Archive for the ‘Featured Author’ Category
‘Journey Into Nyx’ Fat Pack Challenge preview
Thursday, May 1st, 2014
The “Journey Into Nyx” prerelease has come and gone. With that we learned about the God Packs that Wizards of the Coast snuck in and, once again, caused a stir all over social media. I even wrote about it. You can check it out here! (Shameless plug)
If you loved playing in the prerelease, then you should come try the Fat Pack Challenge that’s going on this Friday, May 2, at both Battleground Games & Hobbies locations. What’s a Fat Pack Challenge you ask? Well get ready, because that’s what I’ll be covering this week.
The Fat Pack Challenge will be taking the place of other formats at this Friday’s FNM. For an entrance fee of $40.00, players will receive one sealed “Journey Into Nyx” Fat Pack. If you’ve never purchased a Fat Pack before, here is a list of what you’ll get:
- 9 “Journey Into Nyx” booster packs
- 2 Deck-sized card boxes
- 1 pack of 70-“Journey Into Nyx” basic land
- 1 “Journey Into Nyx” life counter
That’s right, you’re getting nine “Journey Into Nyx” boosters! That’s where this fun format separates itself from Sealed Deck events. For some people, this is a lot of fun. The reason being is that in an official Sealed Deck event, you would normally get 2 “Theros” packs, 2 “Born of the Gods” packs, and 2 “Journey Into Nyx” packs. This is also where things can be difficult for some people. Without access to cards from the other two sets, some strategies become disrupted.
So, back to the Fat Pack challenge. The rules state that you’re only allowed to build with the contents of the Fat Pack. With the added God packs and the fact that they are only found in “Journey Into Nyx” packs, the question, now is, how many God packs may be opened at the challenge? Also, would this help you or be detrimental to your deck building? It all depends on what your other packs contain. Remember, “Journey Into Nyx” is a much smaller set than “Theros.” This means that there will be a lot fewer options for cards, but it also means there is a higher chance you’ll see a lot of the same cards.
Let’s talk strategy
As the headline states, let’s talk some strategy. I know when it came to Theros Sealed, I loved to go Green and just build big. I loved to try to ramp up and toss out the biggest and fattest creatures I could. I’m talking about creatures like “Nemesis of Mortals” and “Nessian Asp.” Unfortunately, I won’t have access to those creatures.
I still really like the color green in this set. Creatures like “Hydra Broodmaster,” “”Heroe’s Bane,” and “Humbler of Mortals” are sure to give some grief to your opponent. Green also gives you access to “Ajani, Mentor of Heroes.” While he doesn’t spell the end of the game for your opponent, it will definitely help push things along.
My second favorite color would have to be black. There is a lot of removal in black. Even the creatures have abilities that remove creatures from the game such as “King Macar, the Gold-Cursed.” He may only be a 2/3 for 4 mana, but his inspired ability may make him worth the effort. However, cards like “Brain Maggot,” “Dictate of Erebos,” and “Feat of Dreams” will really help to control the game and allow you to go all the way.
If you can manage to find the right balance between the two colors, you may have a winning combination at your grasp. Don’t forget you’ll have access to the new temple as well as the newest playable God, “Phrika, God of Affliction.”
The weakest color out of the bunch, in my opinion would have to be blue. I’ve always found it really difficult to build a true control deck in a Limited format like Sealed. Add the fact that we’ll be playing with the third set of the “Theros” block, and it gets even harder. Remember, we’re dealing with fewer cards in this set. If this was the “Theros” Fat Pack challenge, it might have been a different story because we’d have more options, more cards to deal with, but we don’t.
This doesn’t mean you should avoid blue all together. If you get the right combination, blue is still a worthy color. Cards like “Sigiled Starfish” and “Dakra Mystic” help to manipulate the game in your favor. Creatures like “Hypnotic Siren” and “Scourge of Fleets” are ones, as an opponent, people will need to watch out for as they can turn the tide of a game in a moment’s notice.
