Something old, something new, something borrowed, nothing blue

Tale as old as time: man plays Magic: The Gathering, sells his cards and rediscovers the hobby 20+ years later. As for many of you readers that was the case for me as well, so no need to relive the pain of lost old school cards or deals that at the time felt good, but in hindsight never should have happened.

In my case the rediscovery of this hobby happened via Youtube just about a year ago (fall 2024). While watching some Warhammer 40k -videos good ol’ Zuck’s algorithms got a hunch that great nerds think alike and suggested some content from Mengu’s Workshop. At first, I wasn’t that excited about it; the tempo was too fast and most of the cards seemed too powerful in contrast with what Type 1 was twenty odd years ago. So, I decided to look up videos on wizards playing older cards, and once again, the algorithm suggested Mengu’s Workshop, but this time premodern. Now I finally recognized some cards I used to play and started watching his videos. Way too many of them. I hadn’t heard about premodern before and I decided to look up if there’s some wizardry going on in my hometown, Tampere. Turns out Foundations had just come out and when I chatted with one of my LGS’ employees he told me about the simple new set and that there will be a draft next Friday. I decided to participate and I have to admit that I actually liked playing, even though there was a lot to learn. A few weeks later the same employee at my local LGS said that someone’s also organizing premodern events… And that was just about it for me! I didn’t think that the format was big at all and I was quite surprised that there is a premodern scene even in Tampere.

Of course, I wanted to build a deck I used to play in Type 1, so I discovered Cardmarket and bought a Sligh deck, which I probably haven’t played at any event or even against anyone to this day. I took the same road everyone does; Deadguy Ale. The deck is perfect on paper. It has all the answers and a wonderful creature base. I lost. I lost a lot! But I hadn’t had so much fun playing any game in a long time! At the first event I remember meeting Pasi. And for some odd reason while discussing saunas (if you know you know) I mentioned that I actually bought a Scrubland, mostly as memorabilia from a local guy in Tampere, so he started talking about old school mtg. But I assured him that I won’t be buying more cards that expensive; Warhammer is an expensive hobby enough (hah!). But I still decided to look into the format, just for shits and giggles and to roll my eyes watching people play P9 and other silly cards. I also had to look up some Discord groups to buy premodern cards. And what do you know! The same guy who sold me the Scrubland had other duals as well. I thought that I could make him an offer on 11 duals. Just as an investment, of course. We found common ground regarding the price and I was sure that I’d sell them soon for a profit. Guess what… That sure as hell didn’t happen!

A year later I still had all the duals. The responsible adult I am, it was of course time to get rid of the duals for the usual stuff an adult man who is slowly but surely approaching his 40’s needs: an Ancestral Recall. Turns out I had been fooling myself for a long time. I hadn’t believed in me buying any cards as investments since the lot of duals I got for a good price. “Basically, this is an investment” is something I heard myself say. Even though I was way passed that. I had admitted to myself quite soon that this is a hobby I love and the cards bring me so much joy.

I was surely into Magic, but it turned out that The Gathering was what I really needed. Even though I might seem talkative, I’m far from social. We all have our struggles and social anxiety has been mine for some years. In my case playing beautiful cards with wonderful people from all around Finland (and the world) is something that helps me avoid the worst valleys. From my first tournament at Aiiieeee! 7pts singleton to Banshee Cup, Fountain of Youth, Ghost Wizards and cabin tournaments I’ve always had the pleasure to play against awesome decks and first and foremost learn something from every game and event. Even though these tournaments have been awesome I have to admit that I’m still a sucker for kitchen table games with crazy decks. I have fond memories from games at tournaments, bars, cafés etc., but mostly I have fond memories of people who I now am happy to call my friends. Even though drinking beer and playing cards is awesome it is equally awesome to grab a coffee and play at a gaming café or to cube draft in my own garden.

Even though playing abroad is probably nice, there is something more in having a local community if you ask me. Sending a message to your playgroup, laughing at a stupid meme or starting to play a bonkers ante format or why not discussing deck tech on Suomi Old School MTG -discord channel is valuable regarding The Gathering. The newest thing I’ve tried is to organize Stream of Life - the first x-point tournament in Finland! This is to some extent due to a lot of new potential players sometimes wondering if it’s any point in starting to play old school if you have to invest absurd amounts of money in P9. Secondly, the format is just awesome. I have to say I was surprised to see that the tournament sold out immediately, which is heartwarming. Lately I’ve spent way too much time thinking about themes, logos, prizes etc. And I assure you that there will be some real spice in the prize pool as well. And to all you thinking about organizing something: it’s way easier than you think. Having a few friends helping out doesn’t hurt either.

So, what now? I’m a proud member of Keldon Warlords. I play my favourite card Nether Void in my own brew, which is still simmering and finding it’s form (hope it never will!). I win some, lose some, it’s all the same to me (Copyright: Ace of Base). Lately, I’ve started to be luckier and win more. The more you play, the luckier you’ll be, just like in chess! I also have to admit I still haven’t played blue. And while I enjoy a tight-knit community I personally feel that these wonderful formats should be made more and more accessible to new players. I’m happy to be part of a community without house Gods or players/groups of players who see themselves as playing in a league above others. We’ve managed to find some new players and I surely hope that they will be as pleased with this community as I am. So, to all you new guys: print a deck and join the dark side! To all you old-timers: don’t worry, they’ll start playing with real cards soon enough…

To circle back on the start of this way too long post I feel obliged to quote a shirtless power-shuffling hooligan “The quicker you buy the cards the more you can enjoy the game”. I’ve certainly tried to live up to this quote, but the thing that I still love about this format is that I can be as happy and excited about acquiring an Evil Eye of Orms-by-Gore as from acquiring one of the nine.

That said… I’m already looking forward to destroying your lands and casting Nether Void!