We continue to buy more and more massing a huge collection of cards. Games were always fun back then, because really, there was not such an established "pro tour" or anything of that magnitude that really drew so much attention to the scene. As a result of that, many of us made fun decks based on a common theme or even to display our most powerful creature (in my case, it was a "godly" Lord of the Pit). Games were so unpredictable. You wouldn't know what your opponent would pull out of his deck, the game would last more than 2 hours in multiplayer games, and in the end, nearly all cards in every library was beautifully displayed on the table. When a player would win, he would do his 1 minute victory dance, people would laugh, and everyone sat down for another game.

Fast-forward to today...what has this game really become? It's no longer about getting all different types of cards to play and have fun with. It's focus has changed to only focusing on 3-4 cards in a set, get 4 copies of that card, having 20-24 land, and every other card in the deck should also have atleast 3 other copies. Decks are entirely predictable, as you go in a tournament and know the four decks that are going to be successful, and quickly discount the rest. Sure, drafting does add that sense of surprise, but on such a large board such as this, all I see are people wanting to tweak their already copied "net-deck". Anyone who seems to create an interesting and seemingly fun deck, will, atleast by one person, be called "a newb" and that "it will never succeed in a tourney". I'm not saying that tourneys are not fun, but the focus on magic, as compared to the early days has drastically shifted into more of an obligation, a chore if you will. STRIKE 1

Let's move onto the artwork. I think in this category it has to do with a matter of taste. I personally preferred the old partly faded look of revised and legends. It gave it a vintage feeling that made it fun to touch. The artwork in those earlier sets were very personal and really gave me great respect for the artists. Pictures such as "Roc Hydra", the dual lands, "Lord of the Pit", "Fork", "Veteran Bodyguard", and many others all had the "thing" about them that you just wanted to have atleast one of. Nowadays, the coloring on the cards are very rich. Rich to a point that it's not really an artist's work, but rather a computer generated picture. Granted, not all the artwork is like that, but most of them are. As for the pictures themselves, what's actually on the card, I am also disapointed. Everything seems a little too regulated, too restrictive as to what an artist is allowed to do - taking away the individuality of each card. STRIKE 2

Magic and society. We can all agree that Magic is not exactly an "accepted" game in society, from the standpoint that people who see you play it automatically form judgements and views about you without even knowing you. Typically, you're someone that "does not have many friends, you listen to a lot of metal and punk music, perhaps the occasional dog collar, either excelling in school are doing really bad, you spend most of your time reading fantasy novels, and tend to stray away from school activities." Yeah, those are harsh stereotypes, but people do think that. I, and I am sure many other can relate, kept my "Magic" life private from everything else. I'd only play it with some friends, but only at a house, never on school grounds. Not really a stirke against it, but it does hinder on the experience seeing that you have to play secretly. When you go to the card store, you look both ways to make sure no one knows you, you exit the same way. Have I thought about just not caring and play as I like no matter who looks down on me? I have, but chose not to go that path. Why? I weighed the positives and negatives of both. My conclusion: Magic is only a game, a game that is likely not going to survive the ages. It is time consuming and also takes a big hit on the wallet. Did I really want to spend so much money on something that is not guaranteed to last? I decided I did not. So there's STRIKE 3

The addiction fades and I put my magic binder down and my boxes of cards in the closet. My first quarter of college has really made me realize what an important decision that was. As a student, money is a very very valuable thing for one to have. To spend much of it on some pieces of cardboard at a time when your life and future is either made or broken seems quite irresponsible to me. I guess it has to do with character. Some people have an attitude that "ok, or average is good enough for me". By I on the other hand wold rather excel. I not saying you can't have fun, but there are many ways to have fun without the economic and time commitment that Magic demands. Now I pick up my binder from time to time, take a look at the "perty" pictures, but have no desire to start back up again.

I also think that you are correct about the incredible spending of money. I start college in a year, and i don't think i will be playing much. I also won't be spending the gobs of money on packs either because like you said it is so important as a student.

Well once again, great article, hope you get many more responses and happy new year!

