If it's getting to the point where I lose matches due to little things, and then rip up my regular rares and leave my draft cards behind after dropping or losing most or all of the sets, what should I do?
That's not what I would call tilt. I mean the first part is but the last part is just a tantrum. At that point I think it's gotta be important to evaluate whether or not you're actually getting any enjoyment out of the game at all. If you still are, then I guess I don't have a ton of advice other than, "No problem is ever so bad that complaining about it won't make it worse." Learning to just move on is part of maturity.
If it's getting to the point where I lose matches due to little things, and then rip up my regular rares and leave my draft cards behind after dropping or losing most or all of the sets, what should I do?
It means you have a serious problem in your life that's unrelated to MtG. For some reason this game has become so important to you that you're genuinely unhappy or angry about losing.
I'd advise you to solve that problem instead of trying to hide in the alternate reality that Magic has become to you. It doesn't work. Trust me, I've been there.
I also used to get really angry about losing in the past and it was always when I felt lonely or had some other problem. Now that I have a new girlfriend and my studies are going better MtG has become less relevant in my life and as a consequence, I don't get angry any more when losing.
How old are you? If you're under 16, it's fine. Otherwise you should try to get control of your emotions, learn to lose with grace, and work on your self-confidence and resilience. Maybe take a break from playing BFZ Limited. If you can't emotionally handle it then you're doing yourself no good by repeatedly putting yourself back in that situation. And it's probably no fun for the people you're playing against either. Take a break, cool off, reflect, try to learn and grow.
One of the ways I fight against disappointment is to go oddball. By pursuing a lesser known tack, you make the draft more about your fun than about an ultimately hollow victory. I've only done one BFZ draft, went mono-red, and lost a very close 3-game match after I made it to the finals. And it was glorious...
The best advice I have to give you is: learn to lose.
I work with children and this is a lesson I force on them. They have a very hard time accepting the fact that they can't win all the time but it's a part of life. It sounds like you have the same problem, but you should do your best to learn this lesson, because even the best magic players in the world still lose.
Going off of most of the responses, I think I should elaborate: I was not yelling at my opponents or ripping the cards up in their faces. I was at least aware of not doing that. I feel that I was at least visibly sulking; and my main reaction to losing a set was to go over my deck to see if there were issues with that. I do agree, though. Losing multiple times in a row is not a pleasant experience. It felt like I had ultimately wasted money, and that it sucked that something I had created did not do well. The last draft felt more like poor luck, and the only set I won, I had played against a helpful store owner who conceded after crushing me round 3 with an Undying Champion.
That's just the nature of Magic. It is a very skill intensive game...but on a tournament to tournament basis luck also plays a big factor. You can do everything right (although most of us don't) and still lose round 1 in a draft, or go 0-3 drop in a bigger tourney. Even the best of the best will go through long down stretches due at least in part to variance.
You aren't going to be the winner of the majority of the tournaments you play in. If you can't find the fun in that majority of tourneys then competitive Magic probably isn't for you.
Managing temper while losing can be learned over time, and I would recommend focusing on managing temper more so than most anything else because it can ruin enjoyment of the game. That is much easier said than done, but it can be done over time.
It might be helpful to keep in mind that when you draft, what you're paying for is first, the cards you actually take in the draft (which is about $12 packs, retail) and the opportunity to actually the games (something like 2 extra bucks, which is put towards the prize pool). It's essentially very low-stakes gambling, and you need to enjoy the concept of having something at risk, while still being able to afford losing the 2 bucks (or however much your LGS charges) before you can really get into the mindset of enjoying draft.
Thinking of it like wasting money is a good way to suck the enjoyment right out of it. Just remember that you're paying for an experience, and if some people are better/luckier/whatever than you, and paying less, well, they're also probably getting fewer opportunities to learn something out of it. And in the long run it was just a couple dollars. You'd pay that much to see a movie and feel great about it.
Winning is fun, but learning *how* to win is even more fun.
I've recently come to the same conclusion that when I make really small mistakes in a *somewhat* important Modern game, I feel really bad about myself and ultimately decide to just concede because I'm so mad at myself that I made a small mistake, even if I'm like already winning. Just a couple weeks ago I was up 2-0 and thought I could path a tapped Ojutai on my opponents side on his upkeep before untap, which obviouslly you can not do, but just that simple mistake allowed me to realize that I really wasn't happy playing Magic. As @Puddle Jumper said, you need to take a step back and check if you really are finding enjoyment in the game, as a recreational activity, if it's not fun and you obviously aren't going pro, it might be necessary to just take a break, shelve the cards or stop completely. Also it could perhaps not just be the game that is bothering you, it could also be the players who frequent your LGS. There is a lot of autism, socially awkward people and mental illness in LGS' and if those kind of people don't click with you it could be contributing to not having a good time at your events. Finding a good casual group of friends to draft/play with can be a great way to play and not get uppity about it. @haterado - I also really agree with this, while it might be Magic that is triggering negative feelings, ultimately it's probably something else in your life that is getting aggravated by simple mistakes in the skill intensive game and causing you to tilt. This is only something you can figure out, but like I said before, if Magic is generally causing more frustration then happiness when you're playing you should look at how you spend your recreational time and reevaluate that.
It means you have a serious problem in your life that's unrelated to MtG. For some reason this game has become so important to you that you're genuinely unhappy or angry about losing.
I'd advise you to solve that problem instead of trying to hide in the alternate reality that Magic has become to you. It doesn't work. Trust me, I've been there.
I also used to get really angry about losing in the past and it was always when I felt lonely or had some other problem. Now that I have a new girlfriend and my studies are going better MtG has become less relevant in my life and as a consequence, I don't get angry any more when losing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYuF3T7s7XY
How old are you? If you're under 16, it's fine. Otherwise you should try to get control of your emotions, learn to lose with grace, and work on your self-confidence and resilience. Maybe take a break from playing BFZ Limited. If you can't emotionally handle it then you're doing yourself no good by repeatedly putting yourself back in that situation. And it's probably no fun for the people you're playing against either. Take a break, cool off, reflect, try to learn and grow.
I work with children and this is a lesson I force on them. They have a very hard time accepting the fact that they can't win all the time but it's a part of life. It sounds like you have the same problem, but you should do your best to learn this lesson, because even the best magic players in the world still lose.
BGGRock
Modern
BRGJund
BBGRock
You aren't going to be the winner of the majority of the tournaments you play in. If you can't find the fun in that majority of tourneys then competitive Magic probably isn't for you.
Thinking of it like wasting money is a good way to suck the enjoyment right out of it. Just remember that you're paying for an experience, and if some people are better/luckier/whatever than you, and paying less, well, they're also probably getting fewer opportunities to learn something out of it. And in the long run it was just a couple dollars. You'd pay that much to see a movie and feel great about it.
Winning is fun, but learning *how* to win is even more fun.
BWB/W TokensBW