Staying on Two Feet – An Approach to Handling Tilt

It’s round two of your local Friday Night Magic, and you’re sitting on the wrong half of the standings sheet.  You just got through a match where you felt like nothing really went right – your opponent had nut-draws each game, while you were seemingly going through the motions: Land, Dork, Go.  Land, Bigger Dork, Go.  Your opponent always had an answer, a way around your dork-filled board, until you drew dead and lost 0-2.  Sitting down for your next match, you try to focus on the present, but that last round – why did nothing go right?
You each draw your seven cards, and you’re on the draw.  Your opponent snap-keeps, and you keep a hand that, under normal circumstances, you would throw back into your deck quicker than anything.  But your mind isn’t on your hand of 7 (iffy) cards; it’s on the two mulligans you took during game 1 of the last round that led to an unwinnable situation.  Your focus is shattered, and you make bad decisions throughout the entirety of round 2: first was the keep with one land, next came a missed land drop later in the game that kept you from casting a would-be useful spell, followed by a risky attack that left you unable to defend your opponent’s army of creatures the turn after. 
“Why is nothing going right?” you think to yourself.  

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We’ve all probably been in this situation.  You could be playing anywhere: the Pro Tour, a Grand Prix, Friday Night Magic, or even at your kitchen table amongst friends.  Nothing seems to be going your way, and you lose focus, concentration…you get anxious.  This almost certainly affects your performance in the Multiverse, and not in a good way.  Diagnosis: Tilt.

As you could probably gather by now, Tilt is a state of blurred focus and broken concentration.  It affects your confidence, and hinders your ability to perform at your best.  The causes of Tilt are endless – it can result from anything that can cause you to lose focus on the current situation.  Tilt goes far beyond Magic, too: most any competitive atmosphere serves as an environment where Tilt can occur, from a Penalty Kick in a soccer match, to a demanding work environment where the difference in having a job and being on the street is out-performing your peers, to a “casual” game of Risk amongst friends.  Usually, some amount of pressure is placed on you to succeed, and external sources deter you from your ultimate goal.  While this discussion on Tilt will be centered on Magic, keep in mind that the situations and approaches discussed can easily be applied to most any competitive environment.

Tilt and Sportsmanship

In competitive Magic, your end-game is to outmatch your opponent and get an upper-hand that will ride you to victory.  There are many approaches to doing so: you can simply play your game, let your opponent play their game, and look for the right time to pounce on a mistake, all without saying a word.  Or, you can have a casual conversation with your opponent while playing, still looking for that mistake to be made.  Moreover, you could try and add pressure to your opponent by asking them to make a play, or to note mistakes they have made earlier in the game.  This last example is a clear means of distracting your opponent, attempting to throw them off their game and lose focus, so you can easily win a match by having your opponent defeat him/herself.  Most folks you ask are going to call you out for being a D-Bag for doing something like this – myself included, most likely.  But, whether you decide to take this route or not, realize that other opponents, especially in higher levels of play, are going to attempt to throw you off of your game by putting into effect what I’ll simply call “The Bullying Approach.”  Later on, we’ll talk about this circumstance, and how to play through this situation optimally.

For now, though, consider the second situation: perhaps, by having even a casual conversation – it doesn’t even have to be about the match – you can get your opponent’s mind off the game at hand, even if only for a moment.  That moment can make or break a match.  Perhaps, while chatting, your opponent taps the wrong mana (still legal) to cast a spell, only for them to realize a turn later that they suddenly don’t have the ability to flashback their Vapor Snag after casting Snapcaster Mage.  Did you intend to have this happen to your opponent?  Of course not!  You were just talking about last night’s baseball game.  But, here we are.  Your opponent has made a mistake, and now you can simply attack into a far-less-powerful Snapcaster Mage and win your match.  Unintentionally, you just put your opponent on Tilt – even if briefly – and won the game as a result.

There is a line that exists, metaphorically, between chatting to your opponent casually as a friend, and bullying them into submission.  Where you fall on this line, frankly, is up to you, and this is where sportsmanship (or a lack thereof) meets Tilt.  Personally, I’m a generally friendly player, and will talk to my opponents during a game.  But if it’s clear that they’re being distracted by it, I’ll lay off the conversation a bit, and let them try to regain focus.  Purposefully intending to Tilt my opponent is something that is not on my moral compass, and I avoid it at all costs; if I’m going to win a game of Magic, it’s going to be by skill, luck, and, every now and then, a Miracle (thanks, Bonfire!).  Surely, I can’t dictate what level of sportsmanship you will have when playing, but, I can convey how your actions can affect your opponent’s play.  

Handling “The Bullying Approach”

As alluded to earlier, there are times when, inevitably, your opponent is going to try and Tilt you, through comments, jeers on your play, or advice on how you could have taken that last turn more optimally.  There are some ways to handle this situation in an effort to keep yourself focused, or, at the very least, let your opponent know that you’re onto them.

