The Magic of
the game - Living the Duel
Greetings, and welcome to the 3rd of this weeks 5
articles. In my previous article, you may have
picked up on me mentioning ‘The Magic of the Game’.
That was left for a subtle hint at the next article
, and the final lines of the Valentines special
served as the inspiration for this article.
Yugioh is a game like non I have ever played, and I
have experience with a few TCG’s including Magic the
gathering and Duel masters. Both , though charming
and original , failed to match up in my eyes to
Yugioh because there was no soul to them, at least
through my experience. Yugioh transcends gaming to
another level because it has some sought of aura
about it that can attract a wide audience, as well
as a constantly changing dueling atmosphere where
players learn and grow.
There is something mystical about this game. Now I’m
not talking shadow magic and heart of the cards
here, but every duelist has played a game that has
been more than a typical way of passing the time, at
least once. Games that seem to have a higher meaning
than just a simple game, and seem to mean something
far more important, and unique. The kind of ‘Magic’
that cant be recreated by any video game, or even
board game. There are times , within this game ,
where you and your deck are a single entity , and
you are living the duel.
These kinds of games vary amongst the players. Some
may find this happening rarely, or maybe haven’t
experienced it yet because of their play style, but
eventually everyone will have a game where, win or
lose, they cant deny that it was a good game,
something special, something that should be
cherished. These games can be experienced at any
time, against any player, but they only happen when
the opponent and their deck are unified.
These games are special because you play each other
card for card, and both decks churn out the best
that they can possibly do in every situation, and
the players play what their DECKS tell them to, by
top decking a specific card. There are also
instances when you are given a card that you hadn’t
even hoped for, such as a Swords of Revealing light
when you were dying for a Premature burial. Such
events could simply be described as luck by more
sceptical players, but I think its more than that.
There is something in this games mechanic that
allows the opportunity to play such games that no
other game , in my experience has ever offered in
quite the same way. Yugioh , is a beautifully
designed card game in the way that it can provide us
with such unique entertainment.
In this game, the player and deck work as one. The
partnership between Duelist and deck is unrivalled.
Both depend on each other to function. A deck is no
good without a skilled player to use it, and a
duelist is no good without the right cards in their
deck. This symbiosis make for the ultimate teamwork
and leads to enjoyable, powerful games in the
future. This mutual trust ( even though they are
only cards) is the most powerful thing a duelist can
posses.
But how do you achieve a sense of trust with your
deck? Now obviously, the deck isn’t literally alive
, but metaphorically I do consider it to be. Through
observation, you will realise that a dueling deck is
like a complex organism, with each part of it being
like a vital organ in the system. The deck however ,
is too complex for a simple human mind to define
into separate bodily functions though, its not like
you can say that ‘Breaker is the blood’, or ‘Spirit
Reaper’ the bare bones. It doesn’t work like that.
The deck is so complicated because it needs such a
variety and abundance of different pieces in
unlimited combinations in order to work, and what’s
worse is that some pieces may be completely
different in terms of the functions that they
perform than another, and yet may make the deck on
the whole work a lot better . Needless to say, it’s
complicated, but so is life so go figure.
Once the ‘Life’ that is the deck is completed , it
is then up to the player to adjust and perform to
fit the new criteria, making adjustments where
necessary. This is like when you warm up to a new
theme or card, and learn its strengths and
weakness‘.
Another aspect behind the magic of the game , is the
connections players make with their cards, and the
emotional attachments they experience with them.
Players get to a point where, if they truly have a
passion for the game, will treat their cards as
though they were living, for instance , if your
cards were torn up for any reason, any player would
be extremely disheartened and not to mention angry,
not just for the great expense they have lost in an
instant, but more for the loss of the cards
themselves. Players mourn for their lost deck
because of the emotional connection associate with
them.
As duelists get older, as stated in my previous
article, they grow into the game. A true player
embraces Yugioh and becomes part of the mysticism
that it possesses. They become different people, and
accelerate forward with it and become better for it.
Duelists like this receive the greatest satisfaction
from dueling , and therefore enjoy it further.
Players should show compassion for their decks, and
in return the game will reward them. Undoubtedly,
Yugioh is a special game, with a dynamic influence
that ascends beyond it. It can pull people together,
pus them apart, or simply and most magnificently
make a person rise above their piers, and for that,
I think it deserves to be called magical.
Thanks for reading, toddyhole@aol.com for your
thoughts, as always. |
