Working Memory vs. Automation

What is Working Memory?

Working memory is like the RAM of your brain. It allows you to hold and process multiple pieces of information at once but has a limited capacity—typically around 7 items, plus or minus 2 (a concept known as Miller’s Law).

In cEDH, the sheer amount of information—cards in hand, board states, sequencing, and resources—can easily overwhelm your working memory, leading to mistakes, missed lines, or inefficient plays. The solution is automation: transferring repetitive game actions from working memory to your long-term, procedural memory.

Why Automation is Essential in cEDH

When actions and decisions become automated, they no longer take up space in your working memory. This allows you to:

• Track opponents’ resources, hate pieces, and potential interaction.

• Recount your own resources like mana, cards in graveyard, and combo pieces.

• Think clearly under pressure, even in high-stakes games.

• Avoid mistakes like mis-sequencing or overlooking winning lines.

Consider the difference between an experienced driver who navigates traffic with ease and a student driver overwhelmed by stimuli. Similarly, automating cEDH gameplay allows you to focus on the broader game state instead of the minutiae of executing your lines.

How to Automate Your Gameplay

1. Repetition and Practice

• Repeat Your Lines: Practice executing your deck’s combo lines repeatedly until they become second nature.

• Use Physical Cards: Goldfish with your actual deck to simulate real game scenarios.

• Practice in Games: Avoid shortcutting your combo lines in casual or practice games. Execute every step to reinforce the muscle memory.

2. Chunking

• Break down complex sequences into manageable "chunks" of information.

  • Example: Instead of memorizing every step of a combo, create shorthand like “3[[symbol:b]] 2[[symbol:u]] 4 graveyard cards” for resources required.

• Use these chunks as mental shortcuts to quickly assess whether a line is viable.

3. Association

• Link new lines to familiar ones.

  • Example: If a new combo is an extension of a familiar line, focus on memorizing only the new step. The rest will flow naturally from your procedural memory.

Example Scenario: Automating a Winning Line

Scenario: You have [[Final Fortune]] and [[Underworld Breach]] in hand. You need to calculate:

1. Mana required to cast each piece.

2. Cards required in the graveyard to escape tutors and spells.

3. Additional mana needed to protect your line with interaction.

Without Automation: You calculate everything manually in real-time, consuming all your working memory. You miss that your [[Mox Amber]] is offline, punting the game.

With Automation:

• You recognize the cards and recall immediately: “4 mana, 6 graveyard cards, [[Silence]] backup.”

• Your working memory remains free to check for threats, opponents’ open mana, and sequencing.

Avoiding Automation Pitfalls

Even with mastery, automation has risks:

• Sloppiness: Like an experienced driver skipping a blind spot check, advanced players can become overconfident in their lines.

• Stagnation: Failing to adapt new strategies or revise old lines.

Solution:

• Regularly review your gameplay to ensure you’re not missing critical steps or falling into predictable patterns.

• Challenge yourself with new scenarios and deck updates to stay sharp.

Final Thoughts

Mastering cEDH requires more than just knowledge of cards and combos—it demands precision, adaptability, and focus. By automating repetitive actions and decisions, you free your working memory to process the complex and dynamic game state, giving you a competitive edge.

Tips for Success

• Repetition: Execute lines repeatedly until they become second nature.

• Practice in High-Stress Scenarios: Simulate tournament settings to train for pressure.

• Chunking and Association: Simplify and connect information for quicker recall.

• Regular Self-Assessment: Check your gameplay to prevent sloppiness and maintain peak performance.

The better you know your own game, the better you can focus on your opponents’ strategies. With practice, automation, and attention to detail, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a true cEDH Master!