This week, we’ve got two pieces dedicated to sides of competition no one really talks about. Daniel Zidenberg details his experience on going all-in as a pro TCG player. Eisenherz breaks down how to play through the nerves at a tournament.

We’ve also got some interesting stories from the floor this week.

Let’s get into it.

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Riftbound standout Daniel Zidenberg walked away from a stable job to play cards full-time. He breaks down the highs, the downswings, and everything the glory reel leaves out.

By Daniel Zidenberg

My name is Daniel Zidenberg. For those of you who aren't part of the Riftbound community or don't closely follow the competitive scene, here are a few of my accomplishments:

I've played in almost every major Riftbound event since the game's inception. I'm also one of the core members of ChallengerTCG. One of the most common questions people ask is what the lifestyle of a "professional" card player looks like. I'm here to talk about it all, the highs, the lows, and everything in between.

For starters, this wasn't even a full-time gig for me until April of this year. Before then I would hit the gym, spend a full day at work, then come back and jam games for 3 hours every night desperately trying to figure out the format with the limited time I had access to. On weekends I was typically spending one full day (between 12-14 hours) grinding games as well. For those of you that love the game, this sounds like a pretty good deal and I tend to agree, but you do sacrifice almost every other aspect of your life when it's grind season. Eventually I was forced to either give up on attending events or on the full-time job.

At the time I only had one Best-Of under my belt, so you can imagine the stress involved in walking away from a stable well-paying job to gamble on success in the game. That stress comes back every time I underperform at an event. During a slump I tend to wonder if I screwed up royally and my most profitable events are all behind me. Coming from someone who just had their worst performance of the year, it's a miserable experience being all in on the game and still coming home with nothing to show for it. This lifestyle is feast or famine. The players who perform well reap incredible rewards, but the downswings can be brutal.

Something else that many people forget about is the level of work involved outside of playing the game itself. For most of us, we need to produce content to subsidize the events where we perform poorly. This may mean writing, proofreading, recording, or video editing as additional required work on top of your testing hours. If you're hoping to put in 2-3 hours a day and still see results, that's a corporate job, not this one.

There's also a ton of logistics you'll need to manage: scheduling coaching sessions, producing content, booking flights and hotels, and keeping track of tournament registrations. If you forget a ticket sale or miss a flight, you might find yourself sitting on the sidelines watching your teammates take home the glory. All this management adds up. Take your typical full day of testing and add several hours for administrative work, and you'll likely find yourself without free time for a social life or leisure.

All that I've discussed so far makes it sound like there's zero upside to this job, so let's get into the fun stuff. When the full set list was revealed for Unleashed, every single day became a full 10+ hour testing session. This is always the best time to be a competitive player. A fresh format makes it easy to put in long hours because every day feels like you're discovering something new. I can't stress enough how fun this portion of the game is. I get to limit test every idea I can come up with, pushing leaders to their limits just in case one can break the format. Playing with a team is amazing too, we've got a group of anywhere from 5-10 people living together for several days leading up to the event, everyone pushing themselves to try and achieve the best performance they can get. On the days you win, it's made better by having friends in your corner. On the days you lose, at least you've got a group to get drunk with.

When I'm doing well in events, life feels amazing -  I'm making good money, spending most days with friends who have the same passion, and getting all the glory and pride from success in competition. There's a unique feeling of quiet satisfaction after a win that doesn't come up in most aspects of life.

At the end of the day, it's not all glamor. It's long hours, financial uncertainty, and constant pressure to perform. At the same time, it's hard to imagine doing anything else. I've been fortunate enough to travel the world, meet incredible people, compete at the highest level, and build lasting friendships through a game I genuinely love. Every event still comes with pressure. Every bad finish still makes me question things. But despite the uncertainty, the long hours, and the sacrifices, I wake up every day excited to work on the game. Very few people get the chance to pursue something they genuinely love at the highest level. As long as the opportunity is there, that's exactly what I'll be doing.

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DuelSpec XD Sleeves are designed for players who care about shuffle feel, durability, and keeping their cards protected through long events. From weekly locals to major tournaments, DuelSpec XD helps your deck feel clean, consistent, and ready for every round.

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Brain fog, racing heart, the fear of letting people down — performance anxiety hits even top players. A practical guide to managing it before, during, and after the event.

By Eisenherz

Performance anxiety is a natural part of every competition. For some players, the stress can reach unhealthy levels. Increased heart rate, brain fog, and other physiological symptoms such as nausea and dizziness can severely impair performance during tournaments.

Performance anxiety is not an individual problem. Especially at higher levels of competition, many players silently suffer from it. To overcome it, you need to understand its causes and take targeted countermeasures.

Not every form of stress has the same cause. Some players are afraid of making mistakes, while others fear losing. Often, the pressure stems from self-imposed expectations and the expectations you believe others may have of you.

If you feel that you need to prove yourself to others – whether friends, teammates, viewers, or community members – you will place a great deal of unnecessary pressure on yourself. Therefore, it is crucial to analyze why you want to participate in a tournament and why it is personally important to you.

Mental strength and resilience start with the right foundation. Many symptoms of anxiety are triggered or amplified by sleep deprivation, dehydration, and the overuse of stimulants. If you are physically exhausted, you become more susceptible to stress. Try the following to optimize your physiological state on tournament day:

Good preparation gives you confidence in your abilities. Excessive preparation, however, can have the opposite effect. Anyone who neglects everything else for weeks – including family and friends – in order to prepare for a tournament will naturally raise their own expectations. As a result, every loss or mistake feels much worse than it actually is. Your prep should help you gain confidence in your decisions. It should not become another source of stress and pressure.

Many players enter tournaments with the goal of winning. The problem with this approach is that the final result depends on many external factors that are largely outside your control. It is far more reasonable to set goals such as:

These are goals you can directly influence. As a result, they reduce stress while also enabling sustainable growth.

The tournament itself is not the right time for experimentation. New cards, last-minute deck changes, unfamiliar lines of play, and experimental mulligan decisions can all create uncertainty and lead to additional mistakes. You have already done the work during preparation. Now it is time to put that work into practice.

At the same time, keep your focus on the present moment. The game you are currently playing is what matters – not the game you played earlier or the games that may still lie ahead. Many top players become preoccupied with their standings, their chances of making the top cut, or mistakes they made in the previous round. All of these thoughts consume valuable mental resources.

Instead, focus on the current game and the next decision you need to make. Your final placement will be the result of your decisions, and those are something you can actively influence.

The break between rounds is almost never the right time for an in-depth analysis of errors. Instead of repeatedly telling your friends about the mistakes you made, it is far more productive to highlight good gameplay decisions and approach the next round with a positive mindset. The detailed analysis can wait until the days following the tournament.

After the tournament, take time to reflect on what you did well, which goals you achieved, and what you enjoyed most about the event. This could include playing great matches, meeting friends, or simply spending an entire day playing your favorite game. Focusing on these positive experiences builds anticipation for future events and helps put you in the right mindset for your next tournament.

Routine is one of the most effective ways to combat performance anxiety. The more tournaments you play, the less any single event matters in the grand scheme of things. A bad result will no longer feel like a reflection of your skill but rather a normal part of the learning process. A single tournament does not define your quality as a competitor, and anyone who wants to succeed in competition must accept losing as part of the game. Play more.

Performance anxiety rarely disappears completely. The goal is not to eliminate it, but to consistently make good gameplay decisions and enjoy the event despite feeling nervous.

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