The curse of the champion book is a concept that refers to the phenomenon where an author's most successful book becomes a burden rather than a blessing. The curse stems from the immense pressure that comes with trying to replicate the success of a previous work, which can stifle creativity and hinder future accomplishments. **When a writer achieves great success with a particular book, it often becomes their defining work, forever casting a shadow over their subsequent creations**. This can lead to the expectation of another masterpiece from both readers and publishers, putting immense pressure on the author to deliver. As a result, they may struggle to come up with fresh ideas or deviate from the formula that made their previous book so successful. **The curse of the champion book can also manifest in the form of writer's block or creative paralysis**.
v · d · e
ETYB lands are less punishing when your commander is holding a Sword of Feast and Famine when it makes contact, and if you can get your commander up to 11 power, one hit puts the player you hit in lethal range, meaning you pose an existential to them and can use that power over them to your political advantage. Committing to playing more Instants and Sorceries rather than cutting them for pet cards and relying on other players at the table to have timely removal has made me feel like a more complete player.
**The curse of the champion book can also manifest in the form of writer's block or creative paralysis**. The fear of not living up to past achievements can be crippling, causing authors to doubt their abilities and resist taking risks or exploring new genres. This fear can be exacerbated by the knowledge that their future works will likely be compared to their champion book, inevitably inviting criticism or disappointment.
The Nine Finger Discount
Last week I steered heavily into a build that let me play a lot of Instants and Sorceries, and it felt great. Committing to playing more Instants and Sorceries rather than cutting them for pet cards and relying on other players at the table to have timely removal has made me feel like a more complete player. Picking out the spells that could potentially keep me alive, prevent someone from winning the game or just cause some havoc at the table has made me a better player overall and remembering to include interaction and spend time before I play any games thinking about how I want to use it and what my odds are of drawing something in a pinch before I finalize how much card draw I run is time very well spent. After a productive 2022, there's absolutely no way I'm back on my BS, right?
If you have enough gates, it seems like this card says you draw 9 cards. I can't possibly be reading that right, can I? Well, not so fast. Controlling 9 gate cards is. fraught. You see, Nine-Fingers Keene over here has a color identity that doesn't include Red or White. Right off the bat, of the 20 cards with type "gate," we can't play a whopping 11 of them because they have a Red or White mana symbol on the card. That's substantial considering Baldur's Gate added a bunch of new Gates. Since we have access to barely the number of gates we'll need to trigger 50% of the text on this card, focusing on ever drawing 9 seems silly. So, if we're not going to be a card-drawing machine and we'll mostly be chewing through our deck, what good is this commander? Put simply, this is going to draw us an extra land most of the time and I like that. Can we win with Maze's End in a deck with 11 Gates? Watch. Me. Try.
This is going to be a landfall deck that hits landfall triggers consistently because every time you drill them with your commander, you spin the wheel and have a shot at drawing another land. We'll make sure we play cards that make those lands, usually guildgates or other ETB tapped lands, come into play untapped so we can use the mana. We're going to do what we always do - Crucible of Worlds and Sunstone, Urza's Saga and Amulet of Vigor, Cosima, God of the Voyage // The Omenkeel and Roil Elemental. The thing is, we are playing a bit of a sub-game where we hit them with our commander, which allows us to make sure getting hit with Keene wraps things up quickly. ETYB lands are less punishing when your commander is holding a Sword of Feast and Famine when it makes contact, and if you can get your commander up to 11 power, one hit puts the player you hit in lethal range, meaning you pose an existential to them and can use that power over them to your political advantage. In essence, I'm building a much more aggressive version of the Landfall deck.
I'm mostly eschewing gates-matters cards because I think that most of them are fairly bad. Gatebreaker Ram is worse than Managorger Hydra in this deck and you'd never play Managorger Hydra. I wouldn't play Arbor Elf in a deck like this, preferring Sakura-Tribe Scout, so why would I play Greenside Watcher? You didn't even know what Greenside Watcher was, you had to hover and look it up because you haven't played that card since 2013 Limited. We have room for our pet cards, and if Keene and Maze's End are the only Gates-matters cards, good, because they both require like 90% of the gates in the whole deck to be in play and that seems tough unless we draw Reshape the Earth, a card we're not even going to be tutoring for. I seriously just want a regular landfall deck with an aggro commander that can sometimes end a really long game with Maze's End. Trust me, this will be fun.
