warrenthegamer

[warrenthegamer]

How to prepare for your first MagicCon

Tickets are now available for MagicCon: Las Vegas. Are you a MagicCon newbie? This post covers what I wish I'd known before attending my first MagicCon.

I went into my first MagicCon, in March 2025, almost completely blind. I had read the event's website, but it left me with many unanswered questions. In my case, my decision to attend was made at the very last minute -- literally the night before the con. Also, I was going to the con directly from a short trip away from home, meaning I didn't have any of my Magic gear with me!

In the end, I had an AMAZING MagicCon experience, and I would recommend any mtg player to attend one. Simply put, they are overwhelmingly positive in a world with so much prevailing negativity, particularly online. But my MagicCon experience could have been even smoother. Had I known then what I know now, my Day 1 could have been like my Day 3.

So don't do it like I did. Learn from my mistakes. Below I'll talk through the various intel and preparatory steps I wish I'd known before attending my first MagicCon.

I'm organizing the preparation into categories, then I'll walk through each category in its own section.

Know the context

Know your goals

Get your badge

Register for events

Organize your gear

Master the space

Last thing before I dive in -- for the most part, this info is the same regardless of whether you're attending MagicCon solo or with a group. But when it matters, I'll mention what to be aware of when you're attending as a group.

1. Know the context

This is arguably a minor point, but it might make a big difference for some people. Find out what set will be promoted at the specific MagicCon you're looking at.

For example, for MagicCon Chicago in March, Aetherdrift was the featured set. Badges of different tiers came with different quantities of Aetherdrift boosters as perks. The promotional playmat (at least, the one included as a perk with the Premium Weekend badge I bought) featured art from the world of Aetherdrift. For limited events, the majority (~60%) used Aetherdrift product, while the minority were using either (~25%) Mystery Booster 2 or (~15%) miscellaneous, eg. chaos draft / Rochester draft. Anticipate that events using the featured set will have lower registration fees than other events using niche / vintage product.

For MagicCon Las Vegas, it appears based on the badge packages currently available that the Final Fantasy set (officially titled Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY) will be the featured set. Let me emphasize that I'm making an inference based on the badge packages currently listed for sale.

Does the featured set make the MagicCon more or less appealing for you? Opinions will always differ, but my point is that you would be wise to confirm what set will be featured, to know a thing or two about the set, and to know whether you want to lean into or away from the set during your time at MagicCon.

Side note

I myself have mixed feelings about the featured MagicCon set being a Universes Beyond set. It lends credence to the argument that WotC's "favorite children" are the UB sets while in-universe sets and IP languish from neglect and malnourishment.

My attachment to the FF franchise is very mild but nonetheless positive. I've played less than half the games in the main line, and of those I played, FFX was the only one whose story and characters I can recall. So I come to the FF set mostly as a newcomer, but not entirely. I feel for those mtg players who are excited for a MagicCon but anti-FF.

I can see why WotC would make this decision -- Vegas is a marketer's playground, and it's easy to imagine the city festooned with FF characters hyping MagicCon.

Come to think of it, I've only attended one MagicCon, so for all I know, it's the norm for MagicCons to feature UB sets, and this past MagicCon's feature of Aetherdrift was in fact the outlier.

Looking on the bright side: there's little doubt the FF set will expand the player base and will mean big business for WotC. And who knows, it might even be a great set!

2. Know your goals

What do you most want to do at the convention? For the super-planners among you, this is where you may want to make a prioritized list of activities. The spontaneous types may be less inclined to make a detailed list, but still, it's useful to know the general categories of activities available at the event.

They are, in no particular order:

Organized Playing / Competing

Buying / Selling / Trading

Meeting Key People

Exploring the Con

Everything else I will regard as unstructured / down time

Organized Playing / Competing: This means playing Magic via MagicCon-organized or officially facilitated play events. Each of these events has its own registration cost. The menu of play events is long and you can find it linked from the event website. Some events require you to bring cards and/or teammates, some do not. Times and durations vary. Check the list. More about registering later on.