Blue will also give player access to “Keranos, God of Storms” and “Fleetfeather Cockatrice” which will definitely give opposing players a headache.
If you get a God pack
If you’re one of the lucky ones to be blessed by the Gods of Theros, there are a few things you can do. One thing you could do is pick up your things and go home. You’ve already one without playing a single game. I don’t like to talk about prices here because this is a game that should be played because it’s fun and not because you could make money, but some of those Gods carry a hefty price. I don’t think anyone would fault you if you did.
Another piece of advice I have would be to find a way to play all 15 Gods in your sealed deck. I’m not guaranteeing that you’ll win, but I’m fairly certain you’ll have a really good time, if you don’t mind losing some. I mean, can you imagine the face on your opponent if they see you start to play God after God after God!? It might things worth it in the end.
You could be as happy as this guy!
Well that’s it for now. As of right now, I will be at the Fat Pack challenge in Abington. If any of you out there attend AND I’ve never met you, then come say hello. Otherwise, I’ll expect some kind of hug; I’m looking at you Nick Lowe!
About the author
Simeon is an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
Donate to the Extra-Life fundraiser!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: Card Games, Fat Pack Challenge, Magic the Gathering, MTG, Simeon Cortezano, Wizards of the Coast
Posted in Blog, Card Games, Events, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Popular Posts, Store Related | 3 Comments »
Board game review: ‘Quarriors!’
Thursday, April 24th, 2014
Front cover of the “Quarriors!” box
This past weekend I finally got a chance to play “Quarriors!” The game was originally published in 2011, but I figured it’s never too late to learn how to play.
As a fan of deck building games, the idea of replacing the cards with dice was all too good not to pass up. With dice, there is an added element of chance; something you don’t get with cards. Cards have an exact face value while there are six sides to a die.
For those of you who don’t know, “Quarriors!” is a dice-building game, for 2-4 players, that was designed by Mike Elliot and Eric Lang, and was published by WizKids. They’re the same company that has put out other games such as “Mechwarrior” and “Heroclix.” Since its release, there have been four other expansions. The latest one was “Quarriors! Quartifacts” which was released in 2013.
Today we’re going to review the boxed version of “Quarriors!”
Quick and easy to learn
If you’ve ever played a deck building game, then learning how to play “Quarriors!” should be really easy. The only obvious difference here is that you play with dice.
Never played a deck building game, don’t worry. The rule book reads well and flows well. It also gives great examples of some of the more complicated stuff with player scenarios. The rule book also comes with handy “play mats” if you need help visualizing your playing field and the steps of the game.
Once you and your friends have a feel for the game, things will really begin to pick up. “Quarriors!” is a really fast paced game. So don’t worry if your sessions are only lasting 20 minutes. Depending on the number of people playing, the sessions may last a little bit longer. If you feel the game is going by too fast, though, the rule book contains additional rules to prolong the game for a more lasting experience.
Learning the game with some deck building experience should take about an hour. For learning the game with no deck building experience, give yourself at least a couple of hours.
Dice. Lots of dice!
Obviously, the best feature of the game are all of the dice. As a gamer, dice are my weapon of choice and almost essential in every game a person plays. This game, however, takes that to the extremes.
How the games works is each player starts with a total of 12 dice. Eight of them are “quiddity” and four of them are “assistant” dice. Quiddity is what the currency in the game is called and what you will need to purchase or “capture” other dice in the “wilds.” The “wilds” is just another name for the area where the creatures and spells available for “capture” (or purchase) are.
As the game progresses, you “capture” dice to add to your collection. Along the way you summon monsters and cast spells. The monsters you summon are what gain you glory. In a two-player game, the first person to 20 glory wins; for a three-player game, the first to 15 glory wins, for a four-player game, the first to 12 glory wins.
The dice, in general, look cool. It may not seem like it, but this is important. No one wants to play an ugly game. If you were to walk by this game, there’s a good chance it’ll make you stop and wonder what’s going on at the table people are playing.
