Duplicant, just had to take them out, or face hand-destruction by these nasty fliers.
The other player had fliers of his own, which didn't bother me that much, as they were not hand-wrecking.
The mono black hand-destroy player did have some reason to complain, as i was targeting his fliers, but as they were specters and i had no air defense, i had to take them out, just because his deck was meant for hand-destruction.
After taking out his fliers and the fliers of the other player, i overpowered both and took the mono black player out first and then the other player.
I admit, i was playing for the win when i saw the chance, but taking out the specters was because wanted to protect myself and had chosen a deck which could only pro-actively take out flying threats.

Even more, the mono black player plays a G/u 8Post Tooth & Nail deck with various tricks to take control of and win the game, which is really powerful and us other players do need to meta-game to keep up.
But he laments and complains that i'm being unfair by tailoring and meta-gaming a deck to counter his one and get more chance at winning.
He does however say that he allows decks that are strong by themselves, just as long as i don't meta-game against his decks.

True, sometimes i really complain when other players get too much good stuff and/or i get mana-screwed/flooded, but hey, sometimes i like complaining when i get hit by 3 Hymn to Tourach among other discard, a Extirpate and other stuff, even though i do win in the end, or when i hit that 10th land, while only getting 3 to 5 business spells in total.
That royally sucks and i will complain generally about it.

But otherwise, expect me to shut my trap and play quietly, hoping other players make mistakes or don't notice my occasional gambles.
But i can understand the problems with the MWS shuffler and having to mulligan most of the time while it seems that opponents just keep getting (near) God-hands.

[FuDaWg45]

Sportsmanship is such a huge part of this game. Being a good sport really makes everything so much more enjoyable for everyone. If I get stomped by some deck online, I'll usually say gg and compliment their deck. It's really annoying when that person doesn't acknowledge me at all. They just type gg and instantly quit. Even worse is the opposite scenario. If I annihilate someone I try to point out what weaknesses they have and try to help them improve their deck. I hate it when people quit right when they figure out I'm about to win.

Other aspects of sportsmanship come from knowledge of the rules. Quite often people who don't have a full knowledge of the rules play on MWS. When issues come up I typically offer to go find the ruling in the comprehensive rulebook. Of course, instead I'm generally called a "noob" and they quit. Quite ironic when they're trying to block my paladin en-vec with their mogg fanatic.

[Tynion]

Barachem: When I played alot of Multiplayer madness games, it was back in the day when you HAD to play Disenchant type utility spells or else simply lose. I was just talking to my good friend the other day, and when talking about the old school days of Magic, he asked.. "Wasn't Disenchant Banned at one point?" The reason for that was because unlike in todays meta, we needed artifact and enchantment hate main, or face certain doom. No one complained about that hate back then, however, should you play a Naturalize in game one today, someone is going to complain.

Bro, I am old School. I played with Nev's Disk, Land Tax, Ivory Tower, Black Vice, the Rack, Sylven Freaking Library, Soldevi Digger.

You either wore protection or you were going to catch something. *Pun intended*

Today, there are some sneak shinanogans, and playing Naturalize would really be beneficial. Enchanted Evening, the Warhammer, and even the upcoming set means G1, Destroy target Permanent.

Yet someone is going to complain because I meta'ed against them? Stop complaining and figure away around my fix.

In the same tournament of the example I gave in the article, I had another fellow do me like that. He went ahead and aggressively mulliganed into a Leyline of the Void. I, unlike the other guy, knew my weakness, and I had a set of Godless Shrine in the deck main in order to be fetched by the Blue-Black Fetchland. I further had a set of Disenchant in my side. To show that it was not a complete luck play, I also knew that my other weakness was Land Destruction. So in my side was three copies of Sacred Ground. You must know not only your opponent's weaknesses and your strengths, but you need to know your weaknesses and how someone will attack you.

If I win game 1, and I know what you are going to do to beat me in game 2, I can side against your upcoming attack on my weakness, and theoretically should win game 2 as well. If that is not how your are preparing your decks, you most likely bowed out of the tournament early. I just hope those guys learned the lessons and are better prepared next time.

[Haggis]

@ Barachem: I know teh feeling about getting pick on, there are just soem decks the rest of the play group will not let me live more then a few turns, Sure it bugs me a little that i'm the first one out when playing with said decks, but i also know that they are doing it because they know if i get going its over for them, so that makes me fel good about my deck knowing that the other respect it enough to want it out first.

