Magic: The Gathering

Magic is a card game that was invented in 1993. It is based off some of the earlier fantasy role-playing games (RPGs) like Dungeons & Dragons. The game was hugely successful upon its conception and that continues today with approximately 12 million players. Because of Magic, you now see card games created for everything from Pokemon to Dragonball-Z to Yu-Gi-Oh.

I first learned of Magic in 7th grade. A group of kids in my study hall would play in the back of the room. It seemed really cool so I started playing. My brother picked it up too and we would play at home. We spent a lot of time poring over our decks and would buy booster packs hoping for even better cards. I was so proud of my deck. It was a White/Blue* and was full of walls (to block my opponent) and flying creatures (who cannot be blocked by anything).

I started playing less as I got older and into high school. Not because I was maturing at all but because Pokemon got big and then my brother switched allegiances to the Dragonball-Z card game. My brother was legit. He played in tournaments every weekend. I don’t know if he was any good because anyone can join those things but he must have enjoyed it.

But something mysterious happened when I went away to college. During my freshman year I got the urge to play Magic again. I think it was mostly because of Halo. A bunch of people on my floor would play against each other on the LAN. We would keep our doors open and shout at each other as we were playing. It was awesome and it made me remember the good times of my old RPG card game. So over summer break I was looking around my bedroom trying to find my cards. I couldn’t find them anywhere. I still don’t know what happened to them although there are plenty of conspiracy theories I’ve bandied about.

Anyway, fast forward 7 years and I randomly have the urge to play Magic again. I really don’t know why. About a year ago I had the urge to pick up my Game Boy and play Pokemon again but I didn’t give in to that. Maybe it has combined into this even more powerful Magic urging. But this time it’s serious. I was at Newbury Comics last weekend and was pricing decks. Of course I have to buy one for the gf as well so I have someone to play against. (Can you believe she’s on board with this? How lucky am I?)

This week I went on eBay and Amazon to find some good deals. Today I finally took the leap and bought 2 new intro decks. One is a Blue/Black and one is a Blue/Red. They each come with a 60 card starter deck and a 15 card booster pack. Total cost: $20 (plus shipping). Perfect for when this random comeback goes the way of Pogs.

But for now, I can’t wait until they get here. I’m feeling like a kid again.


*There are 5 different colors you can play with: White, Blue, Black, Red, Green. Most people combine 2 of these but you can have as many variations as you want (though strategically that is difficult).