Magic: The Gathering

[D3m190d]

I know. I'm just giving you a hard time, jokingly.

But yes, I agree with you. I've got a group of friends that all they do is play Magic. One of them is a teacher, single, and blows most of his pay check on Magic cards, so of course, he has insanely built decks (he's been playing Fantasy games since he was a kid and he's 40+ now). So him and my other friends spend the first weekend of every month doing nothing but going to buy boxes of booster packs, sit around a table for three days, and do nothing but build a single deck for each of them.

Then for the rest of the month, go and join every tournament held, and win them all. I'm not exaggerating, neither. I've seen them placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. There's five of us in this little group. I end up feeling sorry for all the kids who lose out on this.

Hey man, losig is part of the game! I know I got pwned by some of the more pro-like dudes at our shop, and I don't lose any fun in the game. Of course I'm slightly disappointed I didn't win, but then again, that's with everything. In this case I get drawn into the game even more because it's interesting to see there are so many different ways to get beaten! And when you get defeated, you only learn more about the game. And if the winning people are proper players, they even give you some tips and tricks on building good decks and playing with better techniques. And the best players around here are those kind of people. ^_^

 

[L0ki]

Hey man, losig is part of the game! I know I got pwned by some of the more pro-like dudes at our shop, and I don't lose any fun in the game. Of course I'm slightly disappointed I didn't win, but then again, that's with everything. In this case I get drawn into the game even more because it's interesting to see there are so many different ways to get beaten! And when you get defeated, you only learn more about the game. And if the winning people are proper players, they even give you some tips and tricks on building good decks and playing with better techniques. And the best players around here are those kind of people. ^_^

True statement.

 

[cheezMcNASTY]

there are only 2 things you need to run a successful magic deck:
A) vast knowledge of cards, the more editions the better
B) the resources to spend top dollar to get the best card for every function your deck requires.

that means that no matter how small the differences may seem, someone who's serious will always pay more for a card that's only slightly better, not to mention pursue the expensive and rare cards. black lotus is an exception as it's more collected than used. dual lands are a good example... they serve more or less the same function as a card worth less than dirt, but they also remove 1 card from your deck... this makes non-lands more likely to be drawn and combines 2 mana into one card. is that worth paying $10? to some people, that's a necessary cost.
Example: Steamed Vents (last edition i was playing during)
http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/cards/13787.jpg

the decks used by world champions are freely viewable online, and there are always standards (example: Ravager for an affinity deck...at least that's how it was when i stopped). i remember my favorite creature deck was goblins and a competitive goblin deck requires and investment of around $200. missing any one of those overpriced creatures gives your deck a weakest link which will be exploited

it's a fact that the poor players are always at an inherent disadvantage unless they just keep buying booster packs until they find a card that will pay for decks that win with some consistency. and i know i sound like i take it way too seriously, i did for a long time. i just never had enough money to make it a reality, hence my $20 deck on an unreliable combo that i built myself. unless you become a walking encyclopedia, building it yourself is more or less useless and you are forced to conform to what competitive players use in order to keep your head above water.

 

[D3m190d]

there are only 2 things you need to run a successful magic deck:
A) vast knowledge of cards, the more editions the better
B) the resources to spend top dollar to get the best card for every function your deck requires.

that means that no matter how small the differences may seem, someone who's serious will always pay more for a card that's only slightly better, not to mention pursue the expensive and rare cards. black lotus is an exception as it's more collected than used. dual lands are a good example... they serve more or less the same function as a card worth less than dirt, but they also remove 1 card from your deck... this makes non-lands more likely to be drawn and combines 2 mana into one card. is that worth paying $10? to some people, that's a necessary cost.
Example: Steamed Vents (last edition i was playing during) http://img.coolstuffinc.net/products/mtg art/guildpact/gpt164.jpg

the decks used by world champions are freely viewable online, and there are always standards (example: Ravager for an affinity deck...at least that's how it was when i stopped). i remember my favorite creature deck was goblins and a competitive goblin deck requires and investment of around $200. missing any one of those overpriced creatures gives your deck a weakest link which will be exploited

it's a fact that the poor players are always at an inherent disadvantage unless they just keep buying booster packs until they find a card that will pay for decks that win with some consistency. and i know i sound like i take it way too seriously, i did for a long time. i just never had enough money to make it a reality, hence my $20 deck on an unreliable combo that i built myself. unless you become a walking encyclopedia, building it yourself is more or less useless and you are forced to conform to what competitive players use in order to keep your head above water.

Well, I don't haver very competetive decks, as I only like to make what I like to make, rather than make a deck to win. And I'm not terribly bad at the FNM. While a good money investment does help, skill is still more important. Or so, I experience. Not having much money doesn't make your decks too bad to compete. Just having much more money makes it slightly better.

 

[Devalion]

If you don't want to spend a money on cards, google the program Apprentice. It's a game that lets you construct decks (Has nearly every card ever made) and play people over the net. Of course the person you play has to have it installed too, and you need their IP address. But it's free, so it is worth looking into.

I think I still have an alpha artist-signed lotus kicking around somewhere. Wonder how much someone would pay for it =x

 

[Tsuyu]

I think I still have an alpha artist-signed lotus kicking around somewhere. Wonder how much someone would pay for it =x

Their soul. Or lots and lots of money.

 

[D3m190d]

The funny thing about Magic is, is that while it can cost more money, it can also last much longer than a lot of other forms of entertainment. A movie? about two hours. Alright, alright, a videogame. The singleplayer can be large, it can have a multiplayer. But I personally can't enjoy it for too long. Magic, I can always play, always change, always do something new. To me, it'smuch more diverse and much more lasting than other entertainment. Say, you bought a video game two years ago. Pretty sure you won't play it as much now as in a couple of years into the future, what with all the new games with much better graphics, longer gameplay, better technology... Just, a lot more elements that make each new videogame better and better. Any Magic deck I created 5 years ago, about now, or next week wil still be fully playable and still bring great excitement in 10 years from now. That's but one reason I think Magic is great.

 

[Tsuyu]

But what about the Magic video game on XBLA?

Paradox!

 

[D3m190d]

But what about the Magic video game on XBLA?

Paradox!

It's not as magical as the original. Not by a long shot.

 

[Cain]

I prefer Tragic the Garnering. /Video Game reference.