Magic The Gathering: The Game 20 Million People Play That You’ve Never Heard Of

Death of Dungeons & Dragons

The early 1990’s were an interesting time. The generation was trying to find themselves culturally. They were trying to distance themselves from the 1980’s, which left large shoes to fill in many aspects. We transitioned from the power ballads of Gun N Roses to the grunge rock of Nirvana. The Super Nintendo had replaced the original NES and Genesis in most households. The Lakers & Celtics rivalry disappeared as Michael Jordan elevated himself to becoming the icon of the sport. Clothing styles became a tad more conservative with less flashy colors and much smaller hair. Computers were starting to emerge other than the Macintosh, and  Motorola was working to make cell phones smaller. America had won the Cold War, the Soviet Union collapsed, and the Berlin wall had gone down. But most importantly, kids across the nation stopped playing dungeon & dragons, a game that could take days to accomplish. In 1993, Wizards of the Coast published Magic: The Gathering. Essentially a trading card game in which two or more players compete in a much shorter game that only lasts hours. Each player has a deck of 60 or more cards consisting of creatures, spells, artifacts, and lands that can be used as energy to destroy their opponents.

The Grandfather of Pokemon & Yu-Gi-Oh Card games

Most kids born in the late 80’s are very likely to have seen the smash hit anime series Pokemon, which boosted the popularity of the famous Pokemon trading card game. In case you didn’t know, that is a children’s version of Magic The Gathering. Same concept, Magic uses creatures with attack/defense instead of Pokemons with HP & Attack Power. Pokemon uses energy while Magic uses land. Pokemon has artifacts that help boost fights, well Magic has the same and even instant spells that can turn the tide of combat. Some of the artwork on the Magic cards are insanely beautiful, while some may be a bit grotesque and gory. Yu-Gi-Oh further built upon the success of Magic, mirroring the same blueprint. Nevertheless, there is a good chance that if you had a big brother or visited comic book shops, you became addicted to Magic. In the early days, you would have to purchase a ton of booster packs containing few cards to build a deck. From time to time, a booster pack would contain some epic legendary cards. As time progressed, it became a bit easier with Magic releasing Theme Decks that were pre-built to have a certain synergy with strategies that created a good flow. However we are pretty certain a lot of teenagers from this era survived off of Taco Bell dinners to save up for more decks (yes, taco bell use to be dirt cheap in the 90s).

24 Years Later & Still Relevant

Next year the company celebrates its 25th anniversary of Magic: The Gathering. You may wonder how the game has survived this long and how popular are they now? Although the comic book shops of yore are no longer in shopping plazas across the country, Magic continues to thrive with over 20 million players. They have evolved to having an app available for iOS & Android in which you can purchase or earn virtual decks too for online play. But for the traditionalists, nothing beats the old school feel of grabbing a few buddies for hours of intense heated Magic battles. You can easily order some starter decks on Amazon or acquire them at any local Target by the sports cards section. The learning curve has increased over the years with new skills & abilities, but it is well worth the time invested. You’ll be surprised to learn that there are huge tournaments that take place across the country between hundreds and maybe thousands of Magic players. This game will challenge friendships but create memories that will last a lifetime. Years will pass and you will never forget coming from behind and denying a dear friend an epic victory with a tactical surprise. Few board or card games can provide the high level of intensity that Magic the gathering has. Do yourself a favor, gather friends and plan a night of Magic. You might be surprised how fun it is to let out your inner nerd. Below are the links to some decent packs that start you on your journey, just click on the picture below, enjoy!