what kind of player am I?
General forum
Posted on Feb. 20, 2014, 6:59 p.m. by Bellock86
I have heard the term Johnny, spike, timmy and the like but have absolutely no idea what they all mean with the exception of Johnny being more combo and control-oriented to my understanding. Can anyone offer any insight on this so I know what type of player I would be categorized as? its more out of pure curiosity. I enjoy playing control and combo but also can be fairly aggressive depending on the type of that guy bill. I basically just want to know what the stereo types are acquainted to
Timmy describes players who just enjoy playing the game for the game. While Spikes and Johnnies have goals, Timmy is just along for the ride. They tend to be more social and laid-back players. A stereotype of them is that they're the "power gamers", the ones who drop the huge creatures all the time. While this is true for some, it doesn't describe the whole group.
Johnny describes players who are creative who also thrive off of their decks. Any words directed at their deck they'll take as directed to them, because they feel that their deck is part of them. Johnnies love playing homebrews, especially if they work well. Johnnies are stereotypically combo players, however it's more appropriate to describe them as the unpredictable players. They like to go against the grain and build decks to work when everyone thinks that the deck can't work.
Spikes play to win. There's nothing around that. There are of course different levels of Spike, and Spike is frequently in Johnnies and Timmies because you play the game for a reason, most times to win. It's hard to find a highly competitive player who claims to not be part Spike. Spikes like to look at new cards and speculate on ways to break them in the newly changed meta for their format. They test their decks extensively to work out absolutely all kinks, and will play with the best version of their deck possible.
These are just simple summaries of how these player types act, you can read more here: http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr220b
February 20, 2014 7:07 p.m.
Thank you very much acbooster. That is as good a description as I could hope for but will definitely check out that article.
I would be a blend of all three.
I like to win and love trying to figure out a new cards application(spike) but
LOVE winning with a homebrew best (johnny) but
overrall just love to play MTG (timmy).
It makes me think and I approach it as a puzzle with a near limitless number of pieces but I like to try solving it non the less.
February 20, 2014 7:20 p.m.
acbooster says it best for the three main psychographics (it's not a dirty word, I promise). The other two "psychographics" are Melvin and Vorthos. While Timmy, Johnny, and Spike are about how and why you play, Melvin and Vorthos are about stuff outside the cardboard.
Melvin cares about the rules and rules interactions. Most commonly referred to as a "rules lawyer", Melvin will not only tell you you're wrong but will cite the rule in the Comprehensive Rules that makes what you're doing impossible.
Vorthos cares about flavor. Vorthos wants to know the why behind the setting. Why do the minotaurs hate the Akroans? What caused the Phyrexians to infect Mirrodin? What will Jace do now that he is the Guildpact? These are the things Vorthos cares about.
February 20, 2014 7:23 p.m.
Hallowed_Titan says... #6
I guess that makes me a Vorthos TimmyJohnnySpike.
February 20, 2014 7:40 p.m.
Lol. Ditto cakrause86. I thought the same thing when I read that.
Thanks for the additional input JWiley129
February 20, 2014 7:48 p.m.
Dalektable says... #8
I'm going to shamelessly plug in a link to an article i wrote about these different player types a couple months ago, hope it helps! Players and Playstyles: A Guide
Bellock86 says... #2
Sorry on my phone. second to last sentence should say depending on the deck I build
February 20, 2014 7:04 p.m.