Buying / Selling / Trading: If you want to find a product, whether it's cards or gaming gear such as playmats, dice, deckboxes, etc, you can find many offerings at MagicCon. If you have cards you want to sell, you can do that too. Finally, trading -- MagicCon attendees trade cards, collectible pins, and maybe other stuff too. More about this later in the section about organizing your gear.

Meeting Key People: At MagicCon you have the chance to meet artists, "content creators" (i.e. YouTubers, bloggers, etc), and certain WotC employees. You may want the autograph of an artist or creator. You may want to attend a specific WotC panel about one topic or another. Some creators and employees even stage games with con attendees.

Exploring the Con: Each con will have certain exhibits or attractions you won't see outside a MagicCon. In March, MagicCon Chicago had Aetherdrift slot car races, a Bloomburrow puzzle, a Fblthp scavenger hunt, and tons of (free) events in the Family Magic area, such as deck box decoration, drawing with a Magic artist, etc.

Granted, there are other things that will occupy you at the con -- getting food, taking photos, finding your friends -- but I recommend thinking through the above list to establish how much time / energy you want to budget for various goals. Keep in mind that the time required can vary greatly -- for example, getting the signature of artist A may take only 15 minutes of waiting, whereas the signature of artist B requires a wait of an hour -- and also know that some time requirements vary throughout the day. Generally, lines are shorter closer to the start of each day.

What I wish I'd known:

I had no idea that card selling and trading would be an option. It simply hadn't occurred to me. In advance of next time, I've catalogued my collection, and I intend to have a mini binder of "for trade" and a box of "for sale." Many vendors who buy collections allow you to drop off your "for sale" cards, and they will appraise them while you go have fun elsewhere. They text you when they're ready to meet with you, then you come back to them and decide how much you want to sell to them, if any.

I had no idea that the artists behind some of the most iconic, legendary Magic cards would be on site. They're signing stuff people bring them, but they're also offering items for sale such as original prints and playmats / accessories featuring their art.

I had no idea that participating in a Pro Tour Qualifier would take so long! More on this in the section about registering for events.

In the evenings there are events requiring no registration which I'd call shows. These are for entertainment value, for instance a live game of commander with some theatrics and comedic personalities. I decided to attend these evening events, and I really enjoyed them. However, I'm the kind of person who can easily postpone dinner until 9:30pm, so the math for me may be different.

There is some impressive cosplaying at MagicCon. If you're a cosplayer interested in joining the cosplay competition, make sure you apply in advance to participate! For Las Vegas, it looks like the deadline to apply is May 11.

3. Get your badge

The first formal step in making your MagicCon dreams a reality is purchasing a badge. Your badge is your credential to access the event. The main decision to make is which badge you want.

What I wish I'd known:

The top tier badge, the Black Lotus, is likely to sell out. Why? Well, I spoke to one Black Lotus holder who said he had bought the thousand-dollar badge, because without it, paradoxically, he lacked the money to attend MagicCon. He told me he had the Black Lotus badge "pay for itself" by reselling the merchandise that comes with it; the backpack alone he sold for $300. Further, the intangible benefits can be sold too, to some extent. For example, the Black Lotus badge confers on its holder a dedicated line (i.e. no line) and a discount at the official show store -- which happened to be the only place you could purchase sought-after merch like Festival in a Box. My new friend told me that people paid him to do their shopping at the show store. Saved them tons of time in line, and also helped assure them they'd get the thing they wanted before it sold out. Does this feel unfair? Yes, probably. Is it understandable? Yes, totally. Aside: I can attest to the line at the show store: I was in line to enter MagicCon on Day 1 before the con started / before the show floor opened. When the show floor opened, I went directly to the show store to get in line, as did a number of other con attendees. Forty-five minutes later, my progress toward reaching the front of the line was only 50%. At that point I had to leave line (without buying anything) in order to make it to a certain registered play event on time.

