Born To Be A Winner - Why Respect Is Important

Question Of The Day: What does it mean to be a "sore winner", and why is it so important that I shake my opponent's hand?

Trading Card Game Referenced:

ALL TRADING CARD GAMES

This is a pretty deep issue, and its importance reaches beyond a single game. This topic is important to not only trading cards, but it is also a deep life lesson, as well. I feel everyone could learn something from this post, whether you play games or not. (Although, if you aren't at least interested, how did you get here?)

Everyone knows at least one sore loser, someone who can't accept defeat graciously and throw a tantrum, accusing the winner of cheating, and calling for certain cards to be "nerfed" (made weaker by removing stats and effects, or increasing cost to play). However, there is such a thing as being a sore WINNER, as well. You may know the type. A person that struts around victoriously when they win, doing a victory dance. A person who denigrates his opponent for playing poorly, or having bad cards, or not being as skilled. The kind that gloats about his accomplishments to everyone within earshot. This is also the most arrogant of people, as well. They won't make eye contact when shaking hands because they see their opponent as just another victory notch, or they refuse to shake hands at all, feeling that it is beneath their stature.

That is not a winner. That is a jerk with a well-built deck and misused skills. He lacks honor, he lacks conviction, he lacks empathy, he lacks social skills, he lacks humility, and worst of all, he lacks the important concept that he might, one day, actually lose. And trust me, he will. Sore winners are usually also very sore losers, because they are incapable of believing that they CAN lose. Loss isn't in their mind, and when they do lose, they write it off as a fluke and don't count it against themselves. These are not good people, let alone good players. They will almost always lose when they finally fight a real champion. Let me tell you (in my opinion) what a winner is supposed to be:

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- A winner understands the concept of respect, and extends that respect to every opponent. This is why, in tournament play, it is required in some games like Yu-Gi-Oh! to shake your opponent's hand before and after play. This shows respect and honor, and lets your opponent know that there are no hard feelings or malicious intent, and that this is only business, which allows them both to play a serious but fun game on equal footing.

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- A winner will take only the time necessary to carry out a turn, and will make their moves, and the announcement of said moves, clear, concise, and audible to the opponent. No hand trickery, no shifty deck shuffling, no sneaking cards onto the field without announcing it. A winner plays with honor, or they do not play at all.

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- A winner will always recognize a skilled opponent's abilities, and will acknowledge them during or after play. He will always give credit where credit is due, and will ask after the match about strategy and specific cards to get a better understanding of the game from someone who has a unique perspective and gave them a real challenge.

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- A winner will take a loss graciously, acknowledging the opponent as the superior combatant this time around, and will shake their hand at the end of the match as a showing of good sport.

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- A winner will play opponents with bad decks, or less skilled players, and will offer them advice and suggestions on how to improve. He will not, if he knows he will win the match in a landslide, throw absolutely everything at the new player unless that player needs a lesson in humility. Instead, he will show where things went wrong, and offer ideas as to how to counter it in the future. After all, every winner was a newbie once upon a time. (Yes, even your Professor Theodore Cedric Gregory was green in the olden days.)

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- A winner does not need to cheat to obtain his goals, but instead uses his knowledge of tactics, mathematics, psychology, and probability to outsmart his opponents. This rule is very important, because cheaters, when caught, are banned from competitive play, which is the opposite of what you are learning here.

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These qualities are how to tell a good winner from a sore one, and also explains why the handshake is important. It puts both you and your opponent on equal footing, and allows you to show respect, which will, most of the time, be returned to you. This shows that you both intend to play a fair game, and that no feelings are involved in the match, so it is not personal. This is an important distinction, because many people take these games personally, and feel they have failed as an individual with each loss.

This is not true. No matter how many matches you lose, you are NOT a failure. You are simply a champion who has not reached his potential yet. You have more to learn, new cards to seek out, new strategies to try. Perhaps you haven't found a deck archetype that you feel most comfortable and fluid in running. Perhaps you need to find your niche in the game you are playing. Perhaps you should try other TCGs to get a feel for how uniquely they play, and find one that is right for you. But no matter what, never, EVER tell yourself that you are a failure. In my eyes, you are ALL champions in the making, which is why I am here to help educate you in the ways of the game.

This was an important lesson to learn, so I hope you were all paying attention. Your homework for the day:

YOU ARE ALL CHAMPIONS. BE GRACEFUL, BE RESPECTFUL, BE HUMBLE, BUT ABOVE ALL, BE POSITIVE.

Stay smart, my students. Go forth, and win!