Leaving for a PTQ soon
Oct. 16th, 2004 02:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
greybetaDespite being heavily involved in homecoming week, I will be missing the homecoming game at TU. For one thing, we're playing Boise State who will most likely crush us. As much as I like supporting our football team (I stayed for the entire 29-0 whooping we got from Navy), I'd rather be doing something more enjoyable than watching us lose our homecoming game.
Fortunately, my friends convinced me to go to a Pro Tour Qualifier, or PTQ. I'm not going to go into detail about the card game Magic: The Gathering, but suffice to say that it's a hobby I enjoy a lot. I've played the game since junior high and I went to all sorts of tournaments during high school. So when this group of guys call me up to go out to do a little MtG, I can't refuse them without a good excuse. I had none to offer.
My Magic group consists of four red heads and an Asian. Only half the red heads could make it to this big tournament, so let me explain a little about them.
The bespectacled Andy was the guy who introduced me into tournament magic. The main difference between tournament and casual magic is the level of play. Tournament magic draws competitive players who work hard to win. Their idea of having fun is winning, so they'll work hard to do that. Casual players are just that, they are there to have fun. I'm kind of in between, but I lean more towards being competitive. Andy is the most naturally skilled player.
The avid gaming Mike is your stereotypical player. He plays all sorts of games, including console games, computer games, and roleplaying games. He has a Dungeons and Dragons character and an EverQuest character. His side of his apartment consists of a wardrobe of anime (literally) mixed in with old and new gaming sytems. He's strength is that he's insensitive, so he can kick people into doing things they want to be doing. For instance, he convinced me to go to this PTQ even though I kept trying use homecoming as an excuse.
As for me, I'm the organizer. I know where the PTQ's going to be and when. I read up on all of the cards in the set (a new set in Magic comes out every four months) and comment on what I think my team should watch it for. I'm also very lucky, both good and bad. Sometimes, I so many stupid mistakes that I deserve to lose but a lucky draw saves me. Other times, I just flat out lose to unluckiness.
The goal of every competitive Magic player is to play at a Pro Tour some day. Yes, you can make a living playing magic (but nowadays you can make much more playing poker). For semitournament players like me, just getting to play at a Pro Tour would be a cool experience. But, we have to earn it the hard way and that means winning a Qualifier. The qualifiers in my area aren't as hard as others, but the competition is still pretty stiff. I'm above average in terms of play skill but I still have huge gaps to cover in my game if I ever want to grab that brass ring of playing at a Pro Tour.
Yet, I suspect a large part of what draws me and my friends to Magic is the social aspect. Our friends all remember those moments when we were oh so close to achieving our dream. It's a pretty big deal to make Top 8 at one of these PTQs, and I've done that twice. Both times, I got into the semifinals before I agonizingly lost.
One of the three of us will make Top 8 today. We're simply too talented not to be able to squeeze a little luck in our favor.
Fortunately, my friends convinced me to go to a Pro Tour Qualifier, or PTQ. I'm not going to go into detail about the card game Magic: The Gathering, but suffice to say that it's a hobby I enjoy a lot. I've played the game since junior high and I went to all sorts of tournaments during high school. So when this group of guys call me up to go out to do a little MtG, I can't refuse them without a good excuse. I had none to offer.
My Magic group consists of four red heads and an Asian. Only half the red heads could make it to this big tournament, so let me explain a little about them.
The bespectacled Andy was the guy who introduced me into tournament magic. The main difference between tournament and casual magic is the level of play. Tournament magic draws competitive players who work hard to win. Their idea of having fun is winning, so they'll work hard to do that. Casual players are just that, they are there to have fun. I'm kind of in between, but I lean more towards being competitive. Andy is the most naturally skilled player.
The avid gaming Mike is your stereotypical player. He plays all sorts of games, including console games, computer games, and roleplaying games. He has a Dungeons and Dragons character and an EverQuest character. His side of his apartment consists of a wardrobe of anime (literally) mixed in with old and new gaming sytems. He's strength is that he's insensitive, so he can kick people into doing things they want to be doing. For instance, he convinced me to go to this PTQ even though I kept trying use homecoming as an excuse.
As for me, I'm the organizer. I know where the PTQ's going to be and when. I read up on all of the cards in the set (a new set in Magic comes out every four months) and comment on what I think my team should watch it for. I'm also very lucky, both good and bad. Sometimes, I so many stupid mistakes that I deserve to lose but a lucky draw saves me. Other times, I just flat out lose to unluckiness.
The goal of every competitive Magic player is to play at a Pro Tour some day. Yes, you can make a living playing magic (but nowadays you can make much more playing poker). For semitournament players like me, just getting to play at a Pro Tour would be a cool experience. But, we have to earn it the hard way and that means winning a Qualifier. The qualifiers in my area aren't as hard as others, but the competition is still pretty stiff. I'm above average in terms of play skill but I still have huge gaps to cover in my game if I ever want to grab that brass ring of playing at a Pro Tour.
Yet, I suspect a large part of what draws me and my friends to Magic is the social aspect. Our friends all remember those moments when we were oh so close to achieving our dream. It's a pretty big deal to make Top 8 at one of these PTQs, and I've done that twice. Both times, I got into the semifinals before I agonizingly lost.
One of the three of us will make Top 8 today. We're simply too talented not to be able to squeeze a little luck in our favor.