Badge logistics. If you purchase before a certain date, your badge will be shipped to you. If you purchase after that date has passed -- as I did, in March -- you will have to pick up your badge at the event's Will Call. Will Call will have its own hours, separate from the convention hours, during which you can pick up your badge. You will have the opportunity to pick up prior to Day 1, as well as on any day of the con itself.

It's possible to purchase multiple badges in one transaction. However, this can lead to some accidents when registering for events. Make sure to read my note toward the end of the list in the section about registering for events.

4. Register for events

What I wish I'd known:

You need to have purchased a badge in order to register for an event. You don't need to physically possess your badge -- for example if you're still waiting to receive it -- but the registration system must be able to see that your name/email address is linked to a badge purchase.

Event registration is non-refundable and non-transferable. So, only sign up if you're ready to commit.

Some in-demand events will become full. If an event is a priority for you, sign up early. The ones I recall being popular / filling up: The Unknown Event with Gavin Verhey; events using Mystery Booster 2 product; and the commander events which required no deckbuilding in advance.

The vast majority of events will not be full until the last 24 hours, if they fill up at all. Meaning, you will be able to sign up on the day of the event, or the night before.

Registration closes in advance of the event start time -- at the last MagicCon, the buffer was 1 hour, meaning that one hour prior to the scheduled start time, it became impossible to register for an event, even if the event had not filled up.

The registration system will prevent you from registering for an event which conflicts with your existing schedule of registered events. Some events (like Pro Tour Qualifiers especially) have extremely long durations, e.g. 8 hours, which effectively blocks your registration into any other events that day.

Your event will almost certainly start late. But that doesn't mean you should show up late. Show up on time, but anticipate that the event will start, and probably end, late.

If you're not sure what an event is about, or if you're interested, take a look at the schedule and see if it will be happening multiple times during your time at the con. If so, you may be able to (unobtrusively) spectate one of the earlier instances and, if you like what you see, register for a later instance. Just make sure to tell the event organizers what you are doing, and make sure they're ok with it.

Heads up for those attending MagicCon as a group!! -- Every event registration is associated with a particular badge. If you purchased multiple badges, for example one for yourself and one for your friend, YOU MUST ENSURE YOU SELECT THE CORRECT BADGE WHEN REGISTERING FOR AN EVENT. If you make a mistake by registering the wrong person for an event, it will be a headache for you, for the event organizers, and for the other participants in the event, which will most likely not start on time. There's no guarantee that the intended participant will be able to join the event.

Registering for events is not the only way to participate in an organized event! In addition to Ticketed Play, which is what I'd call the default, most-publicized and most-self-explanatory style of event, MagicCons also offer On Demand Events (ODEs) which do not have a firm start time. For these, you purchase vouchers (on site) and when you're interested in playing an event -- whether it's sealed, draft, commander, whatever -- you go to the ODE desk and they put up a sign indicating that an event is gathering up. When they have enough people, they distribute product (if applicable) and get you on your way. ODEs, just like Ticketed Play, offer prize tickets to the participants with the best record. Unused ODE vouchers are also redeemable for prizes at the prize wall.

5. Organize your gear

This could well be the part of preparation that takes more time than any other, depending on who you are. There are two main considerations: one ties back to your goals (from earlier) and the other relates to gear management.

What I mean with gear management is simply how you maintain access to the items you'll need throughout the event. I showed up at my first MagicCon with just a backpack, which was empty except for a water bottle. It worked out fine for me because I'd purchased a Premium Weekend badge which came with a deckbox, sleeves and a playmat. The water bottle came in handy, as did the ample empty space in my bag, which I used to hold my jacket, hat and gloves (remember, it was March in Chicago).

