Magic can come in many forms for each of us. Those on the pro-tour have taken their passions to the limit, and created an income source. Many of the writers, web companies, and organizers of the world have found other ways to turn their love of the game into a resource and income stream, but such is not the case for most of us in the greater Magic community. Our dreams of pro-tour qualifications, top eight finishes, and unlimited card pools are often tempered with a reality that this is a hobby, a budget item which can easily be overruled by almost any financial concern. Most of us are budget players. I find myself at the lower ends of the budget community.
I started playing this game in my late teens with cards I literally found. I stopped playing when my beloved son was born, for surely I would never have time again. Fate had a different plan in mind, as is often the case of fate. My son became interested in Magic the Gathering, and I soon found that it was a great thing for he and I to do together. We started playing in the fall of 2005, about the time Timespiral block was released. I quickly found that my want for my old collection far exceeded the $600 per year I could reasonably afford to spend on this game as a single income parent.
My 2008 budget has been slashed deeper to $450 for the year. This money has to provide all the cards and events for both myself and my son for the year. My local meta-game at Sci-fi Genre in Durham NC currently revolves around current limited, and Standard constructed, so keeping up with the new card releases becomes a priority. The purchase of common/uncommon play-sets, and participation in pre/release events takes nearly all of our current budget. The rares of our collection truly keep their name sakes, since we don't have the funds to buy many out right. Rares are usually acquired through trade, but luckily I am a pretty fair trader, and manage to acquire the essentials.
Simply put, budget deck build has become a real passion of mine. The current Standard tier one decks, are simply out of reach for my collection. My last deck concept was a budgeted version of storm- in all version it only priced out to roughly $20. I am currently running a Rogue deck, but so far find it less then inspired. My major accomplishments over the last year was the acquisition of a Mutavault play-set, and Chameleon Colossus play-set, with no outlay of cash. The vaults have found a place in my Goin' Rogue build, and the Chameleons are being held for a possible green build if the rogue effort does not pan out.
Just days ago, I was able to acquire a play-set of Oona's Prowler from trade capitol. This really ups the power potential of my deck building efforts, while not cutting into my collection. Tune in next Monday for my Goin' Rogue deck list that I used in Regionals, and the evolution to it's current form, along with some play breakdowns.
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