Ramblings, just ramblings
Where did it all go?
Published on July 26, 2004 By Amitty In Gaming
You might notice that I write a lot of reviews and opinions on gaming. Hell, gaming is my life. If I could make a living at it, you damn well know that I would. Which, brings me to this days last article.

I was surfing the web yesterday and went to Ebay, where I looked up Magic: the Gathering and related auctions. Wow, there are a lot of them.

I was blessed to have attended the comic convention in Seattle where this game was released. Most people didn't seem too interested, so me and my friend Kyle bought most of the sealed and opened packs for about $1 each. By the end of the comicon, we had a heafty little pile. That night, on our way back to Canada, we started putting decks together. Soon, big 7/7 monsters started flying around and trying to eat the other person. Hey, D&D on cards was a good idea.

During the retail release, I was in grade 6. I had just bought a bunch, and liked what I found. These were the days when the Black Lotus and the Time Walk were common like dirt, nevermind the $300 for a time Walk and almost $1000 for a Beta Black Lotus. Hell, we took it for granted.
Around Unlimited, we found the expansion pack, Arabian Nights. The cards were a excellent addition to the 300 ish set of the core collection. The strategies floated back and forth. I was never a good tactician, but I adapted. Some of my best High School and University memories is hanging out and playing Magic. It was a small set of cards, could virtually play a game whenever you wanted. Generally the games would be ten minutes, basically because you were relying on the card draw. Card Mechanics were no harder than finding out which creature you should ban with your Shivan Dragon. Then, the day came when 3rd addition, Revised, came and started a disturbing trend; taking out cards of the core set.

Goodbye Black Lotus, Time Walk, Mox Emerald through Jet, and all the rest. Too powerful. The lust of these cards drove the price up. Now, in the day, I never really cared. I had quite of few of these Power cards and didn't care of these values that people were putting on them. I once took a Unlimited Black Lotus and colored around the boarders to show a collective of comic store people that I didn't care. I got banished from the comic store until they closed.

So, I eventually sold cards when I was broke, or during the many periods that I had quit magic. Now I see their value and cringe. How did they get so expensive. I loved those cards, and now that I play again, I would love them back. Not to sell at high prices, but because those cards are a part of me.

As I enter the 6th time that I have picked up the Magic cards, I go back through the cards from previous sets and wince. What the hell? I can see how free mana can give a opponent a advantage, but some of the cards now a-days are much more deadly to the game then some. Broken cards are more and more common as the series gets on in years.They release three expansions a year, about every three months, and got to be running out of ideas. The mechanics for a certain play block ( Those three expansions released are part of a story block) end up getting more and more powerful. Take on my old school fast man deck and have it blown away by the new decks. Now, the mechanics like Cycling ( Discard the card ,but pay to look through the deck) means that you do not wait for the randomness of the cards any longer. There are abilities that bring back creatures, create creatures, ect, ect.

I played with some kids at the comic book store and got my ass handed to me quickly. For a old guy like me *24* with my hodge-podge of cards, I had no chance. But that doesn't mean I will stop trying. After all, gaming is what I do. It is still a fun thing to do with friends on a Tuesday night.

Comments
on Jul 26, 2004
Fair article; I like the way you recounted your early experiences.

I would disagree that the broken cards are becoming more and more common. There was a huge spike of broken-in-half stuff in the Urza's Block, and it has really been more balanced after that (with the possible exception of this past block). What they *have* increased is synergy amongst the cards in a block, and that may make some decks overall more strong than just a collection of power cards.

Good luck getting back into the game. Keep your enjoyment level as high as you can...
on Jul 26, 2004
I barely got into it a few years ago, but I quickly grew away from it. You should have waited a week, a bunch of my friends and JU users are into Magic and would love to talk/argue about it.
on Jul 26, 2004
Ah, Magic. Such a fun game. I remember back in the day during the beginning of high school, when I would walk by the alcove and see many a folk playing Magic. Seated around the mixed and matched old tables with the cheap plastic chairs, they would play during breaks, and lunch. I didn't think much of it then, I would hate to say that I was influenced by what my peers thought, but I was. They would always make fun of those huddled over the tables with there cards splayed out in front of them. So, I assumed that it was 'nerdy' and didn't think much of it. Then, as years go by, I find myself getting interested in it. I don't play anymore, but when I did I realised that it was quite stupid of me to succumb to the mindset of those who steered clear out of the alcove.
Now I do what I want, and who cares if other people think it's nerdy? Nerds are cool . I wonder why there are always more guys playing those types of games than girls in my area...
on Jul 26, 2004
I love the game. But when I moved back home to rural Minnesota in 1998 I couldn't find anyone to play against. I taught one guy and he liked it well enough to indulge me occassionally. He's moved away and went and got married and can't play games with a girl anymore (I suppose his wife wouldn't like it much anyways).

I wonder why there are always more guys playing those types of games than girls in my area...


I played in a tournament once and I think I was the only female. I won my first set not because I was good, because I wasn't, but because my opponent was too flustered.

Hey, good article. Brought back memories. I even had to go dig out my Magic stuff and I found that I still have an unopened box of from Invasion. Cool!
on Jul 27, 2004
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that there were magic players around...

In responce to Broken cards, I am talking about one of the reasons that WotC will not print removed banned cards from the Original core set. In a day where there are easily manipulated cards, and tons of them, what is the deal about a few artifacts that give you extra mana? Keeping to the one card each rule, what are the odds that you will get a Lotus or a Mox in the first couple of rounds? If your deck is tournament thin (60 cards), then it's one or two chance in 60 every round. I still think that it is possible to bring them back, especially sonce they have gone to the trouble to create card errata for these cards.

As far as getting back in, well, it is a casual thing. The problem with getting in and out of a card game like that is like taking a break from a MMORPG: * Like I have with FFXI* You get left behind. I have from just after Weatherlight to Onslaught to catch up on. Now, I broke in to the tale end of Invasion, but mostly into Onslaught, and a little of the Mirrodin block. But, now there is another three sets...and to catch up now is costly. Let's just say I won't be taking part in tournaments.