Avoid Fate, Embrace Gate | Commander | Jason Alt
- Commander (1)
- 1 Nine-Fingers Keene
- Creatures (23)
- 1 Archelos, Lagoon Mystic
- 1 Astral Dragon
- 1 Augur of Autumn
- 1 Avenger of Zendikar
- 1 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
- 1 Cosima, God of the Voyage // The Omenkeel
- 1 District Guide
- 1 Dryad of the Ilysian Grove
- 1 Elvish Reclaimer
- 1 Eternal Witness
- 1 Gatecreeper Vine
- 1 Lotus Cobra
- 1 Meloku the Clouded Mirror
- 1 Oracle of Mul Daya
- 1 Ramunap Excavator
- 1 Roil Elemental
- 1 Sakura-Tribe Scout
- 1 Scute Swarm
- 1 Slogurk, the Overslime
- 1 Soratami Mirror-Mage
- 1 Tatyova, Benthic Druid
- 1 Tireless Provisioner
- 1 Walking Atlas
- Planeswalkers (1)
- 1 Wrenn and Seven
- Instants (6)
- 1 Assassin's Trophy
- 1 Beast Within
- 1 Constant Mists
- 1 Crop Rotation
- 1 Eureka Moment
- 1 Growth Spiral
- Sorceries (12)
- 1 Bala Ged Recovery // Bala Ged Sanctuary
- 1 Circuitous Route
- 1 Explore the Underdark
- 1 Hour of Promise
- 1 Nylea's Intervention
- 1 Open the Gates
- 1 Reshape the Earth
- 1 Scapeshift
- 1 Splendid Reclamation
- 1 Sylvan Scrying
- 1 Tempt with Discovery
- 1 Villainous Wealth
- Enchantments (8)
- 1 Burgeoning
- 1 Exploration
- 1 Flooded Shoreline
- 1 Guild Summit
- 1 Overburden
- 1 Retreat to Coralhelm
- 1 Trade Routes
- 1 Way of the Thief
- Artifacts (11)
- 1 Amulet of Vigor
- 1 Arcane Signet
- 1 Blackblade Reforged
- 1 Crucible of Worlds
- 1 Glaive of the Guildpact
- 1 Navigation Orb
- 1 Sol Ring
- 1 Sunstone
- 1 Sword of Feast and Famine
- 1 Sword of Hearth and Home
- 1 Winged Boots
- Lands (39)
- 3 Snow-Covered Island
- 2 Snow-Covered Swamp
- 8 Snow-Covered Forest
- 1 Baldur's Gate
- 1 Basilisk Gate
- 1 Black Dragon Gate
- 1 Breeding Pool
- 1 Command Tower
- 1 Dimir Guildgate
- 1 Exotic Orchard
- 1 Field of the Dead
- 1 Gateway Plaza
- 1 Golgari Guildgate
- 1 Gond Gate
- 1 Heap Gate
- 1 Manor Gate
- 1 Maze's End
- 1 Opulent Palace
- 1 Overgrown Tomb
- 1 Plaza of Harmony
- 1 Reliquary Tower
- 1 Rogue's Passage
- 1 Sea Gate
- 1 Simic Guildgate
- 1 Thespian's Stage
- 1 Urza's Saga
- 1 Vesuva
- 1 Watery Grave
- 1 Zagoth Triome
The Desert Medallion is a craftable Pre-Hardmode item dropped by Cnidrions after the Wulfrum Excavator has been defeated. It is used to summon the Desert Scourge boss. It can only be used in the Desert.
**Furthermore, the curse can hinder an author's growth and stifle their creativity. When an author becomes too consumed with replicating their past success, they may become trapped in a creative loop, recycling old ideas instead of venturing into uncharted territories**. This can lead to repetitive and uninspired writing, alienating readers who were captivated by the author's earlier work. **However, it is important to note that the curse of the champion book is not an inevitable fate for all successful authors**. Some writers are capable of transcending the expectations set by their past achievements and continue to produce innovative and well-received works. These authors possess a combination of talent, determination, and a willingness to take risks, allowing them to evolve as writers and embrace new challenges. In conclusion, the curse of the champion book is a phenomenon that can hinder an author's creativity and growth. **The immense pressure to replicate past success can stifle innovation and lead to writer's block**. However, some authors are able to transcend the curse by embracing new challenges and continuing to evolve as writers. Ultimately, it is up to the individual author to navigate this curse and find their own path to success..
Reviews for "The Champion Book Curse: A Psychological Perspective"
1. Sarah - 2 out of 5 stars
I was really excited to read "The Curse of the Champion" based on the reviews I had seen, but I was ultimately disappointed. The plot felt weak and poorly developed, with many loose ends left untied. The characters were also one-dimensional and lacked depth, making it difficult for me to connect with them. Overall, the book didn't live up to my expectations and I wouldn't recommend it.
2. Michael - 3 out of 5 stars
"The Curse of the Champion" had an interesting concept and potential, but it fell short in execution. The pacing of the story was inconsistent, with some parts dragging on while others felt rushed. The writing style was also mediocre, lacking the descriptive elements and engaging prose that I look for in a book. While there were some moments of intrigue, they were overshadowed by the book's overall weaknesses.
3. Emily - 2 out of 5 stars
I found "The Curse of the Champion" to be quite predictable and lacking originality. The plot twists were minimal and didn't surprise or engage me as I had hoped. The dialogue felt forced and unnatural, making it difficult for me to fully immerse myself in the story. Additionally, the ending felt rushed and unsatisfying. Overall, the book failed to captivate me and left me wanting more depth and originality.