Each game is slightly different
Just as the header states, each game is slightly different. The game contains five spells, but four different versions of each one for a total of 20 spells. Likewise, there are ten different creatures, but three versions of each one for a total of 30 creatures. Add the three basic cards and you have a total of 53 cards.
Why does this matter? Well, for each game, aside from the three basic cards, you’re required to play seven creatures and three spells. With all the different versions, this means each game is a little bit different from the other.
Sample of a two-player set up
I’m sure there is a set number of combinations here, but I am terrible at statistics, so you can figure that one yourself.
What else is in the box?
In case you were wondering, there are a total of 130 dice. The game also comes with one glory tracker, a rule book, and four cloth, dice bags.
When I bought the game, my first concern was with the quality of the bags. I was concerned they were going to be made out of a paper material. However, these bags are made of a decent material. I would even consider using them as general dice bags. The only bad thing about them is that my hands are too “meaty” to fit into them. They still do the job, though.
I’m sure a lot of you are also concerned about the storage of the dice. Have no fear because the box makes for a really impressive storage unit. The way the box is configured, you can fit all of the creature and spell dice with extra room to spare on the first level of storage. Then there is a plastic cover that also makes for another level of dice storage. This is really convenient if you want to store all of the expansions and core set together.
The inside of the box doubles as a sweet storage unit for the dice!
Some final thoughts
I really enjoyed this game and can’t wait to play it with other friends. I learned the game with my brother who is another big fan of deck buildings games. When I explained that this was almost the same thing, but with dice, he was immediately interested.
An unfortunate thing is that some of artwork on the dice seem to be faded. It says a lot about the production of the game. It’s a little annoying to have to hold some of the dice close to my face in order to read them, but it’s something that I have no problem overlooking. My overall enjoyment of the game is enough to make me shrug off an issue like that.
Even if you haven’t played a deck building game, this is one I highly recommend, and if you have played a deck building game, then this is one you should definitely own.
“Quarriors!” is available for purchase at Battleground Games & Hobbies for $50. It’s a popular game, so make sure you call ahead to see if it’s in stock. If not, then the store can easily place an order for you.
That’s it for now. If you think I left something out or have a comment, then leave one below. Thanks for reading.
PS. Stay tuned for a special give away I’ll be doing for the Extra-Life fundraiser. For more information or the chance to donate, then click on the link below.
About the author
Simeon is an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
Donate to the Extra-Life fundraiser!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: deck building, Deck Building Game, dice, Quarriors!, Review, Simeon Cortezano, WizKids
Posted in Blog, Board Games, Events, Featured Author, Featured Post, Popular Posts, Store Related | 1 Comment »
PAX East 2014 wrap up and future plans
Thursday, April 17th, 2014
This past weekend was quite the weekend. It’s been several days and I am finally settling back to some kind of normalcy. It’s funny. I waited so long for PAX East to come around and when it finally came I was so tired after the first day. Now that it’s past, I can’t wait for it again. I really enjoyed being busy, and I am especially happy I left Sunday as open as I could have so I could spend time in the tabletop room.
I have to say, and I am probably sound very biased, but Battleground Games & Hobbies really had a tight crew this year. You should all feel really proud of yourselves and the job you did. I’m sure you left quite the impression among all the PAX East attendees who came by the booth. You even had some StarCraft 2 celebrities stop by! Although, I had to remind Chase of who they were. It’s okay though, I let him take the credit.
Now that the weekend is over it’s time to get back to my writing. If you’re into video games at all, I encourage you to check out my coverage of PAX East. I got to meet with some great people on the industry side of things. I even got to sit down with Mark Purvis, the Brand Director for Magic, and Liz Lamb-Ferro, the Brand Manager for Magic, and talked about the latest edition to the Duels of the Planeswalker series. I couldn’t get any specific Magic 2015 spoilers, but meeting them was still a lot of fun.
