Emily Arvanitis Mr.

Borrero ENGL 1101 November 18, 2012

Magic: The Gathering

Magic: The Gathering is a game that falls under the category of a trading card game. The overall concept, as it would be for any game, is to win. There are many strategies and tactics you can use in this game and some can make you a better player than others. The purpose of this essay is to teach players of the game Magic become better players than they could be on their own. In this essay I will discuss what players use to read and how they do research about the game, how they compose plays and how they choose specific cards, and how they communicate with each other. Through discussing the literary side of this game, I hope that players will gain a better understanding of different tactics and the most efficient ways to play. When our parents were young the only type of cards youd hear of collecting would probably be a baseball card. Today though, there are many types of cards you can collect. One specific card type that was created in 1993 by Richard Garfield is Magic: The Gathering cards. Magic cards are unique to their kind and were the first trading card game adopted by the Wizards of the Coast. As the game just came out it wasnt as popular as the creators had hoped, but as the cards started to be sold in

more places, naturally, more people began to play. Because many stores could not keep up with the rapid demand growth, a rippling affect began and people that didnt want their own cards anymore started to sell them for higher prices than they bought them for. As Magic was in and out of the gaming world for a few years because of the supply and demand rates, it became less popular and other trading card games came out. Garfield went back to the drawing board to figure out ways to get his game back out there and with more cards. He pulled ideas similar to Dungeons and Dragons in the sense that more spells and creatures were developed for the cards. After a few more years of perfecting his game, new Magic cards were released and players and cards expanded rapidly from there. The people I observed for this paper were the kids at Norms Loft in the Student Union, here at UNC Charlotte. Norms Loft was not designed specifically for people who wanted to play Magic and other video games, but thats who is mostly up there. The amount of people at The Loft varies, but there are usually no more than two females. Almost all of the players of Magic are very smart and have a lot of knowledge of strategy and gaming. When I talked to a few of them they were very nice and open to the questions I was asking and they were easy to talk to. Every question I asked them they knew a thorough answer to and knew more than I expected about the ins and outs of the game they love to play. Many of them also play other games though, like Dungeons and Dragons and another card game called

BANG! The guys that played Magic are your typical gamers that wear a zip up hoodie, jeans, and tennis shoes. They dont care about what they look like, they just like to play their game and have fun. Most of them though so take the game seriously and want to win, naturally. Like most other tabletop games, Magic has a set of rules that should be followed. Unlike other games, the rules can be altered for tournaments and if players agree about rule changes. The rule book is the most important book you can have when playing Magic because then its easy to call anyones bluff, said Andrew C. when interviewed about the game. Another book Magic players read is the Magic: The Gathering Official Strategy Guide. Some people when they are looking for a different technique or way to play, but since the book has become more popular many people turn to reading blogs or forums that are constantly being updated. The best Magic books to read are the Legends Cycle II collection. This collection is the best because it tells the story of the best, I think, deck and cards to have and it gives in depth descriptions of what the powers each card has (Alex H). Another good set of books Magic players like to read are called Block novels. These books tell the background story of Magic and the lands and spells and what each one is like and what they do. Other Magic players read forums and blogs on the Internet. People like these more because there are a large variety of them and theyre constantly being updated. Books are repeated exactly the same each time a

new copy is made so once it gets out everyone who reads the book knows the same thing. Many people wouldnt think so, because Magic is played with cards, but the background and rules of the game heavily rely on reading books, blogs, and forums. To be good at Magic you, like anything else to be good at, have to do research about it. It certainly isnt hard to research the game nowadays with the Internet and such, but it can be quite time consuming. Many players enjoy doing research for their game because they like to see where cards and creatures come from. If someone shows up to a tournament without knowing why he or she chose a card to play or where it came from, they would get looked down on. In the world of Magic, it is important to know what youre talking about and where the origin of creatures and spells is. The research for Magic can be quite confusing and sometimes a little too in depth if youre just learning how to play or looking for a quick background story. In the world of Magic: The Gathering, writing is used in a different way. Players use their cards to create stories and the game and in a sense this is their way of writing. Putting certain cards in order and making specific plays are the ways players communicate. So, instead of writing down what happens in the game, the cards tell what each one does and it becomes a story that way. Players dont usually physically write things down, but the way the cards are laid out can be considered a

