Magic: The Gathering....of Nerds and other CCGs

 

Collectable Card Games (CCGs) made headway in the 1990s. The introduction of Magic: The Gathering issued in an avalanche of different card games all with their own variations gameplay, strategy and background stories. I became aware of these games during my heyday at the local Laser Tag facility at which I was employed. In the days before online gaming, gaggles of nerds gathered in person to challenge each other in games of skill. It was a common sight to see many card games being played in the seating areas around the game facility. I got sucked into the CCG world along with a few other male employees at this time as we were friends with the regulars who spent more time there than those of us who were actually employed at the business.

It became quickly apparent, that during the games we watched, certain cards were more rare or had better abilities than others. This began the rise in trading card values. Magic was the clear favorite amongst the gamers, so obviously I tried out Wyvern instead. I may be one of only two people to have actually played this CCG. This also meant that I missed out on purchasing older M:TG  packs which actually had some value. Wyvern might as well have had the Image logo printed on them. Anyway, I eventually got into M:TG and played fairly decent games. I had a variety of playable decks available mainly due to the fact that I owned about 6000 cards. The plus side was that I saw it as a game, not as collectables. I mean, how can you expect cards to hold great value when the game requires you to use the newest sets and older cards become unusable. Certain cards also became restricted or banned from play, which makes for a poor investment if no one can use them. However, some cards have done well in the set, just none of the ones I own. So, if you happen to own a Black Lotus, Time Twister, Ancestral Recall or any Mox cards, you may have done well assuming anyone ever wants to actually shell out the money to purchase these from you. As we’ve said before, they are only worth what someone is willing to pay and I believe that pool of buyers is rapidly depleting.

 6,000 Plus!!!

There were several other sets that did well with younger crowds like Pokemon, which taught the finer points of dog fighting on a larger scale. Then there was Yu-Gi-Oh, which spawned one of the stupidest cartoons ever. Is it really necessary for two opponents, who are apparently some sort of masters at the game, to have to explain in great detail every move they are making and how it will ultimately affect the other opponent's critters? Then the sadistic asshole writers would also make you listen to the inner dialogue the players were having with themselves. I’m glad poker isn’t like that.

Yu-Gi-Oh-No! More excuses to blow your cash

Star Wars tried cashing in on this too. I fell for it. I must admit I bought it exclusively to collect, because honestly who else is going to buy Star Wars stuff, this has to be a good investment, right?

Lucas jumping on the bandwagon?...Weird

For those of you who got into CCGs because you enjoyed playing the game, kudos to you and I hope you had/have fun with your game. If you made investment choices buying Legend of the Five Rings or Jyhad (if you bought Jyhad you should get punched in the privates) then you probably got caught up in the hype.  I will conclude that CCGs have their allure, but play them for fun, if you want to make money on cards, go to the casino.

And we do mean WIN! As in: Unbelievable Leprechaun farts LUCK!!!! We're still trying to get over this. If you got this Lotus card back in the day or gave your friend a couple of Franklins for it and then, for some reason, decided to keep it mint and get it graded by "professionals"..... This is what you could be getting for it TODAY! You'd be one lucky guy/gal... check this auction out! We hate to say it but "OMG!!!"