Do you like online quizzes? I do. Get out your sharpened No. 2 Pencils! And begin!

1. How do you greet an unknown opponent as he or she sits down in front of you?

   1. I exchange names and start a conversation about something.
   2. A simple hello and how are you.
   3. A nod of acknowledgement
   4. I do not look up or acknowledge the opponent

2. What is your favorite way of getting your opponent to misplay?

   1. I suggest things to my opponent and cause them to make the wrong decision
   2. I pretend to be either happy or displeased to make my opponent misread my emotional signals
   3. I start cracking jokes to distract my opponent
   4. I use slight movements of my hands over my cards or lands or other subtle movements

3. What is your typical attitude towards your opponent while playing a game?

   1. I empathize or sympathize with my opponent and understand their situation
   2. I try to put myself in my opponent's shoes, but it's difficult
   3. I feel kind of bad when they're mana screwed but that's it
   4. I don't sympathize with the opponent and concern myself with my current goals only

4. How's your poker face?

   1. I try to make myself more sympathetic by expressing when I'm not happy but only when it's for an obvious reason
   2. I occasionally slip up and give something away
   3. I have a hard time withholding my emotions and thoughts from my opponent; I'm like an open book!
   4. Stone-cold

5. When you open your mouth during a game, what is going to come out?

   1. Random questions about my opponent and how his or her tournament is going so far
   2. I talk about myself, mostly, or my opinions on things
   3. I don't think to say anything until I have a complaint about the game state
   4. I'll say what plays I'm making and pass the turn; that's it

6. In the middle of a game with a new opponent, your opponent is most likely...

   1. Smiling and laughing with me or agreeing with what I'm saying
   2. Friendly, but not responding much outside of what's going on in the game
   3. Distrustful of me and keeping an eye on me to make sure I'm not cheating
   4. Indifferent about me

Some of these questions simply depend on what kind of person your opponent is, but I think if you paid attention, most of the reactions from your opponent will be similar. As humans, we tend to remember the jerkoff opponents most. But I think most Magic players you'll meet are just normal people that are neither overly mean or overly friendly. It all comes down to how good you are at developing rapport with your opponents.

The quiz is designed to distinguish what type of relationship you develop with your opponents and how good you are at achieving rapport. There are three extremes. You can either develop a positive, negative, or neutral relationship with your opponent. With a positive relationship, you are more likely to achieve rapport with your opponent.

But what IS rapport? Wikipedia says it is one of the characteristics of "unconscious human interaction. It is a commonality of perspective: being 'in sync' with or being 'on the same wavelength' as the person with whom you are talking." Or in this case, with whom you are playing Magic. I use it in a slightly more broad term and am including conscious parts of human interaction. I still think most of what goes on is below our conscious realization, but we can become aware of a lot of things if we pay attention.

Let's look at some of these questions in more detail, and I will explain how it all relates to winning games of Magic.

Let's focus on some of the answers in the "D" category. If you answered D a lot, you may be the type of person who

1. Doesn't talk a lot or avoids conversation
2. Avoids eye contact during gameplay
3. Maintains a good poker face
4. Doesn't give away any extra information when playing
5. Remains focused on his or her own goals in the game and ignores when the opponent is pleased or annoyed

This type of behavior probably results more in developing a neutral or negative relationship with the opponent. There are advantages to this kind of behavior – since you're less likely to give away information you don't want the opponent to know about. I feel this is a safe way to play because you remain focused on what you're doing. Sometimes it is distracting to converse while playing Magic. If you simply avoid talking, then you can focus primarily on game play. And hopefully make less mistakes.

On the other hand, there are many advantages to developing rapport with your opponent and being more friendly and open. Who says Charisma points are useless?

Let's focus on the answers in the "A" category. If you answered A a lot, you probably have lots of Charisma points. You seem trustworthy, make friendly conversation, maintain good eye contact, and overall act like a person people want to get to know. (It helps if you're funny and relaxing to be around, too.) As a result, you have an easier time getting your opponent onto your wavelength. Do you notice how "being on the same wavelength" works to your advantage when playing Magic? Maybe you don't notice, but I assure you it helps.

The more you get your opponent to inherently trust you, the more they act in ways that help you. Like not letting you forget Quest counters. Or reminding you of Blood Seeker triggers. Or playing into tricks. Or conceding prematurely. Or letting you talk them into making plays that help you. Sometimes it makes a difference outside of the actual game: maybe they agree to a split. Or even concede to give you better chances (assuming it makes sense to do so).

Pat Chapin would call this technique a "Jedi Mind Trick." It's where you use psychology or emotional signals to get your opponent to make decisions that primarily help you. His term is a little narrow; it just sounds cool. ("Now you will attack with your 2/2 into my 3/3…" "Okay, I attack with my 2/2." "I block." "Wait, what did I just do???") If only it worked like that.

