Be Nice Now

Manners and etiquette are essential parts of life. Most of Americans try to practice it everyday, in everyday situations and circumstances. In Canada, it is practically forced upon birth. And all those British/English stories such as "Pride and Prejudice", overflow with examples of etiquette. So why is it not practiced more in the game we love. It seems like common sense to be polite to another person sharing the same interest and goal, but in the Magic world, common sense isn't so common. There are tons of articles explaining the subject of Magic etiquette but the following are examples and suggestions I have developed or witnessed in my personal circumstances. This post could be called the "What Grind My Gears", combined with the "What I can do better, personally". I will go through a series of situations and give examples of how to better one self in order to truly get the best experience out of the game, while benefiting both players.

Situation #1: Starting the Game.
The ideal set up to starting a match should go as followed: check your seating, meet your opponent, shake their hand, shuffle your deck, roll dice, wait for judge for announcements. The first two steps are simple, and everyone usually follows them with little to no confrontation. The third seems to be totally lost. Simply shaking the opponents hand is a sign of trust or acknowledgment. If physical contact is a absurdity, then a simple greeting of "hello, my name is ... Nice to meet you", should suffice. A greeting can go a long way into relaxing the opponent, making sure they are comfortable, and ensuring that both players will have a good experience regardless of the outcome. After the greeting and during shuffling, if the opponent shuffles your deck in any way you see inappropriate, it is your right to let him or her know. But let them know in a polite fashion WITHOUT calling the judge. Rolling the dice is another important issue. I have once witnessed a scenario where a player rolled the dice without letting the opponent know of his intentions or result of the roll. This lead to a heated argument that frankly seemed childish. This is a simple fix of simply understanding that the opponent is ready and acknowledging the dice roll initiative in a polite manner. The last thing I recommend doing before every match, is wish your opponent "good luck". I believe this ensures that your opponent acknowledges your sentiments regardless of a "good luck" or "thank you" back.

Situation #2: During the Game.
Be verbal! I constantly see players who are quieter than the hairs growing out of my nose. The new rules actually force you to be verbal and announce your triggers appropriately. Too many stories of disqualifications and examples of people missing triggers and opponents playing through them. It doesn't take much effort to declare 5 points of life from a Thragtusk entering the battlefield. If a player were to remember these kinds of triggers, there wouldn't be very many confrontations. If an opponent does make a mistake or there is a question about a ruling under any circumstance, I would suggest letting your opponent know you are going to call a judge if you cannot resolve the issue with the opponent. Telling them before hand puts them at ease without creating hostility. Getting a judge called upon unexpectedly can cause a surprised feeling of discomfort or animosity (in my situations at least), which can be easily avoided by being verbal to an opponent. Be clear, speak confidently, and above all, be kind in your words and actions.

Situation #3: After the Game.
So many bitter, upset, boastful, condescending, and spiteful feelings and thoughts towards opponents after the match. Some examples that could lead to these feelings (but not limited to): being mana screwed, mana flooded, bad matchup, lucky draws, unlucky draws, and so on. I am so tired of hearing people complain because they had problems with their mana. Its part of the game.. One might think it keeps happening only to themselves but I assure you it happens to everyone. A good lesson I once received was learning a perspective from a pro about the issue (I forget who it was). The professional explained that the pros got to the title of professional Magic player because of the way they handle themselves when situation with mana isn't ideal. Maybe hold a certain card or play less aggressively. Adapt to the situation knowing that it won't last forever.

Give credit where credit is due. Simply tip your cap and acknowledge a good game regardless of how it conspired. I listen to so many excuses of people complaining that their opponent got lucky or how they were unlucky. Anyone can be beaten. I understand that their is some luck and match ups are involved, but the skill is still where the success lies. Such as is the same example of the pros of the game.

Disregard the idea of "crushing" the opponent. Here is a common saying: "I lost game one due to mana screw, but then I crushed his face game two and three". This is almost idiotic in my opinion. Its as if the player is saying their opponent just sat there with their thumbs up their ass. I feel that it is very disrespectful to the player and the game itself. 90% of the time, when someone says they "crushed", their opponent was the one who was mana screwed.

Situations #4: Commander Games.
Don't complain when attacked. It goes without saying that people don't like getting the offensive attention in multiplayer. Someone who has played commander long enough will come to know that there has to be damage done. People can't stay alive forever, there has to be a winner. The only way to decide a winner is to attack! I know people who have stopped playing the commander format because of their opponents constantly complaining. This is part of the format and there is no solution other than play a deck that doesn't do anything to just get attacked at the end (but where is the fun in that). Suck it up, have fun, and remember commander was meant to be a casual format.


If the majority of Magic players took their same mentalities into their everyday lives, the world would be even more shittier. But it constantly goes unnoticed and there seems to be no quick fix or remedy in sight. If we could just take examples from professional sports, I feel it would be a step in the right direction. One particular example could be taken from post NBA games and interviews. At the end of games, hands are shaked, hugs are given, and credit is distributed, all to the opposing team. I'm not saying I'm perfect and I'm not saying I practice 100% of what I preach, but I try to keep in mind that there are manners and etiquette to all forms of life, especially competition. Bottom line, stay positive and respectful. Magic will be here for us again tomorrow, even when we've had a bad day.

ME ME ME

A few words about me and my magic career.
I've been playing Magic the Gathering for more than 7 years now. Started in Onslaught block (still my favorite). I've made a few top 8 finishes but only at local tournaments. I consider myself a better limited player than any other format but learning to love the idea of constructed. Big commander fan, as I play EDH the majority of the time when I play cards. I used to write passionately about the San Francisco Giants but they are no longer my first love when I decided that I want to make a living selling and distributing trading card and board games. I plan to use this blog as a way to share my experiences and thoughts that might be off the regular path than most MTG articles. Thank you for reading!