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On the Tabletop

2024 Look Back on Tabletop

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Introduction

Similar to my mobile experience this year, the 2024 look back on tabletop reflects a shifting of priorities. Because I no longer ran the Dungeons and Dragons club at my school and my plans to run a semi regular group with my family are still in the planning stage, I backed off D&D some this year. Chris, Jason, and I became less communicative over the year and my desire to play Magic the Gathering went with them. As a result, I became more involved in Warhammer this year.

Therefore, I came up with the idea to structure this article according to how likely I am to return to the hobby in the future. No spoilers, but the list goes from least likely to most likely. Then again, if you spend any time here, you know that things change daily and by this time next week, I might be knee deep in something completely unplanned.

Magic the Gathering

I already talked about the in person play group falling off. Unfortunate, but not unexpected. We’re all busy adults. We have other priorities. And, it truly was fun for the couple of times we played. Who knows? Maybe things end up working out again. I hope

Because, the other part of this is that I stopped playing Arena, too. It started as a gradual decline. But, I haven’t logged in at all in over two weeks. And, truly, I don’t miss it at all. So, unless the group gets together or I find inspiration to go to one of the stores, I don’t see myself playing the game anytime soon.

I could try to get one of the boys into playing the game to keep the tradition alive. I guess we’ll see how things go. Also, if any of them show interest over the next couple of months.

Dungeons and Dragons

The reason this comes in second is that I recently purchased an adventure. A couple of days ago, I visited DM Guild. I wanted to find an adventure with a Christmas theme. I looked for a few and landed on one that spoke to me. Many probably would have gone with Krampus. I looked at one but then I found the one I actually wanted.

It’s called “Not a Creature Was Stirring”. It revolves around a story that more closely resembles “The Grinch”. I think we can have a lot of fun with the adventure. I just need to get myself into the story telling mode. Right now, I’m trying to get out of the school mode. I will update you all with the progress during the holiday break.

Warhammer

Once I finally took the plunge into the miniatures that I received through my subscription, I got hooked. Every week, I build and paint one of the kits. I currently have several pieces for both of the armies. As a student replied, I don’t have a full army. But, I have enough pieces to play through the tutorials and scenarios that they set up.

One of the reasons that I think this one might get more play is that I got a request twice to play. Once, Christine felt sorry for me when I played through solo. Then, when Chris came to visit, we talked about playing. Never got around either time, but that encourages me the most.

The Verdict

While our 2024 look back on tabletop might strike you as melancholy. And, I admit, there’s some of that. But, mostly, I understand that the only constant in life is change. Things change and we adapt. Maybe with the free time, I can find other games to fill the time.

On the Tabletop

Noob’s Duskmourn Prerelease

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Introduction

A couple of days ago, I wrote an article about my impressions of Duskmourn, the new Magic the Gathering set that just released. In that article, I also started a short story in the setting. I promised to continue it in this article, Noob’s Duskmourn Prerelease. Unlike other events in the past, I simulated this one on DraftSim. As kids get older, it becomes easier to do things on your own. But, I find they’re not as satisfying as when we all went as a family.

Maybe next time I will order a few of the packs and we can put on our own event here at home. Only thing about that is that they’re like 25-30 bucks each and that’s a lot of scratch just for the ability to put together a deck and play a few games. Especially when I could easily simulate the packs again and proxy the cards, or import them into xMage and play that way. Wizards keeps pricing out players. Oh well, back into the story.

Into the Unknown (Noob’s Duskmourn Tale II)

The circle of light from the lantern fights against the encroaching darkness, barely winning the battle. You know from experience that this darkness stems not only from the setting sun, but also from the land itself. The spirit of Duskmourn lives off the night and tries to suffocate any warmth and light that dares to infringe into its territory.

Off in the distance, something lets out a low growl. The swamp bubbles and pops, releasing more of the foul ichor and stench into the air. Against all good judgement, you must remove your goggles to wipe the mess off of them. The flame of your lantern flickers and goes out for a moment. You need to be moving as quickly as possible.

Thankfully, someone erected a makeshift bridge over the swamp. Just wide enough for your horse, the animal dances momentarily before taking a tentative step onto the bridge. It groans under the weight. You kick your heels into the horse’s haunches to bring the speed up to a canter. The bridge splinters on the sides. While wide enough for the horse, you now regret not testing the weight.

