Kinsmarck
2011-04-11, 03:46 PM
Years ago, I thoroughly enjoyed the intricate ruleset and beautiful artwork of a little card game called Magic. Unfortunately, I never really had many people to play it with, so I eventually handed my deck off to a friend of mine whom I knew did play more often than I, and promptly forgot all about it.
Flash forward to present, and it seems several friends of mine have picked up the hobby, prompting me to reignite my collector's fervor. Enter the quandry; having looked around for information on the many expansions and sets that have come out since I last played, I've noted several times on gaming forums comments about "getting card X out by turn Y," and how "if you haven't played card X by turn Y, you haven't built your deck correctly." Now, I know the rules have been updated and expanded since I last played (which was somewhere around Y2K), but those comments read to me as though these players are strategically ordering the cards in their decks, well aware of what they will draw and when.
To me, this came as an almost offensive shock, as the very idea of 'stacking' one's deck rang of cheating to me. That said, I'm not one to pass judgment so quickly, and would like to inquire of you, Playground, what these avid gamers are referring to, what strategy they may be using, or whether they really are just the worst of the gaming community, cheaters. Thoughts? Suggestions?
Flash forward to present, and it seems several friends of mine have picked up the hobby, prompting me to reignite my collector's fervor. Enter the quandry; having looked around for information on the many expansions and sets that have come out since I last played, I've noted several times on gaming forums comments about "getting card X out by turn Y," and how "if you haven't played card X by turn Y, you haven't built your deck correctly." Now, I know the rules have been updated and expanded since I last played (which was somewhere around Y2K), but those comments read to me as though these players are strategically ordering the cards in their decks, well aware of what they will draw and when.
To me, this came as an almost offensive shock, as the very idea of 'stacking' one's deck rang of cheating to me. That said, I'm not one to pass judgment so quickly, and would like to inquire of you, Playground, what these avid gamers are referring to, what strategy they may be using, or whether they really are just the worst of the gaming community, cheaters. Thoughts? Suggestions?