So you want to play Magic the Gathering? Well if you are considering it, I would advise against it. It’s like a drug, you will locate your dealers, then locate the ones you consider the most reliable one, maybe change your sources, but in the end like any drug you will keep spending your money on it. I have seen players easily put themselves in debt over expanding their collection. I myself used to play (I have been clean for many years, bar the odd relapse) and spent a small fortune on these cards.  So before you play here is a little background on the game and don’t say I did not warn you.

Created by Wizards of the Coast and launched in good old 1993 MTG has been going strong for 20 years. In the game you play the role of a Planes Walker who summons minions and uses magic to try and defeat his or her opponent. This game can be played in a one on one style or with multiple players. It’s highly addictive, being able to create your own customized deck to take on your opponent. In this series of articles I will be posting up information on the types of deck you can use, but for now let’s get back to the task at hand.

You can play sitting round a table in your mother’s basement, or in a room with your girlfriend (don’t be shocked girls can play MTG too), other alternatives are playing online using 3^rd party systems, or if you want to just dip your toe in the water try playing the X-Box live and PSN Magic the gathering game. It’s a great simulator to what the real games like and in some ways a lot more fun.

One thing I was not originally aware of is the lore, now I am a complete Lore Whore; I’m obsessed with backgrounds and motivations, why so and so want to blow up this place, or how this sword can save the universe. If you’re like me this is how you will be sucked in, do a little digging and read about the history of this universe, even pick up one of the books, it’s another way to test if this relationship/addiction, is the one for you.(If reading the books I would suggest the Weatherlight saga, its a fan Favorite.)

So if you want to try the game full on, the next few articles will try and show you the flavour that goes with magic. In the game you will find that there are five colours red, black, blue, white and green, each have their own play style and fluff. It’s important that you find out what’s for you, and that’s why I am writing these articles up.

In the game there is a certain amount of luck, you have to hope you get the right card at the right time, but if you have constructed your deck well this should hardly ever be a problem, again that’s part of the fun, building a deck, each situation is a question, your deck should always have the answer.

Finally if you’re feeling hesitant or bad about this don’t, it’s a great way to keep your mind active, after all everyone needs a hobby. Just remember to not get too carried away with it. An interesting note is that the world’s top players are so good at it they can make a living off the game, by playing tournaments, an old friend of mine played in tournaments over Europe, using the winnings to fund his holiday and only came home after a bad loss (that followed 7 good wins) so this game may surprise you and hope you like the articles that will follow.

This wheel shows the 5 colors of magic and what each represents, it will give you a taste of what is to come