I haven't played in a few years and I could use some general insight into the game if anyone's got it.
TS
I haven't played in awhile, but I traded alot of my old cards for store credit at the local comic store, and bought like 10 3.5 hardcovers for it =)
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I highly recommend starting with the 9th Edition Core Set. It has two fairly balanced decks, and a really good tutorial to help refresh you on the finer points of the rules. It also has an activation code for Magic Online, which would otherwise cost $10.
If you can, try to purchase it from a local game store. You're on your own for that, but it's really good to find a place where you can play with other people in your area. If not, there should be plenty of places to pick it up online. But really, try to find a local store first. =D
For some more in-depth discussion, head over to Magic's own website, where they have a column called Magic Academy. This should help with a few other aspects of the game.
Once you get your hand in a few games, the pre-release for the next expansion set, Planar Chaos, is coming up next week. Pre-releases are a fun, low-stress way to enter the tourney scene, and will really help launch your playing level.
Read through some of the articles on the Magic website, and places like Star City Games offer respected 3rd party coverage of the game.
Hope this helps!
I've played Magic for around five years, and I agree with Yasumoto that prereleases are great once your have kind of learned the rules. The evironment is casual, the players friendly, and the judges nice. They are the only kind of tournament I've been to, and I've been going for the past four years.
Oh, yeah, the starter game is good for either learning the game or refreshing your memory, as is the website.
My apologies, because I should have been more specific in my first post instead of just fishing for answers. I'm actually posting here because the M:tG boards over at WotC have only been a little useful.
My problem is that I'm not interested in buying cards; I have a proxy program that I'm going to use to make my own (not just copies of WotC cards) and play against friends who will do the same. Currently I'm making rules about making cards and I'm looking for rules/trends/abilities that you would change about the game to make it simpler or just a better play experience. For example, if there are particular spell or creature abilities that repetetively cause headaches during play I will be sure to avoid them.
Oh and I never learned why banding was removed from the game as an ability so that all creatures could have it automatically.
Dam, you show a little interest in M:tG and get a crowd of instant conversationalists. You show a little interest in innovation and creativity and you get instant silence.
I haven't played in a long while either, but this program of yours sounds interesting.
A few rules I would change are the two things that made me quit magic: the 'survival of the richest', and the 'all but these 3 combinations will lose you the game'
I've actually done what you're trying a few times; only not through the internet. My brothers/friends and I just drew are own cards and played with those.
Equal fun, no expenses. Because I really just can't afford to buy cards all the time.
As for mechanics, most of the mechanics aren't overpowered as far as I've seen them. Just be careful about any potential 'infinite loop' situation, and 'you win the game' cards.
For the rest; overpowered is generally a case of to many abilities for too little cost (in mana, not $$$)
Ow, if you want, show me the program. I'd be interested in trying it out :)
I haven't played in a long while either, but this program of yours sounds interesting.
A few rules I would change are the two things that made me quit magic: the 'survival of the richest', and the 'all but these 3 combinations will lose you the game'
I've actually done what you're trying a few times; only not through the internet. My brothers/friends and I just drew are own cards and played with those.
Equal fun, no expenses. Because I really just can't afford to buy cards all the time.
As for mechanics, most of the mechanics aren't overpowered as far as I've seen them. Just be careful about any potential 'infinite loop' situation, and 'you win the game' cards.
For the rest; overpowered is generally a case of to many abilities for too little cost (in mana, not $$$)
Ow, if you want, show me the program. I'd be interested in trying it out :)
Nice to hear from ya! I was beginning to think that I was the only magic player not content with buying hundreds of dollars worth of cards a year.
Anyway, the program I use isn't an online thing, it's just a proxy program that you use to design cards. If you want to download it yourself (free), it's called the MtG Editor and it was created by Oliver Weikopf.
