In the beginning...

Everyone remembers their first time finding something that fundamentally alters their world.  I recall the day I got my first kiss (to Michelle at age 9), bought my first car, quit my first job, and dropped out of college.  Those were October 10, 1989, March 4th, 1998, November 20th, 1995, and February 17th, 1998 respectively.

But sometimes the alterations aren't so obvious.  Sometimes we can remember the event clearly but don't know when it actually happened.  Magic: the Gathering is that way for me.


The First Time
Sometime in '95 or '96, my cousins (Brandon & Shannon) invited me to a sleep over.  They are identical twins that remain two of the most important people to me emotionally, even if I seldom get to see them.

(c) Christopher Rush

That night  they introduced me to a new game.  Brandon started teaching me the rules while Shannon started getting things ready.  We were lying on our bellies on the floor casting spells, summoning angels & consorting with demonic tutors.  One champion, Eron the Relentless dominated the battlefield until the Wrath of God descended from the heavens felling him.  Shannon followed up on B.'s play by summoning a goblin from the Mons tribe and then invoking Armageddon.  That one little raider poked me in the eye 8 times before I could do anthing.  On the ninth poke, I was forced to retreat from the field of battle, leaving B. & Shannon to settle the match between them.

In the mean time, I began looking through their cards.  Shannon told me to build my own deck with his cards.  Being a red blooded American patriot and a PFC in my high school's JROTC program, I noticed that I could make a "red, white, and blue" deck.  Weighing in at over 140 cards, I took every good card I could find and began shuffling.

8 hours later, with nary a wink of sleep or victory in sight, I was already addicted. 




The Last Time
Fast forward 18 years.  I'm now engaged to a beautiful woman and our wedding is fast approaching.  We need cash for the wedding. Seeing the $6000 in cardboard laying around, i make a decision.  Once again, I'm getting rid of my addiction.  All the cards must go.  Sold to catch up on bills and pay for the most beautiful white dress I've ever seen.  I swear I'll never play again.  This is the sixth time I have made that promise.

Which leads me to today.  Getting back into Magic.  Why?  Because I left something on the table.   Because I used to be above average (once ranked #11 in Louisiana and #8 in Missouri simultaneously).  Because I'm in the best "mental" shape of my life.  Because the issues that plagued me in high school and college are finally resolved and I want to see if I'm as good as I have always thought I was.  

I'm not getting back into M:tG to play with my friends, even though I will.  I'm playing M:tG to be one of the best.  I'm going to play until I've eked out every possible drop of skill & capacity I may possess.  

All my life I've settled for saying, "I would have, but...".  "I could have, but...".  I'm getting back into Magic to say that I have really and truly tried, either to success or failure.

This is the last time.  If I fail in my quest, so be it.  At least I will no longer disrespect the man in the mirror for being a coward too afraid to try. 

This is the last time.  If I succeed, I'll have finally taught myself how to do something from start to finish.

This is the last time I start a journey of playing Magic.  On this journey, I'm developing for myself a blueprint of success.  I'm going to leave a record of what I learn and how I learned it, so that I can always go back to this record and master an idea that I thought I already knew.  I'm leaving a record so that my friends can offer insight and instruction. You're welcome to come along for the ride.


Today's Lesson:
Go back to your roots.  Think back to all of the lessons you learned that most stuck out in your mind when you learned them.

Here are the ideas that made me into a better Magic player:

1. "If you only put good cards in a deck, you'll only draw good cards."
2.  White isn't the most powerful color in the game and Serra Angel dies to Terror.
3.   A good wizard casts alot of spells.
4.   Don't be afraid to lose.
5.   Tempo > Damage, but Card Advantage > Tempo.
6.   Life is the least important aspect of the game until you have none of it.

I'll expound upon those ideas in upcoming entries.  I hope to reteach myself all these lessons as well as many more in the weeks and months ahead.

I'll be competing in the SCG Regionals in Baton Rouge on August 1st.  Wish me luck!

--Sparxmith