If you are blatant in trying to make your opponent misplay, your opponent will obviously trust you less. And if the ploy doesn't work, it's even more obvious and awkward. This is why actively trying to distract your opponent isn't the most recommended way to "Jedi Mind Trick" someone, to borrow Chapin's term. If you're going to fake something or bluff, do not do it too often or try to save it for a key moment. Magic isn't Poker, and it's not about out-tricking your opponent; it's about out-playing him. Don't rely on cheap tricks to win unless you're sure they will work!

Rapport certainly doesn't work all the time, nor does it work on every opponent. It's not some hack you apply to give you an edge; it's more like a program you run in the background, and occasionally it becomes relevant. For the most part, it will just make you seem like a nice person. And helps when you're trying to meet new people. One could say this is a Walkthrough to Being Nicer. And the Bonus is that it will help you win games and make your playing more consistent.

Now, if you answered mostly Bs and Cs from the quiz, I suggest you try to gravitate either more towards an A-type or more towards a D-type. You would prefer a positive or a neutral relationship over a negative one. Having a negative relationship with your opponent will make the game less pleasant for both of you. Your opponent becomes more likely to call a judge on you, for one thing. Or even worse, your opponent might try to cheat (whereas if your opponent gets along with you, he or she may feel bad about cheating). The less your opponent cooperates, the harder it becomes to play out the game.

But it doesn't hurt to smile a little more

In this case, practice really does produce results. If you're used to practicing on MTGO, try not to act as though you're alone. Behave as though your opponent were really in front of you. When you face real opponents, it'll help if your kneejerk reaction isn't to throw your hands up in the air or yell at a screen that isn't there. Not that you would do that, but if you get really used to expressing your emotions while playing Magic alone, you're more likely to give away something when you play in front of real players.

Here are some tips to developing rapport:

1. Use eye contact when speaking
2. Don't let things distract you; if your opponent notices your disinterest, you break the connection
3. Say aloud what your opponent's next move is: you can even remind him or her about adding counters, triggers, or cracking lands – simply saying aloud what your opponent is thinking helps you onto the same wavelength
4. Make sympathetic noises when your opponent is suffering from mana screw or bad beats but don't come off as pitying
5. Crack some jokes; "laughter is contagious and is advantageous"
6. Smile when you first meet your opponent and make some friendly conversation
7. Try to seem relaxed, even if you are stressed out.

On the other hand, yes, you should be friendly, but don't forget your ultimate goal is to win! These goals are far from mutually exclusive. Winning is the priority, but you can be both a good winner and a good loser. It's all about good sportsmanship.

Here are tips to protecting yourself from your opponent's tricks or giving away information:

1. A pair of sunglasses – even if you look like a douchebag wearing them indoors and all, it might be worth it! (And I won't think you're a douchebag! Wink wink.)
2. Hold your tongue. Or bite it even. Just stop yourself from letting something important slip. (I've seen players mumble the card they drew for the turn without intending to!)
3. It actually helps to stop focusing on your game plan all the time and put yourself in your opponent's shoes, so you begin to feel less bad about your tight spot (Looked at from every perspective, a bad thing can become a good thing and vice versa)
4. Don't celebrate in front of your opponent
5. Just be professional

I honestly think Rapport helps bring more consistency to your game. It helps you attack at a different angle. Not only that, it helps you focus more, not less. If you find yourself getting distracted by what I'm telling you to do, you're doing it wrong. It's supposed to help you achieve a flow and make the game of Magic feel more like natural conversation. If being all friendly and nice is really out of your comfort zone, you're probably more of a D-type. And that's okay; a lot of Pros seem to be D-types, and they do pretty well for themselves. (I actually oscillate wildly between A and D depending on my mood. Sometimes I get stuck in the middle, which results in worse playing. That's when I know I'm not at a desirable peak, and I try to reset.)

Overall, I play better when I'm at the A end of the peak. Partially because my opponent starts subconsciously helping me out. And I become more aware of the things my opponent is doing and why. The right play becomes clearer because I can see what my opponent wants me to do or doesn't want me to do.

If you think that what I'm suggesting is manipulative and underhanded, you're probably doing it wrong, also. You're not trying to lure your opponent into a trap; most of what is happening is at a subconscious level. The more you actively TRY to gain or abuse rapport, the less successful you will probably be.

This is the bottom line: Relate to your opponent and achieve some kind of connection. This is easier to do if you make friends instead of make enemies. Take the benefits as they come to you but do not try to force them out. If your opponent remains stony or unreachable, then there's no harm done. Just leave it alone. If your opponent makes a connection, then it's possible that good things will come of it. Sometimes not. But it's better than being outright mean or untrustworthy because your opponent may just act in kind.

I'm sorry if it's all a little vague. My advice is concrete, however, just be nicer. Nice things will come your way in return.

So, how would you put yourself on the A to D scale? Are you outgoing and cheerful or are you quiet and stoic? How do you think this affects your games? Feel free to discuss the article with me over Twitter or in the comments!