There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
The clearest benefit to stay in the tournament are the prizes you could still win. On the most extreme scale, you might still have a chance to win the whole tournament! At the first Grand Prix Las Vegas, Neal Oliver almost dropped after starting the tournament 0-1, but his friends convinced him to stay in, and he went on to win the biggest tournament in history. His Allied Strategies Podcast co-host Tristan Killeen has a similar story, being talked out of dropping from a PTQ after taking his second loss, then sneaking into 8th place on tiebreakers and winning the PT invite.
Beyond the main tournament prizes, there are rewards like Pro Points or Planeswalker Points. A 10-5 record at a Grand Prix is good for 1 Pro Point, but outside of cash prizes. When Wizards announced the new Bronze Pro level this year, many players regretted dropping from a Grand Prix where they were battling for a single Pro Point they did not think would matter to them. The Planeswalker Points system rewards you for winning no matter what your record, and can help you earn byes at future Grand Prix. Big tournaments like Grand Prix or PTQs give out a higher multiple of Planeswalker Points, so this is yet another reason not to drop from these events.
Another reward to playing out all the rounds is the valuable tournament experience. You prepared for the tournament and got your deck together, and this tournament experience is valuable practice, especially for newer players. Another reason I found a lot of success when I started at the PTQ level was regularly playing these tournaments helped me master my deck and learn the format. Staying in the event helped me prepare to do better in the tournament next weekend.
This chance to meet people is also valuable. Magic has a great community, and my favorite part about travelling to tournaments is seeing a group of people I know from around the world. As a newer player, the people you meet a tournament can become part of a network of Magic friends. Knowing more Magic players helps with having more people to playtest with, borrow cards from, and root for at tournaments. As a more experienced player, you have the opportunity to be a positive ambassador for the game. I remember a story from a Pro Tour when Hall of Famer Jon Finkel dropped with an abysmal record, to the disappointment of his teammates. They said that for his future opponents, also doing pretty poorly in the tournament, getting to play against Jon Finkel at their first Pro Tour might have made their day.
Having a better mental outlook on the game will positively influence your win percentage, but that shouldn’t be the only reason to care about it. For me and many of the players I know, Magic is our competitive outlet. While having that competitive drive can motivating and fulfilling, it’s also really easy to let your desire to win come at the cost of your enjoyment of the game, or even worse the experience of the people you play against. The philosophy of never dropping can help avoid this negativity that comes from worrying to much about results, without having to try less hard or be less competitive about the game.
So the next time you are doing poorly in a tournament, I challenge you to leave that “Drop” box on the match slip unchecked. Play out all your rounds and make the most of your tournament experience.
Meet the rest of the Massdrop West and Massdrop East teams: https://www.massdrop.com/talk/2595/mtg-the-return-of-massdrop-east-massdrop-west
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· *2nd* at Pro Tour Ixalan: www.massdrop.com/talk/2664/2nd-at-pro-tour-ixalan
· Unclaimed Creature Types: https://www.massdrop.com/talk/2707/unclaimed-creature-types