Sentimental Disorder: First Deck and Why it Matters
General forum
Posted on May 9, 2013, 1:38 p.m. by SnowCoveredRevenge
I can almost guarantee that everyone of us had a first deck. I think that is a fair bet. I am not talking about the first 60 cards you pulled out of a friends common box and shuffled together nor the first pre-constructed deck you got from Wal-Mart, but rather the first deck you put some thought into, the deck that was created after hours and hours of studying the cards, the first deck that was yours.
What was it? For me, it was M11 standard season elves,
Why does this matter? In my humble opinion, too many of us have lost touch with a crucial part of magic, the fun and wonder.
I started playing this game about two weeks after my seventeenth birthday, at about the same time I had just finished reading The Hobbit and several of the Harry Potter books. To me Magic was a way to live out those stories, to be the hero of a party on a great quest, and for many others I am sure this is how the game felt in the beginning.
even That Guy, the one who is bitter when he loses a close, hard fought game or makes excuses when he gets blown out, even he had the wonder and sparkle in his eyes when he started.
Why do we lose "the wonder"? After losing so much at FNM or even at the kitchen table,we get upset that our decks and cards just aren't good enough, we lash out at the cards if you will, no longer does cool mean a good card. At this point the novelty of the game wears off, we stop reading flavor text, hell we even stop looking at the often breath taking art on the cards, and the only thing we focus on is the mana cost, power and toughness, abilities and relevant typing. At this point we don't care that this card is "cool", our only concern is if it is a deadly piece in a fine tuned killing machine.
What am I trying to say? Think back to your first deck, you had fun playing it, even though most would say they were less than optimal. We had fun with them not because they were perfectly curved or had the perfect ratio of creatures to spells. They were ours, the child of our own creation that was the instrument through which we would carve our name into this game. Even if you didn't win you had fun.
The Wrap Up. What does all of this have to do with each other and more importantly you? Here comes a Shock (sorry for the pun!) (actually on second thought, no I am not sorry =P) folks. Most magic players do not like Magic the Gathering. soak that in for a second... these are the people that tear a perfectly good card in half at a draft because it wasn't the chase rare they wanted, or the guy who rage quits and makes an ass of himself when he lost a fair fight. Most magic players hate the game but love winning. Too many of us are so desperate to get on the Pro Tour, so driven to win that PTQ, or maybe so bloodthirsty that we will do what ever it takes, stomp on whoever it requires to get first at FNM. We are too busy trying to ascend to the next level that we forget to have fun with this game.and when we don't accomplish our goals, far too many of us set a bad example of how to lose gracefully, and that turns potential players away from the game.
When I say the "game", It is not just the cards or the wins and losses at the Gran Prix, I mean the personal interactions, the ritual of drinking an ice cold can of Mountain Dew and a bag of Jalapeno Krunchers while playing, or taking some of your extra cards and helping a thirteen year old who is new with their deck, or maybe it is going to a friends house on Saturday night with a funny movie on, Little Caesar's on the table and you and four or five friends tap the cards into the wee hours of the night.
I would like to attach a disclaimer, I am a highly competitive person and I like to win as much as the next person.
There is a reason I have never played Yu-Gi-Oh at a tournament level, and it is not the lack of a quality game, it is the players at my local store. They are whinny arrogant, pompous, eliteist pricks. And in the four years I have walked the planes I have seen those qualities being attributed to more and more magic players.
What does all this have to do with our first decks? I challenge you, and your friends, to re-build your first decks. And play with them, take them to school or work or where ever it is you play casually and use them. This will help you reconnect to a younger you and maybe it will help you learn to love the game all over again. Try to recreate them as faithfully as you can, hell get the same sleeves (if you had any) and the same deck box even.
If your still here reading, I would love in the comments if people would share their first decks, experiences at FNM where someone did something really awesome for a new player, little habits you have at FNM and finally stories about That Guy, when they freak out.
Thank you,
P.S. would you guys like to see more "Articles" about the Sentimental side of the game such as, voting on the top flavor text of all time, awesome art showcases, basically everything that is non-competitive deck lists are fair game and I will take requests, next time I want to do a focus piece on the first card that made you say WOW! THAT THING IS AMAZING!
TheLameSauce says... #3
The first real deck I built from scratch was a pet project to build a deck devoid of lands. I didn't have a lot of money cards, and what I did have I never realized the value until too late, but it was such a fun deck to play. More often than not, all it did was drop a bunch of Ornithopter s and Phyrexian Walker s, but when it worked and I got Progenitus on the board for free, that was the best day of the week. I still dream of rebuilding that deck, slowly trading for all the little gears piece by piece, but I could never build it the same way. A Spike has taken it's hold in the back of my deckbuilder's brain, and it just wouldn't be the Super Johnny deck it once was.
May 9, 2013 1:49 p.m.
ShimmerVoid says... #4
My first proper deck started with defenders and revolved around Axebane Guardian + Door to Nothingness . It was hilariously fun for awhile until they get picked off with Searing Spear s and various spot removals.
I then moved on to Elderscale Wurm but it was too slow and vulnerable to life loss. Then, I saw Havengul Lich and knew I had to accommodate that card in my deck.
Thus, It's Wizarding Time! was born, albeit without any money cards or shock lands. I ran Gatecreeper Vine and guildgates back then but it worked great. Been playing this deck ever since. Was and still is my favorite deck to play.
May 9, 2013 2:02 p.m.