The one thing I didn’t get to do that I wanted to accomplish was all the “networking” for Extra-Life. I realized, during a lot of my interviews, that we were all on a strict schedule. However, I was able to get a lot of e-mails through PR companies. So we’ll see if I can get anything done through them.
Now that PAX East is over…
While I didn’t get to play any new board games at PAX East, I did get to play some games I had only played once or twice before. It was good because it reminded me that I really need to purchase copies of these games. The games I played were “Smash Up,” “7 Wonders,” and “Formula D.” If you haven’t played them yet, I highly recommend you do soon.
I did manage to get my hands on at least one game. That game was “Quarriors.” I’m a little late to the game when it comes to “Quarriors,” but it’s better late than never. I am trying to get myself ready for when Marvel Dice Masters eventually comes out. I was also very interested in getting the Lord of the Rings edition as well. However, I need to learn the basics. For all I know, I might hate the game, but I doubt it. I also wanted to get a copy of “Dungeon Roll,” but I was too slow in pulling the trigger when it came to buying it. I just hope Battleground Games & Hobbies will have more copies on hand in the future.
Boston Festival of Indie Games
With PAX East in the bag, I am now looking forward to the Boston Festival of Indie games. For those of you that have no idea what I am talking about, the BostonFIG, is a game festival hosted at MIT. This year will be the third year of the event, and if you haven’t been there before I think you should give it a shot. There is a video game section as well as a board game section.
I was able to check out a little of the video game section and there were many award winning indie developers (many of whom were based in Boston) that were in attendance. Most of my time was spent in the tabletop section that was located on the second floor of the student center. By the end of the day, it was very packed and moving around was a little difficult. For some games, there were lines of people waiting to demo them. Hopefully this year they will find more room for the games. The video game section was held in the athletic center. So they had plenty of room to work with.
This year’s festival dates have not yet been announced, but it should be some time in the fall. Last year it was in September. I’m thinking it should be around then. I’ll update this post when the dates are announced.
*UPDATE: While posting this blog post, I realized they did post the date for the BostonFIG. It will be held on September 13, 2014.
Journey Into Nyx prerelease coming soon
As you can tell by the header, the Journey Into Nyx prerelease is coming soon. Over the past few prereleases, I’ve gotten a little tired of them. I’m not going to lie, I miss having the last booster pack. Don’t get me wrong, the pack that comes with your chosen “path” is a neat idea, but it’s lost its flavor, and now it tastes rather stale. That might just be me though. I would much rather have the randomness of the last pack. I mean, what if, out of the other five packs, you don’t get any help for your chosen path? Now you’re left with a pack for that path and no help. Cue the sad music.
There is still a couple of weeks left before the event. I guess I still have time to decide if I want to go or not.
Will any of you be going to the prerelease? What are you looking forward to from Journey Into Nyx?
About the author
Simeon is an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
Donate to the Extra-Life fundraiser!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: Boston Festival of Indie Games, BostonFIG, Journey into Nyx, Magic the Gathering, MTG, PAX East 2014, Prerelease, Simeon Cortezano, Tabeltop, Wizards of the Coast
Posted in Blog, Board Games, Card Games, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Popular Posts | 1 Comment »
PAX East 2014 – Thank You!
Tuesday, April 15th, 2014
There is simply no question that the hardest the Battleground staff works all year long is the week leading up to and through PAX East weekend. For the show to go off so well, we need everyone giving their all, and this year we were blown away with how much effort our staff and volunteers put in.
I’d like to begin by thanking Chase, without whom our PAX presence (and so much of what Battleground does) just couldn’t happen. Considering the industry we work in, it seems perfectly acceptable for me to quote Star Trek in how I feel about Chase: “[I] feel safer about [his] guesses than most other people’s facts.” His organizational skills, researching ability, and limitless drive are what set the pulse of Battleground.
