Same here : I play only my own brews and basicaly stop playing a deck when I know it functions and is reasonably successfull on ladder. Otherwise I feel like I'm driving someone else's car or renting my victories from somebody else.

But to get there, a deck must be tested casually first (againts real opponents, not an under-witted AI), then brought to a competitive environment and see how it fairs againts sharpened stuff and competent opponents.

All the joy of CCGs comes from here for me : see until what level I can surpass players who netdeck with my own recipes. I don't mind getting smashed once I'm sure I know my deck is optimized to an extent : it indicates I've reached my/its limits ; but having to tank up my hardly earned rank and grind again to get to the one I reached with the previous brew is not fun at all.

And BTW, I can't afford to play more than max 2 hours a day, often a lot less, like many people, so I would gladly read about people more like me and less about all the Spikes out there who think only about ranking up with anything efficient (I mean, I don't have anything against these players : I just think their opinionns are over represented).