Magic Maybe?
So much stuff going on, but in the middle of it all I have, at least temporarily, found my next hyperfixation. It’s Magic the Gathering…
I’m pretty ambivalent about this, but I seriously have no control over it. Even though large portions of me want to ignore it, I can’t help myself.
I’ve played Magic off and on since Mirage, which was released in 1996. I really like the gameplay. I really like the fun of opening packs and seeing new cards. I just have other stuff to do. Also Secret Lair (super duper exclusive limited releases) seems really scummy, although I see they reversed course and made it cosmetic only. They’ve got some crazy expensive booster pack options too. So I’m not thrilled about the company’s current business practices.
They’re also partnering with Games Workshop for a Warhammer themed release. GW has been pretty horrible to their fanbase lately. I swore them off in the middle of my miniatures hyperfixation in 2020. I was about to go pretty hard on Warhammer after Kieron Gillen wrote a comic mini series for them. But then GW brought down the copyright hammer on a bunch of fan content. So I don’t know how I can engage with Magic only to see more Warhammer stuff right away.
The other thing is, my brain wants me to play like I did when Scars of Mirrodin came out in 2010, or even how the Guilds of Ravnica release felt in 2018. The game just isn’t like that anymore. Friday Night Magic is multi-format instead of just draft. A lot of people have moved to Magic Arena, the online version that ripped off Hearthstone’s interface. The store I go to doesn’t even have tables to play on in the main room anymore.
I played Magic Arena when it came out in 2019, but I just can’t get into it. Even when I do engage heavily it doesn’t feel good. After a long FNM draft I always felt like I had accomplished something. Finishing an Arena draft just feels like I wasted my time, and I can’t really even explain why.
So I’ve cracked a few packs for the feeling of it. I watched a bunch of YouTube videos. Read up on some Commander decks. Updated Arena and played a few games. I’m not really sure where I go from here. I really don’t want to spend a ton of money this time around. I know I don’t want to lose whole days on Arena hating it the whole time. I keep thinking that maybe I should do some prep and try to find a paper draft somewhere. I just don’t want to put in all that work and be disappointed in the result.
Gaming - Destiny 2
Surprisingly, I’m still playing Destiny 2! I thought that once the hyperfixation wore off I would be out. However I just kept going, albeit at a slower more sustainable pace. Season of the Haunted is wrapping up and I think I’m going to end up being able to finish the Seal. That’s pretty exciting!
I didn’t push for the Pinnacle cap this season, which left me free to kind of ease on through some of the less demanding bits of content laying around. It’s been pretty fun! I hope next season is as good as the last two.
After spending most of the season trying to make Solar 3.0 work on my Warlock, I’ve returned to Void. It feels much nicer and I get to use some guns that I like a whole lot more. Playing suboptimally is something I will need to try more often.
Reading
I’m still working my way through Creative Quest. It is surprisingly dense and surprisingly good.
I read The Apothecary Diaries volume 5 (manga version) this week. I’m surprised this exists! I thought the series was over after volume 4, which really wrapped up the plot. I would like to give the light novels a try at some point. However those don’t seem to be available in print. Perhaps a J-Novel Club subscription is in my future.
I also continued Magic Artisan Dahlia Wilts No More with volume 2. Loved it! I hope the light novel version of this sees official translation eventually as well.
The Journey Continues
Gotta kick the card game habit. Or at least find a way to live comfortably with it for a while. Continuing to focus on my mantra: Do the thing you actually want to do, not the thing that’s easiest.
Stay chill and enjoy