Perception is reality . . . until your opponent lays down a 9-drop and shatters everything you thought you knew about the match you were playing. You thought you had the game in the bag. One more attack, and you would have been the victor! So, what happened? Were you ever really winning in the first place?

Errors are born from the point of view. If you interpret a situation incorrectly, then all of your decisions will be born from that incorrect viewpoint, moving you further away from winning the game. You might be making optimal decisions, but they would be based on your incorrect perception of the state of the game. The player who takes a moment to reconsider the state of the game will be in a far better position to win the game. It doesn¡¯t guarantee a win since there are infinite variables, but no one can argue for ignorance being the superior mindset here.

Let¡¯s look at some real examples. Two common situations are when both players think they¡¯re winning and when both players think they¡¯re losing. These are cases in which both players can see the board, but they process the information differently. Of course, there are unknown variables that directly influence this. The most obvious being the players¡¯ hands, and unless you have ways to read your opponent¡¯s face or peek at his or her hand, you won¡¯t know what he or she  has; however, there are plenty of other sources of information that can tell you what your opponent is trying to do.

Does my opponent have any graveyard recursion effects? What have I seen that would qualify as my opponent¡¯s first pick? How long has that card been in their hand? Has my opponent held onto a single card the whole time? Is he or she attempting to get to some high resource number by rowing action cards?

These are common questions that veteran TCG players will ask, but there¡¯s one important one that can take you to the next level of play: What does my opponent want me to know?

Disinformation

To combat the collection of information, players will try to mask or disguise their plan of action. Just as in the world of espionage, we call this disinformation. Disinformation is intentionally trying to deceive or manipulate a situation by offering incorrect information. You may already use this tactic by feigning weakness when your hand is strong or bluffing cards by playing around with your resources, but you can manipulate your opponents in so many other ways.

Have you ever thought about how your resources are organized? Do you group quests and face-down resources? In what numbers are they grouped?

Remember Tristan Rapidstrike? This ally practically oozed disinformation. Now, playing nothing on turn 4 with four resources face up actually tells your opponent that you have the card. Making a gesture of frustration may actually make the situation worse, as to some players, you¡¯re not conveying frustration, but instead you¡¯re telling your opponent that you want them to know you¡¯re upset. That sets alarms off in most players¡¯ heads. Why give up such a valuable piece of information (in this case, that you have no play) in such an easy and brazen fashion?

Back in the Heroes of Azeroth days, you could group two resources with Your Fortune Awaits You, trying to suggest that you¡¯re drawing a card; however, no action play on turn 4 is unlikely and an astute opponent will read that you¡¯re trying to deceive him or her. Your opponent may not be able to put you on Tristan specifically, but he or she will know you have a trick up your sleeve.

So, If Those Plans Don¡¯t Work, What Does Work?

Have you ever exclaimed at a play your opponent made and he or she had the card the entire time? That¡¯s what you¡¯re trying to do. If you need Tristan to net some card advantage, you have to convince your opponent that you don¡¯t have him. You need to make plays that suggest that you would¡¯ve played Tristan if you had him in hand, but instead you had to make a different play.

So, don¡¯t play him on turn four. Play him with something else later, maybe on turn six with a 2-drop. Your opponent won¡¯t be able to put you on a specific trick, especially if you have a quest up to draw a card.

Of course, everyone processes information differently. There are times when you may actually want to group your quests in the most obvious fashion possible. Against newer players, simple deception works well because they haven¡¯t experienced the easy tricks yet. By simply dividing your resources into two piles of two, you may be able to get them to walk into Tristan on turn 4. Veteran players have experienced that trick, and they¡¯re more aware of the different sources of information. They ask themselves not only why their opponents did something, but also why their opponents didn¡¯t do something. Grouping up your quests into two piles of two is going to alert veteran opponents, because they¡¯re going to ask why you moved your resources and why it isn¡¯t in a regular pile of four. They¡¯re going to see through that play. If you need Tristan to get a card right there, the more clever play may actually be the one that would typically seem the worst and move your resources in a regular row of four.

For a current example, take Crippling Shot. There are times when your opponent will make an attack and use Crippling Shot to wreck your board. If it would, you have to make a decision. If you can afford to play around it, do so, and see how your opponent makes his or her next play. He or she may be able to mask the play and use all of his or her resources for the turn, planning another attempt on the next turn. If your opponent can¡¯t, he or she may leave two resources up, hoping to use the ability on your attack. Of course, here¡¯s where it gets interesting: did your opponent leave those two resources up to use Crippling Shot, or are they using some disinformation of their own, bluffing the ability because you chose to play around it?

If you¡¯re a little confused, just try to remember this little piece of gaming advice: play as if you can see your opponent¡¯s hand. Every time you make a play as if you can see your opponent¡¯s hand, you¡¯re making the right play. Through the collection of information, you can assemble a perception of the game. Try to make educated guesses at incomplete information. There are plenty of hints throughout the game that you can pick up on to make the best guess you can; however, there¡¯s a war going on with that information. It¡¯s like you¡¯re playing trick or treat, masking your plays and trying to break through your opponent¡¯s mask. Break through that mask! Ask why, why, why. Try to scramble your opponent¡¯s mind with your deception and pick apart the other side of the board. What is your opponent trying to do? Perhaps, more importantly, what is your opponent trying to hide? It¡¯s one of the toughest things to do, but it¡¯s the path to the next level of play.