magic the gathering

January 20, 2025

Nerds Be Nerding

I have no idea how to write this blog without it sounding as though I am working for Disney or Ravensburger. It just can’t be done. Just know, I have not been paid to write this. I mean… who would even pay for my shitty opinion anyway? Especially a family focused entertainment conglomerate? I curse like a sailor and I’m one of those sad millennials who “won’t grow up.”

That said…

In this rotting hellscape that’s hellbent on destroying any peace and security I have, in search of solace I have Lorcana. It is this Disney trading card game (TCG) that is similar to Magic the Gathering (with hints of Pokemon undertones) but with a Disney/family fun spin. Both games, by the way I am thoroughly obsessed with and have been since I was in my pre-teens.

Already I am a huge Disney Gay. The BF and I (pre-covid) literally went a weekend per month using our annual passes. Once they did away with those (and after Charlie passed) we got ourselves Magic Keys. So, I am invested in the Cult of Disney.

Once they announced this TCG in 2022 I became a D23 member so that I could hop on down to the convention to buy the promo cards, ignorant to the reality that tickets to the event need to be purchased in advance. So, I never got the promos. Even buying them on the secondary market will, WILL bankrupt you, considering that the first free promo they just handed out to anyone and everyone is going for $950. Charlie even looked into buying me the set from ebay for christmas but when he saw the prices… He decided against it.

So, I sat impatiently for a year, eagerly awaiting this game. I read or watched whatever I could find about them just to satiate my nerdy appetite. I needed them. At one point I saved a copy of every “sneak peek” into my phone gallery so I could just look at them while I waited. The colorful cards and art alone brought me this immense joy that I still cannot explain.

After release, I became bound and determined to actually compete in organized play. I wanted to be apart of something from the beginning and help support it to success. Although, Disney really doesn’t need me. It’s name alone will just print cash. It’s wild. I suggest going to a D23 convention once and you will see.

Yesterday, after having my ass handed to me at the Set Championship, a couple things occurred to me. One, I am a poor sport and my bad attitude has bothered some people in league. I don’t know if it has pushed others to no longer participate or not, but my mind has made itself up that it has. Two, I’m a terrible player. That or I just build shitty decks. Either way, I’m crap against these seasoned players.

So, how do I get better against them if I’m a cunt who, when I lose, look/act like an infant? I have to eat shit and hope that my bad attitude hasn’t ruined any good will from these guys. They are clearly the best and I’m nowhere near their level of skill.

Last night I had this mental crisis where I genuinely wanted to take my life. It was this coupled with a lot of other unrelated issues, however it was in the vein of me “being a burden” and “I’d be better off dead.”

Since I promised my husband that I would keep living… I talked myself off of my metaphorical ledge and said the only way to fix this is to be humble and ask for help. Recognize my flaws and faults, apologize and hope someone is gracious enough to train me.

Luckily, the hot viking daddy agreed to help me. Proving, again, he is truly one of the sweetest dudes around. (Especially when you see how he is raising his son.)

In the face of all this terrible uncertainty, I will hold tight to the things that bring me joy and try to make myself a better person. Today is always a good time to start. Hopefully, I can make myself a competitive player at the same time. Or, at the very least, a gracious loser.

November 1, 2022

The Soundtrack of My Life – 37 – Viva Las Vegas

My dad was quite the Elvis fan. He loved him. One time we took a trip to Memphis so that my pop could go see Graceland. I had no point of reference at the time. I had heard his songs here and there but being only twelve at the time he wasn’t on my radar. During this trip I was more concerned with getting my hands on some beanie babies.

It was so odd to me that my dad only wanted to see his house. He could not have cared less about his cars or outfits. One would think, him being a super fan, he would have been chomping at the bit… but no.

Years later I would revisit Graceland with my mother-in-law who is also a big Elvis fan. She wanted to see everything. (Well, except for the cars. She could not have cared less about those.) Her main goal was to see his jewelry. Unfortunately all they had was maybe one belt buckle and a couple rings. “There has to be more!” she said.

Later that evening, after our tour of his humble abode, we watched the movie “Viva Las Vegas” in the Elvis movie theatre. And boy-howdy was that movie garbage. I have only seen two of his movies, Blue Hawaii and Viva Las Vegas and they are both giant pieces of misogynistic bull shit that feel almost like a cocaine-fueled dream than a movie. Out of the two, each had one song in each that I enjoyed. If you wanted a story or any kind of character growth… I’d look elsewhere.

The main reason I chose this song is because this previous Friday, the day this was supposed to be published, I was in Las Vegas with my boys for the Magic 30 convention. This was the final stop, before home, on our cross-country road trip. And this was the event I had been waiting anxiously for since started a month ago.

Magic the Gathering (if you don’t know) is a collectible/tradable card game that came out in 1993 (if you’re doing the math it shouldn’t be called Magic 30 but… whatevs). It’s a strategy card game where people purchase booster packs to get better cards to incorporate into the decks they use against their opponents. The idea is that you are a wizard with a “library” of spells and creatures to defeat an opposing wizard. There is more complexity to it than what I am describing, but if I were to delve into them this would be a much longer post. I for one like to produce “fun sized” posts to entertain the masses.

This was the first convention I had/have ever attended. I have wanted to do San Diego Comic-Con in the past but I am not quick on the purchase button for me to get a ticket. Plus I’ve never actually had the money to go to one before. This time I had the funds to buy all of my boys a ticket and entry into a few tournaments. Even competitive play is something I have never done, nor have I wanted to. Most of the attendees to such events loath a soap, water, and deodorant combo. There was none of that at this event, so maybe it’s just a local thing. Or maybe if they can afford a ticket to the event they also usually purchase the necessary self-care items.

When I first signed up I had also wanted to do a ton of events, but out of the corner of my eye I caught a disclaimer that events tend to run long. So from the 6 I had initially purchased I scaled it by half. And thank the universe I did. One of my events was over 5 hours long. I didn’t even get a chance to finish it, because I was in super bad mood and the dudes at my table said there was only 2 rounds, when the app CLEARLY said 3. But instead of trusting the people, y’know, facilitating the event I took listened to the word of a bunch of know-it-alls who deemed the “winning deck” of our “pod” was just some kid with a bunch of creatures instead of me, whom they all decided (collectively) to take out first because I was the biggest threat. So… fuck them. (I’m not bitter.)

Despite my failures in that single tournament (it was them and my own stupid inability to slow down and pay attention) I had an amazing time. I fully intend on attending another one in the future, should they hold one. And supposedly this is a yearly thing. Who knew?

After spending an insane amount of money on Magic cards… (see the photograph below) I am officially home. It’s weird to be back, but I couldn’t have lived like that for much longer. Hopping from one hotel to the next is exhausting, especially when you have a co-traveler who requires many different life-saving devices in tow.

I’m just glad we got to tick off some bucket-list items for my husband (Boston, Florida, and New Orleans.)

Our only regrets is not spending more time in Austin and in Boston. My husband opined, as we were leaving “Bean Town,” that he wished we had set aside an entire month for the city instead of just a week. He is a foody traveler. He wants to taste all of the best local places to eat. I’m a sightseeing/experience guy myself.

It started out with just this… which is still TOO MUCH…

and then morphed into….

One of the boxes of cards and 3 of those decks merged into that white card box. Those are 3 shirts in the pile at the bottom. And not pictured here is this SWEET jacket I got.