I like Magic: The Gathering
Aug. 20th, 2004 01:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
greybetaAnd so our hero marches on in his quest of introspection. Now, there's only one hobby left to explain, and that would be collectible card game known as Magic: The Gathering. Perhaps you've seen the fad Pokemon or the newfangled Yu Gi Oh running around. Well, the father of all such games is Dr. Richard Garfield, who created M:tG.
I'll try to sum up the basics of the game. In this fantasy world, there are five colors of magic: red, blue, black, green, and white. Each color has two "ally" colors which complement it and two "enemy" colors which hate it. Red is the color of fire, chaos, and destruction. Blue is the color of water, illusion, and control. Black is the color of darkness, disease, and sacrifice. Green is the color of life, regeneration, and growth. White is the color of light, order, and protection. Each color contains cards of varying strengths, and making a deck out of them is what magic's all about.
I could go on and on about the strategies of the game, but instead I'll focus on two more general aspects of it. How did I get addicted on this cardboard crack, and why do I still enjoy it? Let's start with how I got started. When I was in the sixth grade, this guy named Ryan Wise moved in from Seattle (which happens to be where the headquarters of the company that makes magic, Wizards of the Coast, is located). He had a few casual decks built, and he taught me the basics of the game. Unfortunately, he moved away after one year so I never really got into it.
Fast forward to eighth grade, and my friend Andy turns out to have some of these same cards. In fact, he introduced me to tournament level magic at a place called Hawghead Games. I got my butt kicked for awhile before I understood the finer points of this game. There are countless of interesting interactions in the game, and learning them enabled me to become better. On this path I would pick up other friends like Mike, Jameson, and Luke.
The reason I still play off and on is because it's more than just the cards. It's just kind of cool to hang out with your friends slinging spells. Some of my best memories include magic moments that went for and against me. I suppose that's why I don't play as much magic when I'm in Tulsa, because I don't really know the magic players there. When I'm back home, I'm apt to go out to a tournament at Fortress Games (I miss ComicMania) precisely because I can do something interesting with my old friends.
I'll try to sum up the basics of the game. In this fantasy world, there are five colors of magic: red, blue, black, green, and white. Each color has two "ally" colors which complement it and two "enemy" colors which hate it. Red is the color of fire, chaos, and destruction. Blue is the color of water, illusion, and control. Black is the color of darkness, disease, and sacrifice. Green is the color of life, regeneration, and growth. White is the color of light, order, and protection. Each color contains cards of varying strengths, and making a deck out of them is what magic's all about.
I could go on and on about the strategies of the game, but instead I'll focus on two more general aspects of it. How did I get addicted on this cardboard crack, and why do I still enjoy it? Let's start with how I got started. When I was in the sixth grade, this guy named Ryan Wise moved in from Seattle (which happens to be where the headquarters of the company that makes magic, Wizards of the Coast, is located). He had a few casual decks built, and he taught me the basics of the game. Unfortunately, he moved away after one year so I never really got into it.
Fast forward to eighth grade, and my friend Andy turns out to have some of these same cards. In fact, he introduced me to tournament level magic at a place called Hawghead Games. I got my butt kicked for awhile before I understood the finer points of this game. There are countless of interesting interactions in the game, and learning them enabled me to become better. On this path I would pick up other friends like Mike, Jameson, and Luke.
The reason I still play off and on is because it's more than just the cards. It's just kind of cool to hang out with your friends slinging spells. Some of my best memories include magic moments that went for and against me. I suppose that's why I don't play as much magic when I'm in Tulsa, because I don't really know the magic players there. When I'm back home, I'm apt to go out to a tournament at Fortress Games (I miss ComicMania) precisely because I can do something interesting with my old friends.
