Good players. They're everywhere! An infestation on our fair game, with their charming smiles and their winning ways. Luckily, they are beatable. And joinable. Let's give it a shot. What a magical journey!

Today is solely dedicated to beating good players. Tomorrow you learn how to be one, so people who read today can learn to how beat people who read tomorrow. Wednesday will have a great recipe for Pecan Pie.

Why are good players good? It's the little things really. An extra point of damage here, a preserved life point there. Chad Ellis recently wrote an excellent piece on how the good players gain extra turns or remove draw phases from opponents. It was on Premium. Don't you have premium? So cheap...

Anyway, the best players are aggressive and consistent. They will pounce on any kind of vulnerability and seek to maximize damage. The key word here is maximize of course. Anyone with half a brain can attack with 19/19s off an opponent's triple M. The real crème de la crème knows exactly when to push for maximum damage, set traps for unwary foes, and of course, topdeck like fiends.

Despite all that however, good players do lose. They are beatable! And they lose more often than you might think. But they also win more than they deserve. Conflict? Lo:

Once you have a reputation, be it internet based or simply "that-local-guy-who-wins-a-lot", it follows you around. You're the guy who's good, the guy people are sad to see next to their names during pairings. Sometimes that sadness and fear translates into intimidation. And sometimes, just sometimes, that intimidation causes an a'feared player to make an error. And the reputation grows...

So what can you do against these skilled folk, whom you know once qualified for the Pro Tour™, or once made Top 32 of a Grand Prix™? Play your game! Ignore their amazing abilities! I won't lie: you're more likely to lose to a good player than a bad one. I'll also say, you're way more likely to lose when you get scared of how good they are, or how hot, or whatever can distract a person.

True story: I was playing in a States one year. I was paired up against a fairly good looking young woman, with a nice low cut shirt on. We were having a fun time chatting it up, playing some Magic, you know, doing our thing. I beat her soundly game one, because she sucked. During the sideboarding for game 2, she smiled prettily, batted her eyes and said: "Now you'll let me win, right honey?"

Me: "Oh sure. I'm just playing for fun here."

Girl: "Thanks sweety!"

Personally I was a little disgusted with just how calmly she accepted someone randomly conceding to her. And then I realized it's probably happened more than once. Then I got disgusted about men. I mean c'mon guys, where's your pride?

We're playing game 2 and of course I'm trouncing her. Near the end-game, she literally gets up out of her seat, to read a card of mine, which I think was an Island (it taps for Blue). There were two benefits of her doing this. One is that she learned what Island did (taps for a Blue). The other was a very blatant shot of her cleavage and whatnot. So I played my role and looked at her nice rack. She played her role of smiling in a knowing way and kind of giving herself a little shake. I smiled and killed her in the next turn.

2-0

To me, they're all opponents. Granted, certain people garner more respect than just Some Guy. It's natural. But if it's Kai or Kid With 200 Cards, I'll be playing my darn best, just thinking on what I can do to earn that W.

If you are really and truly up against a bad matchup, deckwise or skillwise, you'll need to engage in some risk taking. I think Zvi was the first one who wrote about giving yourself more ways to win the worse the matchup is. For example let's pretend I'm playing Johnny Amazing in 4^th Edition sealed deck. He beats my face in with Praedish Gypsies and Disintegrate and Shivan Dragon. I have Radjan Spirit, since for some stupid reason I always opened those in my sealed decks. Game two I might just have to bring in Bottle of Suleiman. Risky I know, but since this whole example is about risk, you'll give me some latitude. (The real irony is that I should be maindecking the Bottle anyway, but again, latitude.)

So I bring it in, draw it, flip, win, kill blah blah. Some outs are better than no outs. You have to be really careful with this, because you might have a better matchup than you think. It must be a clinical appraisal of your actual chances, not just a knee-jerk reaction to playing Mr. Amazing. If it's a rabid-fear response, than please see above.

The good players take risks too. A bluff is a gamble, but it's common enough, especially in the higher levels. Splashing another color is a risk, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Players that play it safe just aren't very threatening. Personally, I love going to one life. It probably means I've been attacking a lot. It definitely means I can still kill them.

Those are the two main ideas: play your game and don't be afraid of taking risks. But there are little tricks you can use as well.

If you're playing someone good, and he knows he's good, and you know he knows he's good, stroke the ego a little. Tell him how super-great he is, or how nice he looks in his shirt, or anything else to have him see you as less of a threat, and more of a sniveling worm with good taste.

Now as a rule, I don't recommend big psychological ploys. Often you just psych yourself out, or waste energy that would be better spent on the actual game. But for this one, you'll sound plausible enough if you really believe it. And the effects can be pretty powerful. Sometimes they'll give you a little breathing room, if they think you won't use it to kill them. Your bluffs will work much more often. As a word of caution, the really good players won't fall for it, but for someone who's recently done something notable and think they're top ^%&^ - solid gold.

Another useful technique is just raw observation. If there's a player in your area who just beats you all the time, watch him. Not just in the game, because that's your special losing time. No, when he's playing someone else, watch his hand. Watch his bluffs and tells and any other kind of useful information that will help you the next time you two play. Watch him lose! (They're beatable, I swear to God). At the very worst, you'll get some insight into how a good player does his thing. At best, you'll unlock the key to ending your losing streak, perhaps for good.

There once was a guy who couldn't lose. I think he'll be unsuspended in 2007. For everyone else, they can be beat. Play a tight game, play your game, and win when winning is possible.

If all else fails, play better. Easier said than done? Tune in tomorrow...

Real keeper,
Noah Weil