Let’s all just have a good time!

Daniel "Paddan" Sunhedes amazing LoA and Timetwister proxies.

By: Grant Casleton

This is written in mind that I only play Eternal Central rules and will never play Swedish rules. That isn’t because I don’t like the rules, I just won’t ever be in a position to use those rules. Whether it be me not being in Sweden/Europe, or I just plain don’t have enough cards.

I am very happy where Old School is at currently. The current banned and restricted list is simple and I don’t believe it needs any tooling. There is conversation that usually comes up every other week that I’m very tired of having to hear or listen to. I don’t give a shit about Strip Mine, nor do I give a rats ass about Mishra’s Factory. Let me say that again, for those of you who want to keep wasting your breath on this subject. I don’t give a shit about Strip Mine, nor do I give a rats ass about Mishra’s Factory.

Library of Alexandria is another whole story but I like to play mine and I like to draw cards. I’ve won because of LoA and I’ve lost because of it too. Half the time I’m not playing it because I need three red sources and a green to kill you before that LoA takes over the game. Not saying it’s the best way, but it’s unexpected and it’s fun!

Do I understand why you want to argue blue in the face? Sure. Do I care about your stupid opinion? No. After playing this game for about 10 years, I’ve realised that Magic players are an opinionated group. I actually found that out at the first FNM I went to when a grown ass man argued with me and got upset over a simple rule. Take this article for instance. It’s just my shitty hot take on something that I care about. Having a good time.

I started playing Old School because it would give me an excuse to play outside of a formal shop and have some adult beverages. The rules of gathering are quite simple compared to meeting in a shop, paying a fee, playing timed rounds, and hoping to win some sweet prize packs. I can take that $10, buy a Chicago Handshake, and get the ball rolling (hopefully with a Berserk to follow). I’ve not had this much fun playing Magic since I’ve started and that’s saying something.

So when I log onto Twitter or whatever other Social Media site I like to kill time with, I’d rather not see people petitioning to get things changed. Especially when things are already pretty good and just don’t need to be changed. I am playing this game because it’s fun and I don’t care what I win. Do I want to win and do well? Of course, I would assume everyone wants to do well. But that isn’t why I’m driving 8 hours to a city I’ve never been to just to sling some cardboard.

If you want to change some rules while playing at your kitchen table, do it. That’s what has made this game what it is since its inception. You can play by the rules, or make your own and still have a good time. But you wanting something changed for everyone is selfish and stupid.

I don’t give a shit how many aggro decks made the top 8. It means literally nothing to me. I care if my opponent has a good time playing me and leaves thinking “that was fun”. I’ve been Strip Mined into oblivion on many occasions and I fully understand that it is just the double edged sword that is Old School.

American or Swedish

Comparing the rules of Swedish Legal to Eternal Central is also completely asinine. I’m quite glad it’s a little different and it’s give us information to contrast what both metas have going on. Don’t shit on something you’ve not tried.

I am also proud of the fact that the Lords of the Pit have held many fundraising tournaments. Being able to conjoin helping out others AND being able to play a game I love. It makes me proud to know the crew in Chicago and everyone else who’s travelled states away to give money and compete.

This is a rambly piece of me trying to understand why people want to complain about such a fun game and format. The fact that this has grown organically since its inception in Sweden so many years ago really says something about it.

Finally, I just ask that you people stop complaining. Enjoy what you have. Chain Lightning isn’t worth restricting and neither is City in a Bottle. Strip Mine and Mishra’s Factory are fine and you need to sack up and just deal with it. If you don’t like them, jam Armageddon in your deck and have a go. Or better yet, play Stone Rain and Ice Storm, and see how far that gets you.

The golden domes of frustration

Library of alexandria old school mtg

But it's just a land?

“Keep.”

“Keep.”

Smiles all around.

“Good luck.” Or something in that manner.

You sit there with your opening hand, the game hasn’t really started yet but it starts to progress in your mind. “First I’ll play that card, then my opponent might do this or that … land, pass … land.”

But wait! It’s not an ordinary land no, no. It’s Library of Alexandria. So it goes … and maybe you will have your hopes up for that single Strip Mine in your deck on top of your library. But no luck. You could’ve drawn Tutor to go fetch it even but all this … hoping is just a big ol’ bag of shitty mistake to begin with.

The only three cards that most decks play that can destroy that nasty rebel base with the golden domes.

More smiles. My smile is a bit grumpy at this point though. Maybe we see a shrug from my opponent. A shrug that states that this is a game, and I might not like winning this way but it could very well have been you that did this to me. We have both agreed upon terms, time and place for this to go down. I keep looking at my opponent, trying to point out, without words how unfair it is. He keeps his gentle smile. This, it says, this here- my beautiful white marbled library with perfectly illustrated golden domes, domes that just point up at the rather nice weather that the people walking the stairs seem to be having. Not too hot, not too cold! This, this is a part of all the crap we’ve decided on. And sometimes it’s good crap, sometimes it’s bad crap. You know, as a kid, I have always dreamed of owning this little paper card, and here we are. We are in understanding about the situation we got going. And then you look down at your hand, your bleak future. You can’t keep up with two cards a turn when all you do is trading resources. But then you tell yourself that this is just a silly game, it doesn’t matter in the big scope of things. It’s all about spending time with some nice people and having a good time … But I’m not having a good time!

