I’m surrounded byMagic: The Gathering. Not only because I work at TheGamer, where MTG is covered often, but also through family members who are into it, too. Being a fan of fantasy and cool artwork, it was inevitable that I would eventually get into it a little, in some capacity.
But here’s the thing: I don’t play the game that often. I have a custom commander deck that my brother-in-law helped me build, but I’ve only used it a couple of times. If the opportunity comes up to go and play it, sure, I will; I still find it fun and like playing the game. But most of the time I’m not playing the game, and I’m just collecting cards. I love that. But I also hate that, because I just want more.
It All Started With Baldur’s Gate 3
I first got into MTG in 2023, at the height ofBaldur’s Gate 3’spost-launch hype. It seemed like a good time to dive into Magic, shifting my focus to the Dungeons & Dragons and Battle for Baldur’s Gate sets. I opted for those so that I could learn MTG with some familiar elements, rather than jumping headfirst into the actual Magic lore.
I still haven’t learned anything about MTG’s story. Phyrexians are a thing. I know that.
Very quickly, I began accumulating cards, because - as you probably know - there’s a lot of fun in opening packs. I bought booster pack after booster pack, I bought a bundle, and then I even bought a whole booster box. That was, like, 32 more packs of cards to open. It was so fun, but we were already talking a few hundred pounds spent on these cards.
Eventually, as I mentioned, I did build a custom commander deck with some help, with Karlach as the commander. It’s a hell of a lot of fun to play, and can be devastating if it reaches its potential during a game, potentially wiping people out with powered-up creatures and three combat phases. But I want to get more cards and build more decks, more than I actually want to play them, at this point.
It’s Nothing But A Collector’s Game Now
Soon after came theFalloutset, and it didn’t take long for me to get sucked in. Not nearly as much as I did with the D&D cards, however, but I did buy the Dogmeat precon deck, followed by a collector booster pack. This is actually how I ended up with one of my favourite cards, a full-art surge foil Diamond City. It’s just a land, but man, is it a cool land.
Fast forward once more, and now I have stacks of theFinal Fantasycards. Do I want to make a Chocobo commander deck? Absolutely. Will I play the Chocobo commander deck? Maybe once.
I love looking at all the cards and opening up packs to see what I get, but more often than not, I’m looking more at the cool art than I am assessing the cards’ potential. I don’t dream about what it could be good for, or what kind of deck or strategy I could build around it. I just say “heh, fat chocobo” and then continue shuffling my way through them.
Now, I’m just at the point of wanting more cards for the sake of having more cards. And I know that when a new set comes around, it won’t take much to draw me in and start buying excessive amounts, only to put them on my shelf and play them once or twice. I love MTG and the idea of it, plus the potential crossovers that can come from it, but it’s a hobby that I probably didn’t need to take on; but there’s no breaking it now.
