Get it and join us, we’ve got three right now (if not more) and it doesn’t take too long to unlock a few extra cards in your favorite deck.

I started playing towards the end of Revised (3rd ed.), not to far from when 4th was starting. I know Chronicles had just been published, and Fallen Empires was out too. I always had a soft spot for Thallids.

I played off and on, up until Torment, I think. The best, though, was when they were doing the beta for the online game. They let you play, and gave you a set amount of cash to spend in the game every day FOR FREE. I played the hell out of it then. If they had made that game a flat monthly fee instead of the same price as the cards, I’d still be playing it. Alas…

It was playing that game that I got really good at Magic, too. Having the rules strictly enforced made me much more aware at how the game worked, and the little things you could do to make a big effect. That really opened up the game for me, because that stuff really matters. Especially in Limited formats, which I almost always preferred. I really hated Normal deck-building–it seemed it only mattered if you read the latest great thing on the internet and spent enough for that deck. Building a good deck in a Sealed Deck or Booster Draft made you rely on your own skills much more, and was much more satisfying for me.

I’m starting to ramble here, but I do want to mention my favorite card: Overrun. GGG3, Sorcery; every one of your creatures gets +3/+3 and trample until the end of turn. In a Limited format where creature combat mattered so much more, that card KILLED. It was like game over right there. I loved it.

Listening to the episode, I was trying to list the CCGs I’ve played. Legend of the 5 Rings (that one was great), UFS, Star Wars, Marvel Trading Card Game (though only on the DS), Culdcept (video game), Battletech…but I never visited any of them as much as Magic. I am downloading the demo now.

For black decks, having some Mox Jets, Black Lotuses, and Dark Rituals could get you off to game-crippling head start.

Yes, I did play with people who had Black Lotuses in their decks. Like I said on the show, these guys were in early. Those things are over $1,000 now, and several thousand for Alpha and Beta editions. Crazytown!

I started up again this year after a friend got interested.. and now we’re dragging others into the game with us.

My first early favorite combo was a classic to-your-face move with a mana flare and a fireball. Thankfully, you can create some much more interest combinations now with tens of thousands of cards out there.

Yeah, the artwork now is a lot more professional looking. My gaming friends at the time always looked for stuff by Mark Poole.. especially his stuff in Ice Age.

I thought about getting the xbox game (and did get the trial).. but it just seems…. uh.. obsessive? to play the online game AND the physical card game. If I knew for sure they won’t just be releasing expansion sets on the 360 I might go for it.

Great Article btw!

PS: Prodigical Sorcerer > Nightmare!