What I wish I'd known:

There's a coat/baggage check at the con. Find it, know it, love it. I advise checking any unneeded layers and luggage as soon as you arrive at the con each day. At MagicCon Chicago '25, the coat/baggage rates were as follows. Coats: $4.50 / item; Baggage: $5.50 / item. Cashless transaction.

Pack only what you need. Stuff is heavy. If you plan to sell cards, do you need to carry those every day of the con? Maybe make selling them the focus of one day, so you aren't weighed down the other days.

Pack items in a convenient way. If you plan to be playing, pack your cards in deckboxes so you can easily grab exactly the cards you need. If you plan to participate in events that leave you with more cards than you started with (i.e. limited events), ensure you have spare card capacity in the form of empty deckboxes or space in your storage box. If you hope to engage in trading, whether it's cards or pins or whatever, put your "for trade" items in their own bundle so you can easily present them to your trading partner. There are backpacks on the market specifically designed to hold deckboxes -- at MagicCon Chicago I saw many people with one particular backpack from a company called Enhance; it was essentially just a lightly modified camera backpack. There exist backpacks for storing / displaying pins, too.

Pack safe. You don't want your stuff getting damaged. If you're packing in a way you haven't tried before, give it a try. I talked to one person who had a custom 3d-printed card storage box. It had great styling, in my opinion -- clean lines, vibrant colors, understated mtg icon detailing -- and it is what prompted me to start talking to the guy. But he told me that what he found was that after carrying it in his backpack, it developed some hairline cracks. It was strained by some combination of the vertical loadbearing and being held against his back, which like any of our backs, is not perfectly flat.

Don't be afraid to think beyond the bag. Some people use lightweight wagons to hold their stuff. I saw several of these at last MagicCon, and every time one passed by, it received longing gazes from bystanders laden down with heavy bags.

Don't forget food. While it's true that food is available on site, I recommend having a snack available on your person. There's a decent chance that, at some point, you'll find yourself hungry but unable to run for food. Maybe you're in between rounds of a tournament, or you're in line waiting for a meet and greet. Also, there's the chance that the food available doesn't meet your preferences or budget. Carry some food. Water dispensers are available throughout the space, so no need to carry all your water, just bring a refillable bottle.

6. Master the space

"The space" refers to the physical convention space, the surrounding area, and the information space related to the event.

For example, MagicCon Chicago was held at McCormick Place, which is a fabulous event space, but it's located in a bit of food desert. In fact, I'm not sure there are any restaurants located within walking distance of the event space, and your prospects would be even slimmer at odd hours like late night or breakfast.

Information-wise, you want to make sure you're receiving communications from the organizers, especially in the final run-up to the event, and during the event itself.

What I wish I'd known:

Sign up for the MagicCon newsletter. The MagicCon Vegas website has a link to sign up for the newsletter for that event. That will keep you informed, particularly during the final month prior to the event.

For the event itself, you'll want to have two apps installed on your device: First, the event app (called MagicCon: PLACE YEAR, e.g. MagicCon: Chicago 2025), and second, the Magic: The Gathering Companion app. The Companion app is used during tournaments and other play events, for example to track participant records and direct you where to go for your next match.

Look at the event app in advance. It has maps, lists of artists, vendors, schedules. It even lets you register for events. Seriously, get it in advance, and spend some time with it. You'll be a hero to some of the other attendees who have no idea what's going on.

Study the map of the event space (within the event app) and the map of the area surrounding the event space / event building (you're on your own for this). Locate the building entry as well as the event entry within the building. Locate restrooms and sources of food/water/caffeine. Locate lost and found, coat check, security, info booths and first aid. Locate the gathering points, which may be useful if you're with a group and want to designate a meet-up spot. Locate the key, named, areas where events are scheduled to happen. If the con is spread across floors, locate the escalators / elevators. Locate the places where nothing is scheduled to happen -- these are places you can take a load off or eat some lunch. Some of these places are big enough to have names, while others are merely areas with ten or twenty tables. Note that there may be tables specifically sized for certain activities, such as a game of commander, a session of D&D, etc. Something to be aware of as you're choosing a spot to settle.