Your Second Strike: The Artwork? In the old days, printing presses were a little old and wizards were not the richest company around, but as time “fast forwards” Presses change, being more accurate on the press it self, putting much more detail on the card. Therefore making the artwork look like it was impossible to draw.

Your Third Strike: What the heck man. Not to brag, but I am a well-known and popular kid in my school. I love going to parties and doing that young adults do with friends all the time. Everyone knows that I play a “Really Cool Card Game”. No one teases me because of it. If someone says “haha you play Magic Cards haha”, I just say “What the hell are you gonna do about it?” and ignore him. No, I don’t let magic rule my life, I am on the boys Soccer Team and, Rugby Team, Badminton Team (list goes on). Oh yeah, I am not a “punker”, I love rap (My love out to all Tupac fans).

quote:

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Originally posted by ice_pick25:
Your First Strike: Don’t Compare Today's Magic with Old School Magic, because back then your deck would be filled with Moxes, Lotus, the “blue powers”, Juzaam’s, Library. T2 is something that newbie players can learn from, and not go to some tournament and play somebody with P9 and lose on the first turn.

Your Second Strike: The Artwork? In the old days, printing presses were a little old and wizards were not the richest company around, but as time “fast forwards” Presses change, being more accurate on the press it self, putting much more detail on the card. Therefore making the artwork look like it was impossible to draw.

Your Third Strike: What the heck man. Not to brag, but I am a well-known and popular kid in my school. I love going to parties and doing that young adults do with friends all the time. Everyone knows that I play a “Really Cool Card Game”. No one teases me because of it. If someone says “haha you play Magic Cards haha”, I just say “What the hell are you gonna do about it?” and ignore him. No, I don’t let magic rule my life, I am on the boys Soccer Team and, Rugby Team, Badminton Team (list goes on). Oh yeah, I am not a “punker”, I love rap (My love out to all Tupac fans).

And Money Wise, yes it is really costly, but hey! What the hell are we gonna do about it?

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First of all, I said I started with Revised and Legends, so no I did not have Moxes or Lotus'. I guess it is a difference of taste. The focus of Magic now has drastically shifted from the focus of Magic then. You can't argue that statement. It's true. Back then, it was a game, just a game...now it has gone far past just being a game, but rather a race to see who has the most perfected deck among maybe 4 deck archetypes. People are more apt to cheat than ever before because there is more at stake now.

Your second point is also just a differing of taste between you and me. As I had stated, I preferred a "vintage" look of sorts with the cards. I still like my Legends and Revised artwork far more than today's work (Demoic Tutor, Doppleganger...). And the way I see it, today's work is far more "cartoony" than before. Again, just a matter of taste in art. And can you really deny that artists are far more severely resitricted in what they are able to create than before? Thus taking out much individuality.

quote:

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Originally posted by ice_pick25:
Your First Strike: Don’t Compare Today's Magic with Old School Magic, because back then your deck would be filled with Moxes, Lotus, the “blue powers”, Juzaam’s, Library. T2 is something that newbie players can learn from, and not go to some tournament and play somebody with P9 and lose on the first turn.

Your Second Strike: The Artwork? In the old days, printing presses were a little old and wizards were not the richest company around, but as time “fast forwards” Presses change, being more accurate on the press it self, putting much more detail on the card. Therefore making the artwork look like it was impossible to draw.

Your Third Strike: What the heck man. Not to brag, but I am a well-known and popular kid in my school. I love going to parties and doing that young adults do with friends all the time. Everyone knows that I play a “Really Cool Card Game”. No one teases me because of it. If someone says “haha you play Magic Cards haha”, I just say “What the hell are you gonna do about it?” and ignore him. No, I don’t let magic rule my life, I am on the boys Soccer Team and, Rugby Team, Badminton Team (list goes on). Oh yeah, I am not a “punker”, I love rap (My love out to all Tupac fans).

And Money Wise, yes it is really costly, but hey! What the hell are we gonna do about it?

