Ever romanticize about ye olde days of yore, when knights fought for the honor of thy fairest maiden, and wizards casteth thy evil spells on ye populous? This time of sorcery and swordplay has vanished, but some brave souls continue to relive the age of the round table with the help of “Magic: the Gathering” playing cards. Every morning before school in the libary, students gather in pairs, each with their own decks of cards containing images of knights, wizards, land, food and creatures. First, a player lays down land and food cards. These cards determine how many cards and of what power a person can play. To attack his opponent a player will play creature, instinct, and sorcery cards of varying strengths, from 1 to 4. When one player’s cards outpower his opponent’s, he takes one of his lives. The game ends when a player loses all 20 lives. “It’s fun no matter how many times you play,” said sophomore Josh Bicknell. “Everybody has different cards so there’s always something that can beat you.” Magic cards first appeared about 10 years, ago and has gainied popularity ever since. The first set of cards produced, the Black Lotus set, are now valued at more than $300. “They were not that great of cards at first but they are worth a lot of money today,” said sophomore Damien McGinnis. “Today the cards are much cooler.” Although Magic cards are gaining popularity they have also drawn criticism. Some have called the cards belonging to the “black evil” set demonic. “People think Magic is Satanic because of the grotesque pictures on the black cards,” said Damien McGinnis. “It is just a strategy game of good against evil. The evil cards have grotesque pictures because they are evil.” Players command different creature, sorcery or battle cards to try to overpower their opponents. Because each player collects his or her own cards to play, some cards give one player an unfair advantage because the victim has nothing to counteract it. “Lightning, Wrath of God and Armageddon cards give the player too great of an advantage,” said sophomore Bobby Taves, explaining the cards that are so powerful they render the victim powerless. “There are some cards that are really cheap and are usually outlawed in play.” Ye olde days of yore may have long since gone by and knights may no longer wage battle for ye honor of thy fairest maiden on the grassy knolls in England. But Magic cards help players relive the days of chivalry and battlefield strategy. “I usually don’t like (medieval) stuff,” said Taves. “It’s fun to try to get good cards and it’s always fun to win.” |
