How did you start playing magic

[Dudecore]

I always said if I changed the names on the cards, and took out the artwork that it would be a more accessible game.

Unfortunately the notion of "dragons" and "elves" comes off as juvenile, but it's anything but that. I think people who can't get past that are really depriving themselves of a wonderful game. Which is why so many Magic players are into the hugely popular Texas Hold'em, it's the complexity and challenge.

[Kaleo42]

In 2nd grade in Hawaii the japanese influence was huge and it was easy to sink into pokemon and the whole trading and card playing scene.
Then by 5th grade I had aquired a massive collection mostly through smart trading skills and good networking abilities (despite having some lack of social skills). Yu-gi-oh came out around this time an i saw it as a chance to rule a game by starting from the beginning.
Unfortunately card games werent really 'cool' and i couldnt find people to play with so cards went by the way side.
Then i overheard a coworker talking about magic and i asked him if he could teach me so i could compare the game to the others i played. He taught me and i found that there were actually people to play with! So the social circle brought me in and i loved it. It took about 6 months for me to learn how complex the game was (it seemed too simple in comparison to yugioh) and in the process i pushe away the people who couldnt keep up with my creativity. So i searched for new people to play with and had a lot of fun a the smallest shop in town where the welcoming (and cool) top players around happen to hang out. By power of association i rose to their level and am thankful every time i play that i met Dennis, Joel, Marshal, and Leary.

[Safira008]

My new band makes fun of me, but I've been doing it for so long, it's part of who I am. They can't understand when I explain concepts like "card advantage" and "curving" that it's not just a silly kids game, there is mucho complexity.

My whole band plays haha and my lunch table.

[Mikefrompluto]

Unfortunately the notion of "dragons" and "elves" comes off as juvenile, but it's anything but that. I think people who can't get past that are really depriving themselves of a wonderful game. Which is why so many Magic players are into the hugely popular Texas Hold'em, it's the complexity and challenge.

That's exactly how I explain it to my wife. That {random game winning combo} is just like pulling off a flush or full house, just with cooler pictures on the cards. Or that its like chess in that there's an infinite number of ways you can win games and no two players strategies are the same.