Rant: NO non-CCG game "scratches the CCG itch"

hancock.tom wrote:

I wrote an article on this subject (which you are no doubt aware of since you are poking fun at my phraseology) and ultimately concluded the same thing you do- only a CCG can provide that exact type of fun. Unless you want to go broke buying magic cards, you have very few options. Cube drafting and commons magic are the solution I came up with. I haven't put together a cube yet, but I've got some magic commons decks set up.

Was this directed at me? I don't recall the article, is it on F:AT or BGG?

Once you've played a pro M:tG deck a commons deck isn't going to cut it for you. It's like going from a Softail to a moped.

generalpf wrote:

Once you've played a pro M:tG deck a commons deck isn't going to cut it for you. It's like going from a Softail to a moped.

Interesting. Back in the day, my gaming group found the exact opposite to be true.

There's no question that a finely-tuned killer deck can be a thing of beauty to play, but in the end, frankly, the decks play themselves. You don't really have choices to make. Plus, victory goes to he with the most dollars. So, after this kind of play was wearing a little thin (and costing too much money), our group forced ourselves into Highlander (and similar untuned, bloated) decks exclusively. It was like we'd discovered a whole new game, playing with cards you'd never get to see otherwise, and bringing back some tension (and skill in play) to the game. Maybe that's not the same thing as a commons deck per se, but the principle's the same.

generalpf wrote:

Once you've played a pro M:tG deck a commons deck isn't going to cut it for you. It's like going from a Softail to a moped.

PRECISELY. I've tried to explain this to people but they don't get it.


I don't play Magic because I can no longer afford to compete at that level. And anything less...well, *feels* like less.

Ken B. wrote:

generalpf wrote:

Once you've played a pro M:tG deck a commons deck isn't going to cut it for you. It's like going from a Softail to a moped.

PRECISELY. I've tried to explain this to people but they don't get it.


I don't play Magic because I can no longer afford to compete at that level. And anything less...well, *feels* like less.

I stopped playing Magic twice. I started back when people brought it back from Gencon and mentioned this cool game. Shortly after that, the Unlimited series came out and I remember scouring the Metro Detroit area for Magic cards. It was like finding Shangri La or something when we'd find a place that sold them (especially if they were sold at cost). with my friends, we played these huge monster decks, multicolored, not tuned. It was actually pretty fun. I got a few of hte Arabian Nights and Antiquities but I missed out on the first run of Legends and this is what did it for me. There were quite a few killer cards in that set that I missed out on. I wasn't about to pay the online prices. Then there was the tournament where I got beat in one turn....So I didn't play Magic for about 10 years. Then I played with earnest again and got tired of it. I would love to play again at some point, but I don't want to sink more money into the game.

I finally got to play a game of Dominion and I'll have to rate it an Meh. It was okay but it seemed like if you didn't get a couple of those 6 VP cards, you were out of the running. And like many other Euros, once the game started going swimmingly, it was over.

I feel comfortable coming out here and saying the only CCG I play these days is the Pokemon TCG, because my son is really into it. He makes his own decks and fully understands the rules. He loves to tune decks with me and really gets a lot out of it for a 7-year-old. The Pokemon TCG is great, lots of fresh content every new set.

If I had more disposable income and time I'd probably get back into M:tG, but for now I'll just stare at my boxes and dream of the decks I don't have the time to build.

generalpf wrote:

I feel comfortable coming out here and saying the only CCG I play these days is the Pokemon TCG, because my son is really into it. He makes his own decks and fully understands the rules. He loves to tune decks with me and really gets a lot out of it for a 7-year-old. The Pokemon TCG is great, lots of fresh content every new set.

If I had more disposable income and time I'd probably get back into M:tG, but for now I'll just stare at my boxes and dream of the decks I don't have the time to build.

I got into the Pokemon CCG 8 years ago (man has it been that long already?) for a summer. It was pretty fun and I had a total blast.