<3
I love you. Which is a testament to my development as a Magic player. In constructed I used to play either combo or control decks. My friends always teased me that I didn’t know how to win with Magic, only knew how not to lose. And to be fair, they were completely right. I sucked at the combat step. I remember my old friend Timo watching over my shoulder in agony as I struggled my way through combat steps at the local FNM. Every time reminding me of how bad I was at combat.
For years all I knew was that winning was the logical result of not losing. But I also knew that that was a very flawed way of viewing Magic. And the best way of learning, was by playing. So I forced myself to draft aggressive decks in cube more often. To grow as a player. Lucky for me, back in 2009, mono red aggro was one of the best strategies in both Power cube and Peasant cube. Those were the 2 cubes we as a playgroup played, every single week. No one liked playing mono red aggro, so plenty of room for me to develop my skills in the combat step.
10 years later, in 2019, I was playing the finals of a Cube Invitational I organised. I was playing my dear friend Frank. Frank is a clearly better player than I was back then, and still is. But I knew something he didn’t, I knew how good you, Samite Pilgrim, are at dominating the combat step. For the top 4 draft, which was a silent auction draft with my pauper cube, I drafted a green and white aggro deck. And you were one of the stars of that deck. When I played you on turn 2 against Frank he shrugged, not thinking much of you. And you hit back, and hit back hard. Because even with only 2 basic land types in play, preventing 2 damage with each activation, we completely dominated combat and swiftly won the finals. After the match Frank had to admit, you are a whole lot better than you look.
I knew something he didn’t. In those 10 years of learning about the combat step I learned a very specific skill. I learned to recognise a Kabuto Moth, and you my friend, are a Kabuto Moth in disguise. And I love you for it.
With love,
Hanjo
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