To the entire staff of Battleground, I give my thanks. For those of you that take the journey with us to the show and manage to remain on your feet all day long and never lose the capacity for a smile, a conversation, or an opportunity to help someone find the perfect game, I am so grateful for your presence and your dedication. To the staff that remains behind to hold down the fort at our Abington and Plainville locations, you also deserve high praise. Your sacrifice of not attending the show in order to put in long hours over the weekend does not go unnoticed!
To the volunteers who give so much effort to help us do what we do at PAX East, I am utterly humbled by your stamina. Before I even needed to open my mouth to ask one of you for help, you were already there. Without your command of the Tabletop Hall, the PAX East gaming convention would be a lesser show. How many people leave with memories of the great time you showed them with nothing more than your love of playing games? We are so proud of how much you give to the people who attend the convention. Teaching games until your voice is hoarse and scoffing at the notion of sleep – you are why we succeed.
And finally, to those who come to spend time with us at our booth and with our demo team, we thank you for your company and support. We are grateful for your friendship and for being a part of our shared enthusiasm for all things gaming.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, as I still haven’t shaken off the exhaustion from the weekend, but I already can’t wait for next year!
Thank you so much!
Derek
Tags: Derek Lloyd, PAX East 2014, Thank You
Posted in Blog, Board Games, Card Games, Events, Featured Author, Featured Post, Popular Posts, Role-Playing Games, Store Related | 6 Comments »
‘Journey Into Nyx’ previews and PAX East 2014 is finally here
Thursday, April 10th, 2014
It has been one heck of a week for me this week. Not only am I busy writing articles regarding the “Journey Into Nyx” previews, but I am also getting ready for PAX East which is coming up this Friday. I will be staying in the city because it makes things a lot easier for me. With that in mind I will be there Thursday night until Sunday. If any of you will be in the city Thursday night, then let me know so we can meet up. I would love to hang out if I have the time. One more thing, and I may have mentioned it before, but I will probably be at the Westin Hotel next to the BCEC for their second annual pre-PAX East board game night. Last year I met some people who were awesome enough to let me join them for a couple of games of “Dominion.” They were especially nice since they were playing with the expansions, and I, at the time, had not played with them yet.
“Journey Into Nyx” previews
This week DailyMTG.com began their previews for the third set in the Theros block, “Journey Into Nyx.” As of this posting, we’re on the fourth night and the set is looking like a lot of fun. Some of the biggest things to be announced were a new Ajani planeswalker as well as the Boros and Izzet gods. All three were pretty impressive in their own respects. I am particularly excited about the Izzet god and believe he will be one of the best things to come out of the set. If I’m wrong, then I’m wrong. However, if I’m right, I fully expect all of you to give me the praise I deserve (I’m just kidding).
Whether you like him or not, the new Ajani will be a house in any format he’s played in. The fact that he’s got green in him only makes things worse because now he can be accelerated into play without many drawbacks. I’ve seen some people saying that all three of his abilities are irrelevant to each other. In a way, I guess they are. Still they are all powerful on their own. When your opponent gains 100 life the only reason you’ll be complaining is because you’re not the one gaining the life.
Another card that people seem to be excited about is “Godsend.” It looks really impressive on paper, but I wonder how good it really will be when people begin to play it. It’s ability to exile blockers is pretty cool, but it’s not like it’s a hidden ability. What I mean is that if you block it or are prepared to be blocked by it, you go in knowing that you may lose a creature in the process whether or not it was going to survive the hits. An interesting point is that it’s not an enchantment in addition to its other types. Just something I would point out considering the entire block has been so enchantment oriented.
“Iroas, God of Victory” looks like it will be very annoying to play against. I can’t even imagine the struggles I’ll have when it gets turned “on.” It’s abilities alone are good enough to drive a player crazy. It still have some reservations about it, though. At four mana to cast, will there even be much of a game left when he hits the table? Boros decks are quick to the kill, and seem to make Iroas too slow to play. However, he just looks too good not to play.
