Long time Magic player here. Haven't been too active thought and am just trying to get some insight on what is the most played Magic. Whether it's paper magic or magic online.
If possible, please share what you like and don't like about each of them.
I'll start, I currently only play paper magic, but due to job and most of all living far away from the closest game store (16 miles, so half an hour by car and 1 hour by public transports), I've been playing it less and less.
Currently seriously considering playing MTGO. It's convenient and it works. A con would be recent instability that there is due to Arena.
I mostly do MTGO, because it simply works with my schedule. If I have time on the weekend I will get together with some friends, but between Work, Wife, Kid, Gym, and other hobbies...its tough outside that 9pm-10pm window to find time.
I sold out of MTGO a while ago because I hated the prospect of having to buy all my cards twice. Considering I have a lot of expensive cards, it was both mentally draining and physically expensive to have to buy multiple copies of cards I already owned in paper. When it came down to it, if I wasn't spending the money to perfectly mirror my paper collection, then MTGO was no different than any other time-killing videogame on PC, as I was just using it for entertainment and not practice. As such, I have completely sold off and only play in paper. When I do want to do something on PC, it's almost exclusively sim racing these days.
I use both platforms. Lately, my MTGO collection outdoes my Paper. I use MTGO to "trial" decks, for FNM and the like I have a similar suite of decks I go out and play, but on Magic Online I try hard, if I feel invested enough in a deck, then I purchase it on paper.
I mostly do MTGO, because it simply works with my schedule. If I have time on the weekend I will get together with some friends, but between Work, Wife, Kid, Gym, and other hobbies...its tough outside that 9pm-10pm window to find time.
That's exactly my problem, I either spend 15$ just on gas on traveling to the store and lose about 4h, sleep late that night, or I just don't go.
Lately I haven't gone at all. So really considering buying into MTGO.
I play jeskai shell btw, any advice on building onto that on mtgo? What to get first and so on.
If you want to do it slowly, I dont know, maybe play Bloo/UR Prowess or something. I dont think the White cards are expensive, its the Tarns, Jace, Cryptic that get you.
If you have nothing, I'd for sure start with some kind of UWR Prowess build first.
If WotC announced tomorrow that they would drop support for paper and go to MTGO exclusively, I would just walk away from the game and not look back.
It's not that I don't think MTGO isn't a viable platform or not a fun game. I play a ton of video games ranging from Minecraft, Half-Life, GTA, Pokémon GO, Cuphead and even snippets of some weird Kinect animal game my 8 year old likes.
It just boils down to spending my money on X or Y NOT X and Y. I spent a lot of money since 1996 on paper Magic and it doesn't please me having to spend the money again for the same damn cards virtually, even at a gross discount. 35 tix for a Black Lotus is unquestionably tempting though. I'm just an old player that really doesn't want to have to buy most of his library again on a new format.
A lot like the feeling people had when vinyl albums were re-released on cassette and again when the same albums were re-released on CD and again, on digital.
I play paper, but also play relatively infrequently due to standard being garbage, having a hard to work with schedule, and other issues. My card library is a bit of a mess as well right now and I seriously got to get back to going through it and organizing / resleeving the cards I do own. Kind of surprised how much cardboard builds up after three years of time.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Never played on MTGO yet. I play in paper on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Sometimes I play on Tuesday, but that place has a little trouble getting 8 players sometimes. I play on weekends when there are events.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Legacy - Sneak Show, BR Reanimator, Miracles, UW Stoneblade
Premodern - Trix, RecSur, Enchantress, Reanimator, Elves https://www.facebook.com/groups/PremodernUSA/ Modern - Neobrand, Hogaak Vine, Elves
Standard - Mono Red (6-2 and 5-3 in 2 McQ)
Draft - (I wish I had more time for limited...)
Commander - Norin the Wary, Grimgrin, Adun Oakenshield (taking forever to build) (dead format for me)
Paper when I started, and paper since I rediscovered the game. There is just no substitute for having a nice evening with friends, playing the game. Be it on the kitchen table, or on FNM.
