{"ops":[{"insert":"In the summer of 1993, my cousin came down from Seattle and introduced me to Magic back in Alpha. He was playing Dimir control. I did not win much.\n\nBut it wasn't until 1994 when Revised dropped, that I started collecting and "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"really "},{"insert":"got into the game. That's when the cards were "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"finally "},{"insert":"readily available to buy at a few places in my area. \n\nMy friends and I told "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"everyone"},{"insert":" we knew about this "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"new"},{"insert":" trading card game.\nI bought. I traded and I hoarded a stupid amount of cards.\nWe played 60 card Vintage Multiplayer Death Match and Grand Melee for decades until Commander was invented. \n\nWe didn't play with sleeves (they weren't a thing yet). There was no \"net decking.\"\nWe tapped cards on old hand-me-down wooden tables, or on carpeted living room floors in giant 12-15 man pods.\nThe most powerful cards had the most wear, and showed battle scars.\nAnd when sleeves hit the market, they were "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"ridiculed"},{"insert":" for the faint of heart - \"cards are meant to be shuffled and played, dude.\"\n\nNow I double sleeve my cards.\n\nI've been playing cEDH regularly since 2019.\n\nMy long-time Magic buddy and I started the original Precon League in 2022. He wrote an article on Commander's Herald about it.\n5 cards and $5 max total upgrades per week. 10 week seasons. \nThe idea took off. \nOthers created similar Precon Leagues.\nIt's a great way to get use out of old, cheap long-box cards with good deck synergy.\n\nAs some of my buddies quit playing Magic over the years, I had bought their collections.\nI have a passion for brewing, testing and tweaking - and prefer having extra copies on-hand for when I get inspired.\n\nArchidekt really helps refine deck ideas in an intuitive, easy to manage way.\nMy go-to brainstorming technique is to break the deck down into Categories (Multiple). It's a grouping option in the deck Filters.\nSo if you want to see my thought process more clearly, and to see the layered combos hidden in the deck, filter the deck to Categories (Multiple).\n\nAfter 4 years, a podcast and 13 seasons (with 2 season championships), I retired from Precon League in 2026. \nI had enough cards and experience, and an opportunity opened.\nA lifelong friend and I opened KevBox Toys in Texas in 2025 - and I'm the Magic vendor. It was my natural evolution, they say...\n\nCheck out my cEDH decks and my Precon League Commander decks.\nThere's some "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"highly"},{"insert":" optimized decks in there that could give you ideas. \n\nHappy brewing!\n-Clutchness\n\n\"Precon Life\" podcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9ca1hZ3WbJL_Kw2bN-BBVQ\nPlay Star Citizen on PC? Check out my bigger channel at "},{"attributes":{"link":"https://www.youtube.com/alphacitizen"},"insert":"www.youtube.com/alphacitizen"},{"insert":" for tips, tricks and bug workarounds and some cinematics\n"}]}