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By: Plainswalker83, Plainswalker83
Jul 10 2018 12:00pm
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Bilbo Baggins was thrust into a great adventure he was reluctant at first but then came to actually enjoy it.  He got home and then settled in forgetting the adventuring life. Eventually it came back to him. If something is a passion of yours, you can not really escape it.

The year is 2018 and we are now in the 25th year of the game we know and enjoy. I have been playing for almost 20 of those years and the passion has waxed and waned over the years. There were times where I was going to tournaments twice a week. It was an exciting time for me. Sharpening my skills, enjoying time with friends, and making new ones.

The years passed and priorities were shifted. I got married and had kids. I sold a lot of my cards which included Vintage and Legacy staples. I lost touch with what was happening with Standard and Extended turned into Modern and I had no idea what that was. It was my first big break from the game since I started playing.

A few years ago, I picked up the tournament scene again with a local IQ and got the Magic fever back. I went to my first SCG Invitational and continued to do IQs, opens, and PPTQs. During that time, I was introduced to Magic Online. It allowed me to play on my own time and still entertain the thought that I could play competitively. It also allowed me to learn of this site. I think my first exposure was looking into Modern and finding OLAW’s Becoming a Modern Man.

There were times I was playing Magic almost every day and for hours a day. It really allowed me to get a ton of practice in and be able to learn the rules very well. Magic Online is a great tool and one that should be utilized if you want to play any competitive Magic. Sadly, within the past few years I have had to sell my collection twice. Both due to unexpected expenses. All together I got over 500$ for my collection but after that I was never really able to build up and play competitive Magic again.

Recently I have been spinning my wheels so to speak. Not finding a deck I enjoyed or even a format to stick with. I tried anything I could afford and have recently ended up back into Pauper. It is a fun format but my passion really is for Modern and Legacy. Two formats that are not very cheap to play but they reward you for knowing the format.

These past few weeks I have been grieving the death of 2 loved ones. Magic has been an afterthought. I had nothing on my mind to write about and I have had no desire to even turn on the game. There was just a lack of interest and passion. It did give me time to think and refocus.

I learned a few things from my break and I hope that it can be beneficial for all of you.

First do not let yourself get burned out. Do not force yourself to play this game because you are invested in it or think that because you spent the money you should be playing all the time. This game is meant for fun. No matter whet level you want to play on, there needs to be fun. Every once in a while play a casual match. Make a deck just for fun and play against some friends. Take the pressure off.

Secondly try to figure out what aspect of the game you really enjoy. Do you like the color wheel? Sticking to a certain color and only playing that color? Do you like to build and create decks that do strange and powerful things? Do you like the spells? The creatures? What really sparks your interest with this game. Of course, most of us like to win and that is a fine motivation but if that is all you have you may lose interest sooner than you think.

Think back to what first got you into the game? Was it the strategy? The artwork? Or maybe just the social aspect of playing with a group of friends and enjoying some time sitting at the table with your friends.

For me I really enjoyed creating and building decks. When I first started playing in tournaments it was not as easy to go online and grab a decklist for your next tourney. So, I would pick the colors and a few cards I wanted to build around and go from there.

I remember being in high school and after school, homework, and work I would be awake for hours putting together decks in my room. Sitting with my collection and just enjoying seeing how various cards worked together. Or calling up a buddy and hanging out building decks. Those are some of my fondest memories of playing Magic.

Finally try and find some sort of social interaction while playing the game. I know that can be the hardest part of magic online but I am going to propose a solution. In the PureMTGO community we have many like minded folk. You can find people interested in most formats or interested in brewing up fun decks. What if some of us actually connected? I know some do and that is great but maybe we can be more proactive and intentional.

I am willing to be a part of some sort of Magic Online Local Game Store. Making it a friendly place for players of all skill sets and interests to come together to hang out and play Magic. I am unsure of how exactly it will look but it would be nice to work on.  So, if you are reading this contact me and we can get to work making a place where online magic players can connect and enjoy the game.

That is one of the things I miss most. Going to a LGS and having everyone know your name. Being able to test multiple formats and have fun playing the game. I know we are online and can’t just order a pizza and hang out but maybe we can try to get something similar going. 

Moving forward I want to get into brewing again and maybe eventually into some sort of Tournament play. I know that both Modern and Legacy are expensive but I truly believe those are the formats best suited for my style of play. I still have these crazy hopes of brewing a deck in Modern and having it be successful.  I want to start with this deck in the article mentioned here. I am already excited at some of the new cards that can be put into it.

Other than that, I need to just start building a collection again. That will be a project but I will need cards in order to brew. I am hoping this time of refocusing that I had really helps me enjoy the game again. I look forward to connecting with those interested in doing so.

Will I ever lose the passion again? Maybe. I am not sure how long Magic will be a part of my life but as of now I do not plan on abandoning it. It has been close to 20 years that I have played this game. I have a lot of positive memories and I hope to make some new ones as well. I look forward to the new journey.

Until Next Time!

 

 

8 Comments

Let me start by saying I am by Arctic_Ghost at Tue, 07/10/2018 - 15:10
Arctic_Ghost's picture
5

Let me start by saying I am very sorry to hear about the loss of loved ones.

Second I would like to say this article was an awesome read and very well written at that. I also think the LGS store idea sounds like a fantastic way to bring people together.

thank you by Plainswalker83 at Tue, 07/10/2018 - 16:35
Plainswalker83's picture

I appreciate your concern and your compliment. Right now it will be me and you in the "LGS" I really want to make it happen. Just have to figure out how it should look.

Hey, Marcus, maybe try using by Procrastination at Thu, 07/12/2018 - 12:44
Procrastination's picture

Hey, Marcus, maybe try using Discord to make a Virtual LGS? I haven't used it myself, so maybe somebody else on the site has some feedbacK?

Also, towards the end you mentinoned brewing with a Modern deck, but there isn't a link there? What were you considering? You know I'm always willing to help out with Modern brewing and testing!

oops by Plainswalker83 at Fri, 07/13/2018 - 22:06
Plainswalker83's picture

This was one of the decks I was thinking of working on.

https://puremtgo.com/articles/modern-world-project-part-2

I have to start to rebuild my collection again. It is pretty much in shambles. Always going to start with some white staples :)

I know nothing about discord but I am willing to try.

Oh yeah, the White Devotion by Procrastination at Sat, 07/14/2018 - 13:30
Procrastination's picture

Oh yeah, the White Devotion list. Well, if you would like some collaboration, I'll take a version of it for a spin and let you know what I find. I'm going to make a few adjustments for newly released cards and see how it goes!

Great! by Plainswalker83 at Sun, 07/15/2018 - 16:32
Plainswalker83's picture

Thanks I would love to hear what you think. There seems to be a lot of new cards to try out since I first made that list.

Discord by stsung at Fri, 07/13/2018 - 05:08
stsung's picture

we may try this. Link to PureMTGO Discord server.

https://discord.gg/dyxwdjG

Thank you! by Plainswalker83 at Fri, 07/13/2018 - 22:06
Plainswalker83's picture

I will have to check it out sometime. I know nothing about that. Interested in learning about it.