My card creation rules don't give 'kudo points' to uncommons and rares; after all if you can just add in that little gold icon why wouldn't you do it to every card? As a result I don't even give cards a rarity. Legends are a little harder 'cause I don't want to just cut them out of the game like rarities. My current thought is that legends should cost 1 mana less but you can only have four in your deck (either four copies of one legend, or four different single legends). That would make them a kind of wild card, so to speak.
Currently I have a list of standard card abilities and their cost, in addition to which color they are most easily used by. (non-standard color = extra cost) Artifacts cost 1 extra, while golds cost 1 less. I haven't even thought about any 'you win the game' abilities, because they require so much ad-hoc judgement.
We've just started up playing again after about a 7-10 year hiatus. (4th edition was just coming out when we last heard...) Son-in-Law asked out M:tG over Christmas and we yanked out the old cards and he fell in love. So, we've eased into 9th Ed now. I have no ideas at all for what you are asking about, but wanted to you to know you are at least being read. Good luck!
BTW - would that proxy program thing be what I need to make my wife a horde of cards for those infernal saprolings she keeps on (and on and on...) generating?
The site you pointed to is down, Tequila :(
Found another editor though, I'll see if I can create a bit of a deck :P
If you want to discuss rules, flavor, play, whatever, drop your e-mail or summing.
BTW - would that proxy program thing be what I need to make my wife a horde of cards for those infernal saprolings she keeps on (and on and on...) generating?
Magic is on 9th edition?! All I can think is 'wow!'
A proxy program can make cards that already exist, homebrew cards, tokens (I'm assuming the saprolings are tokens) and even vanguards I think.Frats, I don't have anything off the top of my head that I'd like to discuss but if you do my email is nine_moons_9@yahoo.com (if you do email me, mention M:tG in the first email's subject line so I don't mistake it for spam). Out of curiousity where do you live?
Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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My problem is that I'm not interested in buying cards; I have a proxy program that I'm going to use to make my own (not just copies of WotC cards) and play against friends who will do the same. Currently I'm making rules about making cards and I'm looking for rules/trends/abilities that you would change about the game to make it simpler or just a better play experience. For example, if there are particular spell or creature abilities that repetetively cause headaches during play I will be sure to avoid them.
I follow magic design (Mark Rosewater's column on magicthegathering.com is pure gold in terms of learning about game design in general) but don't play that much. However, I find the idea that cards can be boiled down to a chinese menu style of pay X for effect Y to be grossly simplistic. Even more so than D&D game design, Magic design is very hard to get right, it's not something you can reduce to a formula. I think a better route would be to compare any ideas for cards to existing cards and use those as benchmarks. Either that, or come into design with the understanding that the costs are general guidelines and not binding princples.
Oh and I never learned why banding was removed from the game as an ability so that all creatures could have it automatically.
Banding was removed because nobody understood it. It's hilarious because all the old school players will gripe "I understood banding, it was the easiest thing on earth" and then when you ask them a specific question about the mechanic, they invariably get it wrong. A good example is: if I attack with a flyer and a non-flying swampwalker banded together, can you block with a creature without flying, assuming you control a swamp?
I follow magic design (Mark Rosewater's column on magicthegathering.com is pure gold in terms of learning about game design in general) but don't play that much. However, I find the idea that cards can be boiled down to a chinese menu style of pay X for effect Y to be grossly simplistic. Even more so than D&D game design, Magic design is very hard to get right, it's not something you can reduce to a formula. I think a better route would be to compare any ideas for cards to existing cards and use those as benchmarks. Either that, or come into design with the understanding that the costs are general guidelines and not binding princples.
I'll have to check out Mark Rosewater's column.
Banding was removed because nobody understood it. It's hilarious because all the old school players will gripe "I understood banding, it was the easiest thing on earth" and then when you ask them a specific question about the mechanic, they invariably get it wrong. A good example is: if I attack with a flyer and a non-flying swampwalker banded together, can you block with a creature without flying, assuming you control a swamp?
