Falling out of love with Magic: the Gathering
General forum
Posted on Aug. 10, 2019, 10:43 p.m. by Tyrant-Thanatos
Not really sure how to start this but, I've realized lately that I'm enjoying MTG less and less with each game I play. I look forward to playing less and less each week. I have no inspiration to build new and exciting decks.
Magic used to be a game of fun and expression with friends huddled around a table throwing cheese balls at each other. Very similar to our D&D sessions back in the day.
These days it's a frustrating grind, dragging myself through each game, every one of them ending in an unsatisfying way. It doesn't seem to matter if I'm playing with close friends, or strangers at an lgs.
When I first started MTG it was just me and some friends around a table at lunch during school. Then I learned more about the game and started playing Extended. I enjoyed that while it lasted, may it forever rest in peace. Extended died and I picked up its clear successor, Modern. I went into it already soured by the loss of the format I played, and I'm sure that negative attitude didn't help, but Modern felt so much worse to me at the time. Still does. Modern is more akin to Legacy than Extended ever was.
After I had had enough with Modern I started playing EDH, which is still my primary format to this day. But now it's completely overrun with infinite combos, noninteraction, and generally unsatisfying gameplay. I've looked for solutions. Ways to stop players from going infinite. They all seem to entail stopping them from playing the game at all. Not my objective. Even if I could find solution cards, would I even draw them? Can I bring myself to spend money on cards for a game I'm just not enjoying anymore, in the vain hope that they'll help me enjoy it again?
I don't know what to do. Maybe it's time for a change of format again, but none of them seem appealing. I keep thinking I should just quit, but I don't want to quit, I want to enjoy it again.
I'm not sure what I expect to gain by posting this. Maybe venting will help get this weight off of me. Maybe someone else out there is or has gone through similar issues, and can offer advice, or at least know they're not alone. I don't know.
Thanks for reading.
Honestly I had the same issue up until I changed playgroups.
August 10, 2019 11:38 p.m.
Have you ever considered picking up pauper or pauper EDH? You might find the gameplay more restrained to your liking.
August 10, 2019 11:58 p.m.
I can't say that this will work for you, but what worked for me when I was feeling the same way was taking a break. I took a break for a year, a year and a half and just recently started back up again. The itch to build new decks is back and the itch to upgrade and play my old ones is back too.
August 11, 2019 2:02 a.m.
Tyrant-Thanatos says... #6
StopShot: I've looked into Pauper before, it just feels constraining though. No idea what I would build, want to build, or enjoy playing.
TypicalTimmy: I'd love to, but I don't know what I would switch to, nor how I would play it. As of current my LGS's EDH event is all I can really attend afaik.
Nemesis: Wouldn't be my first time doing exactly that. Somehow it's harder this time though. That itch to brew isn't gone. Brewing just feels hopeless. Doesn't seem to matter what I make, games aren't going to be interactive. They aren't going to be fun.
I just feel lost in a game that used to feel like home.
Thanks for the comments though everyone.
August 11, 2019 2:51 a.m.
If you've got a playgroup that you play regularly with, you could discuss with them to build some decks more up your alley. Midrange stuff with no combo (or whatever youre after) and you could have those games that you've been wanting. And then just alternate between the decks you all use.
I'm not saying every game has to be like this, but if your playgroup is willing to oblige every other game (or however you want to structure it) then it could be a way to bring some of what you're looking for into the game.
August 11, 2019 3:23 a.m.
Tyrant-Thanatos says... #8
TypicalTimmy: Those sound like fun, but I don't think any of my lgs's run an Archenemy night.
The closest thing I have to a regular playgroup is irregular as hell. The close friends that I try to play with regularly have lives, and we almost never get chances to meet. The games with them are the few that I still enjoy, but it feels like I never get to have them.
August 11, 2019 4:03 a.m.
Tyrant-Thanatos says... #9
You know what, I really appreciate that. I think you've inspired me to actually fix this problem. I can sit here and be upset about it but that won't really fix anything. I need to find people I can play with and have fun with. Regardless of what format I end up playing, I just have to really approach this issue. Might be able to reach out to friends of friends to help make meetups more common and successful.
Thanks a bunch everyone. This community really is the reason I've stuck around so long I think. You guys are great.
August 11, 2019 5:58 a.m.
loricatuslupus says... #10
Yeah I wavered for a little not too long ago, having few people to play with (mainly due to the fact that at the time I was working nights in a new city). Honestly what kept me excited was being able to see new and interesting things happening on here, as well as feeling like I - very occasionally - was contributing to someone else's deck. Finding new formats will definitely open up new challenges and says to think about the game, but can be expensive and of course you have to have other people who also play it. If your playgroup is into it and you're up for fun I'd second the idea of building decks that are limited in value of have have a theme etc. Some of my favourite "Modern" decks are stupid janky ones like Kraken Tribal or Tibalt and his devil friends that would be outright destroyed at FNM but make for entertaining and memorable games against similar ones. They're the perfect opportunity to play sub-par cards and the lack of monetary investment means losing never feels like a waste of money.
August 11, 2019 7:01 a.m.
Tyrant-Thanatos says... #11
loricatuslupus: Yeah I recently started working Nights, Weekends. Saturday, Sunday, Monday nights. That's probably put a bigger dent into my ability to play than I really anticipated. Not in a new city or anything, but still. Finding fellow night owls that are available on weekdays will probably be pretty hard, but I've gotta figure out something.
jaymc1130 says... #2
I think most people grow to a point where they no longer find the game as exciting as it once was. That's kind of just the nature of it to be honest. I started played back at the very end of Beta when I was in elementary school and really enjoyed it, but I didn't fall in love with it until I was in highschool and started to play professional level tournaments. I always enjoyed the thrill of competition and for a good while Magic was one among many competitive games I played for both money and trophies. Pokemon, Yugioh, baseball, basketball, football, poker, it didn't much matter to me at that age; if I could compete at it I loved it.
Eventually Mirrodin block got printed and it left a really sour taste in my mouth when it came to MTG. The set was just as degenerate as the Urza blocks, both limited and constructed play were less interesting and (to me at least) less competitive with luck determining winners more often than skill. I quit playing Magic at the professional level as I wasn't talented enough to make a living at it and instead moved on to other competitive ventures. This was not the first or the last time I quit playing Magic. At this point I've been through that cycle a half dozen times. I always come back when it seems interesting again, and if I ever feel dissatisfied I take a break. I never quite can convince myself to get rid of my collection because I always know that eventually I'll get together with my old playgroup and we can have fun together nostalgia style going through our pooled collection building decks with only our own limitations and rules to play wildly entertaining games.
If you're feeling down about MTG, I get it. I've been through that and I don't think it's an uncommon issue. Nothing in the world can satisfy each individual in the world equally and there's nothing wrong with finding other ways to spend your time doing other things you might enjoy more at a given time. The cool thing, in my mind, about MTG, is that you can always come back to it when and if you're ready. Plus nothing can ever take away your fond memories of cherished moments spent with friends and family gathered around a card table.
August 10, 2019 11:21 p.m.