So there's a big event coming up. It's been a while since my team's done any work on UFS, and we're a bit rusty. Sound familiar? If so, then let me share with you some of the training exercises we go through to get back into tip-top competitive shape. Some of you may already do some these things, but if you don't, I highly recommend them. Let's begin, shall we?

Part I: Luck Of The Draw

"All human things are subject to decay, And when fate summons, monarchs must obey." - John Dryden (1631-1700), poet and dramatist

No one is master of their own destiny, completely. Life happens, or that other four letter word, and you are compelled seemingly by some otherworldy force. This isn't about religion, or any thing of supernatural belief, merely ruminations on the nature of fate. Ryan Riley (HavocRmR on the forums) came down to visit us for the weekend, along with some of the Fort Lauderdale crew, and after spending the whole day with him Saturday and also Sunday, something idiotic and stupid and pointless happened that prevented him from leaving for a while. He's fine, don't worry, and nothing happened to him directly, but it still sucks. I don't want to advertise it anymore because it's not my right to talk about it, I only bring it up because the situation got me thinking a bit about the nature of fate and how it can apply to card games in general.

"We are all something, but none of us is everything." - Blaise Pascal 

I was talking to another player about the deck I plan to run at the Mid-West Coast Championships this weekend (which I will be covering and competing in), and while he gave some good advice on the specific deck itself he said something that was really interesting to me, and I quote: "All that said though, I do honestly feel that any deck not running Higher Calibur right now is just gimping the player's ability to win. It's not a crutch, but damn...so horrendously, horrendously overpowered in the current environment."