writing form. Sometimes though, players will take notes about another players moves, strategies, cards, or even cheating habits. Comprehending Magic definitely is not easy unless you actually know how to play the game. Coming from a first hand point of view, when the game was being explained to be I had no idea what words like mana meant, or why they would put cards in a graveyard. After being around it for a while I began to catch on. Magic certainly does fall in a category of its own under the umbrella of a tabletop game. Players communicate via their cards and telling what each one does and while the game is going on thats the only conversation that happens. Serious players cant stand when people dont pay attention and talk about other things during a game of Magic. Especially at tournaments, it is key to keep quite about anything else in the real world. When people sign up in a tournament to play Magic, they hope to be the best player and end up as the winner. Some tournaments are played for money and some just for fun, but regardless of the purpose, Magic players take their game very seriously. The game may seem like a foreign concept to those who do not know how to play, but to those who play, they focus on becoming the best. Through different strategies and many cards and logic, Magic players spend hours doing research and sometimes hundreds of dollars on cards. Although the goal of the game is similar to most other trading card games, the literacy in Magic is not. The cards and the names of cards

and plays are unique to the game and if you dont know the basics, youll struggle and not be the best player. The game of Magic: The Gathering is all about good tactic and reasoning. Through having this paper focus on the literary elements of Magic, I hope this paper will help players become better.

Emily Arvanitis Mr. Borrero ENGL 1101 November 19, 2012 Works Cited "Basics of the Game : New to Magic : Trading Card Game : Magic: The Gathering." Basics of the Game : New to Magic : Trading Card Game : Magic: The Gathering. Wizards of the Coast, 6 Sept. 2004. Web. 17 Nov. 2012. <http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/NewtoMagic.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/newtomagic /gamebasics>.

Buehler, Randy. Official Magic, the Gathering Classic Strategy Guide: Strategies & Playing Tips. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1999. Print.

C, Andrew. Personal Interview. 13 Nov. 2012

H, Alex. Personal Interview. 16 Nov. 2012

"Learn to Play : New to Magic : Trading Card Game : Magic: The Gathering." Learn to Play : New to Magic : Trading Card Game : Magic: The Gathering. Wizards of the Coast, 12 Apr. 2004. Web. 17 Nov. 2012. <http://www.wizards.com/Magic/TCG/NewtoMagic.aspx?x=mtg/tcg/newtomagic /learntoplay>.

Long, Nick. "Understanding Magic: The Gathering - Part One: History." Yahoo! Contributor Network. N.p., 2 May 2007. Web. 17 Nov. 2012. <http://voices.yahoo.com/understanding-magic-gathering-part-one-history316660.html?cat=19>.

Digital Pre-Writing Like most other tabletop games, Magic has a set of rules that should be followed. Unlike other games, the rules can be altered for tournaments and if players agree about rule changes. The rule book is the most important book you can have when playing Magic because then its easy to call anyones bluff, said Andrew C. when interviewed about the game. Another book Magic players read is the Magic: The Gathering Official Strategy Guide. Some people when they are looking for a different technique or way to play, but since the book has become more popular many people turn to reading blogs or forums that are constantly being updated. The best Magic books to read are the Legends Cycle II collection. This collection is the best because it tells the story of the best, I think, deck and cards to have and it gives in depth descriptions of what the powers each card has (Alex H). Another good set of books Magic players like to read are called Block novels. These books tell the background story of Magic and the lands and spells and what each one is like and what they do. Other Magic players read forums and blogs on the Internet. People like these more because there are a large variety of them and theyre constantly being updated. Books are repeated exactly the same each time a new copy is made so once it gets out everyone who reads the book knows the same thing. Many people wouldnt think so, because Magic is played with cards, but the background and rules of the game heavily rely on reading books, blogs, and forums. To be good at Magic you, like anything else to be good at, have to do research about it. It certainly isnt hard to research the game nowadays with the Internet and such, but it can be quite time consuming. Many players enjoy doing research for

