Chris' Thoughts on Magic: The Gathering

 

When did you start playing?

I started playing when Fallen Empires was out.  My buddy and I thought it was the greatest game ever.  My decks consisted of the cards I owned.  We played for ante, with mana burn, and it was a blast.  It was all good. 

I still think it’s one of the most fun, easy-to-learn but complex-to-play well games ever invented.

It requires a relatively small amount of space.

 

Why don’t you buy and sell singles?

I never got into buying individual cards, and that’s part of the reason we don’t buy or sell them (beyond what we open up ourselves for play and have had forever).  It’s just cardboard and it’s fun.

We played with what we had and had the same amount of fun as if we had a Black Lotus.

Some people like the collectible aspect more than the play aspect ,and that’s fine.  There is room for everyone.

We are not a Magic store.  We are a game store, and Magic is one of the games we sell and play here.

 

How do I get started?

There is an easy entry point; just start with a preconstructed deck.  Get some packs and adjust.  Play drafts and pick up more cards while having fun, picking up play tips and competing (gently) in a fun environment with really fun players.

We are also hoping to reinvigorate a beginner level Standard weekly tournament.

 

I have heard that Magic is expensive

Magic doesn’t have to be expensive.  Competitive Magic might be, but nobody here is playing that.  Completing a collection might also be, but that is not an inherent necessity to playing the game.

Don’t worry about assembling a Net deck that won whatever championship that is irrelevant right after it’s over.  Play cards that are fun for you and that you like.

It is, in fact, a remarkably inexpensive way to have fun (like most games).

 

What about the ‘meta’ and the unbeatable decks that keep dominating tournaments?

I can’t help but feel that, at a local level, the meta is not real.  It just doesn’t really happen outside of super-competitive events and online.  Until you play against a deck there’s no reason to worry about building against it or not being able to defeat it.

 

I’ve heard that my cards are no good after a period of time

This is taken out of context.  Your cards never explode (unless you or someone else did something very nasty with them).  Some sets rotate out of standard every 3 years.  A new Foundation set will rotate every 6 years.  They remain viable in other formats.  And if you haven’t spent a ton of money on singles, and still want to play standard, you have gotten years’ worth of play and will get years more from new sets that come out.

 

Can I make money with Magic or is it a good investment?

I have always been skeptical of this and remain so.  It is a game.  Play the game.  It is a collectible game so you may get some valuable cards.  Do with them what you will.  Some people may find a way to benefit from trading or selling.  That is not what we focus on.

 

Are you just trying to sell Magic packs to me?

Well, yes. And no.  We are a business and only stay open and get new product in by selling product we have purchased.  But we don’t sell games we don’t think are fun, and we are selling fun as much as we are selling games.  More players – more fun.  This is true of any hobby.  And I also believe that any hobby only really thrives with influxes of new players.  Life, reality and other entertainment choices constantly vie for our available time, so not everyone can keep playing a game forever, even if they enjoy it.  Getting new players involved in a game means we have new ideas, new excitement and new play opportunities, for both new and veteran gamers.

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Why do your events cost more than <place> and/or give less to winners than <place>?

We do not believe that just people playing games in a store can support that store.  We have been doing this for over 10 years and it just doesn't happen.  Stores survive through sales.  As such, we charge an amount for our events that allows us to make a profit.  Not a very big one, but we do need to make profits to stay open.  We also believe in fun over competition (not that competition is bad) and so structure our prizes so that everyone gets at least something.  This is called flattening the prize payouts and is something we have done since we opened.  We believe it makes us more welcoming to new and novice players and less welcoming to overly competitive prize-grabbers that may be less fun to play against.