A Master's Tool

I use this phrase a lot these days.  I don't know where I got the concept, or if I just came up with it one day.  I remember my father saying once that no CTO ever got fired for choosing IBM.  It means that while something might not be optimal, it's safe.  Magic has a lot of cards, and decks, like that.  UW Control is one.  Cards like Deprive are another.

You're never going to lose a match because you didn't play UW, or because you didn't include Deprive in your deck as a 1-2 copy upgrade to Negate and Cancel.  You might, however, win because you chose to use it and did so properly.  Deprive is a great example.  Most times, you'll do just fine by Cancelling and Negating their spells, and you could potentially blow yourself out by including too many copies of Deprive.  It can stunt early mana growth which is critical to your development in the game.  However, in the cases when you use it to full effect, ie re-buying a Halimar Depths and setting up your next draws, it shines bright.  Halimar Depths, incidentally, is a similar card.  It's hard to lose by not playing it, but successful inclusion in a strategy can earn victory.

Some things in life are this way too - command line interfaces, stick shift cars, free weights at the gym.  For most users, a GUI, or an automatic transmission, or a cable-based weight machine will give them most of what they need from their tool, but there comes a time when you stop making large gains and need to begin squeezing out small percentages here and there.

Identifying and properly using, or not using, a master's tool is a very important skill, and one I am always trying to hone.  What have you mastered, and what are your tools?

ps, I'm writing this on Blogger right now as I contemplate WordPress features I want to add to the new version of Quiet Speculation.  There's a perfect example of a master/apprentice set of tools.  I hated WordPress until I learned how to use it.  Then I loved it.  I never really loved or hated Blogger.