I’m still working on being in the moment.
I find that the only way to get better at this is to practice. To realize when your attention is drifting and forcibly pull yourself back. As with almost everything else in the world, it is a matter of will. I’ve been looking on the web for a snazzy explanation of what that means, and nothing fits, so I’ll just do my best to explain what I know.
“Being in the moment” means not thinking about the past or the future. It means being present in what you are doing at this moment. Since birth, people are trained to be in the future or in the past, and rarely in the present.
“Big test Friday, better study.”
“Bills are due. Been avoiding them for days, better pay them.”
“Wow. I was so embarrassed. That haunts me to this day.”
All of those are examples of not “being in the moment.”
In Magic, being in the moment can make you a better player. It can also help you enjoy life. When you’re playing Magic, focusing on the game, and only the game, can raise you up a level in skill. Honing your skills of concentration can help you focus on what to play, when, what to do next.
We’ve all been there. You have a crappy hand. You mulligan. Frustrated, you look quickly at your six cards, find nothing you like, mulligan, and then immediately realize that had you looked closer, you would have seen you actually had a hand that was fine at six cards. But you were frustrated by the past. You did not focus on the six cards you had in the moment.
Or you’re in a tournament. You know what play you are going to make when you get priority. But your opponent is taking long time thinking. Your mind starts to wander. You see your friend is shuffling three seats to your left.
“Did you win or lose?”
“Lost.”
“Sucks man. Win the next one.”
Your opponent informs you he is done. You untap, draw your card, and then realize you meant to flash in Sulfur Elemental at the end of his turn. D’oh!
Being in the moment is not only great for Magic; it is also great for mental health. The past is nothing. The mistakes you made long ago only haunt you if you let them. Every day the slate is cleaned anew and you can build your life from that moment forward. Embarrassments are not to be dwelled on. They are over. They hurt you only because you let them. What matters is learning from them, moving on, and living today.
Clear your mind for a second and trust me. Close your eyes and take a deep breath before moving on to the next paragraph. Ask your self “Is this a good moment?” This one right now. As you read this. Are you warm? Threatened? Hungry? Have you had enough coffee?
It’s true. Yes, you have bills to pay. Yes, you have work to do. Yes, your mother in law is coming to visit this weekend.
But is this a good moment? This one right this second? Don’t worry about the future. Don’t dwell on the mistakes of the past. Right now, this second, in the present, pretending the future and the past do not exist, is this a good moment?
Take a breath. Think about the clothes on your body. Think about the seat under your ass. Think about your breath flowing into you. Think about this second. Is it a good second?
That’s being in the moment.
With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
In practice, I try to remember to think about each moment. Right now. I could dwell on the cancer my wife fought last year and the horror that experience was. Or think about the fact that my money is going to run out in the future if I don’t make it as a writer. Or the fact that I suck at Magic right now and I see no end in sight.
Or I could think about this moment right now.
I’m not in any pain. I’m in a city I love. It’s dark both inside and out. Only monitors illuminate the space around me. Next to me, Wendy is lying on the couch watching TV on her laptop. I’m warm. I’m sipping a fine Rioja, and I’m doing what I love, which is writing this column. My pants fit, my shirt is very cool, and I’m having no trouble breathing. My legs are sore from running and that’s good. I’m hungry, and that’s good too because we’re going out to dinner soon.
This moment is good.
The more you focus on the present, the less time your mind has to dwell on the past, or worry about the future. The more you dwell on the present, the more concentrated you are on what is happening in the now.
Not what is happening three seats away. Not what happens if you win. Not what happens if you lose. Not berating yourself for losing the last round. Not thinking about how great it would be to go to Pro Tour: Spain.
Focus on the now.
Do not dwell in the past; do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
Buddha
In this moment, Blue is the most powerful color. Ha ha. Who am I kidding? Blue is always the most powerful color. While I said I was going to be working on G/R Timbermare, I have reneged on that statement. I have always said I wanted to learn how to play Blue, and I never do. I always wimp out and go back to trying to serve. But right now, I’m going to make the effort. I’ve always wanted to have a competitive Elf deck, and now, thanks to Repeal and Remand, I might actually have the tools to do it.
This is what I’ve come up with.
