Why Magic: the Gathering is the Most Fun Game You Can Play
Why Magic: the Gathering is the Most Fun Game You Can Play
Mike Eaton, Play Unplugged
“Most fun” is an opinion of the author. The writers at Play Unplugged all have different “favorite” games. Most readers will immediately understand that from the spirit of Mike Eaton’s article, but consider this a friendly reminder. -Editor
Everyone here at Play Unplugged is thrilled with the reader response to our articles. Some of the main things I hear, though, is from folks who say, “I’ve tried to play Magic, but . . .” or, “I would love to follow your site, but I just don’t get the game.”
WELL.
Today, we’re going to talk about what motivation you might have for picking up or sticking with this game.
1. You are a Planeswalker (what that actually means is described, below).
A Planeswalker is, first, a magic-user. If you like spellcasters in fantasy — if you’ve ever wanted to tell a Balrog that it "shall not pass" (and mean it), or protect yourself from detection by Death Eaters — this is how you do it. You can cast spells with mana from each of five colors, representing such concepts as good and evil, light and darkness, fire and water, growth and decay, pain and healing, intelligence, bravery, nature — and colorless spells that represent artifice, or concepts greater than mere human experience. Anything you’ve ever believed in or wanted to represent has been imbued into these spells at some point in the almost-18-year history of this game — and it’s all in your command. To play the Pro Tour, maybe you should play a 60-card deck; however, if you want to have tons of fun playing spells you just love, you can play any number of cards that you want (OK — only four of each!).
And what is a Planeswalker? Someone who hops from world to world, looking for adventure. When I build a new deck, I’m trying to win, sure — but I’m also building it by keeping in mind what I want to take with me to new worlds, when I meet other Planeswalkers. I might want to take some healing, some pain, a trusted companion, a trick up my sleeve, or something more sinister. Or maybe just an old friend to back me up.
2. Every game is different.
You can play Magic: the Gathering all night and never really get the same game. If you make more than one deck, and have multiple opponents who also have multiple decks, it’s more statistics than I care to do — but, trust me, it’s always something new. One of the most fun moments each time our playgroup gets together is that first moment of each game: “Which one are you playing? Oh, you picked the wrong night to bring out the Elves, buddy . . . good luck playing more than two.”
Most importantly, when you’re just starting out, or if you can’t invest a ton into the game, a good playgroup won’t roll out its most insane, top-tier decks against you unless you ask; everyone has one or two decks sitting around that are pure fun, meant just for passing time and just seeing what happens. Think of you and your opponent as magicians competing against each other on stage, trying to pull off your ultimate tricks. Really, no matter whose performance is better, all of you win.
3. There are many ways to play, and many ways to win.
Deck archetypes and player types have developed over the years, to represent different preferences when playing. When you’re first learning, or trying to refine your game, players may try to force one of these styles upon you. Don’t you let them! You figure out your favorite ways to play, and that will maximize your fun, guaranteed.
Some of the player types: You could be Timmy, who likes to go big, or go home — we’re talking seven-mana dragons, ten damage at once, hammering your opponent in the face with the most straightforward effects you can imagine; Johnny, who likes to string spells together into intricately-woven combos that your opponent never saw coming, and will have to respect when they actually work; Spike, whose only goal is winning the game — so much that what the cards represent, magic, planeswalking, none of it really matters because you’re playing a game for a reason, and that reason is victory.
(I’m what they call a Vorthos Timmy. That sounds really dumb, I grant you, but when I realized that, I realized how I wanted to build decks, and a game I thought could be great became so much more fun. Click here to read a great column on the archetypes by Magic’s lead designer, Mark Rosewater — he explains all of this much better than I can.)
Players also often identify with different colors. I, for example, play a lot of white cards, because I love to gain life, and I love summoning lots of creatures to protect me, while going after my opponent when they have free time, which are both things that white does well. Red players are often very aggressive with damage and low on defense, while blue players draw upon their card resources to undo what their opponent has done, and green players use big/many creatures of nature to stomp opponents and spells to destroy their artificial devices, unlike black magic users, who often focus on supernatural forces and spells that suck out life force and ruin an opponent’s hand — which represents his or her mind.
That’s just a very brief overview of what these cards can do for you. And the choices are all yours.
4. If you already like . . .
If you already like fantasy, you might like Magic. The cards tell a story, represent other worlds of adventure, and are full of quotes that are often written better than their contemporary fantasy novels are.
If you already like roleplaying games, you might like Magic. Assemble your favorite array of creatures, artifacts, one-time spells and allies, and compare your prowess with other travelers. Show them how you navigate the world.
If you already like strategy games, you might like Magic. Optimize your deck so that each game, your best-laid plans go off perfectly. Turn one builds into turn two and turn three, and whatever dangerous cards come at you, you either have a solution, or you’ve planned your strategy out so well that you don’t need one. Leave your opponent amazed — nobody knew you could add these cards together to do that.