1. Be your opponent.
   This doesn’t mean you’ve activated Mindslaver or some other turn-taking ability.  This simply means realizing what your opponent is doing to Tilt you, and use that to your advantage.  Perhaps your opponent calls you out for slow play, and demands that you play faster.  If you see your opponent doing the same thing, call him out on it.  Is it the most polite thing to do?  Maybe not, but you can help keep your focus by doing so.  At a minimum, your opponent will know that you’re onto them, and will not let it get to your head.
2. Call your opponent out early.
   This one is pretty simple: if you notice some series of actions that your opponent is taking to throw you off, call them out on it ASAP.  This may not be the easiest thing to say, but telling your opponent that you won’t tolerate their actions early – and often, if necessary – sends them a message that you are in control of your own game.
3. Look into their eyes.
   Directly into their eyes.  No funny business.  You want to let your opponent know that you mean business.  “Go ahead and try something.  I won’t break.”  You want to send that message to your opponent without saying a word.  This is a classic way to do it.  You may even cause them to lose focus, and, if they are trying to do this to you, you’ve beat them at their own game.

Often times, these situations will not be the easiest to come out ahead…but, it is possible.  It takes conviction, patience, and practice.  You may think, “How does it take practice to maintain concentration?”  This question has a fairly simple answer: when it is so easy to lose concentration and focus, you’ll want to be able to have a means of keeping it when “The Bullying Approach” occurs.  When their focus is on Tilting you, your focus can be on, well, staying focused.  This is much harder than it sounds, but is doable.  Trust me – it takes practice.

Organically-Grown Tilt

Often times, being on Tilt requires no action from your opponent at all.  A lot of the time, the only thing keeping you from Tilting is yourself.  The first person who can break your confidence and concentration is you.  Many things can influence this. 
The most common is anxiety before a game.  Perhaps you’re paired up against a well-known player – maybe even a pro.  Recently, a local player (and friend of mine) was paired against Patrick Chapin in round one of the World Magic Cup Qualifiers.  I’ll be the first to say that, if I were paired against The Innovator during a match, I’d be scared shitless.  The voices in my head would probably be screaming, “You’re playing a future Hall-of-Famer…good luck beating him!”  This would almost certainly get in the way of me playing to the best of my ability, and, as a result, I’d probably lose.  Many would argue that Chapin would just outplay me – he probably would.  But, letting your emotions get in the way before the match even starts is no way to win.
External circumstances can also cause you to “self-Tilt.”  Maybe you’ve just had a bad day, and are focusing on how your boss reamed you out for a mistake you made at work.  It’s been on your mind all day, and now it’s affecting your play at FNM.  This is often hard to avoid, but, moreover, if your day was really that bad, it may be a good idea to take a week off, stay home, and relax.  Your opponents will thank you for it, and you’ll save yourself some undue stress.

Consequences of Tilting

Obviously, Tilting is a largely negative experience.  But, the consequences can often extend beyond simply losing a match.  Especially at more local events – FNM, kitchen table Magic, etc. – where friends are involved, the repercussions of your Tilt can be felt far beyond the signing of a match slip.  Tilting often results in a negative attitude, and this can put friends and even loved ones in an awkward situation where you are treating them poorly through no fault of their own. 
Consider this situation: you’re playing against your fiancée at FNM, and nothing – I mean, nothing – is going right.  You’re forced to mulligan to 5, keeping a one land hand, while your fiancée keeps quite a favorable hand (as you’ll soon learn).  In this game, you get mana-screwed, and have no way of interacting with her threats, and you lose game 1 quickly.  You sideboard into a better 60, and move onto game 2.  Unfortunately, your sideboarded cards decide not to show up, but boy are your lands sorry for missing out on game 1 – they show up in numbers!  In fact, that’s all you see: mana dorks and lands, all of game 2.  Meanwhile, the fiancée again keeps a good hand and trounces you.  Your tone gets more and more upsetting during the game.  Your comments get louder and louder.  “Really!?  How am I losing right now?!  There’s no way I should be doing this poorly.”  To you, you’re just venting your frustrations.  To your opponent – your soon-to-be wife – this comes off as something completely different: demeaning and insulting.  Getting told that you should not be winning this match is a slap in the face to them, and they’re upset afterwards.  This turns into an argument that you have to go outside to rectify, and you’ve put the players around you, who heard this happening, in an awkward spot when you return, wondering if you’re still in a terrible mood.

…This is how I acted when I was losing to my fiancée a few weeks ago at FNM.  A game of Magic that didn’t go my way led to a 20-minute long argument and about a million apologies, all because I Tilted out against her.  Afterwards, I felt miserable about it, and I’m glad I had a bye the next round to get my emotions in check.  My TO and I even talked about my mood (thankfully, my TO is awesome and picks up on these things), and I was able to pick myself up and win round 4.  But, the fact remains – my Tilting upset people. 
Sometimes, you lose games because of things you can’t control – in this case, I lost to variance in my deck.  The key is to learn that these things happen – to you, your opponents, and even pro players.  Your job is to not let your emotions take center stage when stuff like this happens.  Roll with it, learn, and move on.  Again, this is much easier said than done, but realizing that you’re starting to Tilt is a clear indicator to realize why, and hopefully curtail the behavior before it flourishes into a full-blown fit.

