Magic:The Gathering

[cowmaster13]

I'm newer to the game but Enjoy it. My deck is Black/White.

Also I think there a topic about Hero the gathering were some guy made hereoscape figures into Magic cards?

[Onacara]

Originally Posted by cowmaster13

I'm newer to the game but Enjoy it. My deck is Black/White.

So is my cookie..

[zanter]

Originally Posted by Onacara

So is my cookie..

That's a doughnut.

[cowmaster13]

A donut based deck?
:banana: :banana: :banana:

[donaldb]

Does anyone here play the legacy format? If so, do you want to play me on MWS?

[aquaone]

Hello all. I've been playing M:tG off and on since The Dark. I'm also a judge (got my first sanctioned judging in at the Shadowmoor pre-release). If you have any questions about much of anything M:tG related, feel free to PM me.

That said, I've found it quite fascinating that the cross-section of M:tG players and Heroscape players is over 80% from each group. I have very few friends who play one but not the other... and MANY who play both (Indeed, I am blessed). Has anyone else observed this? The guy who got me into Heroscape was actually a guy who was in a M:tG league that I ran a couple years ago (Ravnica block).

I tend not to play much online anymore, due to quitters/jerks in MODO and lack of comfort/knowledge of how to properly do most things in MWS. I do stay active in most M:tG "scenes" within Seattle though so if anyone is in the area, you probably know me. If you don't though and are looking for more people to play with (anywhere from West Seattle to Lynnwood to Redmond) I can find you a few decent playgroups.

[HSisforcoolkids]

I quit Magic around Exodus and at points when starting to play HS I thought of it as a cheaper alternative to Magic which I wasn't willing to spend so much money on.

80% seems a bit high. With so many more Magic players than HS, I think it would be impossible for the cross section to be that high.

[donaldb]

Originally Posted by HSisforcoolkids

I quit Magic around Exodus and at points when starting to play HS I thought of it as a cheaper alternative to Magic which I wasn't willing to spend so much money on.

Yeah, Magic is a really expensive hobby if you want to play it competitively. I have had a summer job since I was 14 and have put a lot of money into my 1 legacy deck (almost 700$!). At least now I don't have to buy anything other than a few new cards every set. Heroscape however, only requires like, 70$ to make a very good army.

[Jim]

I began playing Magic back when the first deck I bought was an Unlimited one. My girlfriend and I got many cards and had the binders with "one-of-each-card" from the Revised set on, and we played quite a bit. Sometime around 1993 or 1994 though, we got frustrated by the number of rules changes (almost where you needed to download a new FAQ every day to see if old rulings were still good or not) and the cost of the cards (Blind purchases really are not good). We sold our "one-of-each-card" binders, and I used my half of the money to buy her an engagement ring. Eleven+ years of being happily married later, we have no regrets (other than Windows XP won't run the old MTG computer game for Windows 95. If anyone knows any tricks to do this, let me know!).

Jim

[aquaone]

Originally Posted by Jim

...
Sometime around 1993 or 1994 though, we got frustrated by the number of rules changes

That'd be the time Revised came out and the DCI started (the body governing tournaments and organized play). The rules changes that spring to mind would be an official "4 of" rule (needed) and creation of banned and restricted lists for tournament play (not as important if you were only playing casually). The banned and restricted lists do get updated about once a quarter these days although most of the time there are no changes, or only restrictions for new cards in "old" formats (such as banning tutors in Vintage). Recently though they did unrestrict a lot of powerful cards, as Vintage has become quite ridiculous in terms of speed (too many turn 1 & 2 wins). Given that people generally play out msot of their hand the first turn, older cards that were strong against control have little importance anymore (e.g. Mindtwist, Black Vise, etc) and are unrestricted.

The most significant rules changes IMO didn't happen until 1999 with Sixth Edition, when they finally got rid of batches, queues, interrupts, et al and made all abilities the same speed as instants and made everything use "the stack". It simplified the rules and made things much cleaner and easier to understand.

and the cost of the cards

That hasn't gotten much better... although the secondary market does help to regulate things quite a bit. Also, the sheer volume of competitive players floods markets for almost everything except chase rares, which depreciate radically when a set rotates out of sanctioned formats with tournaments on pro tours/grand prixs.

I buy booster boxes for ~$80 now, far below MSRP. I remember when they used to be ~$30 for me, when booster packs were ~1.25. MSRP for a booster now is around $4.50 i think. Some of this is inflation but a lot of it is corporate greed. I don't find the costs too ridiculous yet though and I'm grateful that they did increase the price somewhat... as otherwise the game would not still be around.

(Blind purchases really are not good)

That's part of CCGs though... and a lot of people actually seem to enjoy the concept. I'd wager that if they did sell sets alongside booster packs, tournament packs, theme decks, et al that the game would lose a significant portion of its market. Forced trading and experimentation helps create community and new ideas. It's good for the game. I do know some people who only buy singles though. I find it to be excessively expensive personally but for people who only want 1 or 2 decks and don't want to take the time to trade, I see how it's useful.

We sold our "one-of-each-card" binders, and I used my half of the money to buy her an engagement ring.

Sounds like you sold most things at the right time then. Reprints have brought down values of a lot of older sets like Arabian Nights, Antiquities, and Legends especially. Dual lands from Revised still sell for ~20 each and anything from Unlimited or older, especially the Power 9, fetch a pretty penny (moxes are $350+ each, Black Lotus ranges from 500 to 2k). I recently parted with a Lotus for "quite a bit" and sold a Library of Alexandria two weekends ago for $160.

Eleven+ years of being happily married later, we have no regrets

Love is the best thing in the world. Congratulations!

(other than Windows XP won't run the old MTG computer game for Windows 95. If anyone knows any tricks to do this, let me know!).

If you mean the Shandalar Microprose game, here ya go.

[Tiberius]

That was a great computer game and I was really disappointed when my new computer wouldnt run it. Thanks for the link.

[Darkomen57]

I've just started recently and like what I see so far.