The new set will definitely shake things up but how much? There is still the Splinter Twin of the format with Copycat that is a huge barrier. I've decided to stick with Tier 2 or 3 decks for some FNM fun along with some homebrews. I no longer have any aspirations of going competitive anymore.
I'm really hoping the pro tour will shake things up. As it stands right now, my local meta is heavily dominated by white humans and bant, making almost any other deck have to fight that much harder to be competitive.
I recently got the Twilight Princess HD on Wii U and loving it. Last time I played it was on Gamecube when it was first released so I remember nothing about the game. I'm loving the hell out of this game. I plan on getting Wind Waker HD and playing that again soon too.
First I want to applaud you for taking such a step back and reassessing some of the things in life, it isn't easy to do, and as a psychotherapist I think that whatever path you choose from her forward will be well served by your ability to stop, think, and more importantly take a walk in your wife and children's shoes. I do feel like on some level, and I may be saying this more for soothing my own dissonance about the time spent playing magic than yours, that there is some middle ground. It too at times has impacted other parts of my life that I hold dear, my wife, rock climbing (my first sporting love), even my career (as I type this on MTGSalvation with my ignored dissertation open in the background). But that being said I try to make it as social as possible. Granted its different for me than it seems for you, in that I got into magic from a close group of climbing friends as a fun saturday night activity, and have tried to keep it that way as much as possible. Outside of MTGS and youtube I only play once, maybe 2x a week, only in person, and only in tournaments if I'm making a night of it with my friends. I find this helps to keep the thirst at bay, give me something to look forward too, and help compartmentalize it within my non-magic activities and relationships. Not perfect, but manageable.
This pretty much sums up what I do with MTG now. I used to try and play online all the time on Cockatrice and MTGO but I just never enjoyed it. I want to get better at MTG but with a family and a full time career it is hard. The only time I do play online now is if I am going to a comp REL event and want to practice some more besides just FNM.
Worst MTG shop I've ever been is no longer open. You walk in and it's a mess everywhere and no employees willing to help you if you have a question. And my god the smell....it's a perfect stereotype
Best piece of advice I can offer is try your version of the deck at a FNM or online (like Cockatrice or Xmage) and see how well it does vs. what the pros are doing.
I know a lot of workers spend time organizing cards, or price listing stuff. Organizing the store, maybe playing games when there is free time.
This pretty much sums up what I do with MTG now. I used to try and play online all the time on Cockatrice and MTGO but I just never enjoyed it. I want to get better at MTG but with a family and a full time career it is hard. The only time I do play online now is if I am going to a comp REL event and want to practice some more besides just FNM.