I can 100% see this

a dope, actual game, no squinting required!

Any schmuck at +3 or above could tell you how to improve your mechanics, how to win a teamfight, and what to look for in order to improve game sense. What is so often missed is how to approach that advice, how to implement it consistently, and how to not let outside factors stunt your growth. (end🧵)

So with this, I understood that the goal in X rank should never be to win games, and I finally was able to use the wisdom for myself. In that season, sticking to TTek and making a conscious effort to improve my decisions each game, each death, I finally broke through the wall I'd hit 5 years prior.

Let's say I think my "true" power could be 2500. I can't carry a 2500 lobby then, I'll only win (theoretically) 50% of my games. In fact, I probably won't ever hit that "true" power due to the game's unforgiving matchmaking. But, if I keep raising my "true" power, I HAVE to hit the point I carry.

It was only when I started yapping to one of the SPU teammates about it that I realized how I could construe it to take losses gracefully and focus on ruthless improvement - just like the me on Vitamin Sea did.

If you constantly improve, there's no lobby you can't carry but you have to zoom out.

A few seasons into S3, I felt compelled to see if I couldn't find the balance. One thing my coach and a lot of my friends (who ended up with much better results than myself in the long run) often talked about was having a mindset of 'always learning', but I never truly interfaced with that wisdom.

After Musou was when I shifted my focus away from playing and began to turn my relationship with the game around. It wasn't until I started coaching ITAP and learning my own psychology that I could make peace. I gave up on improvement to enjoy the game, but that also left me feeling unfulfilled.

I was stubborn, dismissive, and self-centered. The years of constant disappointment (on top of not so healthy relationships I had) made me actively hostile. Instead of curiosity, I was obsessed with results and my value as a player. I needed to learn proper decision-making, but I got in my own way

Still, I grew into a solid player by the time I was brought into Musou. I chalk it up to refining my mechanics and game sense by sheer time spend (chasing top500 often).

Yet, I could tell I had hit a wall, and so could my teammates. We got a coach to help us break out, but my mindset was abysmal.

Not only would I have put less pressure and gotten less frustrated with myself, I would have made more connections (so I could understand how to play around others better) and deeply studied high level VODs.

One thing I'm glad I did do was expand my weapon pool, playing uncomfortable roles.

When I finally started approaching new teams and playing with more people, I know for a fact I had significant improvement, but my approach changed. LUTI divs, results culture, rivalries - it created a helluva lot of emotional stakes in the competition.

Tbh, I wish I had stuck to pickups then.

The common denominator was mindset.

As a fresh competitor, I was hell-bent on studying VODs, learning new mechanics tricks, and building up my habit recognition. Even back in 2016 I thoroughly enjoyed writing down team strats in my notes app and was fascinated by the players I faced in tourneys.

I suppose it's a combination of the Dunning-Kruger effect, nostalgia, and primary bias, but I'll never shake that feeling. The only other time I felt that amount of clarity was when I finally crested top500 in S3, a milestone that just barely eluded me for the entire time I competed in S2.

@8bitfusion.bsky.social @sapphireia.bsky.social have y’all seen this?