Magic The Gathering For Moms

So perhaps you've heard your child talk about a card game called "Magic". This isn't about top hats and hiding bunnies, this is an extremely popular trading card game, with more then 12 million players worldwide. And when Big C started to get into it, I happily signed on to play with him. This definitely isn't anything like Crazy 8's, but it is a lot of fun and for as complicated as it can get, it can also be a very simple thing to get into. This post isn't going to be a "How To Play" guide, I am definitely not the one you want to learn from. But I do want to give you some tips on how to get started and where to find some good beginners information.

1. Find someone who plays and visit your local gaming store

I'm lucky that in our extended family we have two young adults who are very into this game. It was by watching them play that Big C first got interested in the game. However if you don't know someone personally who plays (and even if you do!) the best thing you'll do for yourself and your child is visit your local gaming store. I can honestly say I've never had such amazing customer service anywhere else that I get at the two gaming stores we frequent. The staff work there because they love the games. They are very knowledgable and have been amazing dealing with Big C, genuinely excited for the next generation of players coming up, and amazing dealing with me, genuinely excited that as a parent I want to learn too. They will offer you advice on how to buy your first decks, how to expand and improve your collection, and offer great advice on how to play. Simply Google "City Name game store". You might be surprised how many of them there are near you! Hint - prices on MTG cards are fairly standard. Skip the big box store, often game stores will offer discounts (five booster packs for the price of four for example), the customer service is priceless, AND you're supporting a small local business. Win, win, win!!

2. Build your deck

Advanced players of MTG spend a lot of money and time building their collections and making the "perfect" deck(s). For me and Big C, fumbling around newbies, we have a slightly different strategy. I started with an Intro Pack. Fantastic, a pre-made 60 card deck I can play right out of the box, I think I paid about $15. You also get a "How To Play Guide" and a couple of booster packs (mini 15 card packs) so you can customize it a little. I personally think this is the easiest and most uncomplicated way to start. Big C already had a little more knowledge then me, and I think he started with a "Fat Pack" which is a much bigger box with many more cards, he then built his own deck. For Christmas both Big C and Little R received custom made decks from their wonderful auntie who is a MTG genius. We all increase our collections here and there with booster packs, and half the fun is trading with others. We've also found packs of Magic cards at the dollar store, but just a warning, while these are legitimate MTG cards, they are usually mis-prints or off cuts. I even have one that appears to be written in Russian. So they're cheap but not necessarily good value.

There are plenty of players who don't think an Intro Pack is worth it. But if you're like me, starting out with zero cards, zero experience and have no intentions of playing competitively, they get you up and running. If your child is older and wants to play with his friends, who may already have a small collection and experience, this may not be the best option as you don't get super strong cards. Once again, a chat with the game store staff will quickly set you in the right direction.

As an experiment, I just called my local game store, said my son wanted to play and asked would an intro pack be a good starting point for him and for me to learn to play with him. The guy working actually invited me and my son into the store where they would give us each a free 30 card deck and some instruction on the game to see if we enjoyed it. If we did enjoy it, he said in our case (no experience, no cards other then the freebie 30card deck) an Intro Pack would be a good way to start. I cannot stress how great these stores and the people who work there are!

I stopped playing Big C for awhile. He spends a lot of time researching all the different cards, and often spends his allowance on his collection. He loves spending time at the game store counter, looking at the individual cards for sale, planning on his improvements. I don't have that kind of free time or disposable income. So when his decks started obliterating me in only a few turns, I was a bit discouraged. I thought I had weak garbage cards and figured I'd have to splash some cash on a few investment pieces. So I called our family MTG Guru, and he came to look through my collection and help build me a better deck. Turns out I actually have a fairly solid collection, and was able to put together a much stronger deck. That is a huge perk of having someone in the family who plays a lot. However, I asked at both the gaming stores we go to, and both stores said they would be happy to sit down with me and my collection and lend some expertise too (off peak hours of course).

For some good reading on how to build a deck, here is a great page from the MTG website. They do a great job at explaining the different components that make up a deck.

The boys and I having a 3-player game. Little R (6yrs old) legitimately won this game!

3. Play the game

The best way for me to learn something new, is to do it. I research research research (my Youtube account was overloaded with MTG videos when I started), but nothing beats actually laying down cards. The guide on the MTG website is great, and we always have a copy of the "How To Play" pamphlet nearby. Of course Big C has all the rules memorized (have I mentioned he has a scary, possibly photographic memory? He knows all of his thousands of cards, and all of mine too!) so he's happy to tell me exactly what I need to do.

The rules of MTG are fairly straight forward. There are steps a player takes during their turn, and the cards are very literal. But still, I have yet to have a battle with Big C where we don't have some kind of an epic argument over a play (all in good fun of course). If we can't figure it out on our own, I will text our MTG Guru for a quick answer. But if he's not available, I have written down the specifics of the play and asked at the game store the next time we're there. Not helpful in the heat of the moment, but they're great about settling a disagreement for next time.

If your child (and/or you!) is looking for a bit more of a challenge, there is this weekly event called Friday Night Magic. Around the world on Friday nights, game stores set up tables and chairs and host a MTG gaming night. Big C has never been to play, but we have gone to watch a couple of times. I had a good chat with the owner of the game store about the requirements to participate. She told me that while her store doesn't have an age restriction, players do need to be mature enough (no crying if you lose, win and lose graciously, etc), new players are welcome but it does help to have some experience, and behaviour/language is expected to be clean. The youngest player they have at their store is 10yrs old. He comes with his two older brothers to play. The night can go fairly late, so if you have a child with a bedtime, this may be a consideration. And while the house rule is behaviour/language should be clean, your child should be mature enough that hearing an F-Bomb isn't going to scar them. We've told Big C that he can start going when he's 10. He's probably more then ready to play now, but it gives him something to look forward to, and right now I'm not sure I want to spend my Friday nights hanging out in a corner while he plays. I really enjoy playing, but my interest pretty much ends with my kids, Friday Night Magic isn't my thing.

Photo courtesy of http://mtg.wikia.com/wiki/Power

And this kind of segues into one other consideration you may want to think about as a parent, especially if you have a younger player. On each of the cards is an illustration. Apparently it's a big deal to get your art onto a printing of a Magic card. But these illustrations are definitely of the more mature nature. Some are very scary/graphic, even violent. And some are very sexist (no big shocker there, sad but true). The game itself is marketed as being for ages 13+, and I don't disagree necessarily. This is something that we definitely struggled with,  but we've decided is within our comfort zone. I don't like it (at all), but the enjoyment of the game for my kids is worth it. We have discussions about the images, and about why I don't like them. But I can totally see where other families might want to wait until their kids are older to play simply because of the images.

So, to sum up. After that huge long post, if you're interested in learning more about Magic The Gathering for your child, or how to play with your child, GO TO YOUR LOCAL GAME STORE! However, there are lots of great online resources, don't forget to check out Youtube for some good videos (and many bad videos). And be prepared to need a lot of extra storage. Cards don't hurt to step on (looking at you, Lego), but they do wind up everywhere!

And for those of you with kids not quite ready for MTG, I will have a post about the other trading card game that has taken over our house, Pokemon. Kind of similar in theory and definitely made for a younger audience. I don't play Pokemon with my boys, but my husband does! I'm taking notes though and will share what I learn! Stay tuned!