"What are some of your favourite things about your local Magic community?"

"What are some of your favourite things about your local Magic community?"

I was asked to answer this question as a part of a Judge of the Week feature, but my response took on a life of its own. I sent an excerpt for JOTW to use (which met their length requirements), but opted to post the full text here as well. A special thanks to Raoul Mowatt and the JOTW team. I appreciate the work you guys do and I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of this feature.

There was a time, about six months after I started playing Magic, when I commented that walking into my LGS felt like 'coming home.' My friend laughed and said, "A place where everyone knows your name?" And while cheesy, he was also correct. I loved walking in those doors and being greeted by friends, immediately being asked what I was playing or invited to join a game. 

As a newcomer to both the game and the shop, my concerns about fitting in had been unfounded. Guys offered to help me improve my decks, trade me cards, show me how to beat them, and teach me tournament fundamentals. As I immersed myself in the community, the terminology and ethics soon followed. After an exhaustive internet search, I finally asked someone and discovered that "fizzled" and "countered on resolution" mean the same thing. I learned that slow rolling when you have a win in hand is considered rude, just like scooping before you've attempted all your outs is incorrect. (It just took me a while to figure out that I had a win in hand!)

I came from literally nothing in terms of knowing the game. I had never seen or heard of it until a friend of a friend brought over a box of Theros and some guys offered to teach me a 'new game.' Let's just say that drafting might not have been the best introduction . . .  However my 5-colored deck of mostly 8 drops (the big ones are the best, right?) was amazing. I do wish that before we drafted someone had told me that you could add basic lands - I drafted every land from every pack because they were so exceptionally rare.

Terrible beginning aside, I'm extremely grateful that those guys kicked my ass that day. None of them let me win. They didn't even allow me to take back my awful plays. They did explain the rules to me, and require that I play by them. The guys in my local store treated me the same way. No one babied me. No one coddled me. They simply educated me, and demanded excellence. Each time I lost was a learning experience, and gradually I won a few games, and finally a few matches. 

While I can't say it was an easy road, it was the right road for me. I'm sure there are folks out there who would have preferred a different experience - a handicap of sorts for beginners. That's just not my style. Growing up, my dad and I played a lot of games, and he didn't let me win. I learned to respect skill, hope for luck, and that winning and losing must both be accomplished gracefully. My LGS recreated those feelings for me.

Alas all good things must come to an end, right? Well, shortly after I became a judge, that store closed down. I sought to fill the void by judging a lot of national events like Grands Prix and Star City Opens. Don't get me wrong-I love those events! But there is also something to be said for a local Magic community. I missed 'my guys' and a store that felt like home.

A funny thing happened: As I judged more PPTQs all over the area, I started seeing the same players each weekend. Many of the same guys who travel to the larger events as well. Guys that I have played Magic with, traveled with, roomed with, traded cards with, and judged with popped up at a variety of places. Sometimes players who didn't know me personally knew of me. Even when walking into a store I had never been in before, I was greeted with familiar faces.

It's awesome how quickly my feelings went from newbie and outsider to 'one of the crowd.' I can't help but smile when someone surprises me with a hot chocolate (I don't drink coffee, but I may have a bit of a hot chocolate addiction . . .) I love seeing a local player at a large event who stops by registration to say hello or asks me to check out his deck before the main event. It always brings me a sense of pride when other judges meet my players from home. 

While the game may have introduced us, the friendships I’ve made have connected us in many ways outside the game too. From pool parties and fantasy football to baseball games and Christmas cards. We've celebrated birthdays in a shop, brought our kids along to play, and shared our anniversary trip with crazy roommates. In the past year I've attended a wedding and a funeral, sharing both the joys and the sorrows of life with my Magic community. 

So in conclusion, my favorite thing about my local Magic community is the community itself - both the players and the judges, in person, and on the internet. Whether it's my Tuesday night legacy group, the grinders at a PPTQ, or roommates at a GP, the people are as much a part of the experience as the game itself and it's the shared experiences among those people that create the community that has made me who I am as a judge.