Weird People

[The Chosen One]

What's the strangest mannerisms you have seen from opponents you have played in person? In example: Playing against someone who cant sit still, etc.....

[Mr. Nightmare]

Once I played against this skinny kid from the midwest who couldn't stop showboating the whole time we were playing.  Every time he drew a card he went nuts, and when he cast Brainstorm he yelled "SO MANY INSANE PLAYS!!!"  That kid was pretty weird.

For reals though, I've played against two people with Tourette's Syndrome, well, one at least I know has Tourette's.  I think Gadiel Sleifer does (he's the second) but I don't know for sure.  He has a lot of the symptoms though.

[TracerBullet]

What's the strangest mannerisms you have seen from opponents you have played in person? In example: Playing against someone who cant sit still, etc.....

That's Rndm_Miser.  He's got serious body/facial ticks that constantly distract while playing.



Brian Benedict used to tap cards in both directions (clockwise/counter-clockwise) and would often end up with cards turned upside down.  That always weirded me out.

[brianpk80]

This is getting out of hand.  After reading that article by the kid with Autism who said Magic was the perfect outlet to help him break out and expand his limited social circle, I'm not sure why we need a thread to humiliate people with Tourette Syndrome or whatever gets posted here next.  A lot of gamers suffer from all different types of depression, social anxieties, and what not.  No need to scrape whatever dignity they might have with a thread like this.

-BPK

[Mr. Nightmare]

This is getting out of hand.  After reading that article by the kid with Autism who said Magic was the perfect outlet to help him break out and expand his limited social circle, I'm not sure why we need a thread to humiliate people with Tourette Syndrome or whatever gets posted here next.  A lot of gamers suffer from all different types of depression, social anxieties, and what not.  No need to scrape whatever dignity they might have with a thread like this.

-BPK

Wow, dude.  The guy asked a question, and I answered it.  It's off-putting to play vs. someone with TS, because they actually do have ticks, and they are distracting, for both their opponent and them, I'm sure.  I'm not slandering anyone, it's an unfortunate symptom of the disease.  My friend with TS, who was the first player I referred to, was sitting with me and asked Gadiel about TS because he saw the symptoms.  I got distracted or I would have heard the response.  I said I wasn't sure specifically so I wouldn't offend anyone if I were incorrect.  There's no need to get tight about it.

[zeus-online]

This is getting out of hand.  After reading that article by the kid with Autism who said Magic was the perfect outlet to help him break out and expand his limited social circle, I'm not sure why we need a thread to humiliate people with Tourette Syndrome or whatever gets posted here next.  A lot of gamers suffer from all different types of depression, social anxieties, and what not.  No need to scrape whatever dignity they might have with a thread like this.

-BPK

I honestly don't think that was the intended purpose.

Oh and i don't really know who the weirdest guy i've played against was.

/Zeus

[brianpk80]

Wow, dude.  The guy asked a question, and I answered it.  It's off-putting to play vs. someone with TS, because they actually do have ticks, and they are distracting, for both their opponent and them, I'm sure.  I'm not slandering anyone, it's an unfortunate symptom of the disease. 

It's annoying to play against a lot of things, smells, ugly, cocky, whatever.  I'm not accusing anyone of slander and I don't think the original poster was trying to solicit these kind of responses.  It's just a bit ridiculous to start naming symptoms of various neurological disorders and pointing out the obvious fact that they're distracting, and then start naming and listing people who have them.  Really, it just plain is.  You might say I'm being overly paternal from having worked with people with various disabilities, but there's nothing great about where this thread was heading.   

-BPK

[Methuselahn]

My former neurologist once told me that approximately 15% of the population has some sort of autism, even if it is severly mild.  It's no wonder, really.  Also, he mentioned that we know very little regarding the brain, the most complicated human organ.  I can totally see where Brian is coming from.  It's hard for me to label people with nervous system disorders as being weird because they don't really choose this fate.

People who destroy their brains with drugs on purpose, and then try to compete, now that's weird.

People who play magic for fame and/or profit.  That is weird.

Seeing a good looking female with a bunch of nerds playing MTG.  THAT is weird.

[Parcher]

Back on topic...


The weirdest I ever played against in mannerisms was Mike Long. His ass never actually was in his chair for the entirety of the match. Most of the time he sort of perched on it. He circled it multiple times, and I think stood on it once. He also kept it so far back from the table as to actually hop off to play a spell, as he couldn't reach. He also never shut up. Not once. No yelling, and no trash talk except the normal "Ok, here comes the X" predicting what you would play stuff. But constant chatter either to me, someone near, or just himself.

The worst I ever saw was Eric Froelich (yes, the WSOP winner) playing in a pre-release of all things. His opponent actually went into epileptic seizures during their match, and an ambulance was called. Though the seizure was mild, and he ended up being fine, Froelich actually stood up after they took his opponent away and shouted to the room "Who else want a piece of me?!! I'm a Killa!!!"  The irony here being the "weird" part was not the man with epilepsy.

