[Card Game] Magic: the Gathering

[Iron Rooster]

So I was browsing around and was actually quite surprised that there wasn't a thread dedicated to Magic the Gathering since anime and trading card games have a tendency to have overlapping fanbases. If there is a thread, mods, feel free to just merge this with it.

So does anyone here play?

[Mr. Tines]

I picked this up back when it first came out, but it was a short-lived thing in my circle -- we got bored with it within the year.

[backseatjesus]

I like the game, but I end up forgetting how to play when I get the chance to play it. I just can't seem to remember everything. Got a small box full of cards.

[Ornette]

It's been mentioned in the card games thread: http://forum.evageeks.org/viewtopic.php?t=7061

One of my roommates played professionally for almost 10 years dating back to when he helped put together a team at Carnegie Mellon. He recently sold all of his cards (at a loss) for $22k and is now strictly playing online. He had a deck named after him.

[NemZ]

It's a fantastic game but it quickly gets stupidly expensive. It didn't get the nickname 'cardboard crack' for nothing.

I first played when The Dark was the latest set, and have since quit and sold all my stuff, then got back in, quit again... repeat that a few times. I'm currently not playing but a friend wants me to try some new format where you only get one of each card in your deck and it has to be like 100 cards or something like that, so it's probably only a matter of time before I'm back in again.

[InstrumentalityOne]

Red Burn/Goblin Deck fuck yes.
Good times.

[Iron Rooster]

It's a fantastic game but it quickly gets stupidly expensive. It didn't get the nickname 'cardboard crack' for nothing.

. . . new format where you only get one of each card in your deck and it has to be like 100 cards

Yeah, I'm glad I got into it after finishing my degree. There was actually a card in the standard format that hit $110 each at one point. Then it got banned last month from standard for making the tournament circuit stagnant. I was lucky enough to get three of them in random packs and get some play at FNM's before the ban.

Also, the new format you mentioned is called Commander or EDH. I'm not really sure what it's origins were but I use it as an excuse to use single cards that I could never get another of.

GU is best color combo ever.

[Spud]

I started to play this a long time ago but didn't have anyone to play with so I unfortunately stopped. Although a friend of mine got me to start playing on the computer. I'll post some links when I get home to my desktop.

[NemZ]

You should probably ditch the 'children's card game' part of the title btw... the largest demographic is college students.

Then again video games are for kids too, right? That's odd... a fairly recent study showed the average age of gamers is 37.

[gatotsu911]

Oh man, I spent countless hours (and dollars) on Magic way back in middle school. The problem is, the only way to really get the most out of the game is to 1) have a LOT of disposable income to devote to it, and 2) to have people with whom you can play it on a VERY regular basis. As time marched on, I eventually ceased to have either of these things, and so I eventually ended up dropping the game. I still have a mammoth card collection that I'm sure is worth at LEAST a thousand bucks, possibly several thousand. I've kept 'em around on the off-chance that I might someday get back into the game, assuming the rule changes and added mechanics since I stopped playing haven't rendered it completely unrecognizable.

[chaosakita]

I play Magic but I don't have a single real card. I'm planning on getting one physical deck at around $50 and leaving it at that. I don't know how anyone can play for real when most decent cards are so expensive.

[InstrumentalityOne]

WOMEN JUST DONT UNDERSTAND THE APPEAL BEHIND OVERPRICED PRINTED CARTOOOOON

[gatotsu911]

WOMEN JUST DONT UNDERSTAND THE APPEAL BEHIND OVERPRICED PRINTED CARTOOOOON

Preach it, brother. Friday Night Magic was like my Fight Club.

[NemZ]

Constructed formats are fun and all, but the more limited formats like draft and sealed (or team sealed! ) were always my favorite. I just need to find a sponsor who's willing to pay my way into such events in exchange for keeping all the cards at the end including any prize packs.

Probably the most fun I've had with the game though is the couple of times I've organized 'closed' leagues. It was basically block constructed with additional rules to keep it all sheltered from the larger scene and the costs reasonable. Players had to keep league cards separate from any other cards you own, trading of league cards was limited to other players in the league, and a strict limit of only buying one pack per week. Oh, and all 'official' league games (weekly round-robin events) were played for ante .

[InstrumentalityOne]

ante .

I always wondered if that stuff is legal or not.
Prizes for winning is okay, but ante seems kind of wrong.
Unless the antes were holo-lands or something.

[NemZ]

Nah, what fun would that be? Shuffle up and put the top card of each player's deck out of game, face up before the first draws: that's your ante. To make it a little less swingy we allowed people a one-time option to redo the ante but at the cost of having to ante three cards instead, and after a shuffle so there's a chance it can come back up.

[Iron Rooster]

Damn, for ante? When I first started, there were times that my main deck would have only one or two cards of any value, but they'd singlehandedly be more valuable than entire other decks I've built. If my good cards ever came up during a bet, I would've been sad since I was still a newbie playing more experienced players. Even now, I'd still be uncomfortable since some of my cards are a pain in the ass to trade from other people.

Anyway, my personal favorite format would be the sealed since there was no chance that you'd be put in the awkward situation of opening a pack with two big money cards and having to pass it. You could just pack up and drop immediately, but that's no fun. Before anyone says anything, I've on multiple occasions opened insane packs during the sealed portion of pre-release events. I think the last time it happened, there was a Mox Opal and foil Seachrome Coast in one pack. During another event I had a Hero of Oxid Ridge and a foil Thrun, the Last Troll.

Out of curiosity, what everyone's favorite card?

[NemZ]

Damn, for ante? When I first started, there were times that my main deck would have only one or two cards of any value, but they'd singlehandedly be more valuable than entire other decks I've built.

Hence the redo option.

Out of curiosity, what everyone's favorite card?

Black Vise. I abused the shit out of that card back in the day, both with blazing fast aggro and with denial/lockdown/combo things. I once built a set of three decks for an 'emperor' tournament that featured 12 black vices, went undefeated on the day including 2 ragequits.

Another general question for folks: rate the colors by your preference

Mine:
Black
Red
Blue
White
Green

[InstrumentalityOne]

Out of curiosity, what everyone's favorite card?

Word of War

[Iron Rooster]

My preference of colors would be:
Green
Blue/White (tie)
Red
Black

Favorite Card:
Novablast Wurm - I've never been able to make a competitive deck with it, but I love its character.