Just play Arena if you want to get back in Magic. Paper Magic is cumbersome and expensive and will take way too much of your time.
Also, you don't have to suffer the so-called social aspect of the physical game. LGS experience is far less pleasing than the promotional videos Wizards pops out tries to pretend.
Just play Arena if you want to get back in Magic. Paper Magic is cumbersome and expensive and will take way too much of your time.
Also, you don't have to suffer the so-called social aspect of the physical game. LGS experience is far less pleasing than the promotional videos Wizards pops out tries to pretend.
I would have stopped playing the game long time ago without the social aspect of great people every friday night.
There is a lot of anti-social crap in online Magic. I encounter more poor sportsmanship in MTGO than I have ever encountered in paper Magic.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Playing since 1994: Currently MAGS (HomeBrew),Standard & Pauper (Pioneer and Modern are degenerate trash formats)
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
I'm of the same mindset now. I was going to buy myself a m/nm favourite card of mine for my 40th birthday recently. Saw the price, and laughed. That's half a new top of the line gaming pc.
I think one of the above posts were right. Just nostalgia.
I'm in somewhat of the same boat, minus the kids/family expenses, but took 18 years off, and came back about two years ago. A lot changed!! Damn near EVERYTHING changed! I left when it was only 60 card decks, four of each, etc... no standard/modern/legacy/commander/pauper options. With all the new rules, changes to rules, new mechanics and their rules... I pretty much had to learn the game all over again, and learn all the new cards from 18 years of new sets, and I still feel like I'm behind anyone who plays regularly.
That being said, what I have learned is that you can do commander on the cheap and stay competitive. Back in my old playing days I rarely played red. Now I'm building/built two red commander decks, and each is very competitive and under $100 (or around there), with no cards over $15 (I think Strip Mine is my most expensive card in either deck). Try building one around Torbran, Thane of Red Fell... mono-red burn, fast, and the appropriate spells to build a good deck are quite cheap. Second option I'm digging is using Feldon of the Third Path, who only gets better and better in EDH as more cards come out that fit his theme (I use a secondary theme of land destruction with Feldon). Both decks are fun, competitive, and cheap.
The trick is finding people to play with that don't suck at life. I find draft tournaments at the LGS can be a good way to meet new people, since no one is going in there with a constructed deck, therefore the general cockiness/elitism is held in check a little more. But doing that I've met few good guys who are in the same boat as me, similar age, took 15-20 years off, came back, etc, who just want to play and have fun.
Have you considering trying to find some folks who play with proxies? Many of the people I've played EDH with over the years are 100% okay with proxies.
You can also have a blast playing EDH with a $50 deck. TappedOut values one of my favorite lists, cycling tribal, at $70-80. Most of my more casual decks come in at $125-300.
As a piggyback to this, while proxies might be acceptable with some playgroups, I think it's worth stepping back to ask yourself if you are hooked into the concept that you have to have a M/NM foil of everything. If money is a limiting factor, only buy damaged/moderately played copies (from cheaper sets) of the more expensive cards, assuming cheap enough ones are available. Depending on how expensive the card normally goes for, you can save $5-20 each on all the cards that are really spendy. If you flat out go as cheap as possible on each card, you can probably save 30-50%. Also, if you're ready to buy cards for a deck, plan on buying from each of TCG, Card Kingdom, and TCGGoldfish, and cross-reference to get the cheapest prices.
I agree with most of your sentiments OP. I'm pretty tired of all the "alpha nerds" in Magic.
So true! Alpha/elitist MTG nerds! In the Seattle area you find a decent amount of pros, and not one I've met yet have I actually wanted to be friends with... so far, the more pro the player, the less I would enjoy being in their playgroup, even if I could afford it.
Well for me, its a personal group of friends that have know eachother for many many years. We get together usually once a week (2-5 of us) and play.
We play open form 60 card multiplayer games. We yell at eachother, mess up turn orders, misplay things all the time. We build decks that range from $10 - $1000. We all win, lose and scoop multiple times a night. THIS IS Magic to me. I have never really went to LGS because none were around. We have all been playing this way for 20 years + (taking multiple hiatuses for months or years at a time.
Its super awesome and we love it when one of our high dollar decks cant get past a frickin Whip Vine from homelands sometimes. We love to rag on eachother for the casualness of our decks or the uber competitiveness sometimes.
Absolutely enjoyable. Dont care about Tier 1, turn 3 wins, making money. Just want to crack some packs and play some Magic.
I dig it! I wish I had that where I just moved... from Seattle to the boonies across the water. Hopefully in due time...
Let me ask you a question about a hypothetical scenario and I'm being serious. Say you were someone who doesn't know what Trading Card Games / Collectible Card Games are and you just recently heard about Magic: the Gathering in 2020 even though there's more gaming options to choose from nowadays compared to how few there were when MTG first made it's debut in 1993. What would you do? Would you pick up a Starter Deck, go to your LGS, and learn how to play or would you move onto a different hobby being fully aware of the actual LGS environment? You know the sex offenders, the unsanitary restrooms, and terrible hygiene from players.
