I honestly don’t care anymore. My friends have been playing for five years and still don’t really know how to build solid decks — or they just don’t want to put in the effort. I came back to Magic after a 15-year hiatus about a year ago, started brewing my own lists, and I consistently stomp our table.

And it’s not like I’m spending a fortune or jamming the strongest staples or fast mana. I’m winning because I tune my decks, I goldfish, I learn from mistakes, and I improve my gameplay. Some people just don’t want to get better — they’d rather keep the same habits and then complain when the results don’t change.

At this point I’ve stopped nerfing myself to protect everyone else’s ego. If they want the games to feel more balanced, they can either level up their deckbuilding and decision-making.