November 9, 2012
Phoenix Games - Mukilteo, WA
For many years and for various odd reasons I have avoided Magic The Gathering. It is one of those things that has become so big that it felt like it would be impossible to wade into, sort of like starting Doctor Who with its decades of back story. Recently, my gaming has brought me to the conclusion and understanding that it is in fact accessible after all.
Some of the kids at the schools I work at have given me little pointers at times, but last year at GeekGirlCon I got an actual tutorial and have been planning to play ever since. A teacher friend and I gamed one day and played some and so I went out and got some current cards that are not a huge investment and ready playable.
I made the decision to stick to the pre-constructed decks for now and to not alter them until I played some actual games. I went to a Monday casual play and decided to dive right in and play a Friday Night Magic event. A local store (Phoenix Games) was my gaming location of choice. I discovered that I needed to register and am now an actual card carrying Magic The Gathering player. My scores are apparently recorded officially somehow. This is both interesting and sort of meh since I did not win a game. 19 players and I came in 19th at 0-5 with all 5 being 0-2. A few games were actually close and had a few little things happened I could have won a hand or two I think. However, I am likely the single lowest ranking MTG player in the world right now out of millions. Ah well. A good time was had and the other players gave me huge amounts of tips and advice and were patient with this Noob.
Learning is fun, but learning a lot also means losing a lot. I played the Red/Blue deck. Maybe I should have played the Red/Black deck (which won a hand at casual play night). I have a couple ideas about constructing the deck so I am going to tinker with the Red/Black and see what happens.
I did get the last pick of the decks and promos, but this card is actually pretty cool and from the M13 Prerelease. I am going to add it in and play it next time just on principle. Next time and strategy are already in mind and being planned. Hooked. Cardboard crack indeed.