What If you had the chance to start all over again? It's always about risk vs. reward. Say you lost your Paper Magic collection in a natural disaster / global crisis or someone managed to steal it from you without your consent. Is the risk to go through it all again really worth the reward? How much of a mental toll would it take to recoup the losses made? These are the types of questions MTG players don't ask themselves enough of these days. Don't get the wrong idea I'm not trying to poke fun at Tolarian Community College when he goes about saying, "Many Magic players ask the question..." People tend to forget that Magic is a luxury item.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
America Bless Christ Jesus
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
I have to chime in on the odd atmosphere of the LGS. I returned a while back from a hiatus in the 90's. In the meanwhile I´ve played all the big tm games, GW, FFG stuff and a plethora of CCGs in various competitive environments, but the MTG crowd was a weeeeeird bunch when I fancied to try that again. There´s something alien and awkward going on. In all other games I´ve ever played people welcome you here for joining in their hobby, but this lot was constantly behaving odd. Thus I mostly play MODO for casual which is a pity.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Also, you don't have to suffer the so-called social aspect of the physical game. LGS experience is far less pleasing than the promotional videos Wizards pops out tries to pretend.
I would have stopped playing the game long time ago without the social aspect of great people every friday night.
A good LGS is something you cannot replace.
WUBRG#BlackLotusMatterWUBRG
👮👮👮 #BlueLivesMatter 👮👮👮
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
"Pronoun:
Your preferred pronoun for others to use. "
On Registration and thats just too insane.
This site is just pathetic.
I dont want to have anything to do with that kind of people.
Could get more sick of it in real life, and particularly dont want to have anything to do with it in a game i love.
WUBRG#BlackLotusMatterWUBRG
👮👮👮 #BlueLivesMatter 👮👮👮
I'm in somewhat of the same boat, minus the kids/family expenses, but took 18 years off, and came back about two years ago. A lot changed!! Damn near EVERYTHING changed! I left when it was only 60 card decks, four of each, etc... no standard/modern/legacy/commander/pauper options. With all the new rules, changes to rules, new mechanics and their rules... I pretty much had to learn the game all over again, and learn all the new cards from 18 years of new sets, and I still feel like I'm behind anyone who plays regularly.
That being said, what I have learned is that you can do commander on the cheap and stay competitive. Back in my old playing days I rarely played red. Now I'm building/built two red commander decks, and each is very competitive and under $100 (or around there), with no cards over $15 (I think Strip Mine is my most expensive card in either deck). Try building one around Torbran, Thane of Red Fell... mono-red burn, fast, and the appropriate spells to build a good deck are quite cheap. Second option I'm digging is using Feldon of the Third Path, who only gets better and better in EDH as more cards come out that fit his theme (I use a secondary theme of land destruction with Feldon). Both decks are fun, competitive, and cheap.
The trick is finding people to play with that don't suck at life. I find draft tournaments at the LGS can be a good way to meet new people, since no one is going in there with a constructed deck, therefore the general cockiness/elitism is held in check a little more. But doing that I've met few good guys who are in the same boat as me, similar age, took 15-20 years off, came back, etc, who just want to play and have fun.
As a piggyback to this, while proxies might be acceptable with some playgroups, I think it's worth stepping back to ask yourself if you are hooked into the concept that you have to have a M/NM foil of everything. If money is a limiting factor, only buy damaged/moderately played copies (from cheaper sets) of the more expensive cards, assuming cheap enough ones are available. Depending on how expensive the card normally goes for, you can save $5-20 each on all the cards that are really spendy. If you flat out go as cheap as possible on each card, you can probably save 30-50%. Also, if you're ready to buy cards for a deck, plan on buying from each of TCG, Card Kingdom, and TCGGoldfish, and cross-reference to get the cheapest prices.
So true! Alpha/elitist MTG nerds! In the Seattle area you find a decent amount of pros, and not one I've met yet have I actually wanted to be friends with... so far, the more pro the player, the less I would enjoy being in their playgroup, even if I could afford it.
I dig it! I wish I had that where I just moved... from Seattle to the boonies across the water. Hopefully in due time...
What If you had the chance to start all over again? It's always about risk vs. reward. Say you lost your Paper Magic collection in a natural disaster / global crisis or someone managed to steal it from you without your consent. Is the risk to go through it all again really worth the reward? How much of a mental toll would it take to recoup the losses made? These are the types of questions MTG players don't ask themselves enough of these days. Don't get the wrong idea I'm not trying to poke fun at Tolarian Community College when he goes about saying, "Many Magic players ask the question..." People tend to forget that Magic is a luxury item.
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta