Well, that took longer than expected. And the delay was directly responsible for the lack of recent articles. While I can stream and play at the same time, I haven't yet learned how to write and play simultaneously. Now it's time to write. And while the backdrop of this article is going to be about reaching Champion, the focus isn't going to be about the game itself. Success requires more than just being good at something.
Expectations
Alpha had no Champion rank, but you could keep climbing past M10. I think I ended up somewhere in the M15-M16 range, so I had no doubt in my ability. I never expected to get there fast. I often have only a few hours a day for games, which is often fully consumed by writing articles. As I started at G01, I only needed 20 ranks to reach Champion. I figured I'd need about a month.
The best laid plans
After release, the Mythgard Discord was filled with two kinds of people: those that complained about the economy ( Pay to Win/Can't build decks) and those in search of articles and information. This led to me writing a bunch more articles for new players and streaming budget decks on a F2P account. There was also a lot of time wasted on discord in "discussions" too. All for a good cause though.
Gold to mid-Mythril
I was efficient, going 38-7 against players to reach Mythril. There were lots of reasons for this, but not because I "bought" a powerful deck. I was G07 before I added my first Mythic and it wasn't until Mythril that I had removed all the placeholder cards. My winrate stayed in the 80s until mid-Mythril. This was just the beginning.
Real Talk
Mythril has no rank floor, no games against casual or bots, and, around M06, a loss will frequently cost more RP than a win will gain. This means you start to feel losses more. Why does this matter? I have ladder anxiety. It's there when I queue the first game of a session and when I'm on a long win-streak. It's minor and doesn't effect my gameplay, but I can feel the hesitation when I am about to join a queue. I try to turn that hesitation into a positive, a moment of reflection. Am I in the right mindset, am I ready to play?
I don't play well when I'm tired, angry, or frustrated.
I don't play well when I'm distracted.
I play slow and take questionable lines when I haven't played a deck for a while
I play differently when streaming
I do better playing my own decks
I play better when relaxed
Sometimes I try too hard to innovate off-meta instead of in-meta
Knowing your strengths and weaknesses, when you play your best and your worst, and when you are tilting, are key mental skills that are just as important as those within a game.
Know when to hold 'em
Sometimes you do everything right and still lose; that is the nature of card games. My first two win-and-in matches for Champion I was paired against BR Enchantments, a match I am about 75%-80% to win. I lost both. While it was frustrating, I knew I was playing the right deck for the meta, and that I had put myself in a good position to succeed. Sometimes you just need to stay the course.
Know when to fold 'em
RP Orpheum rose to prominence when I was in mid-Mythril. At the time I was playing RO Aggro, which had some very interesting, skill-testing matches against RP. It was intense, but enjoyable. What followed, was the rise of aggro busting midrange and control. While my aggro deck could compete it the shifting meta, it was not fun. I had wanted to play my 2-mythic list to Champion to show off the F2P nature of the game, but my enjoyment of the game is paramount. Why play if I'm not having fun?
The timing was good though. This happened at the same time as I was accepted into the Partner program. What better way to celebrate than to reintroduce my brainchild, and my favourite deck from Alpha, Angel Loop, in the full-art glory provided by the Partner cardbacks. I was going to have fun and do it in style! (The deck is also really good.)
Know when to walk away
Angel Loop has a very good control matchup and very frustrating BR Enchantments matchup. It often boiled down to about a 50% chance for them to top-deck lethal. In most games this would be a good recipe, 50% against part of the field, and favoured against the rest, but RP gain is rating base in Mythgard. A M10 player losing against a Gold player might stand to lose close to 50RP with a chance to gain about 15RP. This feels bad enough, but losing that many ranked points from a top-deck, potentially a few games in a row, can be a huge blow.
Did I give my opponents those outs? Sometimes, yes. If I was playing better in this phase I could have probably hit Champion. But, I was playing a mentally taxing deck, with a low margin of error, for ways more games than I normally do in a night. I was definitely making mistakes and losing some games that I should have won. So I did something smart, switched decks, but in doing so, did something dumb. Choices like this should be logical not emotional. I threw a couple new decks together designed to punish RB Enchantments. The decks weren't bad, but they weren't as good as they should have been. And of course, I queued into several different decks and was thoroughly punished. I was not in the right mindset, but I realized it before there was any serious self-destruction.
Sometimes you just have to take a break. Maybe you watch a streamer and see their enjoyment of playing the game, maybe you go for a walk, watch a movie, or play a different game. I took a day off from Mythgard and played some The Outer Worlds. I love RPGs and it was the perfect reset. Learn what works for you. And when you need to take a break (I start swearing a lot.)
Knowing what to throw away
Coming back with a clear mind I immediately tossed the few decks I'd recently rushed together. I crafted a different deck with care and purpose. This RB Journey of Souls aggro deck was favoured against the RB enchants "mirror" and had a similar winrate to it against the field. It could have gotten me there, but the win rate advantage against RB Enchantments was not quite enough to account for the RP win/loss discrepancy. I'd have to only match against high mid-Mythril+ players, or "run hot". However, it was not a failure, and actually a great example of the F2P aspect of Mythgard. My final record was 35-23 with a 5100 essence, zero Mythic deck.
Knowing what to keep
During my RB experiment I played a couple matches against NKL on GP Necromantic. It is a deck that I've had my eye on for a while, especially with the success I had playing a budget version on my alt account. Despite going 1-1, I felt like I had to empty my bag of tricks (how many times have you Fire Eater'd your own Strigoi Pup?), and still get a bit lucky. On top of that, I felt like they had some draws I just couldn't beat. After some discussions with NKL, I knew this was the deck I should be playing. After some slight tweaks to his list, based on the cards I owned, and some personal preferences, I took it to the ladder. There is a different feeling when you are playing the "correct" deck in a meta. The added confidence improves your play, which reinforces your choice. And your head is in an all-around better space. I probably lost a few games I shouldn't have, but I could brush those off as learning the deck, so it was easy to see and feel the progression.
Every hand's a winner // Every hand's a loser
My final game of Mythril (Nov 8th vs CyberWitch) was a rollercoaster slugfest. Both players appeared to have the game locked at different times. But some great plays, and obvious mistakes from both players kept the game going. Never count your money when you're sitting at the table. Closing out a game is another skill; you have to identify and eliminate your opponents outs. (For those who have watched me stream, this is the "think until they concede" play). You also have to make sure your lethals, are in fact, lethals. Oops. (To be fair, it was late, I was tired, and it would have been lethal without lifetap.) I won't spoil the finish, because in the end, I felt like I broke even.
When the dealin's done
Remember, it's just a game, and we're here to have fun. It's OK to take a break. Learn when you play the best and when you play the worst. The reason experience is so important in competition is not because it makes someone better at the sport, event, or game, but because it makes them better outside the game. With experience, you learn how to win.
I'm not sure if this is the kind of article people like to read, but I feel like it is something that should be written every now and then. The mental side of competition doesn't get enough attention sometimes. Don't worry, next article will have less writing and more pictures!
Contest!?
There were numerous references in this article to SOMETHING. The first person to DM me the correct answer on discord (I'm always hanging out in the Mythgard one) will win 5 packs, every correct answer will be entered into a draw for 10 packs. Contest closes at 5PM PST Friday, November 15th, Answer and winners will be posted here sometime thereafter. One answer per person, no edits.
Results
Megazord - 5 packs
Maleficia - 10 packs