their game because they like to see where cards and creatures come from. If someone shows up to a tournament without knowing why he or she chose a card to play or where it came from, they would get looked down on. In the world of Magic, it is important to know what youre talking about and where the origin of creatures and spells is. The research for Magic can be quite confusing and sometimes a little too in depth if youre just learning how to play or looking for a quick background story. In the world of Magic: The Gathering, writing is used in a different way. Players use their cards to create stories and the game and in a sense this is their way of writing. Putting certain cards in order and making specific plays are the ways players communicate. So, instead of writing down what happens in the game, the cards tell what each one does and it becomes a story that way. Players dont usually physically write things down, but the way the cards are laid out can be considered a writing form. Sometimes though, players will take notes about another players moves, strategies, cards, or even cheating habits. Comprehending Magic definitely is not easy unless you actually know how to play the game. Coming from a first hand point of view, when the game was being explained to be I had no idea what words like mana meant, or why they would put cards in a graveyard. After being around it for a while I began to catch on. Magic certainly does fall in a category of its own under the umbrella of a tabletop game. Players communicate via their cards and telling what each one does and while the game is going on thats the only conversation that happens. Serious players cant stand when people dont pay attention and talk about other things during a game of

Magic. Especially at tournaments, it is key to keep quite about anything else in the real world

When our parents were young the only type of cards youd hear of collecting would probably be a baseball card. Today though, there are many types of cards you can collect. One specific card type that was created in 1993 by Richard Garfield is Magic: The Gathering cards. Magic cards are unique to their kind and were the first trading card game adopted by the Wizards of the Coast. As the game just came out it wasnt as popular as the creators had hoped, but as the cards started to be sold in more places, naturally, more people began to play. Because many stores could not keep up with the rapid demand growth, a rippling affect began and people that didnt want their own cards anymore started to sell them for higher prices than they bought them for. As Magic was in and out of the gaming world for a few years because of the supply and demand rates, it became less popular and other trading card games came out. Garfield went back to the drawing board to figure out ways to get his game back out there and with more cards. He pulled ideas similar to Dungeons and Dragons in the sense that more spells and creatures were developed for the cards. After a few more years of perfecting his game, new Magic cards were released and players and cards expanded rapidly from there. The people I observed for this paper were the kids at Norms Loft in the Student Union, here at UNC Charlotte. Norms Loft was not designed specifically for

people who wanted to play Magic and other video games, but thats who is mostly up there. The amount of people at The Loft varies, but there are usually no more than two females. Almost all of the players of Magic are very smart and have a lot of knowledge of strategy and gaming. When I talked to a few of them they were very nice and open to the questions I was asking and they were easy to talk to. Every question I asked them they knew a thorough answer to and knew more than I expected about the ins and outs of the game they love to play. Many of them also play other games though, like Dungeons and Dragons and another card game called BANG! The guys that played Magic are your typical gamers that wear a zip up hoodie, jeans, and tennis shoes. They dont care about what they look like, they just like to play their game and have fun. Most of them though so take the game seriously and want to win, naturally.

Magic: The Gathering Purpose Statement The purpose of this essay is to teach players of the game Magic: The Gathering become a better player than they could on their own. In my essay I will discuss what players use to read and how they do research about the game, how they compose plays and the best plays to compose, and how they communicate with each other. Through discussing the literary side of this game, I hope that players will gain a better understanding of different ways to win and the most efficient ways to play. Reading Magic: The Gathering books Websites Strategy guides Blogs Body language

Writing (Composing Plays) Reading the books to figure out what moves are best Analyzing what the other player put down before you go Understanding the exact play the other person is using Player reads off card to let other player know what theyre doing with it Many players look at their cards and strategize before they make their move with someone else

Communication Talking Body language Knowing certain terms about cards and plays Letting someone finish explaining Rules