Gathering the Magic

Magic: The Gathering, an epic fantasy trading card game.

• + All aspects of the game are relentlessly balanced.
• + Cards released a decade ago are still viable in modern strategies.
• + Card visuals are aesthetically appealing.
• + Playing the right card at the right time gives great player feedback.
• + Standard naming and sentence structure for card effects makes for an easy read.
• + Many people are passionate about the game, and many more play it regardless.
• + There is a robust economy in card selling that gives real-world value to any deck.
• + The game boasts cards and decks for any type of play-style: aggressive, defensive, manipulative, etc.
• - Some cards are just plain worthless.
• A fix: Add either lore-centric flavor text to each and every card.
• - Constant updates to the card library render some decks illegal in ‘official’ play.
• A fix: Gradually phase-out older cards.

Magic: The Gathering is the forefather to trading-card games like Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, or any game where collectors ‘battle’ each other with their cards.  MTG has been around awhile; such age brings a respect and an ability not matched by any other card game.  An appropriate point here is that MTG has been balanced, play-tested, and updated to the point of near perfection; new tweaks are needed always, but core gameplay cannot be faulted for anything.

My experience with MTG has been one had at a distance.  I only recently garnered my own Black and Red deck which now allows me to play against others (and not get trounced), but the rules and basics have been known for awhile.  Gameplay steps are well laid-out, card effects are usually very descriptive, and the entire experience comes together in a rock-solid package sure to please.

I can’t say that I’ll start buying new cards, but what I have right now give me a fun enough time.  That trait itself is stellar; one good deck is all that is needed for play.  Magic: The Gathering is an old game, but it only shows age in the thoughtful development in its design.  If the opportunity presents itself, play a game of MTG for yourself; who knows, you may even want to get a deck of your own!