For The Things We Have To Learn Before We Can Do Them, We Learn By Doing Them

Remember last May when you were sitting in the toilet waiting for season’s calling to end and you stared blankly into the infinite universe wondering how everything comes together to create what we called the world? Deeply in thought than all the sudden you feel a slight tingling sensation and gravity brought you back into reality. You probably thought, “Fuck Newton…” Well, sorry about that. That was probably the only time anyone actually finds peace of mind in this chaotic absurd planetary called Earth. Of course, everything written above has no relation to the subject this article is about to go into. I found myself reading about Isaac Newton a lot lately and the gravity of bullshit I have been through in the past week is as horrendous as a homo zombie trying to rape you instead of eating your brains out. Yup, shit happens when you live with a bunch of monkeys who makes a water theme park out of your condominium unit when you are not around blasting your water bills up to a record breaking 800 bucks. Malaysian Ringgit that is. Still, a ridiculous amount and the above shit-has-hit-the-fan-line is the only reasoning I can think of as a conclusion to why my water bills totaled up to a height similar to Mount Everest. So much for Abyss Rising. 

Going into today’s topic, given if you were an athlete or a sportsman you most probably heard of runner’s high. I simply call it athlete’s high. It is the moment when physical surpasses mental and you are reacting according to how much you have trained over the ages. An instinctive metamorphosis of one’s usual self whereby one does not feel the level of fatigue and pain their muscles are in. Instead of slowing down and passing out, your body moves based on experience and instincts bringing you to the next level of your game gradually upping the pace disregarding the tiredness and the strenuous conditions of every muscle in your body is experiencing. The moment when every move, stroke, and action you make is as good or maybe even better compared to all the athletes you have admired. The experience of uncontrolled physical extremes while being mentally absent as to what a person is going through. Basically you are as unstoppable as horny bunnies making out 24-7. Literally high as fuck. Yes, being in the zone as most would name it. While ‘being in the zone’ in sports language means reacting through the physical memory of your training, Yugioh and similar card-related games function in a more complex definition. Being in the zone in Yugioh immediately define an individual reacting calmly, composed, and calculated. While both are a form of aggression, we as duelists fall under the category known as calculated aggression. 

Often times we see subconscious mistakes being made by a variety of players. It is not an uncommon sight and even the best of duelists are prone to such mistakes. Not necessarily touching on misplays but something of a smaller detail. For example, while being in a heated situation during a duel both player top-decks and almost instantaneously changes his or her expression. While that is something most are unaware of and do not pay much attention to, it is one of those big game-changing moments that one has to especially give more attention to whether it is expression, reaction, or the types of plays about to be made. Acknowledging the fact that sometimes you are forced into a play due to certain circumstances, however, the key difference between professional athletes and expert card players boils down to understanding the drastic difference in the Wild Factor, being in the zone of each own competition. The pinnacle of professional sports is the ability to create and recreate success or inspiration through instinctive decisions exceeding the thinking process excelling one’s level of skills. Again, to be able to perform at the best level based on bodily experience and instincts alone. 

We, duelists, play a different game. While sports are hot, loud, and recklessness brings success, the pinnacle of card games are the exact opposite. One makes the best plays when they think thoroughly even in the most desperate of scenarios. Key words being cunning, calm, and composed. To have the ability to mask ourselves and be cold while you are calculating all the odds based on every piece of information you have gathered, that is what ‘being in the zone’ is when it comes to card games. Thinking ahead makes all the difference not reckless plays. Much like Poker, the more you are able to control your reactions and bluff your way through the better you become at the same time your chances of winning and achieving success increases. I suppose the idiom of calm before the storm is the best way to describe how an ideal expert card player is. You dominate and overpower your opponents by utilizing a maze of trickery that puts them into expected situations you are familiar with while they did not see it coming. And you achieve that not through power alone but by understanding your opponents, absorbing as much information you can get, while concealing your own stack of files. 

Playing Yugioh is very much similar to business and stock market investments you gain by having more knowledge and, most importantly, information compared to the opposing parties. It is important to calculate the probabilities beforehand.  Strength, speed, and skills alone are not the deciding factor to victory when it comes to card games unlike sports. You can own the best deck, make the best combos, and play faster to intimidate your opponents but without knowledge of rulings or the ability to avoid misplays, read and bluff plays you are nowhere near the top. That doesn’t mean you don’t win but it reflects a player’s level and caliber in a thousand ways. I am not sure where I’m going with this piece of article but I had to write it down. Well, gut feeling I suppose. Nonetheless, I hope you have found it informative and interesting. Most importantly I hope it make sense. Remember to play smart, fight hard, or go home a loser. Thank you for dropping by!