Creatures (24)
- 4 Llanowar Elves
- 4 Elvish Champion
- 4 Elvish Warrior
- 4 Silhana Ledgewalker
- 4 Coiling Oracle
- 4 Boreal Druid
Lands (23)
Spells (13)
Sideboard
Green is Llanowar Elves. I like Llanowar Elves. But everyone and their brother are running Deserts. The card is starting to annoy me. Actually, it’s gone far beyond being annoying.
In order to make Deserts ineffective, we need to make the Elves bigger. Champions are pretty good at that. So is Gaea’s Anthem. And I just cannot get the idea out of my head that eight ways to make guys huge is a good thing. I might have to face reality on this someday, but right now, I can’t be convinced.
Boreal Druid — You suck. Yes, I’m looking at you. You suck! Shut up. Stop crying. Get in line. I picked you didn’t I? Just stop blubbering, and when I need Green you’d better be nowhere to be seen. You better be on the bench with your hands over your head, cringing. And when I need colorless on turn 2, you better be on second base, eyes open, watching the batter and watching the runner on first with your peripherals. You hear me, Maggot?! Don’t let me down, or so help me God…
Silhana Ledgewalker — Best Elf in Standard. Has to be pumped and this deck has the way to do it. I love you, kid. You know that, right? Yeah, that’s right.
Elvish Warrior — Big as a Kird Ape but doesn’t need Mountains. Gets huge with some pump.
Remand — Most popular card in Standard. Time Walk your opponent, draw a card. Sickening isn’t it? Mise well jump on the bandwagon, am I right? No, you can’t Wrath away all my guys. No, you can’t cast Dragonstorm. No, you can’t wipe out all my guys with a Bogardan Hellkite the turn before I kill you. No, no, no.
Repeal — Second most popular card in Standard. Who needs Krosan Grip for Worship when you can just attack and then Repeal the thing when your opponent thinks he’s safe. And you draw a card. Mise well jump on the bandwagon, am I right?
Bitter? Me? What are you talking about?
Coiling Oracle – An Elf. And a card. Notice a theme here? Goddamn, how does anyone lose with Blue? Oh well, I got ten games ahead of me that will show me how.
Gemstone Mine? I don’t own any Breeding Pools.
Sideboard…
Mana Leak — I hear when you have 2-3 Elves beating face and a grip full of counters that Dragonstorm gets a mite uncomfortable. Like, “prison boyfriend” uncomfortable.
Snapback — Sometimes things get through. Sometimes you just want to delay your opponent for a long time. Sometimes you want to make someone sack three creatures to flash back Dread Return for Akroma and you put her back into their hand. GG.
Spell Snare — Good against Signets, Remand, Mana Leak… you know, all things Urza. Man, I hate that guy…
Carven Caryatid — Wow, does Gruul hate these! Can you say “burn through your library?”
I play some games. It’s surprisingly good in the tournament practice room. I’m undefeated after five matches. Not only undefeated, I haven’t lost a game.
I play a guy playing Black discard with tons of creature kill.
He plays a couple of Rats; I play some Coiling Oracles and make them into 2/2s with Gaea’s Anthem.
Jabberwocki plays Nekrataal.
MLGreen plays Remand targeting Nekrataal.
Time Walk you. Swing. Play out a Boreal Druid and a Warrior to bait you with, because I don’t care. I have a Champion in my hand, which is going to make all my guys 3/3.
Jabberwocki plays triggered ability from Nekrataal targeting Elvish Warrior.
Play out my Champion, swing for nine.
Jabberwocki plays Tendrils of Corruption targeting Elvish Champion.
MLGreen plays Remand targeting Tendrils of Corruption.
Time Walk you, draw a card.
I feel dirty.
Jabberwocki plays Tendrils of Corruption targeting Boreal Druid.
MLGreen plays Repeal targeting Boreal Druid. (X is 1).
Boreal Druid is returned to MLGreen’s hand from play.
Jabberwocki’s Tendrils of Corruption is countered because of no legal targets.
You use all your mana. I save my guy. And draw a card.
Turn 9: MLGreen.
MLGreen plays Forest.
MLGreen plays Coiling Oracle.
MLGreen plays triggered ability from Coiling Oracle.
MLGreen reveals Coiling Oracle.
MLGreen plays Coiling Oracle.
MLGreen plays triggered ability from Coiling Oracle.
MLGreen reveals Elvish Warrior.
MLGreen plays Elvish Warrior.
Jabberwocki has conceded from the game.
I have 37 cards left in my library. He has 45.
I need a bath.
I side in some Spell Snares for his Edicts and his Rats.
