Magic the Gathering Online

EDITOR'S NOTE: I haven't actually really given much thought about this blog for a long time... And upon coming back, I've noticed that I had this old post that I never actually published. So... this is coming from you from way back in September. But I liked it enough to not just scrap it, so... here it is!

As I live fairly far away from my friends now, one of my most time-consuming hobbies has essentially come to an end. And not just due to distance and proximity, but also due to some financial status as we all know hobbies of any sort tend to eat up. I can strictly say that while I've taken a hiatus from Magic for a full six months now, that I know deep down I'll never ever be "done" with the game. It's not a game I really feel the need to "quit forever." I don't think it is a hobby which depreciates any part of my life and even though I am married, I don't feel like it is an activity which takes time away from my responsibilities and priorities. My wife will always come first. I understand that, and it is not a dispute I would ever question.

I miss the game. Luckily for me, more than the game itself, I love game theory and strategy. So I can still partake in expanding and growing myself through reading articles whenever I feel like. Still, reading about the theory and strategy behind plays goes only so far, until the need takes over where you really want to sit yourself down and apply that theory and strategy to the game itself. One of my good friends Dylan, whom I talk Magic strategy with said to me the other day: "The game's already played in the theory 90% of the time". I love that. I don't know how much I can attest to that, but just that thought makes me smile as I can probably write a long post on that quote alone.

So with all of that aside, I think I will slowly get back into the game. And all the while, I'm thinking to myself that I really need people I enjoy the company of to play the game with me. Not that I have a shortage of friends who play the game, but I do have a shortage of friends *nearby* that play the game. There are plenty of players out there who seemingly don't care about the social aspect of the game and enjoy the game for just the challenge and the plethora of obstacles the game itself can produce for personal growth through playing it. I don't think I am one of those people. Yes, I love the game, but no, I would never play the game myself with none of my friends participating, in a tournament where I knew no one. Sure, I'm charismatic enough to make friends as I go, but that's not quite the point.

I fell in love with this game for multiple reasons, some of which I've already covered. I've made a TON of friends through Magic, and friends that I don't doubt will remain my friends long into the future. I play to experience playing with friends. Which brings me now back to the original topic at hand. I'm trying to talk as many of my friends into playing MtGO as I can. There are a lot of pros and cons of course to playing online, but I figure I could close the distance issue if more people I knew were willing to sling Magical cards online instead of in person.

Pros:

• You never have to sort your cards out. Ever. The interface does it for you. Your entire collection, sorted as you like. Filtered as you want to, whenever you want to.
• Single cards are cheaper online than they are in real life. Even when comparison shopping over multiple Magic sites, the digital online version will be cheaper usually by around 15-25%.
• Regardless of how many of the card you have, it can go in multiple decks. That playset of Snapcaster Mage? Put it in 10 decks, without ever having to rip any of those decks apart to get the cards from one into the other.
• Play any time you want. Can't sleep at 1:30 am? No problem. Fire it up and have a game.
• Events going on all the time. Even if you want to get into a draft at 3 am, you can. Tournaments ongoing any time of day, any format you can think of.
• Deck templating and playtesting made very easy. Play a few games, try a different sideboard. Maindeck a few different cards. Repeat. Any time.

Cons:

• If you play Paper Magic (I like "Paper Magic" so much better than "Magic IRL" as far as nomenclature goes), you are essentially splitting your costs of playing and dividing it to Paper Magic and Magic Online. Magic isn't the cheapest hobby out there as it is.
• Depending on how you want to play, there is the hump of the initial investment to get a deck you want to play with.
• Money spent can be deceiving. Whereas participating in a tournament or a draft at a brick and mortar store, you can participate in many different drafts/tournaments in a day, and the expense piles up quicker than you may realize.
• Digital cards you own obviously cannot interact with your paper cards and vice versa. You will own two separate card collections.
• You lose a lot on the social aspect of things. There's no one sitting across the table from you. You don't joke around in the same manner, and you're never playing on the kitchen table with a buddy, sharing some beers and a pizza.
• You lose knowledge in terms of playing across from a human being. Bluffing doesn't work in quite the same way. Facial expressions are lost. It is just you, your plays, and your opponent's plays.

Here's my suggestion for those of you willing to part with some of your Magical funds from paper to digital. Keep in mind how much money you spend on Magic in general. A month. And be honest with yourself and your available funds.