At MagicCon Chicago, there was a space called Free Play that was technically OUTSIDE the show floor (it was on the opposite side of a barrier, near the food stalls) and thus it was accessible to people without convention badges.

Get on the MagicCon wifi for the sake of your connectivity and your device battery. This was one of my first priorities on Day 1 of the con. The event had free wifi, but access details were, inexplicably, unpublished. I had to visit an information booth, where they were fielding that question a lot. They eventually wrote little signs with access details.

Rideshare services are not all equal. In the case of MagicCon Chicago '25, Lyft had no trouble identifying the pickup/dropoff location to use. But Uber apparently had big trouble with it. It wanted to direct drivers to a door on the opposite side of the convention center. I'm not saying this will be the case for other MagicCons, but just be advised that there could be a difference depending on the service.

Public transit was a viable option for me to use for arriving at the con in the morning, but not viable for departing at night. This is, obviously, totally dependent on the city and your lodging situation.

There are pros and cons to staying in a hotel adjoining the event space. On one hand, it's probably neither the lowest price nor highest quality (i.e. most luxurious) option in the area. On the other hand, it's convenient to be able to take a break from the con without ending the day entirely. That in-and-out convenience is what you're paying for, and it may make all the difference in your ability to truly enjoy the many offerings of the con.

There's a discord server run by Pastimes Premiere Events, which staffs MagicCons. The server's purpose is primarily for the event-runners to stay coordinated, but I've noticed that anyone can join it, and some people use it to post messages related to lost items, questions about the con, or people looking to trade for a specific collectible pin. (Bonus tip: If you might be interested in staffing a MagicCon, get on it! I think you'll need to apply with Pastimes ~3 months in advance.)

Bonus Tip

If you've read this far, here's a bonus I-wish-I'd-known tip that is less about preparation and more about how you manage your time at MagicCon. Events give you rewards in the form of prize tickets, or prize tix. These are a currency you redeem at the Prize Wall. There's an inherent tension between redeeming early vs late. Early on, all the merchandise is available, but your collection of prize tickets is low. Late, you have a larger quantity of prize tickets, but some of the merchandise may already be gone. Plan for this tension, and, on the final day of the MagicCon in particular, don't delay visiting the Prize Wall. If you're involved in an event, you may even consider whether you want to offer your opponent(s) the option of splitting the prize tickets 50-50, and either skip the actual play, or play a no-stakes match at a quicker pace. That helps you get to the Prize Wall before the item you want is sold out!

Conclusion

MagicCon is a celebration of the game and the community. It's a positive, affirming event, and I'm pleased to know that in the past year, each one has attracted more attendees than the one before. I encourage all mtg players and mtg-curious to attend one sometime. Just make sure you learn from my mistakes and prepare in advance!

[warrenthegamer]

What is Magic, and why do people like it?

Recently my sister-in-law, who has no knowledge of Magic, asked me to explain the game to her at a high level. This post is about just that: What is magic, and what makes people come back to it?

Magic is a game in which two or more players compete to win, and they use cards to help them do it. The traditional way to play is a two-player game, and the traditional win condition is to reduce your opponent's life total from a starting value of 20 to a value of zero or less.

However, there are other ways to win (or cause your opponents to lose). If you're unable to draw a card when you need to, you lose. If a card says you win, you win. Yes, there are cards that say "If XYZ, you win." There are also cards that say, "You can't win, and your opponents can't lose." Why would there be such a card, you ask? Well, that drawback is added to a card with another, powerful benefit effect. So a player could put the card into play, get an advantage over the opponent, then find a way to remove the card from play and claim victory.

The so-called golden rule of Magic is this: local beats global. Meaning, the game has a set of baseline rules, but if a card's text contradicts the baseline rules, then the card takes precedence. The sheer variety and inventiveness of the card universe means that each game promises to be unpredictable and dramatic. Magic has been likened to a blend of poker and chess. It features private information, public information, strategy, bluffs, gambits, and meaningful game-to-game variance.