Thankfully, though, you make it across without major incident. The thing growls again, this time closer and more menacing. You realize now that the real threat exists outside of the swamp and you might be marching right to it. You swear an oath to whoever might be listening. Keeping a watchful eye on darkness just beyond the light, you continue.

In due time, the ring of light reflects off something and back to you. You slow the horse to a crawl as the growl comes from that direction, louder and more menacing than ever. Placing your other hand on your sword you see a wrought iron gate swinging free on a single hinge. You breathe a sigh of relief and enter the grounds. So far, the trip has been mostly uneventful. But, who knows what horrors await here.

Noob’s Duskmourn Prerelease Deck

Sorry to end on another cliffhanger, but at this point, I have no choice. I actually haven’t invented the horrors that await you just yet. I know I promise this often, but maybe I’ll release more parts of the story during our celebration of Spooktober next month. Remind me if I forget.

Anyway, after opening the packs, I consulted a guide for Duskmourn limited. As I looked through the cards, I considered building a blue-white deck. Unfortunately, the packs didn’t contain enough of those cards. Instead, I pivoted to white black reanimator. That one came together like a dream.

I got several of the biggies in Emerge from the Cocoon and Shroudstomper. Innocuous Rat can build up the graveyard with other big fatties like the Excrutiator and Glimmer. Attack-in-the-Box just provides recursive attack after recursive attack. I question how effective such a strategy can be with a 40 card deck, but it just looks like fun.

The spells strictly work in the reanimator theme. As long as you get the spells and bin the right monsters, you’re in for a fun time. I played around with the deck some on Moxfield and it never quite came together the way I wanted, but that’s par for the course. I swear, if they gave a prize for most unlucky MtG player, I’d win it in a landslide. Back to the deck, though, add in a Terramorphic Expanse and Valgavoth’s Lair for some mana fixing and I’m ready to play.

The Verdict

I only constructed this one deck. However, I reloaded the packs a few other times. And, I must say, I enjoyed my time exploring for Noob’s Duskmourn Prerelease. I know part of that is simply because I enjoy the limited format so much and never get a chance to actually play it. Who knows? Maybe I’ll load up a draft or two on Arena.

The Deck

Duskmourn Prerelease

Creatures (18)
2 Appendage Amalgam
1 Attack-in-the-Box
1 Balemurk Leech
1 Doomsday Excruciator
1 Fear of Lost Teeth
1 Fear of Surveillance
1 Fear of the Dark
1 Friendly Ghost
2 Innocuous Rat
1 Lionheart Glimmer
2 Patched Plaything
1 Possessed Goat
1 Shroudstomper
1 Spectral Snatcher
1 Unsettling Twins

Spells (4)
2 Emerge from the Cocoon
1 Rite of the Moth
1 Split Up

Land (18)
7 Plains
9 Swamp
1 Terramorphic Expanse
1 Valgavoth’s Lair
On the Tabletop

Noob’s Guide to Duskmourn

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Introduction

We get an early start on Spooktober here at 2 Generations Gaming with Noob’s Guide to Duskmourn. Officially titled, Duskmourn: House of Horror, it is the latest set release in Magic the Gathering. While we suffered a dearth of MtG content over the last few months to a year, I came up with an idea a couple of weeks ago to bring it back and try to give it a different spin to match our vibe.

It won’t take much tweaking of the formula to get there. I never wrote articles about the best or most valuable cards. Those articles are a dime a dozen and you can find them anywhere. Instead, I often focus on the fun factor of the set and cards. All I need to do is turn that up a little bit and I think I will have a winning formula.

Welcome to Duskmourn (Noob’s Duskmourn Tale I)

You pull at your horse’s reign as you come upon a fork in the road. No signs tell you where either direction leads. Your only indication is a general sense of foreboding no matter which way you choose. Damned if go you right or if you go left, you fish a coin out of your purse. Heads – left. Tails – right. You flip.

Heads. Left.

You spur your horse and guide it down the left path. At first, the scenery remains the same. Rolling hills with a forest far off to your left what looks like a lake on your right. Maybe a swamp. Some body of water with all manner of horrors that live there. The path turns to the left. Thank goodness. At least in the forest, you have the advantage of solid ground against anything that might try to kill you. As you follow the path, plan for whatever might hide in the shadows. After traveling long enough for the sun to fall slightly further down towards the horizon, you notice that the forest looks just as far away as when you started. Foul land.