To be honest, I think everyone was so aghast that it never was brought up. I just don't think anyone spoke to him again.

[Matt]

One kid had his long hair in his face...and I mean completely covering his face, Cousin It style. Like so:


He was also wearing a black hoodie to complete the illusion. I don't know why. No one else at that store seemed to question it.

[Guevara59]

This one guy had a Big Gulp and wouldn't stop slurping it.  Even when it was finished, he would just reach over and take an obnoxiously long airy bubbly sip like the ones you randomly hear in the movie theaters...i was so pissed off.  I almost conceded just to leave!

[EnialisLiadon]

My first opponent in a vintage tournament was playing Oath and at the end of each of his turns, he said, "That's what I do!"  And as the match progressed, he started asking me at the end of my turns, "Is that what you do?"  To which I'd reply, "That's what I do!"  It was amusing.

Another opponent at my most recent vintage tournament said "seems good" at EVERYTHING.  "Does this resolve?"  "Seems good."  "Pass the turn?"  "Seems good."  And when he ended his turn, "seems good."  Are any of these phrases commonplace in tournament settings?

[Pitlord]

I can't think of any really weird habits from many players, but I did play one very peculiar looking game against Endress in a T8 in Milwaukee.

He was carrying around bobble heads that day for luck, cold for some reason, and playing combo in the usual compulsive Endress way. Just picture the match of Endress, hunched over wrapped in a pink blanket, trying to decide whether or not to mull for literaly 10 minutes, while i practically am falling asleep, all the while surrounded by bobble heads of various sorts.

[gotinput]

I once played against a male opponent with extreme acne and with hair midway down his back.  Sure some people have acne, but this guy looked like he had used a shovel on himself before the match.  His hair was 1 solid dread, looked like a broom, excluding the dirt and tangles.  I spent most of the match inconspicuously looking for bugs in his hair.

For the record, he has since obtained acne treatment, and had his hair fixed.

[Norm4eva]

It's difficult to tell with some people whether or not their social behaviors are a result of something that can be cured with simple visits to a psych/therapist, meds, or maybe they're just genuinely off.  Like me.  I mean I'm not a goober but under certain circumstances, I'm nowhere near as visibly confident as other times.  The difference between me playing Magic and me playing guitar onstage is astounding.
For what it's worth I try not to be an annoying little bastard while I'm playing The Cards; I've been to a therapist for things like anxiety issues and a bit of ADD.  I'm getting better about genuinely learning from my experiences instead of being like the guy I played across from last night @ FNM, who just couldn't understand why his 5$ Saproling deck kept losing to RG Beatz.  He'd make and excuses and wise-cracks and they were indefensible except by allusions such as "don't piss me off b/c my medications are being adjusted" etc etc... These guys are, for better or worse, part and parcel of the experience.  It's just as annoying when someone whines and fusses about manascrew or counterspells.
For what it's worth, it takes some people years and years to find their social outlets and establish healthy patterns.  I'm still guilty of biting my lip at parties and hanging out in the corner.  Yet again, as long as I've got a guitar with me I'm the guy who takes requests at parties and commands the attention of hundreds of fans at shows.  I'd wager that the majority of these folks we agonize in playing against are still looking for their social center.  It's rough.

[Methuselahn]

The weirdest I ever played against in mannerisms was Mike Long. His ass never actually was in his chair for the entirety of the match. Most of the time he sort of perched on it. He circled it multiple times, and I think stood on it once. He also kept it so far back from the table as to actually hop off to play a spell, as he couldn't reach. He also never shut up. Not once. No yelling, and no trash talk except the normal "Ok, here comes the X" predicting what you would play stuff. But constant chatter either to me, someone near, or just himself.

These aren't mannerisms.   Mike Long's infamy tells me these are all planned mind games.  It's so obvious.

By the looks of this thread, there really seems to be a fine line between people who do things on purpose and people who have a chemical imbalance in their brain and don't know any better.  What is a result of conditioning and what is a result of 'bad genes' is probably not going to be solved here.

[wethepeople]

I have played a few players who start by giving me shit, for my age, soon followed by repeatidly calling me a "noob", and the like names, due to their poor-playing, they feel the need to do this, I guess. Often times when this happens, they become too side-tracked from the game, and it back fires, allowing me take advantage of their stupidity.

One incident in particular, that I can't help but mention was quite a while ago, at one of the T&T t1 events; held each weekend at the Hadley mall, in MA. I had been doing very in my games prior to this one, and I sit down to play, greet one another, et cetera. There happened to be a Taco Bell nearby, so it wasn't uncommon for players to come in with soda, and a few tacos. This player did just that.