But unlike poker and chess, Magic is an asymmetric game, in the sense that each player will use their own personal deck to play the game, and the contents of the players' decks will differ. In fact, the very size of the two decks may differ, with there being no maximum size. In the mid-90's, Magic was a pioneer in the area of asymmetric gaming. Nowadays, asymmetric games are far more common, and they've proven quite popular. It requires good design and serious playtesting to produce an asymmetric game that is balanced and fun for all players, time and again.

All the above describes the mechanics of the game, which are robust. But the aspect that first grabs most people is the art, the worldbuilding of the game. Half of each card is devoted to art. Each card's unique name, art and card effect combine to describe some fantastical person, place or event. And many cards also include flavor text, which is a quote, passage or poem evocative of the world the card exists in.

Finally, one of the most significant achievements of Magic is "the color pie." In Magic, a player must use resources in order to play cards, with different cards having different costs. The resource is called mana, and it comes in five different colors, each with its own ethos or personality. Blue is ponderous and controlling. Red is reckless and hasty. White espouses virtue and democracy. Black believes in ambition and self-gain at any cost. Green advocates for the nature and self-acceptance. The color pie is the foundation for all the many cards and the lens through which players interact with the game. Players come to identify with a certain color combination because it allows them to play the way they want to play. (See here for a trove of resources about the color pie.)

And that, more than anything, is why people like Magic. It lets people play the game they want to play. They find their way of playing, they make decks reflective of their personal style, their personal creativity, and all of a sudden, they're invested in it. They make friends playing, and it sustains itself.

Early on, I mentioned that the traditional way is to play one-on-one. But there are ways to play with any number of players. In fact, you can play using a deck shared among all players. Or you can play collaboratively against a common (non-player) opponent. Magic is flexible enough to be whatever you want it to be, which is what makes it right for so many, but also so hard to explain.

[warrenthegamer]

My first MagicCon

Last month I attended my first MagicCon. In fact, it was my first convention of any kind! This post is a photolog chronicling that experience.

MagicCons are held a few times each year, and the location varies. This particular installment was held in Chicago at McCormick Place, an event center which afforded plenty of space for the show floor, play, and panels / shows. You get your steps in!

Tons of space for registered and casual 1-on-1 Magic play, as well as commander play and D&D (both not pictured)

You can grab a sign which announces you're looking for a game! Some signs say "casual" and others "competitive"

Participating in registered events yields you Prize Tix aka Prize Tickets, redeemable for Magic product and gameplay gear. A webpage keeps you apprised of what's sold out vs still available

Along with registered events, people can join On Demand Events. They require use of vouchers which are paid in advance and redeemable as Prize Tix if unused

This is but a fraction of the merch offered at the official convention store. And it was far from the only place to get merch

Examples of vintage boosters. Grab a Legends booster for $630!

Some treasures in one vendor's case

This vendor was even selling franchises!

Cosplay welcome! Saturday even featured a contest!

Statues and photo ops encouraged people to get in the spirit

You can even photo yourself in a magic card!

There were various diversions and amusements themed around recent sets. Here, stock car races in honor of Aetherdrift, which is about an interplanar death race

A course representing one of the three planes spanned by Aetherdrift

There was a scavenger hunt, and this was one of the eight signs to find. The reward? A collectible D&D monster pin. Well made and pretty legit

A huge part of Magic is the art. People were lined up the entire Con to get signatures from beloved artists

Note the Sol Ring, Timetwister, Necropotence, Chaos Orb, Emrakul, City of Brass

Pro Tour player turned Magic Designer Melissa gave me a free Collector Booster just for talking with her and "being a nice person"

A very entertaining Commander game, put on by a troupe called Game Knights Live

Live D&D session featuring the voice actors of Baldur's Gate 3. The hand gesture indicates to the DM that they're communicating telepathically

Mark Rosewater, who is in his 30th year working on Magic gave a talk about the 20 cards (in his view) most impactful on Magic design

Here's the the final list. Many cards were attributable to Mark himself. He invited us to photo it.