You turn your horse around and ride back. As you get closer, you realize your second instinct was right. A bubbling fen, belching noxious gas that burns your eyes, nose, and throat. You have to stop to put on a pair of goggles and a bandana. Both only provide some relief. Additionally, the sun sinks lower towards the horizon more quickly. You have a choice to make. Do you light a lantern to make your trip easier and potentially alert the denizens of this swamp? Or, do you stumble around in the darkness and risk running into one of them without warning.

Shit. You pull out and light the lantern. Welcome to Duskmourn.

Noob’s Guide to Duskmourn Setting

In case that intro wasn’t enough of a hint, Duskmourn is a horror themed set. To distinguish is from the other horror planes, though, they based it on more modern interpretations of horror. Instead of gothic horror like vampires or werewolves, they used 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s slasher films and haunted houses as their inspiration.

While I focused more on the traditional version in that short story up there, I plan to write another article over the weekend. That part will pick up where I left off. But, I promise to include some of the more modern horror tropes in it.I wanted to write more.

However, the SEO app recommends less than 300 words per subheading for maximum readability. So, I came up with the alternate plan of the cliffhanger. Then, next time, I finish the story. Besides, who doesn’t love a a cliffhanger?

Duskmourn Art Style

Some players scoffed at the inclusion of modern horror tropes. I remember this being one of the first cards released and they went ape shit over it. This isn’t Magic the Gathering! What’s with the TVs?! Then they released a “sequel” to one of the best cards ever in the form of Meathook Massacre II. The story goes that a movie producer heard of the original and made a movie based on it and that’s the card. Admittedly, a bit weird. Still, fun.

I like that they try new and different things. Sometimes those things don’t work for everyone. But, I applaud the effort. Besides, the number of cards that fall into the more modern actually don’t number all that many. And, horror, even modern horror movies, allow for gothic and religious themes common to other Magic the Gathering sets. It’s the other reason that I started the story the way I did. Suck em in with what they know and then flip the script on them. It’s a time honored tradition.

That’s just my long winded way (is there any other with me?) of saying that I like the art style. They deftly combine the old with the new in a way that appeals to my particular brand of horror fan. Which is to say that I often like the snarky side of horror. When you mix genres. Or, remix them with a different sense and sensibility. That reminds me. Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter? That shit was my jam. And, so is Duskmourn.

Noob’s Guide to Duskmourn Mechanics

Without getting too bogged down in the mechanics (follow this link for more discussion about them), I want to commend them for working the keywords nicely into the theme of the set. Words like Eerie, Impending, Manifest (Dread), and Survival all add to the sense of horror and foreboding. Even Delirium, a graveyard mechanic, brings to mind the creeping insanity seen in many modern horror films.

But, my favorite new card type has to be rooms. It incorporates some of the same game play as other twofer cards but with a twist. You cast the enchantment with one mana cost and it only has that initial ability. At any point, you can pay the mana cost to unlock the room. Then, you have both parts of the room accessible. A very cool new type of card that’s mostly garbage. But, I love jank and all that it entails.

The Verdict

I hope this new format for Noob’s Guide to Duskmourn made the article more fun to read. I plan to write another one over the weekend. First, as I said, I need to finish the story. Second, I want to simulate a prerelease pack for the set. Be on the lookout for that in a couple of days.

Digital Playground

Marvel SNAP September 2024: The Amazing Spider-Season

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Introduction

Back to school and back on track with the articles, at least. I need to record for the podcast and get the YouTube back up and running. One step at a time, dear friends. With the web page back on track, we bring you comics for the first week. Aiden and I played some Dicemasters yesterday. Quinn made a deck and Aiden asked to play more. Look for that in the near future. Today, I talk about Marvel SNAP September 2024. Comics reviews come at the end of the week.

New Locations

Brooklyn Bridge turns off some strategies (like Hawkeye), but opens up other possibilities (like Jessica Jones). Also, it sucker punches all of the bots that like to just fill one location if it shows up in that particular location for the game. Otto’s lab gives you a taste of the old Doctor Octopus card. With my luck, I end up pulling their best card and losing because of it. But, maybe it all works out for me. Hey, stranger things have happened!

New Characters

Silver Sable

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On Reveal: Steal 2 Power from the top card of your opponent’s deck.

Ever since Spider-Verse in the comics and then the movies, Spider People have exploded in number in the various Marvel universes. It almost makes me yearn for the good old days of Spider-Man and Venom. Almost. But, I needed to search for Araña because I never saw her before in any of the literature.