If you already like board games, you might like Magic. You get to hang out with your friends around the table, chatting and laughing as always — but with so many different options — 18 years worth of cards to pick from, and any number of decks for you all to build — every next game is one you have never really played yet!
And I’m only scratching the surface
Here at Play Unplugged, we would love everyone to have as much fun with the games we enjoy as we do. If any of this helped you see an interest in Magic: the Gathering that you hadn’t quite articulated before, thank you! We’ll all sleep a little better this evening knowing our next great opponent may be starting their epic journey.
Mike Eaton, Play Unplugged“Most fun” is an opinion of the author. The writers at Play Unplugged all have different “favorite” games. Most readers will immediately understand that from the spirit of Mike Eaton’s article, but consider this a friendly reminder. -Editor
Everyone here at Play Unplugged is thrilled with the reader response to our articles. Some of the main things I hear, though, is from folks who say, “I’ve tried to play Magic, but . . .” or, “I would love to follow your site, but I just don’t get the game.”
WELL.
Today, we’re going to talk about what motivation you might have for picking up or sticking with this game.
1. You are a Planeswalker (what that actually means is described, below).
A Planeswalker is, first, a magic-user. If you like spellcasters in fantasy — if you’ve ever wanted to tell a Balrog that it "shall not pass" (and mean it), or protect yourself from detection by Death Eaters — this is how you do it. You can cast spells with mana from each of five colors, representing such concepts as good and evil, light and darkness, fire and water, growth and decay, pain and healing, intelligence, bravery, nature — and colorless spells that represent artifice, or concepts greater than mere human experience. Anything you’ve ever believed in or wanted to represent has been imbued into these spells at some point in the almost-18-year history of this game — and it’s all in your command. To play the Pro Tour, maybe you should play a 60-card deck; however, if you want to have tons of fun playing spells you just love, you can play any number of cards that you want (OK — only four of each!).
Planeswalkers
2. Every game is different.
You can play Magic: the Gathering all night and never really get the same game. If you make more than one deck, and have multiple opponents who also have multiple decks, it’s more statistics than I care to do — but, trust me, it’s always something new. One of the most fun moments each time our playgroup gets together is that first moment of each game: “Which one are you playing? Oh, you picked the wrong night to bring out the Elves, buddy . . . good luck playing more than two.”
Most importantly, when you’re just starting out, or if you can’t invest a ton into the game, a good playgroup won’t roll out its most insane, top-tier decks against you unless you ask; everyone has one or two decks sitting around that are pure fun, meant just for passing time and just seeing what happens. Think of you and your opponent as magicians competing against each other on stage, trying to pull off your ultimate tricks. Really, no matter whose performance is better, all of you win.
3. There are many ways to play, and many ways to win.
Deck archetypes and player types have developed over the years, to represent different preferences when playing. When you’re first learning, or trying to refine your game, players may try to force one of these styles upon you. Don’t you let them! You figure out your favorite ways to play, and that will maximize your fun, guaranteed.
Some of the player types: You could be Timmy, who likes to go big, or go home — we’re talking seven-mana dragons, ten damage at once, hammering your opponent in the face with the most straightforward effects you can imagine; Johnny, who likes to string spells together into intricately-woven combos that your opponent never saw coming, and will have to respect when they actually work; Spike, whose only goal is winning the game — so much that what the cards represent, magic, planeswalking, none of it really matters because you’re playing a game for a reason, and that reason is victory.
(I’m what they call a Vorthos Timmy. That sounds really dumb, I grant you, but when I realized that, I realized how I wanted to build decks, and a game I thought could be great became so much more fun. Click here to read a great column on the archetypes by Magic’s lead designer, Mark Rosewater — he explains all of this much better than I can.)
The Mana Wheel
That’s just a very brief overview of what these cards can do for you. And the choices are all yours.
4. If you already like . . .
If you already like fantasy, you might like Magic. The cards tell a story, represent other worlds of adventure, and are full of quotes that are often written better than their contemporary fantasy novels are.
If you already like roleplaying games, you might like Magic. Assemble your favorite array of creatures, artifacts, one-time spells and allies, and compare your prowess with other travelers. Show them how you navigate the world.
If you already like strategy games, you might like Magic. Optimize your deck so that each game, your best-laid plans go off perfectly. Turn one builds into turn two and turn three, and whatever dangerous cards come at you, you either have a solution, or you’ve planned your strategy out so well that you don’t need one. Leave your opponent amazed — nobody knew you could add these cards together to do that.
If you already like board games, you might like Magic. You get to hang out with your friends around the table, chatting and laughing as always — but with so many different options — 18 years worth of cards to pick from, and any number of decks for you all to build — every next game is one you have never really played yet!
And I’m only scratching the surface
Here at Play Unplugged, we would love everyone to have as much fun with the games we enjoy as we do. If any of this helped you see an interest in Magic: the Gathering that you hadn’t quite articulated before, thank you! We’ll all sleep a little better this evening knowing our next great opponent may be starting their epic journey.
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