Mark Rosewater and me, at his Meet and Greet

To the Prize Wall to redeem my Prize Tix before it's too late!

Here's the back of a ticket, with the terms and link to the catalog

The nice people at the Info Desk gave me two collector boosters simply for trading a pin with them!

I caught the final moments of the Pro Tour Championship! It was happening just outside and being simulcast in this room

That's a wrap!

Until next time!

[warrenthegamer]

Return to the source

For as long as I can remember, I've loved games. This post is about my first-love game and what triggered my decision to begin writing here.

My first-love game was Magic: The Gathering, or mtg for short. In 1994 my family was making a summertime visit to my cousins' house in Texas. My cousin, two years older, was eager to show me this new card game he'd learned. The art on each card was so rich, so evocative--heroes, anti-heroes, living trees and frightful demons!--that I was enchanted at once. And beyond the art, the cards had exciting abilities, making each game equal parts puzzle and drama.

From that first day, I was hooked. I couldn't wait to get cards of my own. My cousin wasn't at all interested in giving me cards from his nascent collection, but he was gracious enough to let me go home with his rulebook! Once home, I pored over that rulebook. The book's play examples, illustrated as they were with card images and descriptions, stoked my desire to play. Meanwhile, my parents denied my every request for cards. This went on for a year! But eventually, my dad capitulated: he bought a starter deck for each of us and agreed to play a game with me. I was in raptures. Over the better part of the following decade, I played as much as I could. My dad turned out to be an unreliable play partner, what with adult responsibilities vying for his attention, but I found friends my age to play with. We played in the kitchen-table way: each person makes a deck from their hodgepodge collection, then pit the decks against each other. Adjust and repeat. No purchasing singles (who has the money?), no downloading decklists (who has the internet?), no meta (what is that?). It was uncomplicated, and it was our joy. Then my life turned away from mtg. I needed to focus on important things like keeping my grades up, starting a career. And mtg, for its part, was releasing three or more sets annually, each with its own characters, plotlines, play mechanics. I couldn't keep up. I didn't have the time, attention or money required. After high school I moved away from home and left my cards behind. After college I lived abroad, far from the game and anyone I knew who played it. At some point, I realized I'd become a former mtg player.

Fast forward to four months ago, November 2024. I catch wind of a new mtg set, Foundations, about to release. It's billed as the quintessential mtg set, returning to mtg's roots and the core of what made the game beloved by so many. No wacky mechanics, no tropes. This, they say, is the best set there's ever been for introducing the game to others or for returning to the game.

I research Foundations more. I carefully examine the cards from the set that have been unveiled on the mtg website. I feel a sense of excitement that is at once familiar but long absent.

A bit nervous, I attend a Foundations prerelease event, which entails opening up cards from the forthcoming set, making a deck from those cards, and competing in a tournament with other attendees. It was an absolute blast. The people were incredibly nice, the cards were great, the games were exciting. It was perfect.

Four months later, here we are. I've reconnected with one of my favorite childhood hobbies, and I couldn't be happier. Of course, things have changed since the '90s. Nowadays, there are ways to play mtg through the internet, making it easy to play a game with far-flung friends, or with strangers, any time of day. I've even attended a Magic convention, MagicCon! I suppose I'm now a former former mtg player.

There's a feeling that comes with reconnecting with someone you once knew. A sense of comfort derived from shared history, shared memories. But in fact, neither of you has been standing still. Each of you has grown and changed. As I reacquaint with mtg, there's much for me to catch up on. And I'm eager to do it, with fresh eyes.

My journey back into mtg is the topic that made me want to start writing. But who knows what other topics may pop up as I go along?