I do test online on a free client though.
Paper when I started, and paper since I rediscovered the game. There is just no substitute for having a nice evening with friends, playing the game. Be it on the kitchen table, or on FNM.
I do test online on a free client though.
Exactly this. I like the face to face social aspects, but free testing online is just too useful not to do.
I have a MTGO account, I have one Modern deck on it, I haven't played Modern on it in like a year. I'm through and through a paper person. I first played Magic prior to MTGO and when I came back, it was due to friends IRL. I just can't justify spending 1.5x the price to build everything in two mediums when I have other hobbies and games I play. I've played a fair bit of Cockatrice though.
I mostly do MTGO, because it simply works with my schedule. If I have time on the weekend I will get together with some friends, but between Work, Wife, Kid, Gym, and other hobbies...its tough outside that 9pm-10pm window to find time.
This is the main reason why I don't play as often as I want to. Magic can be a time consuming game at times.
Magic is great when you have friends to play with, and a LGS nearby.
Right now I'm not playing at all... I had an argument with a buddy I used to go to the LGS and therefor can't even find the motivation to go to that LGS alone, I know he still goes thought.
What doesn't help, is that the closest LGS is 16 miles away from me. It's close if I go there straight from work, but then I'll get home only at 1 am.
Only to have to wake up at 7 am and go to work. It can get really tiring.
So MTGO would be a great option, I'm scared of MTG Arena thought...
I mostly do MTGO, because it simply works with my schedule. If I have time on the weekend I will get together with some friends, but between Work, Wife, Kid, Gym, and other hobbies...its tough outside that 9pm-10pm window to find time.
This is the main reason why I don't play as often as I want to. Magic can be a time consuming game at times.
Yeah, and if you play matches, depending on your deck, you are a good 30-50 minutes if it goes to 3 games. lol
Its just not a 'lets get a few games in' type of game, but MTGO makes it a bit easier.
Paper 100%. As others have stated, the social element can't be recreated at the online level no matter how hard you try. Regardless of what is chosen, I feel it's best to put all your money in one place unless you just have a ridiculous income and can do both.
I also like knowing I physically own the cards as opposed to having some virtual library online. Probably just a comfort thing tbh. Having a collection to dig through and do other formats with if you're a casual player (block constructed types and such) can be pretty cool too.
The only reason I play magic is for the paper face to face experience. I value the social aspect, the kinetic aspect of shuffling and touching the cards, and travelling to play.
MTGO is just a bad video game to me.
I used to play paper only and shunned MTGO as "fake MtG." Then my schedule and location changed drastically and I no longer had a play group at work or a short T ride away. So I gave MTGO a shot for the same reasons everybody has listed - schedule and flexibility.
I recently sold out of MTGO for the same reasons Shodai listed. I realized I had duplicated my collection but only played the paper half.
Good article by Jeff Hoogland about MTGO benefits.
As someone who has spent many weekends in the last few years driving two or more hours to play in events that paid out a 1000 USD to the top 8 only while charging a 30 USD entry fee – playing from my home, with optional pants, in an event with a lower entry fee and higher prize pool is fantastic.
Because I have managed to win two different challenge events in the last month – I am probably a little bit biased when I say this – but these events are great. They allow me to play a competitive card event from my home, without giving up my entire weekend or even entire day to do so.
If possible, please share what you like and don't like about each of them.
Currently seriously considering playing MTGO. It's convenient and it works. A con would be recent instability that there is due to Arena.
Spirits
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
That's exactly my problem, I either spend 15$ just on gas on traveling to the store and lose about 4h, sleep late that night, or I just don't go.
Lately I haven't gone at all. So really considering buying into MTGO.
I play jeskai shell btw, any advice on building onto that on mtgo? What to get first and so on.
If you have nothing, I'd for sure start with some kind of UWR Prowess build first.