As far as the cards, two of them debut the new keyword, “Activate”. This allows you to control the abilities of cards a little bit more. Instead of resolving on the reveal of the card, you activate the card’s ability by clicking on the card until it says “activated!” I like the idea and that they’re trying new things to keep the game fresh. Madam Web and Araña work well with my “Move” deck and I like the cheeky lore behind Scarlet Spider’s ability.

The Verdict

Marvel SNAP September 2024 brings the “attack of the spider people!” to the game. Plus, Silver Sable, one of my favorite characters from my teenage years, joins the fray. Overall, I like the inclusion of the new keyword, the cards look like fun, and the locations (if they ever show in my games) promise to make things more interesting overall. See you in game, SNAPpers!

Images SNAPped from Marvel SNAP Zone.

On the Tabletop

Revisiting Dice Masters

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Introduction

Out of the blue, Aiden texted me, “We should play Dice Masters.” I replied, “I love Dice Masters. I bought an X-Force set.” He said, “Yeah, I saw it and that’s what made me think that.” “Well, let’s play Dice Masters and Yu-Gi-Oh.” Only one of those things happened today. And, that’s the story of how we ended up revisiting Dice Masters this weekend.

Building My Deck

Christine and I went grocery shopping. Aiden and his girlfriend built their decks while we shopped. They waited until I got home to learn the game again. Aiden’s girlfriend wanted to play Yu-Gi-Oh, too, so he showed her how to build a deck in that game, too. I still need to either build or buy a deck so that we can play Yu-Gi-Oh.

Previously, my decks contained some semblance of a strategy. Most notably, I shared the “rainbow spin” deck I built the last time we played the game extensively almost four years ago. With such a long time between sessions and under the gun to create a deck quickly, I threw out all pretense of a strategy and just put together cards that looked fun and might give me a chance to win a game or two.

We started without knowing the intricacies of all the rules. Like, we played with summoning sickness (not a thing in the game) and that you needed to match all of the symbols in order to buy a card. Through that first game, we looked up rules and adjusted accordingly. I won that first game out of the blue by remembering to use the global ability. Aiden more or less bulldozed me in the second game because I started out on the defensive and never stabilized.

The Verdict

While I discovered that they most likely killed the game quietly, I still enjoy playing. Aiden said that he liked it, too. He also mentioned one of his friends who picked up the game after playing at our house. Even with the likely death of the game, we have enough cards and dice to keep going for a while. I also checked eBay for some more cards and dice since they are most likely cheap because they don’t follow the same collectible nature of some of the other card games out there. Thanks for revisiting Dice Masters with us. Hope to bring more content as the weeks and month go on.

Digital Playground

Marvel SNAP August 2024: Young Avengers

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Introduction

I thought the celebration of Deadpool and Wolverine might make me play more last month. I should know by now that everything about this game runs counter to my expectations. I play more in months when I least expect it and vice versa. Even with my limited play, I still received all of the rewards on the monthly track. And, the rewards for Deadpool’s Diner didn’t wow me enough to sucker me into that mode. Plus, if I’m being honest, at the heart of it, the game is really boring. So, I make no claims about how much I’ll play Marvel SNAP August 2024.

New Locations

Okay, after just saying how boring the game play is, they give me these two locations. What can I say? I’m a sucker for Vibranium. Even if they give you a rock in the location, a 1 drop with 4 power is pretty awesome, in my opinion. And, the other location fits in well with my “Ones” deck. I just need to start running Caiera in that deck to counter the plethora of Killmonger out there at the bot levels.

New Characters

Hawkeye (Kate Bishop)

Image 1 of 5

On Reveal: Add 2 Arrows to your hand.

I never read Young Avengers, so the characters ultimately mean little to me. I know about Kate Bishop from the Hawkeye TV show and I understand that Wiccan and Hulkling have a bit of a cult following. If you told me that the others were rejects from Deadpool 2’s X-Force, I’d have believed you. However, the cards themselves intrigue me. Speaking of “Ones”, Marvel Boy fits right into that deck. Who do I remove, though to add him and Caiera? Hmm, decisions, decisions. Speed works in my Evolution deck. Hulkling, too, but the random effect is kind of dumb in my opinion. I’m not sure where to use Wiccan right now, but Kate Bishop looks like my kind of fun randomness. Overall, an impressive bit of card design this time around.

The Verdict

While Marvel SNAP August 2024 brings unfamiliar characters, I like the design of the locations and the card text of the characters. I said I wouldn’t contemplate how much I might play in the next month. What I will say is, every time I think I’m out, they somehow suck me back in. Well played, you magnificent bastards.