Out of everything that has been spoiled so far, the lands have me excited the most. Having the UR and BG temples make those color combinations that much more playable. I feel their introduction will help round the Standard format nicely.
With all the excitement over these first few previews, I can only imagine what the rest of the set will be like. We still have yet to see what the other gods will be like. Many think that the BG god will be the best out of them all. You know what they say some times, “You have to save the best for last.” With how the two gods previewed look, this god might be out of this world.
PAX East schedule
My PAX East is pretty busy this year. I am pretty booked on Friday and Saturday. I purposefully left Sunday as wide open as I could with one meeting I couldn’t help. That meeting is with Ubisoft. They’re a pretty big video game company, so it’s something I couldn’t quite ignore. For those of you who are interested, here is a quick rundown of who I’ll be meeting with this weekend:
Friday –
Saturday –
- Paradox Interactive
- Wizards of the Coast Panel
- Devolver Digital
- Blizzard
Sunday –
The biggest thing for me this weekend has to be the Wizards of the Coast panel. I’m going to do my very best to liveblog from it. So if you follow me on Examiner.com, that’s where I’ll be writing about the panel. Hopefully we’ll get more information regarding “Journey Into Nyx” as well as some of the upcoming sets like “Magic 2015” and “Conspiracy.”
On Friday and Saturday, the exhibition halls close at 6 PM, but the table top area stays open until midnight. You will most likely find me there when the exhibition halls close. Just look for the Battleground Games & Hobbies booth.
Well that’s all for this week. If you’re going to PAX East this year and you see me, then make sure you say hi. Also, let me know what you think of the previews so far from “Journey Into Nyx.” What’s your favorite card so far? Also, what are you most excited to see at PAX East this year? Thanks for reading!
About the author
Simeon is an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
Donate to the Extra-Life fundraiser!
Join the Battleground Games & Hobbies community forums!
Please don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @battleground_gh!
Tags: Journey into Nyx, Magic the Gathering, MTG, PAX East 2014, Wizards of the Coast
Posted in Blog, Card Games, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering | No Comments »
A chance to learn from my hobby mistakes
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014
As a “Magic: The Gathering” player, I’m sure you’ve all done it at least once. There just comes a time in every players life where they think they’ve had enough of the game. After countless hours of staring at your trade binder and all those 5000-count boxes, you think you’ve finally made up your mind, but you need just one more night; one more night to sleep on things. Then, when that morning finally comes, you’re ready; at least you think you’re ready…to sell your magic collection.
If my memory serves me correctly (which I am not completely sure of), I’ve sold my collection twice. The first time I sold it was in high school. There wasn’t much to brag about. I think the only thing of highlight was a “Force of Will.” Around 2000-2001, they weren’t much to cry over. I had priced everything out through an issue of “Scrye,” but I failed to realize that when the time came, the dealer would have to profit as well and my earnings were cut in half.
I just didn’t have time for it though. I was taking part in extracurricular activities that I needed to dedicate time to. So, unfortunately, card gaming had to take a back seat for now.
Magic versus College
My freshman year of college was where I found a resurgence to play again. The next thing I knew, I was playing more competitively. I began to go through boxes and boxes of “Onslaught.” At the time, it was not a bad thing to do considering that the set gave birth to the Fetch Lands. By the end of my sophomore year, I needed to take a break and concentrate more on my studies. I mean, I couldn’t stay in college forever, could I? Fortunately, I held on to my things.
When I finished school I took the summer “off.” I didn’t do much. In fact, I can’t even remember what I did that summer. I’m assuming it had something to do with “Dungeons and Dragons” as well as “Magic.” In the fall I had started work at State Street Bank and was making an okay amount for a kid fresh out of school. I had little expenses. So, I guess you can figure out where most of my money went into. My Fridays were rather exciting. I worked in Boston and I had to, sometimes, race out of the office to make the train to Abington in order to play in the FNMs at Battleground Games & Hobbies.
