So I went to my local game store this past weekend, a modest place called Finch and Sparrow Games in Long Beach, CA. It's a wonderful store with a great staff and an atmosphere that bleeds Magic. There's a giant cardboard Avacyn standing outside one of their well-maintained bathrooms. There are three or four computers (you think I'd remember how many exactly lol) in a corner dedicated to searching their inventory and making orders. The tables are spaced apart just right and even the temperature in the building is perfect. Like Goldilock's porridge, not too hot and not too cold. I highly recommend visiting.

Anyway, since Standard and Modern are intimidating, I went to play Commander, a format I've always considered fun and casual. I used to play Magic semi-regularly with friends many years ago, and after having recently messed around with some starter decks to reacquaint myself with the types and parts of Magic cards, the phases of a turn, priority, the stack, and the differences between static, triggered, and activated abilities, I thought myself ready to play. I brought a preconstructed deck with me, Anje Falkenrath's Merciless Rage, and felt confident that I would play well enough to hold my own and be involved in some good games.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

I don't know exactly what I expected as far as what I'd end up playing against. Thinking about it now, I'm actually pretty sure I didn't even consider what my opponents would be playing. I just thought that, no matter what, my deck would be good enough to compete. I'd watched a few videos about precons on YouTube (specifically those from Tolarian Community College) that claimed most could be sleeved up and played right out of the box, so I suppose that gave me a false sense of security.

Don't get me wrong, I was definitely nervous. While sleeving up my deck I didn't look at anyone in the store and did my best to appear calm and confident in my seat even though I was nothing more than a bundle of nerves inside. I'm thankful that I have a naturally curious and outgoing personality; I don't mind going to new places and experiencing things on my own, and often find that doing so creates unbelievable personal rewards, but I can't deny how uncomfortable it feels to be the new guy in a room, to feel like you're the only person who doesn't understand the lingo that helps to define a scene and things that sound like clever references but could just be silly jokes but then again maybe not. And it definitely isn't great to feel like you're the only one who has no idea what's happening as other players cast spells and point at cards and say this and that while you're stuck trying to understand the text of a card cast three cards ago. It can be overwhelming to be the new guy playing Magic, and I was humbled very quickly while realizing that I had no card knowledge, and because of that, couldn't really keep up with the pace and tactical proficiency required to play well.

That's a point that I think is important to make. My deck, a lowly preconstructed nobody in a carpeted ocean of titanic armies, ended up being outgunned in just about every single metric in every single game. I was amazed at how well nearly every other deck in the store was able to create permanents, punish others, and do damage, while I simply sat with my jaw hanging open like an awestruck dummy. However, despite that, I have to admit that my failure to become an honest threat was partly due to my inadequacies as a player. I won't claim to be good at Magic and I've already said my card knowledge is atrocious, so I guess in that way I was destined to suffer and burn.

But that's only half of it. There was no way I had any fighting chance with my pathetic precon against the monsters I sat beside and across from. The decks were just too good, and although that didn't completely spoil the day for me (not long after starting my first pod I resigned myself to the goal of learning as many new cards as I could since my deck, as well as its pilot, was absolute trash), deep down inside I was severely disappointed.

I did my best to keep a smile on my face. I made sure to thank every player for every game, and wished them well. I listened closely to advice from other players who could tell very quickly that I was the slow, unknowledgeable newbie and, to their credit, I was never made to outright feel it was wrong or upsetting to be wrestling with that role .

But it still sucked to be so underpowered.

I'm committed to building a better deck now so that the next time I visit the store, I'll not only be more comfortable but give other players something to worry about during our games. I don't mind losing, that comes with the territory. But I want to be a genuine threat at the table.

Just wanted to share my thoughts in case something similar happened to anyone else, and also as a soft warning to any others considering making the same mistake I did. If I could go back in time and do it again I would've:

1. Looked up information on strategies related to my commander and how to play my precon in general.

2. Piloted the deck against myself in order to understand every card within and also build a smoother playing pace.

3. Upgraded the deck with common recommendations on the internet and piloted it some more to understand it on a more optimal level.