meta14
11-01-2011, 07:46 PM
Introduction:
Playing a children's card game isn't as easy as your next door neighbour makes it out to be. Oh no, it can turn into quite a doozy. Nowadays, with cards being played left, right, and center, you can find yourself neglecting that Mirror Force you had set 5 seconds ago because you were too preoccupied with the Shooting Quasar Dragon you had just summoned. The game goes by so quickly nowadays, you can find yourself forgetting the ins and outs you had mentally prepared yourself for when you had first looked at your hand.
Being caught up in the play is a curse many of us are fallen prey to, and we wonder; "What am I supposed to do to fix this?" After a lifechanging experience, I may have found an answer.
The Experience:
Now, I haven't been on pojo lately because of school. Ah yes, school. 12th grade Pre-Cal is no walk in the park, especially when coupled with other courses such as ELA, Chemistry, and unfortunately, Phys. Ed. Being an avid yugioh player, physical labour has never been my strong suit. I'm sure that any of us could get into the high school team of our choice, but there's all that ridiculous physical labour involved. I mean, who has the time or willpower?
The big problem is that we are required to be in some sort of club or sport at this particular high school, and so I wandered the halls, in search of a club to join that required minimal physical labour. I was not an environmentalist, so you could count me out of "Envirothon Club" and "Sustainable Development." I dislike writing about topics not related to children's card games, so the "Writing Club" was out. "Solid Rock" had sounded like an interesting enough club name, but it encouraged nonsense like "faith" and "praying." Being an atheist, I briefly contemplated about going in for the trollz, but the moment soon passed, and I was no better off.
What was I to do? Being a nerd in high school wasn't as bad as the movies made it out to be, but I was running out of non-physical options, perhaps I would have to join Badminton after all. Then it came to me: what is the first club any nerd joins? Chess Club of course! Chess is a highly sophisticated game, stimulating mental development and providing all the smugness and self-esteem gained from "kicking someone's ass" without all the unneeded physical labour. I looked to see if Chess Club was listed in the club list, and alas it was. I made my way to the room hosting the Chess Club, and shouted "Banzai!"* As I grabbed a board and asked a friend of mine to play against me, I notice the glint of one of the chess player's eyes from afar. They were sharp, malicious, and shrewd. Taken back, I realize I've seen this look before; in the eyes of Yugioh players. Feeling more interested in the game all of a sudden, my friend and I began playing chess, knights ablaze. After playing for a rigorous 20 minutes, I emerged the victor, checkmating him with a classic double rook technique. After playing at this club for some time, I've realized something.
The Realization:
Playing a game that was not Yugioh, I realized that you had to be far more wary of your surroundings. Yugioh, while it can be fun, it does not take a largely sufficient amount of brainpower to play, especially if you're playing with decks with simple ins, outs and combos, such as Six Samurai. After playing a game that was not Yugioh, I realized a key to the door to becoming a better Yugioh player; I've quoted it to make it very clear. play a strategic game that is not yugioh. Like it or not, playing Yugioh will not vastly increase your strategic skills. Playing chess I realized it had benefited me in many ways such as:
It develops concentration: Have you ever found yourself lost because your opponent pulled some last minute hax from the graveyard, with a card such as Spore or Necrogardna? In chess, you must be aware of all the pieces on the board, and remember to take every piece (including your own) into consideration before making a move.
It develops creativity: Tired of those same old plays you've been making over and over and over? Perhaps you're in a bind and you're simply unsure of what to do next. You need to think up creative moves on the spot in chess, sometimes, as there is no "autopilot" deck in chess. Creativity could mean setting Monster Reborn, activating Hand Destruction, and activating Monster Reborn to bring back the Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon you just discarded.
It develops logical thinking: This can sometimes be a biggie in the world of Yugioh. Just because you can summon that Stardust Dragon doesn't mean you should. This is mightily important in chess, because you have to constantly predict what your opponent is going to do, and counteract it by moving a piece. It gives you the ability to forsee what the opponent will do, and encourages you to wonder; "Hmm, now why did he do that?"
It develops patience: Another biggie people can miss. Remember that time it cost you a game because you were too caught up in a play to consider what your opponent had facedown or something? Chess teaches us that patience rewards us in the end. Yugioh can teach this, but only to the degree of stopping us from making stupid moves. Patience is rarely rewarded anymore in Yugioh, but there are rare, crucial moments when you wonder what you will do without it.
It discourages One for One plays for the sake of it: While killing your monster to kill your opponent's monsters sounds cool, you need to realize that you need to develop your play field first. Develop your pieces before destroying your opponent's field, because in the end, if he has more cards on the field than you do, you will lose.
Another tip I'd discovered through alternative games is: do your math when it comes to playing Yugioh. Before synchro summoning a Stardust Dragon and attacking directly for 2500, perhaps you could attack directly with that Dark Resonator and Cyber Dragon for 3400 instead. It doesn't matter if you do 100 points more damage; if you can do it safely, it could mean the game.
Conclusion:
With these revelations, I have not only improved the way I play in Yugioh, but I have also improved the way I am intellectually. Meeting new people in chess has improved me socially, and gives you a self-esteem boost in winning, without the psychotic competitive spirit that can ensue when playing sports. Go out there and embrace another Strategic Game, whether it be Chess or Reversi. You might just learn something.