Pimpin’ ain’t easy
(Yes, that’s a case of Zendikar I opened for myself!)
At this point I had begun to amass a pretty nice collection. I had acquired several 5000-count boxes of just random commons and uncommons. However, the trade binder was looking really nice. I had made it a goal to gather a full play set of dual lands. I started with the hardest ones (the blue based dual lands) and would work my way down.
I had branched my way into Legacy without really trying. What I mean is that I didn’t have the intention of playing the format, but when you set a goal of gathering the dual lands, it just lands in your lap. By now, my collection “wants” were beginning to get out of hand. I recall being at a TCG Player 5K tournament where Vengevine was a card. It was quite the card, actually. I had managed to get my hands on three foil versions of the little guy. They were also Japanese to make things even more special. However, I found it impossible to complete the set, and, in the end, never could finish it.
By now my collection was reaching its peak. The “prettiest” deck I owned was a “Survival of the Fittest” deck I played in Legacy. The card is banned now, but it was a lot of fun while it was legal. If any of you know how that deck was played, then you can clearly recall why that card was banned. Nonetheless, it was extremely fun to play and it was only made better when your deck was nice to look at.
I was lucky enough to work a pre-release early that year with another company. At that event there was a guest artist in attendance. It just happen to be the artist who created the judge promo for “Survival of the Fittest.” Not only was I able to get my hands on a play set for a very affordable price, but she was nice enough to sign and draw on them for me. If you only knew what those cards go for now. This is where I come to the point of all this.
Someone get me a tissue
If you were to ask my right now if I had any regrets in my life, I would probably hesitate and then answer “no.” Why the hesitation? Well, I like to think that things happen for a reason. Therefore, me selling my collection happened for a reason. I hate to admit that the reason may have been all the wrong reasons, but they still happened, and there is little I can do to change that.
When I decided to sell my “collection,” it was a really hard choice. Part of me thinks I still rushed into things, but I know that’s not entirely true. Reason being is that I had to plan the whole day out in order to sell my cards.
(Goodbye sweet, sweet collection)
Look, I could probably write another one thousand words on my feelings and thoughts that were going through my mind when I sold everything. I’m not though. However, I am going to go over my word count for this week as I wrap things up.
The truth of the matter
“Magic: The Gathering” is a very special game. One of the best qualities about it is the amount a person can invest into it. I’m not just speaking in terms of money, but time as well. A large reason why people play this game is for the social factor. I know quite a few people who play the game just so they can hang out with their friends. Without it, I think they feel like they would have nothing (even though that’s not really true). What I want you to take from the post this week is to not give up so easily on your hobbies or things you’re passionate about.
I walked into the store knowing I was going to sell my commons and uncommons. The main purpose was to “make room” in my room. As the value of things began to add up, I decided to let go of most of my collection that day. However, I was going to hold onto my binder. It was where my heavy hitters were and most of the value laid. I guess I got caught up in the moment and I let dollar signs and “incorrect” emotions get the best of me that day. That’s when I decided to let it all go.
Don’t be a fool like me that day and give up on things so hastily. We all need breaks once in a while. In that case, take a step back and breathe, but don’t let go; don’t lose your grip on reality. When you take that step, look at all you’ve accomplished and gained. That’s when things really come into perspective. Maybe it will help save your collection one day; maybe it will help prevent you from having to write something like this.
About the author
Simeon is an avid gamer who loves to play board games and video games. He graduated college with a degree in Political Science, and now serves the public by writing about games. You can check that out here. Don’t forget to “like” him on Facebook as well. It’ll update you on all of his newest content. Best of all, you can follow Simeon on Twitter (@SimeonCortezano) for some real time hilarity. Thanks for reading!
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Tags: Magic the Gathering, Simeon Cortezano
Posted in Blog, Card Games, Featured Author, Featured Post, Magic: The Gathering, Popular Posts | No Comments »
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