Ever since last weekend I have wanted to write a post regarding my concession in the second round, on turn five of extra turns. The more I thought about writing the post, the more I realized it would be both long AND boring, something I’d like to, you know, avoid, so this post is a compromise. I will go through the ten seconds of decision making before I conceded in loose detail, then close with some other thoughts. Just so you know; this is not a defense of my scoop. This is just a discussion of how I’ve come to feel about the issue. Feel free to critique in the comments.
So here’s the deal: I’m playing Chris Richter in round two. I am 0-0-1. He is 1-0. He’s playing an interminable merfolk deck that eventually gets dubs Judge of Currents out. Yes, I misplayed to get to this situation, in case you were wondering, but I didn’t know it until after the game. My misplay didn’t affect my decision. Chris asks me if I would like to concede. Here are the next tens seconds transliterated to print.
My immediate response is, “No.” I say this out loud. I am annoyed that he would ask me this. It is round two, and he appears to be grasping at straws for a win.
I think about my record. 0-0-2 is the same as 0-1-1 for top 8 consideration, either way I have to win out. I am also out of prize range at this point. (Aside: This is a complete falsehood! The prize payout is very deep! I just did not know this at the time!)
He has been a decent opponent. He pressured me to play faster in game three when I felt it was his deck that was slowing the game down, but other that, he seemed more nice than he had needed to be.
I don’t want to look like a dick in front of this judge.
I decide to concede. Immediately Richter starts making comments about how he had board position and probably would have won if we were untimed. He also describes his merfolk stall deck as “beatdown.” Obviously these points are irrelevant on many levels (i.e. the match WAS timed, and regardless of what he called his deck, it was not “beating down” game three, etc, etc). These comments make me feel like he wasn’t as nice a guy as he appeared to be. I replied that playing a lifegain deck hardly qualifies as beatdown, and he would need do to more than double his life total to stay out of the draw bracket in future rounds. He retorts that he had six power of islandwalkers main against me (I was playing islands.) I walk away with a really bad taste in my mouth. Was this guy nice during the match just as a strategic consideration, letting his cocky true colors show after he got what he wanted? As in, “On the off chance this guy might otherwise cut me a break I need down the road, I might as well chitchat with him for now.” If so, that would be the lousiest reason to be sportsmanlike ever. As I walk through the venue I am sick just thinking about it.
***
This was pretty much my line of thinking about the whole scenario until the end of the day. Strategically (as far as I can tell) I am worse off with a loss instead of a draw. I know that competitive Magic players are by both nature and training always taught to make choices based on the best probable strategic outcome for themselves, and by that logic I made the wrong decision by scooping. If I by some miracle win out, I am more likely to get in the T8 with two draws than I am with a draw and a loss. At best I cowardly conceded because I was afraid of looking bad in front of a judge who may in the future rule unfavorably toward me in retaliation, and at worst I was manipulated into a concession I wouldn’t have otherwise given because my opponent saw a potential strategic advantage in being a decent human being during the beginning of the match. Either way, it was “a mistake,” to say the least. However, the next day I thought about the situation some more. I decided that maybe what happened had actually been a good thing. Here’s why: I would rather be seen as being too merciful rather than being too much of a dick. I would rather be called gullible, or too nice, or even sycophantic rather than have an opponent walk away from a match against me and say, “Man, that TooSarcastic guy was a real asshole.” We all know asshole gamers. And I don’t mean folks like you and me, although we’re assholes, to be sure. But generally we’re only dicks between rounds of Magic. Having played against you guys many times I can say that you’re all sporting opponents. No, you know the guys I’m talking about. The guys who get banned from stores, the guys who rip off kids when they trade, guys who MONEY DRAFT, for Christ sakes! I do not want to be one of those guys. And if it means sometimes making a mistake and scooping to a guy I shouldn’t, then so be it. At least I’m not the guy who looks his opponent in the eye and says, “Yeah, I’m out of the running, and I could scoop to you to keep your hopes alive, but I’m going to fuck you over because I don’t want to lose the four extra DCI points. Strategically it’s the right decision for me.” Ya’ll can disagree with me, but that’s where I ended up after this whole deal.
4 comments:
I force the draw. You're in round two, and 0-0-2 is a lot better than 0-1-1. Plus, Richter isn't as petty to let it go. He does have the overbearing personality, but he can debate it all he wants. My default response is: The game gives you 50 minutes to beat me twice, and you didn't get it done.
But then again, I'm an ass.
Also, Roosters.
Thus is the sad truth of competitive Magic players: you can't be nice and expect to win. The best players are the ones who aren't afraid to crush some hopes and dreams by forcing a draw, who aren't afraid to look like a jerks by calling a judge for seemingly insignificant rulings. That said, you did make the wrong strategic choice, but sometimes that's not the important part.
Sure, Richter isn't the most deserving opponent, to receive your kindness, but I think that letting him have a better shot by your loss is a commendable deed. If, for instance, your opponent had been a naive 12 year old, the answer would be much clearer; but then again, he wouldn't have the wherewithal to ask for a concession.
This is one of the main reasons I've thought about shelving the cards for awhile: the people just aren't pleasant, and us nice guys are always getting the short end of the stick. Exceptions not withstanding, of course.
Again, good show of sport on your part TS.
Hanging up the cards is letting the bad guys win. We need to play, to set the example, to be the adult and bring down the thunder in the store. We set by example, and we need to do that more often. My tenure showed the store can be competitive AND be a fun place for everyone from state champions of olde to rookies of today can come to play. Mayhaps we haven't noticed, but the next closest stores to go play cards at are in Chicago and Madison.
It's our store. It's our game. If we want it to be better, we have to do something about it.
There is absolutly nothing wrong with money drafting.
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