Back in the day

Original Winter Orb is here. Apologies to Mark Tedin and Wizards of the Coast.

In 1993 no one had web browsers. It was my first year at college and the Internet was an obscure text-only activity confined to monochrome UNIX terminals in the basement of the math building. And there I was, reading breathless newsgroup posts about a new game abbreviated as MTG.

I got my hands on what seemed like the last three Limited Edition Magic starter decks available in the East Bay Area. I still remember my six rares: Bad Moon, Force of Nature, Elvish Archers, Mind Twist, Mox Emerald, and Winter Orb. Of course at the time the rares were not labeled as such and spoilers weren't as widespread. It was a while before I realized that Elvish Archers was a rare.

One thing that struck me about the game was how the designer had given players all of these interesting tools, and it was up to us to figure out what to do with them. Winter Orb is that kind of card. As a new player I remember thinking, "Nice bear, but why did they make this card that hurts everyone? Unless ..." It opened my eyes.

My personal history with Magic is long, but similar to a lot of old-timers. We played the hell out of those early cards. I designed countless decks in notebook margins during lectures. I played in tournaments on campus and at local comic shops. Around Mirage I stepped away from the game. Occasionally I'd do a sealed league with friends and check out the new mechanics. Played on Apprentice with friends in other cities. And a couple years ago I got sucked back in.

Recently I've been playing a lot, reading a lot of articles, and doing occasional tournaments. One weird side effect is that I started having fun drawing favorite cards. Now: a blog. I am Alpha Reborn!

---JOSH