My experience of tilting in Scrolls

Imagine this. You are in a game of Scrolls, you have a decent set of cards in your hand and are about to make your move. You position your units and cast your spells, when a chat message pops up, “LOL WHY DID YOU DO THAT”. The scenario I have just described is commonly referred to as tilting, when your opponent tries to put you off in order to secure an easy victory.

The intended results of tilting are to frustrate and annoy you, causing you to play more aggressively or make moves without thinking. They can then use this to their advantage and capitalize on your mistakes. Meaning that the win is more a reflection of how much of a troll they are, rather than their actual skill at the game.

My first experience of tilting happened in one of my early games against an actual player, just after they used Quake to wipe the field. Now unfortunately for them, I had already learned to hold back for Quake and was able to recover much faster than they could and won the game (despite him taking 2 idols “LIKE A BOSS”). They then proceeded to demand a rematch, which I gladly accepted (yes there is something rather satisfying about beating someone who has been trash talking you) and I continued to beat them into the ground.

Players who attempt to use tilting will never succeed at Scrolls; the best advice you can get will come from the community – and no one wants to help someone who plays dirty. When I’m in a game with a player who is clearly inexperienced, I generally try to offer some advice on how they can improve and cards they may want to use in their deck.

I have also found that more often than not, tilting will have the reverse affect. In a recent game I made a major misplay, and my opponent responded by calling me a retard. At first I was a little shocked, as I generally haven’t experienced this in Scrolls. But it also made me think twice as hard on my next turns and is probably the reason why I won that game.

As with all online multiplayer games, trash talk is to be expected – and as Scrolls becomes more popular, it becomes more likely that you will encounter this first hand. In the future I would like to see an option to disable the chat function entirely. In the meantime however, my advice to anyone who experiences tilting is to not let it get to you. Most of the time they are doing it because they know they are losing. So your best bet is to ignore them, focus on the game and wallow in the sweet revenge of wiping the floor with their face (which will of course – only infuriate them more).