Magic: The Gathering flashes in my memory

Obviously I don't have enough blogs, even between my comic book ramblings at Back Issue Diving and my wrestling analysis at Work/Shoot, so here goes another one. This is a special place for all of my tabletop gaming memories, be they sweet or sour.

I was quite awkward in my youth and social interaction didn't come naturally, so gaming was my escape. Whole new worlds were contained between the covers of DM Guides and sourcebooks, and in those worlds I could become something more than myself. Brave, strong, smart, and imposing . . . everything I wasn't as a pudgy lad.

Before pen and paper role playing games enveloped me, collectible card games were my "in" at the local game shop. (Armchair Commanders in Corpus Christi, R.I.P.) I'd fiddled with Pokemon, mostly just collecting the cards and scouring the schoolyard for holofoils, but the real beginning of my paper passion was the old standby, Magic: The Gathering.

The game itself began life in 1993, but players were well into the Masques and Invasion blocks by the time I cracked my first booster. I *think* the preconstructed deck pictured above was the first purchase I made, but I also remember getting a box full of junk cards from a schoolmate, so I can't say.

I saw the similarities in game design between my two card game hobbies right away; Pokemon had energy cards while Magic had lands, Pokemon had trainer cards while Magic had instants and sorceries. I'm sure it was a bumpy transition at first, but soon enough I was piloting a white weenie deck against my friends, using Angelic might to purify the land and scorch my foes with my holy light.

Pokemon slid farther and farther into my rearview as I became engrossed with the Magic saga, thanks in no small part to the stunning artwork that has always been a staple of the game. Wizards of the Coast, the game makers, spare no expense in getting the best mind-blowing art that blends Tolkien's fantasy stories with the stranger settings of Marion Zimmer Bradley. There's even a bit of steampunk in there from time to time, thanks to the Goblins and their zany inventions.

I would eventually meld my love of Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons of Dragons into a lengthy roleplaying campaign using the setting from a few of the magic sets, chiefly the Odyssey and Onslaught blocks. That's my "golden era" of Magic. Those cards, those decks, those dark themes . . . that's the stuff I always go back to whenever I feel the tingle to get in the mix again.

I did buy some cards last year and I have to say, as much as things in Magic might change from a minutia perspective, the game is basically the same. I was back to battling after only a few hands.

As I dive deeper into my personal history with tabletop games and CCGs, I hope to find a common link between them. There's something scientific in these games, something that plays havoc with my brain chemistry and keeps me coming back every few years. Anyhoo, thanks for reading and hit me up on Twitter (@ChrisBComics) for more frivolity.