Anybody play Magic The Gathering?

What does this have to do with poker? I'll tell ya what; most Magic The Gathering players have at least dabbled in poker, and a not insignificant amount of poker players played competitive Magic The Gathering.

I like MtG because it's not inherently a gambling game, and I can "play badly" and experiment with new cards and decks and won't lose my shirt. However, with an average competitive deck costing at least $400, the lackluster prize support for local tournaments doesn't really justify spending that much money.

Which brings me to poker; if I am going to invest that much time and money into a card game, you can get a decent return. BUT, the 52 card deck and gameplay fundamentals are the same and it can get stale and grindy.

I oscillate between the two games.

I recall that Mission wrote a long article about strategy for Magic the Gathering and it is somewhere on this site or the WOO site.

Lots of results on here when you search magic the gathering.didnt see anything on wiz of odds however

Quote: gordonm888

I recall that Mission wrote a long article about strategy for Magic the Gathering and it is somewhere on this site or the WOO site.
link to original post

Thank you for the pop, but my article was about collectibles investing with two follow-ups just tracking Hasbro’s goings-on as a company; I’ve never played Magic the Gathering in my life and definitely didn’t get into strategy.

I played back in High school in the late 90s. I wasn’t very good at it. "I tap my forest to add one green mana into my mana pool and let it sit there until I feel the burn".
I

Quote: Mission146

Quote: gordonm888

I recall that Mission wrote a long article about strategy for Magic the Gathering and it is somewhere on this site or the WOO site.
link to original post

Thank you for the pop, but my article was about collectibles investing with two follow-ups just tracking Hasbro’s goings-on as a company; I’ve never played Magic the Gathering in my life and definitely didn’t get into strategy.
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I got into MtG from the beginning, but dropped out around 1995 or so (right after The Dark was released, I think). Speaking of collectibles, I had eight of the ten dual lands in my collection at one point. Other than that, my one "coup" in collecting was, I bought a box of Unglued, kept in in the shrink, and sold it at Gen Con in 2015 (after it was long out of print) for about a $200 profit.

I still remember the Origins auction where a box of Arabian Nights sold for $3500, and that is in mid-1990s dollars.

I'm a magic nerd that got back into it after a long hiatus when Innistrad/Return to Ravnica hit that huge wave of renewed interest in MTG. Used to spend all weekend listening and watching the StarCityGames tournaments. Never got into professional play but did attend my local game store on FNMs and other mini tournaments. Play solo games on Forge(if you know, you know...) because MTGO is hellish to use and Arena sucks.

Really disappointed in WOTC has handled things since the pandemic. Magic was routinely a top 20-30 game on Twitch, with spikes of interest at times by the general gaming public. It was a huge money maker for Hasbro. Mismanagement mistake after mistake and greediness has pushed many magic players into other card games or other gaming mediums all together. Many of us are waiting for the Next Big Card Game to Rule Them All. There are some genuine interesting digital TCGs and cardboard TCGs coming out this year and next year that might put a dent in MTG's strangehold on that "pro" scene of card crack that we call trading card games.

Quote: ChallengedMilly

Many of us are waiting for the Next Big Card Game to Rule Them All. There are some genuine interesting digital TCGs and cardboard TCGs coming out this year and next year that might put a dent in MTG's strangehold on that "pro" scene of card crack that we call trading card games.
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What's the take on Lorcana, aka "the game that pretty much clogged Gen Con"?
From what I have heard, Star Wars Unlimited may be the Lorcana of 2024.

Some friends of mine taught me how to play about 25 years ago. I thought it was a pretty boring game, despite the fact I was really into fantasy stuff like that at the time. About 10 or 12 years later I tried playing again with another friend. That's when I realized how broken of a game it truly is. And still pretty boring. I just don't get the appeal. I think I'm just not a CCG kind of guy.

Quote: ThatDonGuy

Quote: ChallengedMilly

Many of us are waiting for the Next Big Card Game to Rule Them All. There are some genuine interesting digital TCGs and cardboard TCGs coming out this year and next year that might put a dent in MTG's strangehold on that "pro" scene of card crack that we call trading card games.
link to original post

What's the take on Lorcana, aka "the game that pretty much clogged Gen Con"?
From what I have heard, Star Wars Unlimited may be the Lorcana of 2024.
link to original post

Really enjoyed the gameplay the bit I've played(there is a bootleg way of playing online right now.) The 1st expansion was an improvement on the game with some good designs. It's got some potential. The whole first player to 20 lore mechanic is really interesting from a design perspective, and very 'newbie' friendly to some degree. However, it artificially limits what types of gameplay decisions you can make and stifles some of the 'magic' of MTG allowing for shorter or longer games.

I've also got my eye on the Star Wars game.

I haven't played in a bit because I don't like online play, feels isolating and lacks engagement IMO, and been too busy to go to a card shop for their nights. When I can play MTG I like Burn because it is a straight forward play-style on the surface but there can be several very key decisions regarding spell sequencing and targeting depending on the match up and local meta. I also indulge my inner child sometimes by playing big stompy creature decks but those aren't anywhere near the meta right now.

I would argue there is some element to gambling given the required shuffling done as well as the luck to catch good/neutral matchups for your deck in the meta of the event you are in.

I played casually many years ago and for a brief time I also dabled in MTGO, playing in the 9+player drafts.

I honestly love the game, but I was never good enough at deck making to where the drafting could pay for itself.

My biggest problem is that if you don't dedicate a lot of time to keeping up with every new release and knowing all the cards, you will get absolutely slaughtered in any online/competitive play. While I can probably carve out 4 hours here and there to do the actual 8-way booster draft now and again, I cannot do enough of those AND reading/studying everything that is happening to a point where I am even somewhat competitive. And without being somewhat competitive, it gets very expensive very fast.

This is not a gripe against the game btw. Just acknowledging the realities. Once I retire, I might actually get back into this.

Honest truth is you gotta find a couple gals and guys that like playing together and that's where the most fun is had. Unless you're in a soft competitive area, most game stores have/had too many diehard tryhards to have proper fun. Obviously if you like taking those guys down a peg, that can be fun.

Thank you for the interesting information

Interesting

Who knew you could find fellow Planeswalkers here discussing the finer points of the game alongside poker? Talk about an unexpected twist!

Magic the Gathering always felt like a different kind of gamble to me - a gamble on strategy, on building the perfect deck, on outsmarting your opponent. There's a certain thrill in pulling off a game-winning combo, even if the stakes are a friendly rivalry instead of a pot of chips.

Theres a decent amount of bleed over of poker players and magic players, I suspect there's some kind of psychological thing at play with both.