Use it or Lose it

How I feel about minimizing, shown by Tolarian Winds card art

Happy 2021! Like many, I make resolutions to greet the new year. We look ahead in anticipation, perhaps especially so after the year we just completed. There is hope, though we're still in the pandemic . . . but on to Magic.

My Magic resolution for this year is . . . to minimize my Magic cards. I don't really want to hear that- hence my choice of art for today's post- but it is necessary. I love both collecting and playing the game, but I need to minimize the former while continuing the latter. There are so many cards I've never used, and they don't benefit me sitting around. To that end, for the past few weeks, I've been going through my cards and adjusting the collection. I'm keeping favorite sets (Dominaria, Eldraine), sleeving cards from favorite blocks for drafting (Innistrad, Ixalan), and keeping a ton of cards from core sets and other expansions for Commander or cubes. I'll still own thousands of cards . . . but I'm getting rid of a lot, too.

Such paring down is time-consuming- and annoying- but necessary to keep things contained. My collection can't get too large, or I'd have no room in my game area. But more importantly, I need to keep my collection bounded so I use what I own. If you don't keep a handle on your possessions, they'll start owning you. Focusing on having only what you use, and getting rid of the rest, increases your enjoyment and makes life easier. Optimization matters. 

Speaking of optimization, I read an excellent article yesterday about casual Commander. The author makes a number of good points. One is the tendency of even casual games to lean toward optimization, which basically means:

- players want their decks to be as good as possible, 

- so they'll sink lots of time and money into making that happen, 

- which means the game (regardless of format) moves from casual to competitive rather easily. 

As I pondered his points, I realized how I bought into this (literally); I have so many cards because I want to make competitive decks. And yet, when I analyze my physical play, I much prefer casual. I play with friends and my children- never in competitive tournaments. And that's great! But it means I'm paying for something (competitive cards) that I just don't care about in casual play. And so I need to make a change.

New Year is a great time to reflect on what you need and want, and analyze whether your resource usage (time and money) matches what you truly believe is important. And make changes when necessary. Here's to 2021.