Images SNAPped from Marvel SNAP Zone.

Digital Playground

Marvel SNAP June 2024: The Celestials’ Finest

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Introduction

A week of comic reviews usually means a new Marvel SNAP season. And this week is no different. After last month, a month that saw me briefly try to get to level 40 for a title reward, I again fell into my habit of simply finishing daily and weekly quests for the season pass rewards. I don’t see anything changing for Marvel SNAP June 2024.

New Locations

Both of these locations look annoying. I absolutely hate random locations because they always seem to work against me. I build up a lead and then it turns into the bullshit one that destroys all the cards if you have more than one card or the one that ends the game after turn 4 when I have only 5+ drops in my hand. The Ark seems more easily played around because the effect is consistent. Just build up a lead in the other two locations and win. However, I think we might see an increase in Trib decks as a result. Ugh.

New Characters

Arishem

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At the start of the game, +1 Max Energy. Shuffle 12 random cards into your deck.

On first glance, I thought, “I don’t think I want to play any of these cards unless I need to finish a quest.” Then, as I put together the gallery, I softened my stance some. I still don’t see a point in Makkari other than a free card if you draw it. Arishem looks fun just for the chaos factor. Phastos might see play in my Evolutionary deck because I like the possibility of less cost in that deck. Thena works in my ones deck, and Gilgamesh and Sersi might just be good. Both of them could see play in a few of my decks.

The Verdict

I never grew up as a fan of The Eternals. I never watched the movie and not because I heard it was bad. I’ve watched nearly everything Marvel, bad or not. I just don’t have the same connection to them as some of the other heroes. But, Marvel SNAP June 2024 at least gives me some fun cards to associate if I ever watch the move.

Images SNAPped from Marvel SNAP Zone.

Digital Playground

Marvel SNAP May 2024: A Blink in Time

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Introduction

I meant to post the Mario Honorable Mention article yesterday. I wanted the video to accompany the article. Then I thought I might post it today. However, with no time to narrate the video, I needed to make a decision, so I posted the article without the video. I plan to release the videos next month once school lets out and I have the time. The other plan this week was the comic articles. Smack dab in the middle of it I’m putting the Marvel SNAP May 2024 article.

New Locations

Other than Scarlet Witch, Magik or other characters who change the location, I don’t see the point of Cancun. On the other hand, Panoptichron works very well with quite a few strats in the game. I can see people having a lot of fun with that one.

New Characters

Blink

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On Reveal: Swap the last card you played with a higher-Cost card from your deck.

I played Blink to finish the weekend quest. I like the targeted abiilty and thin she’ll slot nicely into my On Reveal or Wong/Odin deck. When I watched a streamer unlock Nocturne, I said, “I don’t know if she’s good, but she looks like fun.” That more or less paid off as expected. Sage can give one hell of a payoff, Namora is another decent On Reveal and Sasquatch is going right in both my “Ones” deck and my Skaar deck. He’ll get played easily in both decks.

The Verdict

After two months of less than stellar updates, last month and Marvel SNAP May 2024 bring some fun back to the game. I gave up trying to collect the conquest variants and this one doesn’t excite me none, either. But, I like the rest of it and with Deadpool most likely coming in July, I don’t see myself giving up the game again any time soon.

Digital Playground

Hearthstone Update April 2024

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Introduction

In yesterday’s update, I gave all the things I liked (and a few I dislike) about Magic the Gathering Arena. I planned to do Hearthstone today. From previous articles, you may expect the list of dislikes to be much longer than the list of likes. However, as I mentioned a few times before, age made me both more understanding and less patient. I can’t explain it, kids. As a result, I came to a place of understanding and even joy with the game as of this Hearthstone Update April 2024.

Events

Hearthstone events happen much more infrequently than Arena. Certainly, unless you count the Tavern Brawl, we don’t get them every week. However, when run, I enjoy them. Blizzard also makes them easy to complete and they give good rewards. Similar to Arena, you receive packs and hero portraits mostly and sometimes card backs.

The most recent event for the release of Whizbang’s Workshop set.

If the rewards this time look paltry, I agree. I think they went lighter this time around because they recently ran an event for Hearthstone’s 10 year anniversary. That one gave many more and much better rewards. Still, how can you complain about free packs and a hero portrait?

Really? 10 Years?

