Mythic Simic Ramp | A Guide for Ranking up on Arena
Hello, everyone! Instead of doing the normal routine where I showcase a recent brew, I thought I'd do a video on how to rank up on Arena. I recorded this video right when I was one Bo3 away from hitting mythic (Diamond 1 & 2/3), so I'm basically explaining how to rank up to mythic while I'm hitting mythic, which I thought was pretty snazzy. We do manage to hit mythic in the video, but unfortunately we don't get a great Bo3 out of it: the opponent concedes the first game early and they seem to lose their internet connection for the last one. Our takeaway? Sometimes it takes a little bit of luck!
But in all seriousness, let me summarize some of my tips for ranking up in Arena below:
1) Choose your deck wisely. Maybe you really enjoy playing your Assassins tribal brew, and maybe it's actually pretty good, but if you're dead-set on ranking up, you really should choose a deck that maximizes your win %. I highly recommend looking up established, tournament-level decks online (mtggoldfish.com is my site of choice) and copying a deck that you like from there. Sure, you might think your mono-red deck is better than the lists you see online, but there's really no harm in at least trying your luck with a more established build. Chances are, you'll have more success with netdecking than with brewing. That said, if you believe your great strength in Magic is deckbuilding, then feel free to test yourself--but make sure you're playing with something highly competitive.
2) Stick to one deck. Any fan of this channel knows that I play with a lot of different decks on a daily basis. However, when my goal is to ascend the ladder, I choose one deck (or archetype) and stick to it. Getting familiar with a deck is absolutely essential to success in Magic. The more you commit yourself to a single strategy, the higher you'll climb in the Arena. Your devotion will pay off in numerous ways, from learning the ins and outs of the key matchups to acquiring a sophisticated sideboarding strategy.
3) Play slowly. Make every move count; always pay attention to how autotapper is tapping your mana and tap manually whenever necessary; pretend you're in a high-pressure tournament setting every time you jump into the queue. I see a lot of players making moves without really thinking, and one can really get punished for that in Magic. Think like a chess grandmaster: if I play this and they do this next turn, where will that leave me? What's likely in my opponent's hand? What will the board-state be like in the early, mid, and late game? What card am I digging for exactly? Better to "overthink" than to play without thinking. Also, remember that time, like your life total, is a resource in Magic. Slow down and really think, and I guarantee that your play will improve.
4) Watch the pros. There are plenty of great matches that you can watch on youtube (check out mtgesports), as well as great players to follow on twitch. Be a critical spectator: this means pausing the video every so often and asking yourself, what would I do here? If you're watching Nassif and he makes a move you don't expect, try to figure out why he'd take that line. He's a very thoughtful and brilliant player by the way--a great example for anyone looking to improve.
5) Do the math. This may seem obvious, but a lot of the people I face on Arena can be lazy enough to send in attackers without actually counting everything out in a precise way. Don't assume you have lethal unless you're certain. Double or triple-checking your math will help ensure that you won't lose because of a silly mistake. This obviously corresponds to slowing your pace of play, especially for pivotal turns.
6) Avoid conceding early. In my experience, players on Arena frequently throw in the towel a bit prematurely, sometimes the moment a game swings heavily against them. Playing from behind can be difficult both technically and emotionally, but if you learn to maximize every opening you see you may find yourself winning games that you were sure you had lost on a former turn. This has happened to me countless times, so try not to make things easier for your opponents! Remember that you don't get style points for conceding the moment things go south. Also, it can pay dividends for you to make your opponent spend more time to finish you off, especially in the context of Bo3 matches.
7) Put in the time. In many ways, the difference between mythic and gold is as simple as the number of hours spent every day playing Arena. If you're the type of person who plays no more than one or two games a day, it's going to be very difficult for you to climb all the way to mythic. The reality is that most mythic-level players are putting in serious time--maybe four to six hours daily. Don't beat yourself up if you've got better things to do :)
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Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/3213...