Why I Play Magic: The Gathering

    I have always been a fan of collectible card games ever since I was a kid. There was something great about finding cards to allow you to play the strategies and gameplay that is tailor made for me. Back in the day however, like most kids in the early 2000’s I feel, the game we played was Yu-gi-oh. The show being on everyone’s TV’s at home, it was a phenomenon. I used to put together decks and challenge the different kids around the neighborhood. We didn’t know anything about metas, pro tours, local game stores, etc. It was just playing with monsters that you liked and bringing the opponent down to zero.


    The years go by, friends move away, and sports become a bigger priority in my life. I simply didn’t have enough time to play and the cards I had left were obsolete from the new cards that were coming out year after year. The game left me behind. One weekend in 2011, I had an old friend of mine come into town for a visit. As we were catching up, he told me he had a game he wanted me to try. It was called “Magic: The Gathering.” Naturally, I was a little hesitant because outside of chess, I really didn’t play a lot of board games at the time, but I was willing to give it a shot. With the basic understanding of the game, we started playing some casual kitchen table games and I was HOOKED. It was that same rush of when I was a kid playing Yu-Gi-Oh at my neighbors’ houses. I looked online and found a store called Trademart at the South Park Mall in Moline, Illinois. So, we decided to go out and get some cards. The first deck I ever bought was a Black and Blue Phyrexian infect deck from the newest set, “Mirrodin Besieged.” I knew nothing about formats, mana curves, or even the color wheel but it didn’t matter. I simply wanted to play.


    As every new player knows, the learning curve is real. The amount of games I lost in events was huge. Everyone around me seemed to be an expert and I was left in the dust. I was still enjoying the games I played, but the constant defeat was very frustrating. After a while, without really having a lot of success at the events and no immediate friends that played things like Magic: The Gathering, I simply stopped showing up on Magic nights and would spend more time playing other types of games where I had more people to play with like HeroClix.


    Fast forward to 2016. I am a junior in college. My major is getting more difficult. My athletic career has brought my stress level to its limit. I need an outlet. I’m online watching videos when I see a video labeled “Game Knights.” I had heard of the commander format and seen products in Walmart as I checked out, but I hadn’t really played it before. The game I watched brought me that same nostalgic feel of playing when I was a kid and the multiplayer aspect of the game made it even more intriguing. I decided to buy some cards and some pre-constructed decks online and give it a try. The first deck I put together was an absolute glass cannon in Yisan, the Wandering Bard, racing my way through verse counters to a Craterhoof Behemoth. Knowing about local game stores, I started playing regularly. Once I started playing, my grades improved, my athletic performances improved, and my mental health was in a good place. It was like I found a piece of myself again.


    Whenever I moved to a new state for my job after college, the first thing I did was look for a local game store to find people that share my interests. In late 2019, I met two really great friends at that local game store. As the pandemic of 2020 shut the world down, we stayed in touch and helped each other through a lot of hard times. On the other side of the pandemic, both of those friends are my groomsmen in my wedding coming up in 2024. This game has been a support system, a social gathering point, and a welcome distraction when times get hard and I am forever grateful, which brings me to today. On the eve of my 29th birthday, I have a calling to give back to the Magic: the Gathering space and create things for people to enjoy. My friend Jacob and I are planning on starting a brand new show called “The Thought Vessel Show.” . This will be a community directed show and we'll cover listener submitted topics, “Am I The A**hole” magic edition, new card breakdowns, and so much more. I’ll also be writing articles about the commander format. We’re so very excited to begin the journey with you. If you have a question or topic that you would like to see covered on the show, please send us an email to thoughtvesselshow@gmail.com.