{"ops":[{"insert":"First started playing Magic: The Gathering in the 90's. My first pack was Fallen Empires (yep, I know) at a time when Revised packs were around together with Chronicles, and some old stock of Legends. Mahamotti Djinns, Air Elementals, Clones, Vesuvan Doppelgangers, Power Sink; those were the ones I stuffed into my first deck along with Shivan Dragons, Lightning Bolts, Fireballs, Disintegrates. I still recall how much fun my turbo black-green stompy was; dark ritual into Hypnotic Spectre, Birds-Ritual turn two Sengir Vampires, Terror for removal. How about that Jokulhaups red-green big stompy? \n\nPlaying powerful decks then was so different, a sign of a game just past its infancy. I then started to build thematic decks:\na "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Nature"},{"insert":" deck with Gaea's Liege and strict theme for \"nature friendly cards\" like Ley Druids, etc."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Knights of the Round Table"},{"insert":" black-white deck with Black/White Deck, Order of Ebon Hand, Benalish Hero, Moat, etc."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Undead"},{"insert":" with Hypnotic Spectres, Drudge Skeletons, Bog Wraiths, etc."},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Elemental"},{"insert":" deck, Earth, Fire, Air, Water elementals (yep, it was a barely functional deck)"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"insert":"These were the decks I enjoyed the most. Using a card game to play out fantasy themes. \n\nA short time later, Type 2 debut'd, starting a wane to my interest in the game never recovered. I realized that the game would be a perpetual money pit, chasing cards in standard rotation. Coupled with real life things, I nope'd out of the game and sold everything as a cheaper lot (playsets of dual lands and a handful of future reserved list cards) after Alliances (yep, sold the Force of Wills and Necropotence in the lot too!). \n\nFast forward two decades, my friends were actively trying to rope me into this \"new game\" called EDH/Commander not knowing my bittersweet past with Magic. I resisted for years until a flatmate declared a Commander night and I was roped in as a fourth at the table. I still recall wondering where the interrupts went, and why instants could \"interrupt\" the stack once everyone passed priority and the stack started resolving; boy how much Magic has changed! I was attracted to the thematic possibilities in Commander and was slowly but surely hooked. \n\nThe World Pandemic arrived just as Ikoria was announced. Sitting at home with said flatmate, we entertained ourselves by splitting a box of Ikoria in the old-school way; I chose Blue and Red, he chose White and Green and we split Black and colorless/artifacts. I picked up Timeless Wisdom, Arcane Maelstrom, and Merciless Rage as well and there is no looking back now. \n\nMy biggest joy in Magic: The Gathering is the deckbuilding in Commander and watching the deck unfold. The dopamine is so addictive in watching the budget-conscious thematic (flavour and/or mechanical), synergistic, resilient decks that I construct showing its flavourful thematic synergy and resilience. Current joys include:\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Kennessos"},{"insert":", prophecies (scry, top deck mechanical theme) foretelling the inevitable arrival of "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Sea Monsters"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Ripley Vance"},{"insert":", Pyromage (red-based spellslinger) pirate king (pirate and nautical themes) protecting her Spitfire Bastion from the stronghold's Blasting Stations (her card ability)"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Flight Deck"},{"insert":", strictly flyers-only creatures (only ever performs well when someone else is playing it against me)"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Malcolm"},{"insert":" scouting for targets in the sea for "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Breeches"},{"insert":" to plunder in a strict Pirate and Nautical theme build"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Angry Jellybean"},{"insert":" calling forth his "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Elemental"},{"insert":" allies to lead nature's stampede against the corruption of Zendikar's lands/mana"},{"attributes":{"list":"bullet"},"insert":"\n"}]}