Hello world, my name is Jeremy Skelton, and I love Magic.  I hope you, the readership, does as well.  The fact that you are reading this article would indicate that you share a fondness for cardboard.  If not, I appreciate you stopping by to take a gander.




That said, let us move on to synopsis of just who you are reading: I am an old man (33).  I have been playing Magic: the Gathering for over half of my life.  I have never accomplished anything spectacular.  I tend to dwell around the top tables and fizzle out late in the tournament, or lose in top 8.  That is the story of my card-flopping career in the proverbial nutshell.  I do not win big, but I play decently enough to make a game of it.  I am a midrange aficionado.  I proudly play The Rock.  My love of the Forest is well known by local community, and I forsake them for nothing.  Seriously, I will play Forest at any and all times.  I do not care about consensus best decks.  I will always play the deck I deem the most competitively fun.

So, now you know everything about me that you could possible care about that is Magic related.  Let us find out who wants to take my advice now!  As always, the challenge is improving your game to make it to the next level, and be successful at that level.  With my laundry list of mediocre performances, I am hoping to impart a tidbit here and there that just might help a player, or hopefully multiple players, meet and beat said challenge.   Alright, now that the pleasantries have been dealt out, it is time to get to the real meat and potatoes of today's article.  I want to address information consumption in the Magic community.

We are fortunate enough to live in a world where information is readily available.  If one is willing to look for it, then there is a reasonable chance that it can be found.  This is especially true for Magic.  If someone is looking for a decklist with their favorite card, a simple search can find it.  If sideboarding advice is needed, somebody is willing to give it.  A player looking for a metagame call for the next big event, can certainly locate enough data to make an educated decision.

Herein lies the rub; how much is too much? With the abundance of information floating around, it is easy to reach an information overload.  Reading every article possible about a format is valuable, and gives great insight into the thought process of the person sitting across the table (or at the other monitor, for the MTGO folk).  However, processing all of that information in an effective manner can be difficult for even the most apt player to utilize effectively.  Knowing what cards are popular in a certain archetype is imperative to success.  Understanding what those cards do, and how best to play with and around those cards is crucial to advancing play skill to the upper echelon.  By now, I am confidant that most readers are saying themselves, "I already know all of this."  That is one of the most fantastic aspects about the game we play.  By in large, the community is brimming with some of the most intelligent minds in the world.  Magic is a game that naturally attracts the best and brightest. I, personally, have been blessed enough to be surrounded by, and share correspondence with some incredibly smart people.  Also, I am willing to bet that most everyone else that plays Magic is in that boat as well.  She is a fine vessel, and sturdier than most.  So, just how does the community improve their process of information evaluation and the inevitable application of that information.  Allow me to set forth a few suggestions:

Take your time

Slow it down.

Many times, with the plethora of information it is easy to throw the brain into cruise control and go about your day with business as usual.  I can not stress enough how important it is to avoid automatics in a game of variance with a human opponent.  I stated that in all likelihood we are sitting across from a pretty smart gal or guy.  Chances are high that they have a good idea on what it takes to make winning the game or match more difficult. Taking a moment to consider what is going down is necessary.  There is nothing to be gained from having massive amounts of information available, and not allowing oneself the time to actually run through the Rolodex of options available.  This certainly seems like an obvious statement, but I can assure that everyone goes on autopilot.  Conserving mental energy and relaxing through the details are different. Pay attention, consider the options, and then make a decision.

Separate from absolutes.

I loathe the phrase "strictly better."  I do not believe that Magic is a game that deals well in absolutes.  While there are undoubtedly cards that are better than others, one should take care not to pigeonhole themselves to a set of absolutes.  Closing off options because the latest article deals out a "this is better than that" verdict is a quick way to fall behind.  Magic is constantly changing and continually evolving.  Locking up a legitimate thought process with an absolute is counter intuitive to the whole idea behind information as a resource.  If options are available, it only stands to reason that all options should be considered.

The growth of the student

Become a student of the game.

I am fortunate to have played Magic for as long as I have.  There is such a rich history in Magic's rather abbreviated life span.  The comeuppance of a Reid Duke.  The dominance of a Jon Finkel and a Kai Budde.  The run of a Scott-Vargas at PT San Diego in 2010.  The career of a Lévy.   The mastery of a Watanabe.  These are the moments that Magic players strive towards.  Even if the preferred arena is the kitchen table, we want to own that kitchen table.  Not every article written is going to change the way you approach the game, but recognizing when one does is important.  Appreciating the accomplishments of others when they make or break history is important to growth of a player and the game, and it helps in trying to understand the nuance of great technical play.  Take in when two great players are squaring off.  There is something constructive that can be gleaned from most games.  Just take a moment to remember that Karakas was not built in a day.

Do not believe everything.  

Look, I get it.  Professional players better than most everybody on the planet at Magic: the Gathering.  Kudos to them for all the hard work paying off, and I hope they have many more successful days ahead.  However, I am not so delusional to take everything said or written by a pro at face value.  Nobody should just agree with a professional without giving their statement some thought.  Once again, we are an intelligent group.  It should be natural to apply critical thinking when an idea is presented.  There are several ways for a game to play out, so just because you read that pro player A said that line B is the best, it does not necessarily translate to the game being currently played.

Know your rules

Rules are rules.  

This is the most important aspect to improving both information evaluation, and as a player in general.  Learn the rules.  Understand the rules.  It does zero good to take in information about a game without understanding the of rules that the game is guided within.  If you play at a local game store, volunteer to become a tournament organizer.  Sit down with a judge and ask a question when unsure of an interaction.  There are not many worse ways to lose a game of Magic, then to simply not understand the rules.  It is all well and good if a complicated timing resolution works in our favor, but be prepared to explain how that timing works.  If an article stated that it works, be certain that it works.
I know a lot of this information is generic, and seems like common sense.  Perhaps I am way off base, but I think that even the best players can benefit from going back to square one from time to time.  I, sincerely, hope that this helps someone out there in the multiverse.  I look forward to sharing what little bit of information I can provide, and,  I want everyone to be better.  Hopefully, I will not lead the readership too far astray.

Thank you for your time,
Jeremy Skelton
@peeps_champ