[Barachem]

Originally Posted by Tynion

Barachem: When I played alot of Multiplayer madness games, it was back in the day when you HAD to play Disenchant type utility spells or else simply lose. I was just talking to my good friend the other day, and when talking about the old school days of Magic, he asked.. "Wasn't Disenchant Banned at one point?" The reason for that was because unlike in todays meta, we needed artifact and enchantment hate main, or face certain doom. No one complained about that hate back then, however, should you play a Naturalize in game one today, someone is going to complain.

Oh, wel, the mono black player complained because i pre-emptively took out his specters, stating that they were the purpose of his deck.
I told him that i had to take the specters out pre-emptively, because otherwise i would get my hand raped even more.
What i mean is that he did not really understand that specters paint a really big target on themselves for each player having only sorcery speed removal and next to no fliers or creatures with reach.
I had to get rid of those critters or see my chances dwindling because of his specters raping my hand.
The thing is, my mono green deck was geared towards the G/u 8Post Tooth & Nail deck, not towards the mono black hand disruption deck.

And i see the necessity of meta-gaming and adapting decks, it's what makes magic tick, even in casual circles.

Originally Posted by Tynion

Bro, I am old School. I played with Nev's Disk, Land Tax, Ivory Tower, Black Vice, the Rack, Sylven Freaking Library, Soldevi Digger.

I'm partly old school, i played a few months at the end of 1995/beginning of 1996, but i sucked.

Originally Posted by Tynion

You either wore protection or you were going to catch something. *Pun intended*

LOL.

Originally Posted by Tynion

Today, there are some sneak shinanogans, and playing Naturalize would really be beneficial. Enchanted Evening, the Warhammer, and even the upcoming set means G1, Destroy target Permanent.

Yet someone is going to complain because I meta'ed against them? Stop complaining and figure away around my fix.

Such i think too.
Adapt or accept, but not whine.

I've had more than the fair amount of whine about me playing soft-locks like Academy Ruins + Oblivion Stone + 10 mana.
Or abusing Volrath's Stronghold, Gifts Ungiven or Global Ruin.
They even complained about my use of Loxodon Hierarch, coalition Victory + prerequisite and Beacon of Immortality + False Cure.
Ok, not everything is nice, but it still is reasonably manageable.

Originally Posted by Haggis

@ Barachem: I know teh feeling about getting pick on, there are just soem decks the rest of the play group will not let me live more then a few turns, Sure it bugs me a little that i'm the first one out when playing with said decks, but i also know that they are doing it because they know if i get going its over for them, so that makes me fel good about my deck knowing that the other respect it enough to want it out first.

I'm not always the first one out, heck, i even win quite a lot.
It's more that i'm told not to make anti-decks when i want to make them, as they don't do it either.
I would like to see that, them making anti-decks for my decks and then me adapting and the cycle starting all over again.
I also make wacky decks every now and then.
Anyway, rant over for now.

[final_press]

Originally Posted by Barachem

Oh, wel, the mono black player complained because i pre-emptively took out his specters, stating that they were the purpose of his deck.

Dear lord, that's a classic. His deck was focussed around the Specters, and he complained that you took them out? Was this the first time he'd actually played magic? "Hey, don't counterspell my Replenish, I'm playing an Opalescence deck.. that's not fair!"

[Barachem]

Oh, he plays quite often and he's actually a reasonably good player.
I think i would have had less complaints if i had taken another deck without sorcery speed removal.
Thing is, it was a combination of my deck's sorcery speed removal and his deck focusing on specters for hand disruption that made the situation.
I just followed common logic offing the dangerous specters.
However, i do understand his position and him complaining that i was targeting him.

[Tynion]

Just tell him.. "Man, I am not main decking COP: Black or Raking Canopy. If you have a problem, then go find your Dystopias and Anarchy's and even the odds."

Next time play a few copies of Karma and see what he says

[hamsandwich]

there is something to be said for protecting your weakness in multiplayer. we don't run sideboards but i have two raking canopy's in my token deck to take care of fliers. protecting yourself is common sense, and whining about someone who gives you a smackdown only takes away from your ability to learn from that player(who is obviously a good player if they are beating you.) good article.

[Tynion]

Thanks Hammy.