u/Obloquy5

I’ve spent the last several months trying and failing to learn how to play limited, and this shit is actively damaging my health lol.

I watch sealed and draft gameplay from top players, I’ve learned all the archetypes, I’ve read up on card win rates and am pretty well versed in the meta as it has evolved in the Strixhaven format.

From memory, my last 5 drafts went 2-3, 1-3, 0-3, 0-3, 1-3.

Game after game, it just feels like either I’m playing a literal child who’s never played a game of magic in their life and it’s a complete blowout in my favor, or I’m getting utterly stomped by a pro tour contender. Usually the latter. the luck variance and the matchmaking system is just brutal in this game.

In the last draft I did, I went up against someone who had an ark of hunger that drew them into a SECOND ark of hunger. Needless to say, I lost that game.

That was the followed by a loss to some paradigm card, I can’t even remember which one, I just remember thinking of course they have the absolute blowout mythic rare win-on-the-spot card when I’m on 2 losses and drawing awkwardly.

After that, I decided to try a round of sealed. I know the variance is worse with sealed, but I just wanted to roll the dice to get away from draft for a bit. And boy did I high roll… after losing to a double Ark deck, I managed to open 2 Arks myself! I put together what I truly believe was a very solid lorehold aggro deck with 2 copies of arguably the best rare in the set. Easy 7-0 right? Wrong. I drew into an Ark TWICE in 6 games. In one of those games it was in my opening hand. Unsurprisingly, I won that game. In all the other instances , I got more than halfway through my deck before ever seeing one of them at all. In one case, I was down to the last 10 cards of my deck before I drew into one of them. I ended up going 3-3.

I was so unreasonably upset by this shit that I’ve since deleted the game and been off it for the last week.

I’m not really looking for advice, mainly just venting. I just needed to make this post for closure, because god damn have the magic gods absolutely fucked me sideways.

**EDIT**

This post has gotten a fair amount of attention and I'd be remiss not to clarify that I totally acknowledge I am still learning and do not have a lot of skill yet to lean on. A lot of these losses came down to poor decision making. Those ones hurt much less, so they don't linger in my mind the way the losses to variance do.

As for how many of those losses to variance may have been salvageable with proper play or a more strongly drafted deck... well I think what I've taken away from many of your comments is that reflecting and learning from that is my best path to slowing the hemorrhage of gems and gold and getting some positive results.

I appreciate all of the earnest advice and nice comments from everyone trying to be helpful and giving me some much needed perspective. I originally wrote I wasn't looking for advice, but in reading all of your comments about your experiences and offering your insights, I have a better perspective and renewed determination to go back into the trenches of draft with.

Now off to give Wizards more money...