Introducing Magical Mondays!
Calling all Young Adults (and YAs at
heart)! Are you a fan of trading card games (TCG), like Magic:
the Gathering? Ever wanted to learn, but didn’t have the money to start or
anybody to teach you? Did you play in the 90s, and want to try it out again?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, this is
the place for you!
I’m Amanda, I will bring videos of gameplay performed
by none other than me, and some basic knowledge that I have about Magic,
D&D, and other cool magical things to you every Monday.
Since my inspiration for these posts is Magic: the
Gathering, I’m going to start there, with some history and how to play.
This is what happens to most TCG cards, where they’re
sold for change at yard sales. This can be a huge mistake.
TCGs have only increased in popularity since their
inception in 1993 with Magic: the Gathering. Games like Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokémon, and
countless other collectable card games have surfaced after Magic gained
traction in the gaming community. Not only a game, these cards have trading and
collectable value. Cards with a limited number of prints (like the ones printed
in the very first sets called Alpha and Beta) can be worth thousands of dollars
when kept in mint condition. To see prices by set visit https://shop.tcgplayer.com/price-guide/magic/alpha-edition.
Sounds pretty risky to play with $1,000 cards, right?
It definitely is, so most people don’t play with those cards. Actually, most of
those cards are on a banned or restricted list. This means they can only be
played in a particular format of Magic, or not at all. Even with relatively
inexpensive cards, players cover their cards with sleeves to protect them since
the values of the cards fluctuate so much.
This leads me to mention, what is this game really all
about?
First, let me clarify. When I talk about formats, I
mean different ways of playing Magic. All the basic rules stay the same, but
deck construction, amount of life, and number of players can change. Different
formats are called Vintage, Modern, Commander, and Standard, just to name a few.
You can visit https://magic.wizards.com/en/game-info/gameplay/rules-and-formats/formats for
more on this.
Ultimately, each player is a planeswalker (kind of
like a wizard). Each player has a deck of cards that have creatures and spells
with varying different abilities and mana costs. These cards, depending on
their type, allow for players to interact with their opponent or their own
cards. You play creatures to defend yourself and attack your opponents for life,
and you play spells to buff up your creatures or stop other spells from being
played. The last player alive wins!
I swept past a new word: mana. Each card is associated
with one-five colors – white, green, blue, black, and red – and can be paid
with their associated colors of mana given by land cards – plains, forests,
islands, swamps, and mountains, respectively. These colors are known for
specific abilities. An example: black cards are best at getting cards from your
graveyard (cards defeated by your opponents or spells that are only cast once).
Having to pay a mana cost limits how much a player can do on their turn,
keeping the game fair.
Here’s an awesome picture to sum up the parts of a
card
I know this sounds like a lot, and yeah, it can
definitely get complicated. But there is a deck for everyone!
And I’ll tell you a secret…there’s a program that can
teach you how to play!
Yup, that’s right. It’s called Magic: the Gathering
Arena, and it’s an easy and free way to play the first and, I
unabashedly say, the best TCG (yes, even above Pokémon). If you’re a YA, always
ask a parent before downloading anything onto your computer or using any of
the pay to play features
Next week, I’ll be playing MTG Arena!
So stay tuned for more Magic: the
Gathering and other magical content every Monday!
~
Email
me with questions, suggestions, to talk about Magic, or just to say hello at alandry@cwmars.org.
