"Magic:The Gathering: Oh what fun we have."

"Magic:The Gathering: Oh what fun we have."

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. MD

My friend St Estrella posted something online about having fun while playing magic. And I said that this is the main reason why we play in the first place , to have fun.

Of course fun is a broad word and can be defined in a lot of different ways. It varies from player to player and every group has a small representation of the greater magic community. As I have been a part of several groups over the years here are a few of my observations and how Fun can be defined by certain players.

1) The Overkill - We used to have one player in our group who was never happy if he just barely killed you. It has to be something with ridiculous amounts of damage. It has to be big and overwhelming. Yung tipong may utang ka pa life points after several games. That was his fun and so to spoil it we usually would concede before he attacks with overwhelming numbers.

2) The control player. - In my current and former groups there would always be someone to spoil someones fun by controlling everything that is on the battlefield. It is by freezing everything via Stasis or Brine Elemental combo's or just killing everything or just countering everything important thing that was being cast. It's normally not fun for everyone but hey I know what it feels like to not be able to play for a long time and so once in awhile it is ok to be put in a Stasis.

3) Ridiculous Combo / Alternate win con player - It might be one that is so interlocking and complicated that a deck only wins once but it is(and I can attest) one of the most fun and satisfying moments that a player can feel. Something that makes people go wow and whistle or scratch their heads when they begin to understand what you have done. Just the sound alone of frustration and confusion can be enough sometimes.

4) The Competitive player - On the opposite spectrum there are players who are only having fun when they are running a deck that always wins or at least has a consistent win ratio. And I have been there myself too. I mean it is no joke amassing cards with hefty tag prices only to see you deck burn out in the competition.There are a lot of players like this and I understand it because sometimes it is in these moments that you find that all the things that you worked so hard for has been worth it.

5) Speculators / Buyers / Sellers - Since magic is a game that has a constant flow of new cards and interactions there are those among the community who have fun speculating what the latest card/s would be rising in stock and would be in demand during standard or even in EDH tables.This part of the magic community will forever be looking at spoilers and combos and current standard conditions. And this too is fun.

6) Pack Openers. - The thrill of seeing a planeswalker or Masterpiece or Invocation at the end of the booster pack you are opening is enough to give you that Dopamine boost that had Time Magazine calling Magic cardboard crack. The satisfying feeling of cracking open a pack and getting something that is worth more than you paid for is always something you look forward to and what Wizards of the Coast depends on to keep on making new sets. Let's not disappoint them and open some few more packs from our Local game store.

I know I might have missed a few more fun things but why don't you let me know about it if I have. I want to thank everyone who keeps on reading what I write. I write for fun and if you are having fun while reading what I write than my job is done. 

So keep on brewing and keep on playing.