I'd have to say that I fall into that oldtimer pot, because I never had a problem with banding. Then again, I was never obsessed about the rules. In your example I would have to say that the defender can block the swampwalker but not the flyer. As a result the attacker would have to choose to either 'unband' the two creatures to allow the flyer to get thru or to 'land' the flyer in order to keep the two banded.
...Come to think of the topic, how does giving all creatures the banding ability automatically negate the possibility of this very situation?
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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I'd have to say that I fall into that oldtimer pot, because I never had a problem with banding. Then again, I was never obsessed about the rules. In your example I would have to say that the defender can block the swampwalker but not the flyer. As a result the attacker would have to choose to either 'unband' the two creatures to allow the flyer to get thru or to 'land' the flyer in order to keep the two banded.
...Come to think of the topic, how does giving all creatures the banding ability automatically negate the possibility of this very situation?
Heh. If I had a nickle for everytime someone gets that question wrong...
You have to be able to block at least one of the creatures in the band individually. The non-flyer can't block the flyer and the non-flyer can't block the swampwalker. Because it can't block either creature, they both go through.
Banding is such a pain in the ass that I wouldn't make it part of standard creature combat. It's really not very intuitive and it follows a completely different set of rules depending on whether you are attacking or blocking.
Well I just read a bit of Mark's stuff (there's a LOT) and finally found a tidbit that makes me feel confident in dumping banding outright. In one of the columns he places a banding creature beside a "T: target creature gets +X/+X until end of turn." I like this new idea better.
Here's lookin' at your taciturn face, Sebastian!
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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Well I just read a bit of Mark's stuff (there's a LOT) and finally found a tidbit that makes me feel confident in dumping banding outright. In one of the columns he places a banding creature beside a "T: target creature gets +X/+X until end of turn." I like this new idea better.
Here's lookin' at your taciturn face, Sebastian!
Glad to be of service, and I would be interested in seeing what cards you come up with. Despite my comments about pricing of cards, I also came up with a system like that back in 97-98.
Make sure to look at his articles regarding the color philosphies - they're some of his best stuff. The most recent article should have links to all five.
Edit: Also, if the current set seems weird, that's because it is. It's a bizzaro set that I really don't like that involves a lot of switching of abilities among the various colors.
I live in the Netherlands. So, we're probably divided by a lot of water, and a few hours of time. If I come up with any cards; I'll send em to you.
But I've been out of it quite long, so it might take some time.
I'd definately be interested in seeing your homebrew creation guidelines/rules and new cards themselves. I'm making a faerye deck at the moment (blue and green which is how I've always felt that faeryes should be), maybe I'll post a card or two sometime.
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This is one of the most bizarre/amazing things that has happened to me in recent memory:
I walked into work a few weeks ago to find a paper crate (the kind that is used to ship reams of paper in--about 17" by 14" by 22") sitting at my workstation. My boss told me it was a package for me. I opened it, and foound myself face-to lid with a stack of 3"x4"x1' boxes. Even more puzzled, I opened one. It was full of vintage Magic cards. All of them were.
It turns out that my boss plays, and was trying to get rid of his excess (2,000+) cards. For some reason, he decided to give them to me free of charge. There were probably several hundred dollars worth of cards in the crate.
It gets weirder.
I spent the day rifling thorugh the cards, and found a TON of vintage rares, including FOUR Necropotences, Shauku the Endbringer, Jester's Cap, Blinking Spirit, three Sengir Vampires, Maze of Ith, and TRIPLES of ALL of the original no-cost dual lands.
Free.
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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I spent the day rifling thorugh the cards, and found a TON of vintage rares, including FOUR Necropotences, Shauku the Endbringer, Jester's Cap, Blinking Spirit, three Sengir Vampires, Maze of Ith, and TRIPLES of ALL of the original no-cost dual lands.
Free.
I'd take a look at a price guide. The duals are probably worth $10-15 each, but the rest of the cards you named are not worth much. If you're thinking sengier vampire is a money card, you'll definitely want to research the real money cards so that you don't overlook those. Necro may be such a card, but I doubt it given that I believe it is banned.