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second... i agree that the old skool art just "feels" better. the new stuff is too busy. i guess that it is an evolution, and maybe maturity of the game coming around.

on a related note, in talking with a local dealer, whom doesn't play magic but just sells boxes... he's aware of the trends that the game has had (at least in this area). he sold more packs of revised than tempest. but... he's also sold more plainshift and apocalypse than anything else. he buys about 3 boxes for each new expansion, and always keeps one sealed box behind the counter for us to buy. so far, he's sold one sealed and 1/2 of the packs of an open odysey box (compared to barely able to keep apoc on the shelves - 5 boxes first week)... different, eh?

But I would like to comment on the social stigma that is often associated with Magic, not always as shown by ice_pick25's reply but still often enough that it should be addressed. I have long since ended my Magic playing fun, and now I just play in Apprentice Tournaments, but when I was at school there where many people who looked down on playing "a little game with nice little, stupid pictures of animals." Of course I’m lucky that I have good enough friends that pretty much no matter what I was into or did it would have been okay and they wouldn't criticize me about anything, but after I quit they did tell me that they were glad I stopped playing.

Let me set up a situation for all those who might be nearly as popular as ice_pick25:
You are sitting at lunch with all of your best, non-playing friends. Then some of maybe your less popular or less accepted Magic playing friends come up to sit with you. (Right at that point half of those who would look both ways upon entering the card shop would act like they had no idea who the hell those "crazy cardboard playing people" were.) Now, you start talking to all of your playing and non-playing friends... then one of your Magic-playing buddies makes a magic joke or sets up a situation that would be funny. (your opponent has half the creatures in his deck in play and you Wrath of God him or something like that) You laugh but all of your non magic playing friends have no idea what in the world your laughing about. Right there is the problem. When your laughing and having fun at something that they don't do or don't understand then that will, more times then not, cause either some distance, separation, detachment, or sometimes even aloofness between yourself and them. (your non magic playing friends) Now they might not make fun of it at first but there is that seed of disapproval planted and it can only be watered and nourished by any number of infinite situations that might arise like this one. And if your playing buddies aren't cool or aren't friends with your other non magic friends then that is like taking Miracle Grow© to it.

Now a note for those who might be almost as cool/popular as ice_pick25 and relate to his situation and/or don't agree with this: I'm sure there have been situations, possibly such as your own, that contridict all that I have just written but please know that I have seen this happen. I just wanted to know if anyone else has seen this also. Thank you.

__________________
(I am spelling Impared)

shut up because Im a genyuss.

For a while...

GREAT article, it really applies to me as I will be off to college soon as well and am thinking of giving up the game. I completely agree with you, especially about the artwork.

I am a blue player, and there is something about the faded look of a force of will that screams out at you, "play me!"... I look at an absorb, or a shadowmage and get no such feeling, no such 'rush'. One reason as to why I really like extended.

You are also right about the whole game becoming very professional and sport-like, rather than fun.

Magic is a period. I came into it first during a rough time in my life, and it gave me some focus to help me through it. That was back in the 4th/FE/IA days. I got out before alliances rolled in and sold all my cards.

I came back for Tempest. I walked into the store and saw a sweet lookin' Rathi Dragon on the box. Artwork, story, and flashback was a really rockin ability. I left again in the middle of Urza's block. This time, I kept a set of Tempest - Exodus and a few other select rares.

I came back again in Invasion. Collected the set, liked the kickers, and good art. Now its Odyssey and I am losing interest again.

However, its not Magic that loses its luster. Its the player.

I have been in Magic on and off for the past 4 years, and it has yet to fail me. One of the things about Magic (apprentice aside) is that you can't play it alone. I now have 3 *lifelong* friends, one from each phase I played in, whose company I enjoy whether or not we play Magic.

You can say you don't like the art, and I can appreciate that (I happen to like some of the new art, and look forward to . You can say it costs a lot, and to some degree it does. You can even say the decks are unoriginal. If that's all you were in it for, then you should put it away. Me? I'll probably back off for a while and pick it up again when something comes out the interests me. If nothing does, then I still have a bunch of cool stuff I can break out at the kitchen table with some friends to just play.