I do this…
MLGreen plays Silhana Ledgewalker.
And every turn, he does this:
Jabberwocki plays activated ability from Dreadship Reef.
MLGreen plays Coiling Oracle.
MLGreen plays triggered ability from Coiling Oracle.
MLGreen reveals Boreal Druid.
MLGreen plays Boreal Druid.
Jabberwocki plays activated ability from Dreadship Reef.
I’m holding a Spell Snare, and a Remand, but I keep tapping out. I have things to play, and most of his elimination is one-for-one.
He kills my Champion. My Druids. My Coiling Oracles. He kills them all. I just keep swinging with a 2/2 Silhana.
Jabberwocki plays Cruel Edict targeting MLGreen.
MLGreen plays Spell Snare targeting Cruel Edict.
Jabberwocki plays activated ability from Dreadship Reef.
Not going to save you. You’re going to remove all those counters; I’m going to Time Walk you and draw a card.
Jabberwocki plays Consume Spirit targeting MLGreen.
You know, for eleven.
MLGreen plays Remand targeting Consume Spirit.
Jabberwocki has conceded from the game.
Flush with my wins, I enter an 8-man queue.
Round 1: Dragonstorm.
We both mulligan to six then I keep a hand of Forests, Islands, Warrior, Champion, Remand. I draw another Remand. We both sit on counters until he plays Telling Time, which I Remand. I draw a Champion off the Remand and he suspends a Lotus Bloom. I’ll take the risk he needs that to resolve (foolish) and play out a Warrior. I draw another Remand, play out a Champion. He plays nothing; I attack for a few turns sitting on two Remands. On the turn the Bloom comes into play, we have a Remand war which he wins. But he’s tapped out now with the Bloom in play. And the Remands are back in my hand. He can’t go off with just the Lotus Bloom and passes the turn. I rip Repeal, put the Bloom back into his hand, and play another Champion with two mana open for Repeal. He’s dead next turn if he doesn’t go off.
He suspends the Bloom again, casts Rite of Flame, Seething Song, and concedes.
I side in two Spell Snare and four Mana Leak. I have to admit, it feels good to have some way to stop Dragonstorm from going off.
Game 2 he is mana shy and I’m not. I counter anything he tries to do and just beat him up with weenies.
Round 2: Gruul.
Game 1 I keep a hand of two Islands, a ton of Elves, and a Remand, hoping that the Remand and draws will get me a forest. He starts out fast with a Kird Ape and a Scab-Clan Mauler. I Remand the Mauler the first time he plays it, and get a Gemstone Mine, and I then draw a Coiling Oracle. Drawing cards is kind of good. I play the Oracle and get another Champion. Out of counterspells, I just start playing guys. I’m light on Green, so I play out some Llanowar first, then on the next turn, two Champions. At this point, he has out a Mauler, Ape, Llanowar Elf and Sulfur Elemental. I have out Oracle, Llanowar, Llanowar, Champion, Champion, and when I untap, I’m going to play another Champion.
And swing for a Forestwalking twenty.
And I do.
I side in some Spell Snares.
I have to mulligan then get a pretty good draw. I am a little land light, but Repeal and Remand get me some, then I draw some more. And then some more. And still more. On turn 9 I have nine land in play.
Game 3 he is a little creature shy. I start off with a Llanowar, then a Warrior, and I’m holding a Spell Snare and a Remand. On his turn 3, he still hasn’t played anything. I attack with everything, he tries to Char my Warrior and I Remand it, drawing a Coiling Oracle. Pretty sick, I think. I play the Coiling Oracle and get another Oracle. I ramp up to five creatures in two turns, and he dies while I’m holding a Remand and a Spell Snare. And I have an Anthem on the board.
I split in the finals.
The sample size is too small to determine if this is actually a competitive deck or not, but I like it. The mana elves that Green always has to run actually get bigger, and the extra mana is needed to play spells yet keep mana open for countering. The card drawing of the Repeal, Remand and Coiling Oracle is nothing to sneeze at. The Champions and the Gaea’s Anthem work to protect your weenies from Darkblast, Funeral Charm, and Deserts.
And when you have out a horde of weenies, plays like this are always key.
Sirus14 plays Urza’s Factory.
Sirus14 plays Bogardan Hellkite.
MLGreen plays Remand targeting Bogardan Hellkite.
Sirus14 has conceded from the game.
In this moment, I really like it.
Jamie