*Note: I did not shout "Banzai"
Playing a children's card game isn't as easy as your next door neighbour makes it out to be. Oh no, it can turn into quite a doozy. Nowadays, with cards being played left, right, and center, you can find yourself neglecting that Mirror Force you had set 5 seconds ago because you were too preoccupied with the Shooting Quasar Dragon you had just summoned. The game goes by so quickly nowadays, you can find yourself forgetting the ins and outs you had mentally prepared yourself for when you had first looked at your hand.
Being caught up in the play is a curse many of us are fallen prey to, and we wonder; "What am I supposed to do to fix this?" After a lifechanging experience, I may have found an answer.
The Experience:
Now, I haven't been on pojo lately because of school. Ah yes, school. 12th grade Pre-Cal is no walk in the park, especially when coupled with other courses such as ELA, Chemistry, and unfortunately, Phys. Ed. Being an avid yugioh player, physical labour has never been my strong suit. I'm sure that any of us could get into the high school team of our choice, but there's all that ridiculous physical labour involved. I mean, who has the time or willpower?
The big problem is that we are required to be in some sort of club or sport at this particular high school, and so I wandered the halls, in search of a club to join that required minimal physical labour. I was not an environmentalist, so you could count me out of "Envirothon Club" and "Sustainable Development." I dislike writing about topics not related to children's card games, so the "Writing Club" was out. "Solid Rock" had sounded like an interesting enough club name, but it encouraged nonsense like "faith" and "praying." Being an atheist, I briefly contemplated about going in for the trollz, but the moment soon passed, and I was no better off.
What was I to do? Being a nerd in high school wasn't as bad as the movies made it out to be, but I was running out of non-physical options, perhaps I would have to join Badminton after all. Then it came to me: what is the first club any nerd joins? Chess Club of course! Chess is a highly sophisticated game, stimulating mental development and providing all the smugness and self-esteem gained from "kicking someone's ass" without all the unneeded physical labour. I looked to see if Chess Club was listed in the club list, and alas it was. I made my way to the room hosting the Chess Club, and shouted "Banzai!"* As I grabbed a board and asked a friend of mine to play against me, I notice the glint of one of the chess player's eyes from afar. They were sharp, malicious, and shrewd. Taken back, I realize I've seen this look before; in the eyes of Yugioh players. Feeling more interested in the game all of a sudden, my friend and I began playing chess, knights ablaze. After playing for a rigorous 20 minutes, I emerged the victor, checkmating him with a classic double rook technique. After playing at this club for some time, I've realized something.
The Realization:
Playing a game that was not Yugioh, I realized that you had to be far more wary of your surroundings. Yugioh, while it can be fun, it does not take a largely sufficient amount of brainpower to play, especially if you're playing with decks with simple ins, outs and combos, such as Six Samurai. After playing a game that was not Yugioh, I realized a key to the door to becoming a better Yugioh player; I've quoted it to make it very clear. play a strategic game that is not yugioh. Like it or not, playing Yugioh will not vastly increase your strategic skills. Playing chess I realized it had benefited me in many ways such as:
It develops concentration: Have you ever found yourself lost because your opponent pulled some last minute hax from the graveyard, with a card such as Spore or Necrogardna? In chess, you must be aware of all the pieces on the board, and remember to take every piece (including your own) into consideration before making a move.
It develops creativity: Tired of those same old plays you've been making over and over and over? Perhaps you're in a bind and you're simply unsure of what to do next. You need to think up creative moves on the spot in chess, sometimes, as there is no "autopilot" deck in chess. Creativity could mean setting Monster Reborn, activating Hand Destruction, and activating Monster Reborn to bring back the Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon you just discarded.
It develops logical thinking: This can sometimes be a biggie in the world of Yugioh. Just because you can summon that Stardust Dragon doesn't mean you should. This is mightily important in chess, because you have to constantly predict what your opponent is going to do, and counteract it by moving a piece. It gives you the ability to forsee what the opponent will do, and encourages you to wonder; "Hmm, now why did he do that?"
It develops patience: Another biggie people can miss. Remember that time it cost you a game because you were too caught up in a play to consider what your opponent had facedown or something? Chess teaches us that patience rewards us in the end. Yugioh can teach this, but only to the degree of stopping us from making stupid moves. Patience is rarely rewarded anymore in Yugioh, but there are rare, crucial moments when you wonder what you will do without it.
It discourages One for One plays for the sake of it: While killing your monster to kill your opponent's monsters sounds cool, you need to realize that you need to develop your play field first. Develop your pieces before destroying your opponent's field, because in the end, if he has more cards on the field than you do, you will lose.
Another tip I'd discovered through alternative games is: do your math when it comes to playing Yugioh. Before synchro summoning a Stardust Dragon and attacking directly for 2500, perhaps you could attack directly with that Dark Resonator and Cyber Dragon for 3400 instead. It doesn't matter if you do 100 points more damage; if you can do it safely, it could mean the game.
Conclusion:
With these revelations, I have not only improved the way I play in Yugioh, but I have also improved the way I am intellectually. Meeting new people in chess has improved me socially, and gives you a self-esteem boost in winning, without the psychotic competitive spirit that can ensue when playing sports. Go out there and embrace another Strategic Game, whether it be Chess or Reversi. You might just learn something.
*Note: I did not shout "Banzai"