Now aside from my lifestory in magic. The game is so different now. there's metagame that I now realize, unlike the people in Nashville. I agree with all the points in the article jimmy, New cards are crappy remakes of older cards, we knew that when giant mantis came out to replace giant spider. The game is now a sport, and someone correct my if I'm wrong. games are played for fun, Sports are for money. when you have a PRO TOUR, and people making a lot of money playing this "game" its not a game. I take magic very seriously. I have alot of fun getting ready before a qualifier and playtesting againt all the net decks, with my tweaked version of super-gro. that's fun. not as fun as staying up all nite long trying to trade someone for a Force of Nature and a bayou, but that only lasts so long. I was a kid back then, it was a kids game. I never had the big cards. now I have, once I got back in I got some P9, I got the rages, undermines, my own set of 40 duals. I'm more in now than ever before. I'm in college and now I've found even more people to play with here. Personally I hate T2 and play mostly T1, 1.5, and Extended. T2 cost too much money, always changing, always have to get the top cards from the new set. in T1 I got my nether voids and my sinkholes and they'll do me good until DCI picks up the crack pipe again and goes on a banning spree like they did with necro, replenish, survival, and consult. And yes I'm still bitter. Very bitter.

If there's anyone reading this who was at the nashville PTQ don't take any offense to what I said about your metagame. I played Super-gro and went 5-1-1. I played Secret force, sligh, white weenie, sligh, Star spangled slaughter, The rock, the rock. and then PT junk in Top 8. Sligh comprised about 45% of the field which was not good for my deck, but I split with sligh. and I bent over THE ROCK. and its "THE ROCK" not and his millions. no one plays deranged hermit anymore. its just THE ROCK. on the note of artist, best ever. dwarven miner-JOCK

I guess you could say I'm a casual player. I basically introduced it to my younger brothers as well as my cousins. This started the scene around here. They in turn introduced it to there school.

I'll say though the game is hard on the wallet. THat's why I'm out or almost. I've been trying to sell my cards but with little luck. You see cards here, to be specific, Newfoundland, outside of St.John's cost 5.99 a pack. If I head into the city they cost me about 3.99 or 4.25, no tax(flee market) So as you can imagine it's close to 150 a booster box.

So how do I get 4 of each good card? It's a very lenghty process with trading on MOTL.

Anyway I completed two type 2 legal(Masques Block now) decks in August of this last year. So basically it took me a year to get the cards and now they're out of date. This meant alot of time and money for nothing. My other friends have little money to put into the game so their decks don't match a fast t2 fires. So basically the money aspect has sucked the life out of magic around here. We still play. But I don't update my decks. Now don't get me wrong, money isn't everything. I built a complete commons deck in the past and it could take most decks around.

As regards to the art. My two top favs are Ron Spencer and Rebecca Guay. Both totally different styles, yet both great. Both have art from old school and new. I really enjoy the fantasy aspect of Guays and the darkness from Spencer.

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Originally posted by Scavenger4:
ok "back in the day" not everyone had the p9 in their decks... they didn't play milliondollar.dec a lot of the old school decks were pretty much big fattie decks:
red= shivan dragon
blue= moti
black= lord of the pit
green= force of nature
white= veteran bodyguard (not a fattie but he was in a lot of decks)
now granted a lot of decks did have a piece of p9 in them i never saw one with over 5 pieces (blue of course)

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exactly what i played i didnt really have any money starting when i was in 2nd grade ... i dont get why alot of people are always obsessed about what other people think of them, and always talk about being afraid to play a school or like hide in closets or under tabels when people they know walk by..

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Originally posted by boelo:
Very well written article. I think that you are totally correct. I started magic about 4 years ago, and ever since Odyssey came out, i haven't played that much. I just think that a lot of the newer series have cards that do the same things as the older ones but are either toned down or cost more mana.

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I agree, compare Ruhk Egg to Roc Hatchling of Weatherlight. Ruhk Egg kicks @$$, and Roc Hatchling is a bit of a more toned down version of it, as in it's crap. Unfortunately for us, a lot of the good ol' cards were banned/restricted. No tournies for me, I'll stick to casual where things can be different and every card can be used.