My first deck almost discouraged me from playing. Or, really, the way my friends responded to it took the fun out of the game for me early on... It was a mono blue control deck that focused on Invisible Stalker with Curiosity and that one artifact that gives +X/+0 for instants a sorceries in the graveyard (and some slight interaction with Talrand, Sky Summoner )
It wasnt the best deck, but I was still only a couple weeks into the game and I was using counter magic and beating my friends who had been playing for years... And they often got frustrated and angry during the games we played and it reached the point where I despised my own deck because I loved the game but the only deck I had to play with was always met with harshness at the table.
I'm still pretty new to the game (started nov 2012) but that deck was dismantled out of spite rather than any other reason. Luckily I've found decks since that I enjoy and I haven't reached a point where I ignore cards because they aren't "perfect" and out of principle try to stay away from net decks.
Either way, this post hit home with me because I see it often and it's honestly a shame...
May 9, 2013 2:09 p.m.
KnightsBattlecry001 says... #6
The first deck that I put serious work into when I got back into magic was a R/W knight/battlecry deck. Was straight up aggro with a lot of burn to clear the field to let my creatures beat my opponent's face. It was when Mirrodin Besieged came out and when we still had Knight Exemplar from M11. The deck had mostly knights of course to get boosted from the exemplar such as Hero of Bladehold , Accorder Paladin , Mirran Crusader and Hero of Oxid Ridge , as well as a few other none knight creatures with battlecry. Made top 4 on a regular basis with it so I was and still am proud of that deck. KnightsBattlecry was what I called it, and I love that deck so much.
May 9, 2013 2:20 p.m.
Quite honestly, Magic still affects me the way it did when I first started playing. Yeah it sucks to not win or not get the card you were hoping for, but it's nothing to get worked up over. Every month or so I build a shenanigans deck to keep the spirits light in our group and to knock down the decks that were getting too competitive for our group. Right now I'm moving into the competitive environment with a budget Jund deck for the standard meta (2/3 done gathering components) which I usually don't use with my friends.
May 9, 2013 2:40 p.m.
Here here!
...
well minus the Mountain Dew part lol :p My first deck was an affinity beast that by the time Fifth Dawn launched ran the sunburst mechanic with just basic mana of 2 colours, all 4 mana myr, Gilded Lotus and what to abuse the mechanic? Broodstar , Bringer of the Blue Dawn , Bringer of the Black Dawn , Door to Nothingness , and the one card combo a lot of friends hated Clearwater Goblet /Darksteel Forge Very few of my friends could ever best that deck, and it got so bad that one terrible day some piece of shit "friend" stole my deck :'(
May 9, 2013 3 p.m.
my very first deck, this brings back some memories.1 Lich , 1 Mirror Universe , 1 Time Walk , 4 Counterspell , 4 Underground Sea , 4 Plague Rats , 2 The Hive , 1 Lord of the Pit , 1 Yawgmoth Demon , 3 Bad Moon , 4 Will-o'-the-Wisp , 4 Hypnotic Specter , 1 Nightmare , 2 Royal Assassin , 4 Sink hole , 2 Wall of Bone , 3 Prodigal Sorcerer , 2 Invisibility
did well on a kitchen table, until the first time i walked into a tournament and got wreaked. First by a goblin burn deck, then by a white red deck, then dropped the third match to a green ramp deck running a play set of Mox Emerald and my first encounter with Force of Nature
sadly sold my cards around when homelands came out, came back with return to ravnica.
May 9, 2013 3:27 p.m.
I actually still have my first deck. I never took it apart. I uploaded the deck list here so that if I needed cards from it, I would have the official list. It never really had a name aside from "That Burn Deck." You can find it here: Vintage Fire.
I started back in 4th Edition and Ice Age. And when I got a hold of my first Lightning Bolt I was hooked. Anything that showed up on the other side of the board was kindling to my burn. Soon the deck had nothing but burn in it.
I should sleeve it back up and take in out for a test run.
May 9, 2013 3:29 p.m.
SnowCoveredRevenge says... #11
Alright guys some awesome stories here. Do any of you want me to do this again on a new topic? and How many of you are going to encourage your friends to make the old decks and play with them again? This is awesome
May 9, 2013 3:38 p.m.
I am still using my first deck, I just started competitive play about 4/5 months ago. Here's the deck: A Superfriendly Walk on Esper. Also, great article, I'd love another.
May 9, 2013 3:53 p.m.
byepolarbear says... #13
First deck I ever built was a wurm deck in elementary school lol Yavimaya Wurm being my win condition haha After I got back into the game though my first deck was a mono blue mill deck. Was a lot of fun and was the deck to beat among my friends until I had to retire it because apparently using Isochron Scepter with Counterspell isn't appreciated when you're on the business end (hilarious for me though).
I'm keeping the soul of that deck alive though! My current deck EMP- Experience Milling Project mills AND has a funny and potentially infuriating interaction! =-D
Undead Alchemist + Undercity Informer = lol
GLHF! <3
May 9, 2013 5:21 p.m.
TheLameSauce says... #14
This is about as close a mock-up as I could make for my old favorite deck. Added a few newer things, and made it quite a bit more streamlined, but the heart of the deck is intact:
No Lands Man
May 9, 2013 6:54 p.m.
The only one I can remember is a stasis-kismet deck ... but I am doubting that was the first one ...
I have 9 decks atm - and I don't really play my most competitive deck because I, like another poster here, got a bad reaction since it was a counter-control king-maker fiasco deck. My impression of the other players of mtg is that sometimes the attitudes stray into "any strategy to win is cheap ... unless it's mine and then you top-decked me".
miracleHat says... #2
My first deck was the duel deck knights versus dragons, and i just loved it because it had dragons (specifically Bogardan Hellkite and i thought that he was the boss). My dragons were always slaughtered by Knight of the Reliquary but it was still fun. to be honest, my favorite card atm is Grotag Thrasher because of the flavor text.
May 9, 2013 1:47 p.m.