Have you ever been so sure of a play that you knew nothing could go wrong, only to find that you miscalculated right after executing your genius plan? I know I have. It feels terrible, especially when the right moves were staring you in the face. Spectators jeer and laugh at your mistake, and you laugh along with them- but deep inside you're infuriated. You're not mad a them for making fun of you, instead you're angry at yourself for not performing well, for wasting hours of playtesting and thousands of pesos on your deck.. for losing the game, and the tournament, due to pilot error.

A classic example would be at a recent tournament, where I commited two play errors: First, against a mono-white aggro deck. I won the first game, and in game two I was down to 3 life while my opponent was down to 4. I had Earthquake and some creatures in my hand. I decided to play out some blockers instead of just playing the earthquake and ending the game in a draw. I ended up losing that game, and then I lost again in game 3. Had I gone for the draw in game 2, then our standings would have been 1-1-1. I got greedy for the 2-0 win against a well renowned player. The next match was against a Crypt of Agadeem deck, piloted by another formidable player. I knew I could make no mistakes, but I made them nonetheless. I kept bad hands and ended up getting mana screwed. In game 3 I manage to fog out the unearthed creatures via agadeem combo. My opponent has 1 remaining card in his deck which I know to be the last Extractor demon. I have a Goblin guide and a Goblin bushwacker on my board, while on the other end is a defending Rotting Rats. My life is 4 and my opponent is at 5. We were out of time and this was to be my last turn, followed by my opponent's last turn, so there was really no way I could kill him. For some god forsaken reason, I still attack with my guys. He obviously blocks with the Rat which then goes to the graveyard. I pass the turn. He draws his last Extractor demon, unearths the Rat, discards the Demon, unearths the Demon, and kills me...on the last turn, with his very last card. Boom.

There is no excuse for playing poorly, and I believe my lack of concentration is what caused me to make such bad decisions. This may well be the case for any player making the wrong moves. After all, nobody plays poorly on purpose. Lack of concentration gets even the best players in this game, or any game for that matter. But we have to learn from our mistakes. The very first step, is admitting that you made a mistake, and that you did not lose by your ill fortunes or by your opponent's god given draws. You made a mistake, and you payed for it. Accept it, learn from it, and for heaven's sake don't do it again. (note so self: Concentrate on the game.) Next, find out what caused you to make such an error and find ways to prevent it from happening again. Magic is a mentally exhaustive game. Driving a car for example, can be done so subconciously, which is why you can be talking to someone on the phone while driving (note to reader: you "can" do this, but DON'T.) Magic on the other hand, demands your entire brain. You can't be thinking of something else while trying to figure out which creatures to block. If you're going to play the game, then play the game. There is no multitasking in Magic, there is only one task: defeat your opponent. Distractions abound while you're at the gaming table. I made a personal top 10 list of things that can mess with my concentration, along with what I can do to prevent them:

10. My opponent is not concentrating on the game. >> It's his loss. Play your best.
9. My opponent emanates a funky aura. >> Lean away from the table and play your best.
8. Someone is asking to trade for cards while I'm playing. >> Tell them off politely.
7. I'm drawing bad topdecks. >> Don't get frustrated and play your best.
6. I'm up against my worst matchup. >> Playtest.
5. I'm up against an off-meta deck. I'm worried I have no good sideboards. >> Playtest.
4. It's too cold/hot. >> Wear appropriate clothing to the tournament.
3. I need to use the toilet. >> Drop the bomb at home before the tournament.
2. My phone is ringing. >> Text my girlfriend before the tournament.
1. I'm hungry. >> Eat before the tournament.

I'm sure some of these apply to you as well, but it would be better if you list down your own pet peeves so you could be aware of what to look out for while at the tables. All in all, if you can get rid of all these distractions, i'm sure it will benefit your game and you will make fewer mistakes. To close off this article, i'd like to leave you folks with a valuable quote taken from a masterpiece of musical ingenuity :