Sometimes, Magic is a bit like a game of Monopoly. It’s all laughs and shit- a great time with your family. Someone farts or make a joke on your expense and everyone points and you and they laugh. You just take it because it’s all good, we’re all good. But then the dice lands you on some crazy fucking expensive residential street that you don’t own. That’s when the farts and jokes ain’t funny no more. This is when shit gets real and you go Christian Bale ballistic and totally freak out.

“Hey! Calm down, it’s just a game. I will lend you the money.”

“I do not want your fucking money.”

“It’s all good. We’re just having a good time here.”

“Well, I AM NOT HAVING A GOOD TIME.

But this is fun to isn't it?

But this is fun to isn't it?

People that play magic just for the fun of it lies. Yes, yes they do. They might not care as much as the next person about losing though, and that’s all mighty fine. That person is the better person in all this, no doubt. But if we all go about this like we are playing fucking UNO or Ludo- well, hey we’re not five year olds. We are here to play a respectable card game. A game where every game is a new adventure! And ANYTHING can happen, almost. And look at the art man. Do that with your UNO.

So we play another game, and it’s all good.

“Land, go.”

“Land, Lotus, Mana Vault, Mox, Mind twist.”

SMILES AND SHRUGS.

/Seb Celia

Fun times for everyone! Or maybe not?

Happy New Year!

May your Timetwisters always bring you the cards you need in 2018.

Today is new years eve and therefore we at Wak-Wak want to take a moment to thank all of you who have followed us through the year. And of course we hope that you will continue to enjoy our content during 2018 too, because there is a lot of things planned.

Let’s do a small recap from the year that have passed and a sneak peak at what is coming next year, when we are back from our holiday break.

The Site

This site is actually not even one year old. Gordon started working on it in the summer of 2016 with the mission to publish a comprehensive list of different old school archetypes and decks. The idea came from wanting to be able to tell people it is a very wide format and to help newcomers to find out about all the fun decks they could build.

On the 11th of March Magnus “mg” De Laval published a small introduction I wrote on the original old school blog so let’s just say that was our launch date. That probably mean we need to do something cool this year on the 11th, doesn’t it? Since then the site has evolved quite a bit and now incorporates both a blog and a deck gallery. We hope you enjoy these parts of the site and we have some nice blog posts planned for 2018. A couple of teasers are a series about brewing mono brown, some game play videos and in the second half of January a tournament report from Lucia Legends with a small old school quiz for you guys.

old school artifact creatures

Artifact smash!

What more content on the site would you like? Please comment below!

The Instagram Account

Actually the Instagram is “older” than the site and our first post was published the 8th of February. We don’t publish very much there but try to keep it flowing with some fun content for all you old school lovers out there. Here you can see the nine most liked posts from 2017.

Of course a crazy guy taking a bite of his Beta Lotus got the most likes...

Of course a crazy guy taking a bite of his Beta Lotus got the most likes...

What more would you like to see on our Instagram? Please comment below!

And if you aren't already following us, why not?

The Podcast

In March Gordon tweeted that he was thinking about starting a podcast about old school and was wondering what people thought about that. One of the first persons to answer was Grant Casleton and it didn’t take long until the first episode of Flippin’ Orbs was released. It was actually on the 18th of April and since then we have released eleven episodes of varying quality and length. Many of them with Seb Celia who joined us after a couple of episodes to bring the number of hosts to three.

Right now we are on a small break but we have recorded three amazing interviews for the next season. We have talked to Titus Chalk about his book “Generation Decks, Randy Buehler about making magic and last but not least Sean O’brien about the real old school days and mana denial strategies, or in other words; the O’Brien School of Magic.

The Wrap Up

So, that’s a small recap to remind ourselves that we haven’t been doing this for so long and also some teasers about what will happen during the first part of 2018. Thank you so much for reading and listening to our content and as said, we have much more to come!

Also, if you like what we do, please consider supporting us on Patreon so we can do even more content.

 
 

 

Thank you again, and have an amazing new years eve and also a wonderful 2018. May the flips be with you!

/All the folks at Wak-Wak!

Happy Holidays from the Beasts of the Bay

Today we have a small guest post from the amazing folk over in the San Francisco Bay Area. Hope you guys enjoy it and if you have something you want to say to the old school community, we are more than happy to do more guest posts. /Wak-Wak

The San Francisco Bay Area Old School Club would like to wish all old school players around the world, and their loved ones, joyful holidays and a triumphant new year.

Old school is a format for the winter holidays. This season is a time when we reflect on tradition. Before embarking on a new year, with its new challenges, we take time to entertain the timeless. The holidays are a time of joy, in which we recall the sights and sounds and smells and feelings of our wonderstuck childhoods, and share those experiences with a new generation. 

Our club in the Bay Area is just over a year old now, and it has been a good year. We built a great group of dedicated players--guys with a fun sense of humor and a love of the old cards. In 2017, we had over twenty fantastic meetups, with almost every deck imaginable represented. We are looking forward as a club to a new year with bigger blowouts, sillier decks and spicier new tech.

The Beasts of the Bay had over 20 meetups in 2017.

We are very fortunate to have our game and its community. This year, the Beasts decided to share some of that good fortune and collect toy donations for the season's less-fortunate children. Chicago's Lords of the Pit set a good example in 2016 by running a holiday toy drive and we wanted to follow that example. Charity, camaraderie and good will should be central to the old school ethos.

Beast of the Bay toy donations this season.


We hope we get a chance to sit down and flip orbs with as many of you as we can in 2018.

Peace, love and goodwill toward all,
The Guardian Beasts

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