We were playing in our second game, I had one the first, and it looked like it was going to be the same this game. Throughout the match he would set his cards down, pick up a taco, take a bit, and sour cream, lettice, and other veggies would fall out the other end, right onto the table we were playing on. It was a bit distracting, but I tried to ignore him as well as I could. However, right when I was reaching out to tap my creatures, he takes yet another bite of his taco (while leaning far over the table) and a large chunk of sauce, whip cream, and all that shit falls right onto my wrist. I just looked at him, didn't say a word, and he subtracted his life points. Seeing as he didn't even apologize, I was offended by my opponent. But fortunately, a friend of mine who had been scouting, and watching our game, rushed away in search of napkins.


I have played against people with disabilities of different sorts, but I can't see why sharing them is going to make things better. None of which have been distracting, and even if they were, it is an understandable difficulty, so I'd have no reason to complain about it.

[Zherbus]

I was playing Dave Feinstein before anyone knew who he was. He was extremely nervous and over-eager to make his deliberate moves. I remember telling him to calm down as he was raping my manabase. All the awesomeness that was me and my ability couldn't save my ass from his wastelands. Of course his round didn't count (it was Andystok's tournament of the legenday round 2 that did not count). I wrote a report and shed my round against him in a unrespectful light, but it was more because that dude was friggen wierding me out, not because he raped my manabase into next week.

EDIT: Just to protect his ego. He and his green dudes kicked my Exalted Angel playing ass.

[SonataOfTheCathedral]

Dave Feinstein gave me the greatest kicks the first time I played him. He turns bright red in the heat of the moment, I'm curious to see his angry face.

As for real weirdos? Play at a Neutral Ground FNM, its chock full of them.

[justaguy]

I was playing against an aquaintence around the kitchen table and had just gotten ahead in the game with a Necro.  He got up to use the facilities with some degree of urgency and took his hand with him.  I asked him about it when he came back and he mentioned something about diarrehia and that it was an accident.  I gave him the benefit of the doubt (his hand was the same size) and walked into Trickbind... I thought I had him pinned down... oh well...

Later, I took a bathroom break and found about one hundred cards in a box under the sick, one of which was an altered.  Is this what they call "home court advantage?"  Appearantly diarrehia > Cunning Wish.

[Bill Copes]

Anybody ever run into the control player that says they'll allow you to play things?

"Tap blah blah to play crucible -- Response?"

"I'll allow it."

Or when they counter something, they say, "No."

[wethepeople]

Anybody ever run into the control player that says they'll allow you to play things?

"Tap blah blah to play crucible -- Response?"

"I'll allow it."

Or when they counter something, they say, "No."

No, but I have played one who said "that's chill" as opposed to the regular "OK".

[ashiXIII]

Anybody ever run into the control player that says they'll allow you to play things?

"Tap blah blah to play crucible -- Response?"

"I'll allow it."

Or when they counter something, they say, "No."

I do this sometimes, but it's almost always intentional.

[zeus-online]

I usually say "okay" or "wait"...and right after the "okay" i usually cast something else which deals with the card 

...Or i loose horribly to something janky which resolved 

/Zeus

[wethepeople]

When I am to respond to a spell, I tend to speak like the Magic Workstation buttons used in the dialogue box, and say things like "Ok", "Ok?", "EOT", "Wait!" et cetera, but I don't usually say much else. I even tend to say "Thinking" when I need to think something over a little more thoroughly before I let something resolve, or make some plays. It's kind of strange, apparently.

[Norm4eva]

People who actually say "Ee Oh Tea" sort of weird me out.
I think I made this one guy upset because I kept calling the attack phase the "Punch Phase".  So I guess I do it too.  Meh.  I need variety!

[zeus-online]

People who actually say "Ee Oh Tea" sort of weird me out.
I think I made this one guy upset because I kept calling the attack phase the "Punch Phase".  So I guess I do it too.  Meh.  I need variety!

Huh? Over here in Denmark we almost always use slang of some sort when declaring attack...in danish ofcourse, so it would be rather pointless to write what we say

Oh yeah, unless we're going technical and are declaring stuff....some people even go as far as naming every phase they enter...but i only do that if it has any purpose for the deck i'm playing, such as stax, stasis etc.

/Zeus

[Implacable]

I am very tall and have Size 17 feet.  Unfortunately, this leads to many incidents of Accidental Footsies over the course of each of my matches.  I am also absentminded.  These two traits have probably given several of my opponents experiences that they will not soon forget.

[freakish777]

I think I made this one guy upset because I kept calling the attack phase the "Punch Phase".  So I guess I do it too.

Heh, for whatever reason this reminds me of a Legacy match I played against KirdApe3 in which I StP'd a Warchief and he says "Ok, so these guys aren't elligible to brawl anymore" pointing to the creatures he'd played that turn.

Playing against KirdApe is probably the most fun you can have in competitive magic.

[yespuhyren]

Favorite match EVER.  Opponent calls judge on himself.  Judge gets there he said guess what.  Judge says what.  He FARTS.  Like OMG HUGE fart.  Then he says "That'll be all Jeeves"  This was the Nemesis prerelease, so I was probably like 13 and it was my first tourney in my life.  What a start.