The Thinkin' Bench (8th @ Worlds 2023)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Claf8E18eLs

I tried to get out of the venue between every round, whenever I had the opportunity. There's a couple of benches a half block away across the street that face an acupuncture center and a closed bar. The acupuncture center's logo is a Star of David with a turtle in the middle.

I spent a lot of time thinking on those benches. Sometimes they were taken and I went further down the street. In the mornings I sipped coffee before heading in. One time a street sweeper came by and I imagined it was sweeping up all my pre-round anxiety.

This is the first Worlds I've ever felt totally at peace about my decks. I didn't think about them between rounds, or during games - I didn't think about them at all. I trusted them to do their thing and it was my job to bring myself along.

A big part of me feels disappointed to go out in 8th. This whole year has felt like riding something bigger than me that's carrying me forward with its momentum, from CBI to Cascadia to Interconts to Worlds. I felt like it could be carrying me to a win, and getting so close reminds me how lucky you have to get and how you have to make the most of every opportunity.

The wiser part of me is proud of how my teammates and I played and placed. I'm proud of our decks. I feel humbled to have such supportive and loving friends.

I also feel humbled by the community. My first worlds was Mopus in 2018, and both there and in Rotterdam in 2019 I felt like an outsider on the fringe at an event where everyone knew each other. This year, I felt like I knew everyone and everyone knew me. I can't express how delightful it was to stop and chat with new faces and old friends, and how gratifying it is to feel strongly connected to you all.

Thank you Jeff, Mar, Sam, Ed, Havvy, Tol, and every judge and volunteer that made the event happen. You put in a colossal amount of work and it shone through in every aspect of the weekend.

Thank you Dee, Dan, Cat, Patty, Don, Theo, and Kyle for a great time in Barcelona. Thanks to all the Snarebears and the Process for an awesome testing run-up to Worlds. Special thanks to Toby, Patty, and Rob for putting Mining 419 back on the radar. Thanks to Eric for being the vessel into which I poured my anxiety. Thanks to Chris for his meticulous cut math(s). Thanks to CTZ always.

Thanks to everyone I played, and everyone who stopped to chat, shoot the shit, and swap stories. Thanks to Andrej and Josh and Guy and everyone working the stream. Thanks to Twitch chat for making me smile when I watched back my games. Thank you NSG for continuing to kill it running this game.

See y'all next year.