Magic the Gathering: My History
Est. 1993
I’m going to write more about Magic the Gathering as time goes on - I actually started my TikTok channel with the hopes of bringing Magic the Gathering content to you, but that didn’t pan out. However, as this substack focuses on gaming of all kinds - I’m going to post about stuff like this from time to time (also shameless plug: I stream myself losing at Magic the Gathering Arena from time to time so check that out!)
Anyway, I’ve been playing Magic the Gathering since its inception. I got lucky and had a childhood friend who had an older brother and we got to play it during alpha/beta etc. Before anyone asks, I don’t recall ever seeing a Black Lotus in real life. What I do remember is that Shivan Dragon and Hypnotic Specters were a big deal. I don’t remember dual lands even being a point of focus at the time as we admired the creature art way more.
The thing I think Magic has going for it is the fact that it constantly evolves. I’m sure this was the point of the game so that it had longevity but I don’t think anyone could’ve expected that it would be played 31 years later. For me, I would play off and on over the years. I played during Alpha all the way to Ice Age, and then I would move away to another state and lose touch with friends I’d play with. I would always want to play though - I never got involved at a LGS or anything as I was always intimidated by other players I didn’t know. I remember moving back in 8th grade and getting to play with classmates (who were often pretty dismissive and mean to me about it but -shrug-) I also remember doing the Guru thing and getting some Guru lands (which I wish I had the foresight to keep as those are quite expensive these days.
I would then go into 9th grade and find new people to play Magic with that were a little more welcoming. I’d play until I would move again to Florida where I didn’t have any opportunities and by that point I “grew out” of the idea of playing Magic. However, when I got older (early 20s) I’d see Coldsnap on the shelves and decide to buy a fat pack and try to relive my youth. I’d find people at various jobs to play with until they inevitably move. I wound up buying a lot (a huge collection of cards) off eBay with a friend I worked at Blockbuster with and we would spend like 3 nights splitting it in half and then playing. I still have a LOT of those cards to this day. At this point, I still play with my wife and kids and whoever decides to tag along but being in 2024 brings a new avenue to play Magic - Arena. The online version of Magic that can be played on Mobile or computer. I’ve actually started streaming myself playing and I’ve been playing that since it’s beta. They actually added a variation of my favorite format Commander on the app as Brawl. It’s slightly different but serves a similar purpose and works well enough for me.
I have so much I can discuss about Magic the Gathering - and I intend to in the near future. I just wanted to talk about my history with the game so that people can understand how much I love this game. While I didn’t have a ton of ways to play (and still don’t) - I make it work. I have 10s of thousands of cards at this point and maybe one day I’ll post my entire collection inventory and decks for all to see - as I have brewed quite a few decks. I think the most interesting thing about modern Magic is the fact that they are now trying to pull in famous IPs like Fallout, Walking Dead and more. I’m actually quite excited for Final Fantasy next year and I’m going to try and collect the entire set. If you ever want to play on Arena with me, just drop a comment and we can make that happen. I’m not super great. I actually created a python script to track my Arena games and the first night I did it I lost three games in a row lol. It doesn’t matter a whole lot to me though - it’s just for the love of the game.
I Unduress you.