Man, I am getting good at these transitions between sections. And, it only took 10 years. No, that title isn’t meant to remind you that 2 Generations gaming debuted almost 10 years ago. Instead, I refer to the Hearthstone 10 year anniversary mentioned above. If you asked me 10 years ago, I never imagined still talking about this game on this page 10 years later. Sure, the game might last that long. However, when it first released, Chris and I shared a mutual hatred of the game.

Because he sticks to his guns much better than I, he eventually left the game and never came back. I quit and uninstalled more times than I can count. Yet, here I am. 10 years later and still talking about the game I once loved to hate. Hell, I wrote an article a few weeks ago possibly eulogizing the game. Then, they promptly came out with the plan for the new Hearthstone year and here we are. Congratulations, Hearthstone, I guess we’re stuck together until the bitter end.

Other Modes

Instead of talking about the other freebies, which are similar to Arena, I want to mention the other modes that Hearthstone offers. Some of them died after being left on the vine to rot. Obviously, I’m looking at Duels and Mercenaries, of course. I just started playing Mercenaries regularly when they finally decided to pull the plug. Yes, poor timing on my part, but it still stings.

Mercenaries, we hardly knew ye.

Then, only the old stalwarts remain. Tavern Brawl, which gets a bump every time they run the whale backed event, the Brawliseum. Arena used to be the cash cow and everyone streamed it, but then they released Battlegrounds. I wrote an article about it and the time and said that I’d probably only play that mode. For a while, that was true. Then, I completed the rewards track for the mode and now I just play to finish quests.

Rewards Tracks

If I’m being honest (and why wouldn’t I?), I only play for the rewards at this point. As I just mentioned, they give rewards for Battlegrounds. They also offer a rewards track for the main game mode every time they release a new set. No video this time because I played on my Smurf account this morning. But, the screenshots give a general idea.

Overall

Overall, as of the Hearthstone Update April 2024, I found peace with the game. I play to finish quests and to get free (and slightly more than free) rewards on the rewards tracks. I celebrate lasting longer than the ill fated attempt at eSports and look forward to see what the next ten years brings. Raise a glass in the tavern, fellow gamers, and toast with me.

Digital Playground

MTGA Update April 2024

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Introduction

I wrote Chris a couple of months ago to tell him that I might be done collecting Magic: the Gathering cards. He, Jason, and I played a few times as a three person play group. However, the last coupel of times we tried to get together, we found out just how busy adult life still is, even when you have grown up kids. I imagine that blew up the group because the group chat went eerily silent after the most recent attempt. I feel bad because I enjoyed the times playing with them. it even inspired me to think about trying to find another group to join. Instead, as usual, I played digital Magic against faceless opponents. Can I tell you how much fun that is? Let me with this MTGA Update April 2024

Events

One of the things I give Wizards credit for is the number of events that they run. Every week, we get a Midweek Magic event that costs nothing and gives you 3 free cosmetics if you win three matches. Aside from that, they also put on a special event (again for free) when each set is released. Usually, it comes with already constructed decks, so you just pick your favorite combination of colors and get to the games. These events also give cosmetics. Often it’s five and they are card styles of the new cards.

For the competitive player, there are Open events that allow you to try to win a spot in one of the Pro Tour events. I’ve never entered into one of them, but found myself thinking about it more than once. I have a pretty fun Timeless deck that I might give a shot if they ever use that format.

Other Freebies

Again, upon the release of each new set, they mail you 3 packs from that set. They used to use codes for them, but now they just automatically show up in your inbox to be retrieved. Speaking of codes, they used them in a more creative manner for the Murders at Markov Manor set. There are six clues that you have to solve to receive experience on the rewards track and a card style for the card that the clue describes.

Rewards Track

Speaking of the rewards track (how about these seques in this article, amirite?), I still paid the money for all of the rewards. For 15 bucks, you get access to all of the rewards in the video below. There’s card packs, card styles, little gems for more card styles and sleeves, gold, and sometimes gems. I know they’re all digital, but I feel like it is well worth my money for what they give.

Ranked Ladder

I rarely take any type of ladder seriously in these games. However, Arena makes the prospect slightly more appealing. They give away packs for reaching certain levels. Even so, I usually just play my elf deck when I have a quest for green cards or creatures, so I never make it beyond gold rank. It just gets tiring playing agianst the same stupid lifesteal cards every game.

Overall

In general, I enjoy my time in the game. I still wish I played against real people more often because playing against some nameless avatar who seems like he always draws the best cards against my mana flood or screw leaves me swearing and wishing even harder that I could flip the table on them. Other than that, though, I recommend the game as of this MTGA Update April 2024.