Umm, an Alpha dual can fetch $200, mint. Beta, half that. Unlimited, half that.
Here's a good price guide: http://magictraders.com/
They automatically record e-bay sale prices.
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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Umm, an Alpha dual can fetch $200, mint. Beta, half that. Unlimited, half that.
Here's a good price guide: http://magictraders.com/
They automatically record e-bay sale prices.
Ummm...I'm aware, but given that the other cards mentioned are ice age/mirage rares and not, say, the power 9, I inferred they were revised or 4th. I find it highly unlikely they are alpha, beta, unlimited or, for that matter, printed on gold, which would also give them a value of $200 each and is just as unlikely.
Magic has come out with new sets reciently. Lorwind and 10th edition are the newest if you are a player that is looking to get back in to it talk to the people who work at the shops and see what cards are still legal in type 2 play or you can play extended witch is from Odsyee block all the way up to the new sets. This is a great game and i hope that every one will soon learn to enjoy it better then any other TCG because it is the cheapest and has been around the longest.
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I'd take a look at a price guide. The duals are probably worth $10-15 each, but the rest of the cards you named are not worth much. If you're thinking sengier vampire is a money card, you'll definitely want to research the real money cards so that you don't overlook those. Necro may be such a card, but I doubt it given that I believe it is banned.
I spent the day rifling thorugh the cards, and found a TON of vintage rares, including FOUR Necropotences, Shauku the Endbringer, Jester's Cap, Blinking Spirit, three Sengir Vampires, Maze of Ith, and TRIPLES of ALL of the original no-cost dual lands.
Free.
I wasn't implying that any were real "money cards (a la Black Lotus / Mox _ / etc), only that they were very good cards that he could easily have charged me hundreds of dollars for in bulk.
By the way, Necropotence is not banned.
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Ummm...I'm aware, but given that the other cards mentioned are ice age/mirage rares and not, say, the power 9, I inferred they were revised or 4th. I find it highly unlikely they are alpha, beta, unlimited or, for that matter, printed on gold, which would also give them a value of $200 each and is just as unlikely.Umm, an Alpha dual can fetch $200, mint. Beta, half that. Unlimited, half that.
Here's a good price guide: http://magictraders.com/
They automatically record e-bay sale prices.
...even though solid gold cards would be really cool...
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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I wasn't implying that any were real "money cards (a la Black Lotus / Mox _ / etc), only that they were very good cards that he could easily have charged me hundreds of dollars for in bulk.By the way, Necropotence is not banned.
Neh. It's restricted. Same difference.
I'm amazed those are beta duals. Like I said, the cards you listed as notable rares were a Timmy grab bag circa 1995, so I figured you hadn't played since that time and that the duals were of similar vintage. Are there any good cards from the early expansions, or is it just duals + Timmy grab bag?
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I wasn't implying that any were real "money cards (a la Black Lotus / Mox _ / etc), only that they were very good cards that he could easily have charged me hundreds of dollars for in bulk.By the way, Necropotence is not banned.
Neh. It's restricted. Same difference.
I'm amazed those are beta duals. Like I said, the cards you listed as notable rares were a Timmy grab bag circa 1995, so I figured you hadn't played since that time and that the duals were of similar vintage. Are there any good cards from the early expansions, or is it just duals + Timmy grab bag?
Basically it's a Beta/Unlimited rares grab bag + Weatherlight block rares grab bag + Timmy grab bag + standard grab bag. The good (Necropotence) is mixed in with the mediocre (Highway Robber) and the s+@~e (23 Order of the Ebon Hand. Count 'em. 23). The reason the cards go back so far is that Heath (my boss) has been playing from the get-go. He also kept the "really good" cards, including a Mox Jet, to himself.
