Just do . . . something
April 28th 2009 02:33
This world’s got a lot of space,
And if they don’t like my face,
It ain’t me that’s going anywhere.
-- Sonny Bono, “Laugh at Me”
I’ve been called an arrogant jerk. I’ve been called shallow, ignorant, and narrow-minded. I’ve been accused of both right-wing fascism and far-left radicalism (sometimes on the same day). In a way, though, none of that was quite as bad as having my opponent in the third round of the Alara Reborn pre-release last weekend tell me that I was taking the game way too seriously.
What prompted this? The fact that I felt the need to use my “sideboard” (cards that don’t start in your deck at the beginning of a round, but can be rotated into your deck between games) when facing one of the most powerful Equipment cards ever printed for sealed deck games.
Actually, it’s rather funny. In the sense it’s usually used, I could be considered very un-serious. I don’t take that much interest in pro players, I don’t go out of my way to collect four of every power card, and I certainly don’t practice before events. My aspirations involve teaching and writing novels, not appearing on MagicTheGathering.com’s tournament podcast. But there are situations where some players consider it okay to criticize and even attack others for doing things differently than they do – even when it’s inconsistent, like calling me out for being too serious and then bragging to your friends after the match about how well you played and that “Nassif would have been proud.”
One of the great things about Magic is that it is such a huge phenomenon that everyone can get something different out of it. You don’t have to like other peoples’ approach to the game – in addition to my run-ins with wannabe pros, I’ve often been critical of the Highlander or Singleton format as it’s played in Australia – but you don’t get to say it’s “wrong.” At the risk of sounding arrogant, this is a lesson that needs to be learned (or re-learned) both within and without the game. We live in an age when you can be dogpiled on forums for posting a deck that differs from a “netdeck” by even one card. Outside of Magic, a certain famous blogger recently posted an entry riddled with hatred and sexual insults – against someone whose only crime was honestly answering a question he himself asked.
And if they don’t like my face,
It ain’t me that’s going anywhere.
-- Sonny Bono, “Laugh at Me”
I’ve been called an arrogant jerk. I’ve been called shallow, ignorant, and narrow-minded. I’ve been accused of both right-wing fascism and far-left radicalism (sometimes on the same day). In a way, though, none of that was quite as bad as having my opponent in the third round of the Alara Reborn pre-release last weekend tell me that I was taking the game way too seriously.
What prompted this? The fact that I felt the need to use my “sideboard” (cards that don’t start in your deck at the beginning of a round, but can be rotated into your deck between games) when facing one of the most powerful Equipment cards ever printed for sealed deck games.
Ironically, people are also always being told “You have to play to win.”
Actually, it’s rather funny. In the sense it’s usually used, I could be considered very un-serious. I don’t take that much interest in pro players, I don’t go out of my way to collect four of every power card, and I certainly don’t practice before events. My aspirations involve teaching and writing novels, not appearing on MagicTheGathering.com’s tournament podcast. But there are situations where some players consider it okay to criticize and even attack others for doing things differently than they do – even when it’s inconsistent, like calling me out for being too serious and then bragging to your friends after the match about how well you played and that “Nassif would have been proud.”
Double negatives are allowed in Spanish, and also in Magic.
One of the great things about Magic is that it is such a huge phenomenon that everyone can get something different out of it. You don’t have to like other peoples’ approach to the game – in addition to my run-ins with wannabe pros, I’ve often been critical of the Highlander or Singleton format as it’s played in Australia – but you don’t get to say it’s “wrong.” At the risk of sounding arrogant, this is a lesson that needs to be learned (or re-learned) both within and without the game. We live in an age when you can be dogpiled on forums for posting a deck that differs from a “netdeck” by even one card. Outside of Magic, a certain famous blogger recently posted an entry riddled with hatred and sexual insults – against someone whose only crime was honestly answering a question he himself asked.
Ironically, this card has been out of print for almost two years now.
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