"Getting There" - Jake Kloeppel (5/20/2012)

I've been playing now since 1997.  Magic has changed a ton since then.  Mostly for the better imo.  This weekend will be around my 20th star city open.  I'll be piloting mono blue architect this weekend.  Lewis Laskin took it top top 4 and I'm hoping I can do the same.  It's similar to the mono blue grand delver that I was running a few months back.  Loved it, but I felt it was missing something.  The deck runs very well so far.  The delver matchup is the biggest issue so far.  It's not extremely difficult but it's still a challenge.  
The last star city open in birmingham that we attended was fairly a success.  Not so much for me as it was for team member Bruce.  I piloted UB heartless summoning and had issues with it all day long.  I was in the loser's bracket at one point and even had an opponent I beat suggest that I should run the card "Heartless Summoning".  I must have not seen it in at least 10 games that day.  I don't get very downtrodden when I lose.  I guess that's one of my better qualities.  Sure I get upset from time to time but I just keep on trucking.  That's why I'm so sad to
see how some players just have no respect for the newer players.  Sure they aren't gonna be great out of the gate but who cares.  They want to learn, they want to get better, and I was in the same boat when I started.  So for the new players out there, shrug it off when some of the vets are jerks.  I really mean that.  I've been stomped far too many times to remember.  Just gonna cross my fingers and hope for a little luck come this weekend in Nashville.  I know we're having a great turnout up there from our local store and I can't wait to see how it all pans out.  Bruce is gunning for his third top 16 in a row... which is incredibly impressive for his age.

Just wanted to start this off as my first article as kind of a
introduction and to show the new players some respect.  You guys deserve
it...