This reminds me of the first time I ever saw Magic. I was hosting a very small convention at Georgia Tech (Techwood Con, Woo!), and on the last day, two different dudes showed asking if anyone had any Magic cards for sale. Only a few of us even knew what they were talking about. Turns out they were specifically hoping to buy any of what we now call the power 9. And they of course knew each other, since they were both traveling all over Georgia hoping to find & buy these specific cards.
Since the day was a bust for them, they grabbed a table and started playing each other. Keep in mind, this was Alpha/Beta timeframe, the rules were still very loose, we were years away from a restricted list. They each had a 40 card deck with pretty much nothing but Mox’s for mana. Each one of them would draw, win the game on their opening turn, and then start a new game where the other guy would go first and also win on his opening turn. They went back and forth like this until one of them failed to win on their opening draw.
That being my very first introduction to Magic, I totally understand and appreciate why we have rules in place to slow the game down. But there was no denying that these two dudes were having fun. So, no shade at folks who like to play at that power level, it’s just not the reason I choose to shuffle up & play. I’m kinda glad we have so many different variations of Magic available, so that everyone can find the one that’s right for them.
This reminds me of the first time I ever saw Magic. I was hosting a very small convention at Georgia Tech (Techwood Con, Woo!), and on the last day, two different dudes showed asking if anyone had any Magic cards for sale. Only a few of us even knew what they were talking about. Turns out they were specifically hoping to buy any of what we now call the power 9. And they of course knew each other, since they were both traveling all over Georgia hoping to find & buy these specific cards.
Since the day was a bust for them, they grabbed a table and started playing each other. Keep in mind, this was Alpha/Beta timeframe, the rules were still very loose, we were years away from a restricted list. They each had a 40 card deck with pretty much nothing but Mox’s for mana. Each one of them would draw, win the game on their opening turn, and then start a new game where the other guy would go first and also win on his opening turn. They went back and forth like this until one of them failed to win on their opening draw.
That being my very first introduction to Magic, I totally understand and appreciate why we have rules in place to slow the game down. But there was no denying that these two dudes were having fun. So, no shade at folks who like to play at that power level, it’s just not the reason I choose to shuffle up & play. I’m kinda glad we have so many different variations of Magic available, so that everyone can find the one that’s right for them.