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Bella Sara Charter Superscriber
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Basically it's a Beta/Unlimited rares grab bag + Weatherlight block rares grab bag + Timmy grab bag + standard grab bag. The good (Necropotence) is mixed in with the mediocre (Highway Robber) and the s*~*e (23 Order of the Ebon Hand. Count 'em. 23). The reason the cards go back so far is that Heath (my boss) has been playing from the get-go. He also kept the "really good" cards, including a Mox Jet, to himself.
Well then, that's one hell of a haul. I once found a box of cards in an apartment after I moved in, but it was full of crappy Dark and Fallen Empires commons.
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They're mechanically sound, but have the *new flavor* that I don't like. I haven't bought any, but a couple of guys I know like the new cycle. I'm just not very fond of the "every cycle has to start fresh on a new plane" b~**&*+&. Meh. I guess I'm just a holdover from earlier times, when the biggest threat to the Multiverse was Volrath, and people were getting worked up over the new "creature" cards.
Apologies for the thread nercomancy, but . . .
I used to play M:tG a long while ago (according to dates listed on wikipedia for the sets I remember, August of 94 through June/July of 95) and never thought about getting back into it until this past saturday at a new FLGS that's opened up near me I saw they had magic cards. my wife and I were both there and I assumed that Magic could bea good game to play with each other. I checked with the owner if there was much a "magic community" in the area. He said yes.
We bought two Conflux Intro Decks, and four Shards of Alara Boosters.
I will be going to the store on "Magic Night" as my work schedule permits, but see no reason to find on-line reasources as well.
Anyone willing to push me in the direction of some good online resources to help re-aquaint myself with the game? has the game changed much? if I'm ever able to find my old cards, would they be worth using?
Anyone willing to push me in the direction of some good online resources to help re-aquaint myself with the game? has the game changed much? if I'm ever able to find my old cards, would they be worth using?
Your best bet is probably Wizards of the Coast's own Magic website, where there's lots of material aimed at players with different experience levels. If you haven't played since 1995, you'll need to look at the new rules, as they've made quite a few changes in the last decade. For the same reason, I wouldn't bother digging out your old cards - they're likely to have lots of errata! Magic cards and sets these days are designed in a much more coherent fashion, so I'd just play with the new stuff you've picked up.
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Basically it's a Revised/Unlimited rares grab bag + Weatherlight block rares grab bag + Timmy grab bag + standard grab bag. The good (Necropotence) is mixed in with the mediocre (Highway Robber) and the s&$#e (23 Order of the Ebon Hand. Count 'em. 23). The reason the cards go back so far is that Heath (my boss) has been playing from the get-go. He also kept the "really good" cards, including a Mox Jet, to himself.
So... four years later, the cards are finally sorted and organized. If you or anyone you know are looking to purchase specific cards or are willing to buy commons and uncommons in bulk, my e-mail address is in my profile.
Seriously, I've got one of these filled with cards (plus a binder's worth of rares and foils), and those are just the ones I don't want.
Twenty-four thousand, sixty-three hundred and four. That's the exact number of cards currently stored in boxes and binders. Or at least that was the number the last time I counted them in 2003 (probable a bit less now, since I have the custom of using MTG cards as bookmarks, as I always misplace my actual bookmarks. I keep finding random forests and islands inside my books!).
I played a lot of MTG between 1996 and 2002 (when I went into university), and most of my collection is made up from the cards I bought to classmates who stopped playing (around 1998, almost half my class played MTG) at very convenient prices. Even though I no longer play and I know I could get quite a sum of cash for all those cards (particularly considering about half of them predate the Tempest Cycle, with sizeable numbers from before Legends), selling those cards would amount to selling a big collection of great memories. So they stay.
I adore the game, but haven't played since 2002 (though I did play a single game in 2005 when I stumbled upon an MTG club in university). My roleplaying group -all of whom used to play as well- has considered the idea of getting together and setting up decks right there with all those cards and spending a saturday afternoon playing for the good old days.
I certainly hope we do it.