On July 9, 2022, I was participating in a Magic the Gathering Pioneer tournament qualifier, and I had made it to the final round of the tournament with a 4-1 record. I was piloting Mono-Blue Spirits, an aggressive tempo deck looking to pair aggressive creature beat-down with an ample supply of interaction. Across the table my opponent was running Esper Greasefang, a combo deck that used the namesake card of Greasefang to reanimate Parhelion II, a massive beater that could end the game in a single swing if left uninterrupted. 

I lost game 1 to interaction and a quick combo on the opposing end, but my sideboard had a good set of cards to bring in to interrupt their combo, and I had prepared for the match up so I was optimistic about the next two games.

Game 2 started with heavy interaction from my opponent eating most of my threats whilst setting up their combo, but I managed to land a sideboard card to hate on their graveyard, preventing them from being able to setup their reanimation combo. After a few turns I was left in a rough spot, I had the option to try to push in damage and hope they hadn't found the combo, putting them on a 3 turn clock and forcing them to sacrifice the one threat they had on board, or to continue to hold back, prevent their combo, and try to draw into better options.

I decided to make them have it, and put on the pressure. They started their turn, untapped, put Parhelion into discard, and reanimated it.

I had no out, and lost the game. We reported the score, 0-2 me, and awaited the placements. After 20 minutes of games, the scores were updated.

10th place, 2 away from the aspired top 8.

I had spent so much time planning, building my deck, play testing, side boarding. I put in the work and just fell short.

There are many elements to participating in competitive TCGs. Planning your deck and sideboard, analyzing the meta and every other deck, and possibly most importantly: losing.

Losing sucks, and there's no way around it. Playing TCGs for 6+ years, I've had my fair share of losses. I've spent days stuck at a single tier on the Hearthstone ladder, desperately unable to find the 3 game streak needed to push for Legend. I've gone from one 0-3 cube draft into another on Magic Online's Vintage Cube. I've had nights playing Legions at weeklies without finding a single win. I've desperately scraped the edge of top 8 in a qualifying event in competitive Magic. 

As deflating and frustrating as losing may be, one of the most useful skills you can develop in a competitive TCG is learning how to get good at losing, and how to avoid tilt.

Being able to recognize these non-games is useful for your competitive improvement, but even more useful for improving your mental game, and avoiding tilt. Understand that some games are all but predetermined, and one player has won or lost before even starting their first turn. As much as it can suck, it's just a part of playing a TCG.

It's always possible to do everything correct, and still lose.

It's competitively useful to be able recognize these situations to avoid coming to false assumptions. If a certain line or play or card resulted in you losing the game, it doesn't necessarily make it the incorrect play, and it's important to more deeply analyse these situations to figure out exactly why you lost. 

Sometimes you lost the game simply because your opponent had their win condition early, and you never found a piece of interaction. In that game however, you may find that you had misplayed at a certain position where you could have furthered an advantage, recovered from a bad spot, or possibly even won. Even if you misplay and don't find the line, it can be helpful to reflect and note on the decision you made, what the end result was, and have a better plan for the future.

At the same time, make sure you don't end up filing every lost match away as your opponent just having it. Look at the various important decisions you made during the game, and how they may have led to your loss.

Maybe you played too defensively and gave up a window of opportunity to go for the kill, or maybe you jumped the gun and ran into interaction when you could have taken an extra turn to setup and poke out a few fortified cards or other interactive pieces. Even in games where you win it can be worth reflecting on if a play may have been too unnecessarily risky or too cautious, even if it worked out in the game.

Regardless of whether your goals are to reach the pinnacle of competitive performance, or simply to have fun at weekly events, there are a few strategies you can use to avoid tilting.

1. Mix it up

2. Focus and analyse

3. Taking a break

If you find this happening, it can be helpful to put your favorite deck on the back-burner (just temporarily!) and try out something new. Maybe there's a new deck you've been wanting to try out, or maybe there's an old favorite you want to bring back. If you find yourself losing to a certain deck a lot it can be worth your time to try piloting it yourself. Being on the other side of the table can help you figure out the deck's play lines, and what you can expect from a certain position.

This can help you with preparing better to play against the deck, and very importantly it can show you how the deck looses, giving you a better idea of how to beat it.

When playing a new deck, also make sure to give yourself more lenience, you shouldn't expect to know the deck inside and out the first time you pick it up, so let yourself have some time to figure it out. Losing and screwing up is a big part of the learning process, and you shouldn't punish yourself for not being immediately successful.

Ultimately you should enjoy your hobbies, and if you're finding yourself stressed and frustrated, then it isn't doing what it's supposed to do. Try something new, learn from your mistakes, and take a break if you need one. Also remember that it isn't just you sitting at the table, and you tilting can tarnish an otherwise fun event for others involved. Remember to be sportsmanlike and respectful in competitive or weekly events, and try not to take out your frustration on the other people at the table. Whether you're grinding competitive or having fun at weekly events a hobby should be a hobby, and tilt shouldn't ruin the mood for you, your friends, or your competitors.