It’s Never Too Late to Legacy
What do you do, fellow Durdlers?!
Let's take a walk down memory lane to discuss my ever-growing, long-term addiction…love for Magic and how I finally recognized the value of The Gathering.
Some friends and I discovered Magic in the late 90s, when random boosters of Ice Age and Alliances for $2 were still available in the odds-and-ends fishbowl at the pet store down the block from my buddy’s parents' place. I remember opening that first pack and seeing a Shield Sphere — what an imaginative design and sweet art; I was hooked!
The only local game store (LGS) in the county was in my town. They only ran Friday Night Magic (FNM) Type 2 (Standard format). Once we realized that Summons and Creatures were not different card types, and that having a 120-card deck full of random chaff was not a winning strategy, we wandered through the narrow entrance/exit of the LGS & the local shop's shared basement to join the local Standard scene.
We played religiously throughout Invasion, Odyssey, and Onslaught; white-bordered 7th Edition Counterspells, Birds of Paradise, the Fall of Yawgmoth, the Mirari, Madness, Storm, fetchlands — the painfully slow realization that the Wooded Foothills I pulled from a pack bought at the Electronics Boutique at the Mall was actually a banger; What a time to be a Magic player!
The shifts to 8th Edition borders, the move away from Dominaria to alternate planes like Mirrodin and Kamigawa, and the demands of high school life eventually pushed/pulled us all away from the game.
A lot can happen in 12 years; College, fixer-up house, marriage, a kid. Then, one fateful day, I was cleaning boxes of stuff hauled from my parent’s basement and stumble on my old binder of ‘good stuff' — tons of early 2000s FNM promos, Player Reward Tokens, Reserved List cards from Urza’s Block, close to a full set of Invasion Block! Some of those cards were sold to help with student loan payments and family needs.
Slowly but surely, I got the itch again.
“Are there any new cards I can add to my old Fires deck?”
“This guy on Craigslist only wants $100 for all those cards?!”
“They printed more Madness cards?!”
“Why isn’t it legal in this so-called ‘Modern’ format?”
“Phyrexia is back!?!”
I bought collections and big hitters on Craigslist and eBay, not realizing I was inadvertently building a collection. Dominaria was released in 2018 alongside Arena, and I was hooked! I bought a booster box, started watching Magic YouTubers, downloaded old Magic novels, learned about double-sleeving from the Prof, and built decks for different formats.
I finally pulled the trigger and planned to go to an event at an LGS. It was canceled at the last minute due to the unexpected outbreak of COVID-19.
After the COVID restrictions, I got out and slung some cardboard! The LGS near me only ran EDH (Commander). I sporadically played with a handful of EDH decks, and while it was fun, I never really got into the format or the scene. I played Standard on Arena; Pioneer was floundering; no one locally ran Pauper or Premodern. All my Modern decks were more meme-y or neutered without the then-banned Faithless Looting — I have a penchant for Madness — and Legacy was in the “Grief needs to go” era.
Sadly, the LGS near me closed, and there wasn't anywhere I could call my LGS. Turns out, a great shop called Heart of the Game in Buffalo, NY, was around the corner from my new workplace!
One night, my family was out of town,n and I messaged the LGS to ask if any Magic was firing. I would play whatever format. They said Thursdays are “Commander and Proxy-Friendly Legacy.”
Proxy-Friendly Legacy?!
Grief was banned a week or so before. Hot Diggity Dog!
I grabbed my Legacy decks and headed out! Jumping into Legacy might seem daunting, but it was anything but! I found a small group thrilled to have a random guy drop in to join their growing Legacy Club — shoutout to the ever-growing Buffalo Eternal!
Buffalo Eternal
They got me into a local Legacy group chat, and I do my darndest to get out and play paper Legacy with them two to three times a month. Who says you can’t make new friends at 38!
Say All That To Say This
If you’re procrastinating on getting out and slinging physical cardboard, consider this the trigger to give it a try! Legacy players don't care about proxied Duals or minor play mistakes cause you’re rusty all hell. They’re glad you're taking the time and showing interest in playing Legacy.
I sat on the sidelines, sorting, building, tinkering, and watching content for so long, thinking about going out to play Magic. When I did, all I could think about was “why didn’t I do this sooner?!”
Maybe it was nerves or not wanting to feel awkward around new people that held me back. Everyone in the local Legacy community in Buffalo, NY, and those I’ve met who’ve traveled in for our events have been super welcoming and friendly!
My next “Get Out & Play More Magic” goal is to use the webcam I got for Christmas as part of a setup to play paper Premodern and Legacy over the interwebs! Forgettingg The Gathering limits the Magic. So get out there and play paper (ideally Legacy) Magic!!!
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Featured image: Shield Sphere by Alan Rabinowitz