stupid is as stupid does! Man do I fit that mold !!! I know exactly how you feel Stampf. I have found that over time, with patience, it is possible to over come stupidity.
I have been flying for years, and years. I hope some day to get to the point that I have better than a 50-50 chance to win any 1 vs 1. I don't have to be one of these killers like Wldthing, Dred, or Dolfo/killnu, tho it would be ok
I have noticed that over the last few months, while not flying as much as I use to, I am starting to make better decisions. Maybe I'm aging well or maybe its less beer, who knows, but I feel I'm making some headway.
In the senario you posted, in the old days it would have ended much the same way for me, but these days if I was really interested in the buffs, I would have taken the time to set them up better and made my slashing attacks on them.
So in closing, if an old fart like me can see the light at the end of the tunnel, there could be hope for you too!
....................unless of course your REALLLY stupid