When my brother and I gave up Legacy for good and decided to solely dedicate ourselves to Old School, we didn’t know how deep the 93/94 waters really were. We just dived in, like most people I’d imagine, with a Mono-Black deck and a Mono-White deck. My Mono-Black deck started pretty good, with an Unlimited Mox Jet and a Juzam but also a Sorceress Queen and a Word of Command. My brother’s deck was a...
Somebody once told me you never know what you have until it’s gone. Or maybe I heard it in a country song. Either way the older I get the faster time seems to pass me by and I try to appreciate every precious moment more and more. I had intentions to do a tournament report from the Madison Offensive, but I’ve put it off so long I don’t remember the details. I won a Beta...
Alright, we’re holding our first Old School event. The Bootleggers Ball will be held on May 26th in Nashville, TN at the Flying Saucer. An obvious tip of the hat to the great Lords of the Pit who hold their annual (hopefully) event, the Players Ball in Chicago, where a couple of our own mages have battled before. We’re hoping for a good turn out. We’ll have 6-10 locals and have some interest out of...
The house is way too quiet. I can’t sleep. My family has been gone to visit relatives and I haven’t seen them in five days. Tomorrow they come home, and maybe it’s the anticipation that agitates my mind. The reason doesn’t matter, what matters is I’m awake and dreaming beneath the Bodhi tree. I’ve largely tuned out of politics the past month or two. Usually an area of considerable interest, I’ve become weary of the...
We held our first official Old School tournament this past weekend. Being a last minute decision to throw this thing, it ended up being just our group, minus 1. Despite having only 4 players and not much time to plan, it was a blast and a great way to end our first year. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m just not great at taking notes for a recap, but again, I’ll do...
The leaves of Summer have been touched by the caress of Autumn, left to wither and die in one last burst of color and beauty. By time I get off work night has already overtaken the clear blue Tennessee sky. This has always been a reminiscent time of year for me, and during the drive to pick up my children and head home I reflect on many things from this year. My family has gotten...
Our gang is starting to mature. This is all casual fun of course, but we’re all in it. With life’s responsibilities, I can only acquire so many cards, but I did manage to pull in a pretty good haul over the past couple of months and among other things, completed my mono B deck. It needed some staples and I was finally able to get my swamps upped to beta before they reached an even...
The screams of a dying man echoed in the distance. Black smoke thick as tar hung heavy in the air, burning my throat. Through the shadows I could make out broken and twisted limbs though life had long since fled from the inanimate remains. This was hell on earth. But I was alive. The 2017 Player’s Ball in Chicago was now over and I had been baptized in fire. I ended the day with a...
It had been a long hiatus, but in mid-2017 I finally fell off the wagon. I started playing Magic back in the halcyon days of high school. My friends and I in 2002 decided that to get the fullest experience, we’d play what was known as Type 1. All the sets were legal, there was a banned and restricted list, and we could do whatever we wanted. We wanted to do the coolest things possible,...
“What the fuck is a sideboard?” I asked myself this as I watched a VHS titled “MTG: Road to the 1998 World Championships” when I was around 11 or 12. Way back in the late 90’s I had gotten super into the championship decks. I bought a few and ended up with this video and I watched the hell out of it. I always played extremely casually as a kid, because, well, I was a...