When Tilt Happens to You…

Unfortunately, you can do everything in your power to fight the Tilt, and you’ll sometimes still end up on less than two feet.  There are several things that you can do if you find yourself Tilting during and after a game to pick yourself back up and succeed:

1. Breathe and recollect yourself.
   Seriously, breathe.  If this occurs to you during a game, there are two things you can do.
   First, if you’re at FNM or some other more casual event, simply excuse yourself, letting the judge or TO know what’s going on.  Be direct about it, and let them know that you need some air.  Usually, they’ll see what’s going on, and let you to yourself for a few minutes. 
   Second, if you’re in a more competitive tournament, and you see this happening, you may find it easiest to actually call a judge and ask to use the restroom.  Certainly do not abuse this, but, if you need to get up and recollect yourself without making it obvious, this is a way to do it.  Often times, stepping away from the situation, realizing what’s going on, and relaxing can help you recover.
2. Find a friend, and talk to them.
   Often, after a match where you Tilt, you’ll feel like you’re alone, without anyone to talk to about it.  Pull out your phone, call up a friend or loved one, and briefly vent.  If anything, your friend can simply listen and let you get things off of your mind.  Even by saying nothing back, they’ll do you a favor of letting someone else listen to your situation.  You’d be surprised how much this can help going into later rounds of a tournament.
3. If worse comes to worse, pack it up and try again next time.
   If steps 1 and 2 don’t work, and you just don’t see yourself recovering from your Tilt, it may be best to leave and try again next time.  Saving yourself the frustration of being on Tilt for later rounds may actually be worth it, especially if you’re already out of contention at a tournament.  Your would-be-opponents will thank you for it, as they won’t be subject to a match filled with angst.

The key thing to remember here is that Tilt happens to everyone.  It may not happen often, and certainly not in the same way every time, but it happens to all of us.  By identifying when Tilt is happening, you can do yourself a favor by trying to fix it.

When Tilt Happens to your Opponent…

Sometimes, you’re not the one on Tilt when playing a match.  You’ll be playing a game and your opponent will make mistakes in play, realize them, and get into a bad mood and lose focus.  You may hear them start to insult you because they’re losing to you.  Maybe they’ll start raising their voice, in more extreme situations.  Usually, though, it’s more of a subdued reaction – they’ll breathe heavily, play slower, and comment on every bad play they make, questioning how they can really be losing like this.  As the other party, you can do a few things to keep the situation from escalating:

1. Focus on the game, not on the attitude.
   Keep making your plays.  Keep analyzing the game-state.  The main thing to avoid is pointing out your opponents’ mistakes in this case – it will only make them more hostile.  Ignore negative behavior, and don’t let it affect your performance.
2. Remain calm.
   Simply put, don’t let your opponent’s emotions turn you into an involved party.  When you’re on the other side of things, you may think that your opponent is being whiny, annoying, or some other negative adjective (fill in the blank).  Keep calm, and keep your opinions to yourself.  You’ll be doing everyone a favor.
3. Talk to a judge or TO after the match.
   Let them know what’s going on.  Often, they can help rectify the situation by talking to the player who is Tilting.  This will make future opponents –  and the players in the store – happier.  Good customer service = better play experience.

General Steps to Fight Tilt

Finally, there are a few things that you can apply to each and every tournament you go to, that, when practiced well, can maximize your chances of staying away a Tilt-worthy scenario:

1. Focus on the game.
   This is a very, very hard thing to do, especially in higher-level play.  Often you’ll notice crowds start to form around your game, especially if it’s late in a round.  This can easily cause players to lose focus.  By keeping your head in the game, and not in the environment around you, you can help yourself succeed.  The best way to work on in-game focus is for you to be in the situation.  With more high-pressure situations experienced, you are more likely to be calm in these sorts of situations.  Again, practice makes perfect.  It takes time, but it’s possible.
2. Create a routine to play, and stick to it.
   Maybe you want to have a pair of headphones when you play.  Maybe you prefer to remain silent.  Maybe you like some chit-chat during a game.  Whatever your option, pick something that makes you comfortable, and do it with each game you play.  Over time, you’ll become accustomed to this, and you’ll feel better during games.
3. Go to tournaments with a friend.
   This works much better than you may think.  Having someone directly available to talk to can save a lot of headache when you have a bad round.  Much like calling a friend or loved one, only more accessible and definitely around, it can help you relieve anxiety post-match.

Tilt is one of the nasty facets of Magic.  Unfortunately, it will always be hanging around, ready for your emotions to get the best of you.  I’m certainly not the first (or last) person you’ll hear say that confidence and concentration in Magic leads to tighter play, but staying on two feet can lead to better confidence, reduced stress and anxiety, and can literally be the difference in winning and losing a match.

Stay focused, play tight, and stay on two feet.  Don’t let Tilt get the best of you!

Until next time, I wish you the best.
-tom

Feel free to reach me, about this article or anything Magic-related, through the comments below, by sending me a message on Reddit (wingman2011), or by sending me a message on Twitter (wingmanmtg).