Entering The Hearthstone Zone

Quinton “SegmentedWhale”: Twitch | YouTube | Blog

What’s poppin’ guys?! My name is Quinton, aka “SegmentedWhale”. I achieved Legend rank Season 4, and have the goal of achieving it every season from here on out. This is my first post to iHearthU. I wanted to cover a general concept that if mastered can greatly improve any players game. Let’s try to get into the zone.

So, how do we enter the ever-elusive Hearthstone zone?

The place where there is nothing but play. You and the cards become one, and there is only the aim to achieve victory. All of your being is in the game. Nothing else exists and nothing else matters. Whether you win or lose, you played the absolute best that you could have played, and you know it.

The zone brought you up a few ranks, and made you feel like the game was yours to command and you could take on the world. Then your session ended. Maybe you made it to rank 10, rank 5, rank 1…..

You finished your session, and carried on with the rest of your day with your head held high, and your mood even higher. Tomorrow rolls around and you want to hop back into the game to decimate the competition even further. You hit play.

You’ve lost your first game.

Whatever, it was garbage. Your opponent got lucky, or maybe you made a minor misplay that tumbled out of control. Just hit the play button and keep going. That loss won’t affect your psyche or playing condition. You my friend, are just too good for that.

The second game is over, and somehow fate has planted another loss on your hearthstone record. You scuff it off claiming that it was just another unfortunate loss and that is how the game goes. Just hit the play button, and reclaim your former glory.

Three losses in a row. Now you start questioning the game. RNG is the ultimate death bringer, and there was nothing that could be done. You get more and more keyed up, you want to rectify the losses that have just tarnished your good record. It can’t go on forever, probability doesn’t work that way.

Game Four.

VICTORY!! Finally your skill, determination, and card playing prowess has shown its true colors. Time to ride this wagon to the glory lands. Just hit play.

Turns out you lost again though. Bummer. Maybe you should take a break. I mean you were about to stabilize, and that damned zoo player, drew Leeroy, and tapped into a Soulfire for the perfect 10 damage to finish you off. It was the only way he could have won. That has to hit you mentally at this point, maybe you won’t be playing 100% like you were earlier. You probably want to avoid making rash decisions, and plays with clear flaws in logical reasoning. Quitting is for the weak though, you hit play.

I can only assume most of you know what I am getting at. This game can be tough on us (especially when we forget to pray to RNG{J}esus).

To put it straight and simple, sometimes you just don’t win. Even if you play better than your opponent, you made what are objectively right plays and victory still landed in your opponent’s lap. Don’t let it affect you emotionally. It’s something that is much easier said than it is done. If you allow losses that were out of your control to affect you mentally, all you are doing is perpetuating the losing cycle. You will not make optimal plays, nor perform at peak level.

Many players though believe that their emotions and their game play are two separate entities. That they are somehow beyond their human form. Emotions are something everyone experiences. Even if you are a cold-hearted serial killer you have emotions (empathy and emotions aren’t the same thing). The sooner players realize this and try to become aware of their emotional connection to the game the better. This is a bond we have to try to sever. If we can sever the line between the outcome of the game and happiness,sadness, anger, etc. we open the door that allows us to become one with the game.

We open the door to the zone.

So the next time you find yourself incapable of reaching the peak of your potential take a step back and breathe. Watch a funny video, go for a walk, play with your dog. Leave hearthstone behind you for just 10 minutes. Then come back to it, you will probably find that you are playing much better.

Oh, and if you are really trying to rank up, and are taking the game seriously. When you play just play the game, nothing else. Put it in full screen, close facebook, and block out everything else. Be the ball. That is how I find myself entering the zone. When there is nothing but the game, and my emotions are in check. If I lose, I stop myself, re-calibrate, and THEN hit play. Why play if it’s not your best? Until next time, stay frosty internet.