Spirits
If WotC announced tomorrow that they would drop support for paper and go to MTGO exclusively, I would just walk away from the game and not look back.
It's not that I don't think MTGO isn't a viable platform or not a fun game. I play a ton of video games ranging from Minecraft, Half-Life, GTA, Pokémon GO, Cuphead and even snippets of some weird Kinect animal game my 8 year old likes.
It just boils down to spending my money on X or Y NOT X and Y. I spent a lot of money since 1996 on paper Magic and it doesn't please me having to spend the money again for the same damn cards virtually, even at a gross discount. 35 tix for a Black Lotus is unquestionably tempting though. I'm just an old player that really doesn't want to have to buy most of his library again on a new format.
A lot like the feeling people had when vinyl albums were re-released on cassette and again when the same albums were re-released on CD and again, on digital.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Nexus MTG News // Nexus - Magic Art Gallery // MTG Dual Land Color Ratios Analyzer // MTG Card Drawing Odds Calculator
Want to play a UW control deck in modern, but don't have jace or snaps?
Please come visit us at the Emeria Titan control thread
Premodern - Trix, RecSur, Enchantress, Reanimator, Elves https://www.facebook.com/groups/PremodernUSA/
Modern - Neobrand, Hogaak Vine, Elves
Standard - Mono Red (6-2 and 5-3 in 2 McQ)
Draft - (I wish I had more time for limited...)
Commander -
Norin the Wary, Grimgrin, Adun Oakenshield (taking forever to build)(dead format for me)I do test online on a free client though.
Modern: WUBRG Humans - GBW Traverse - GWU Knightfall - GRW Bushwhacker Zoo -
Exactly this. I like the face to face social aspects, but free testing online is just too useful not to do.
Grixis Death's Shadow, Jund, UW Tron, Jeskai Control, Storm, Counters Company, Eldrazi Tron, Affinity, Living End, Infect, Merfolk, Dredge, Ad Nauseam, Amulet, Bogles, Eldrazi Tron, Mono U Tron, Lantern, Mardu Pyromancer
This is the main reason why I don't play as often as I want to. Magic can be a time consuming game at times.
Modern: WUBRG Humans - GBW Traverse - GWU Knightfall - GRW Bushwhacker Zoo -
Right now I'm not playing at all... I had an argument with a buddy I used to go to the LGS and therefor can't even find the motivation to go to that LGS alone, I know he still goes thought.
What doesn't help, is that the closest LGS is 16 miles away from me. It's close if I go there straight from work, but then I'll get home only at 1 am.
Only to have to wake up at 7 am and go to work. It can get really tiring.
So MTGO would be a great option, I'm scared of MTG Arena thought...
Yeah, and if you play matches, depending on your deck, you are a good 30-50 minutes if it goes to 3 games. lol
Its just not a 'lets get a few games in' type of game, but MTGO makes it a bit easier.
Spirits
I`m not going to pay for cards that I already own and I can only use on a computer.
Modern - Burn
EDH - Neheb the Eternal
I also like knowing I physically own the cards as opposed to having some virtual library online. Probably just a comfort thing tbh. Having a collection to dig through and do other formats with if you're a casual player (block constructed types and such) can be pretty cool too.
Decks:
Skred Red, Abzan Midrange, U/B Delver, Mono U Delver, Uril, the Miststalker
I recently sold out of MTGO for the same reasons Shodai listed. I realized I had duplicated my collection but only played the paper half.
Standard: lol no
Modern: BG/x, UR/x, Burn, Merfolk, Zoo, Storm
Legacy: Shardless BUG, Delver (BUG, RUG, Grixis), Landstill, Depths Combo, Merfolk
Vintage: Dark Times, BUG Fish, Merfolk
EDH: Teysa, Orzhov Scion / Krenko, Mob Boss / Stonebrow, Krosan Hero
My YouTube MTG Channel
Temur Tooth and Nail (feat. Kiora, Master of the Depths) deck topic and reddit thread.