Blog the Magic Gathering

I got my first Starter Pack of Magic: the Gathering during Unlimited, but it was all flowers and jewelry, so I threw it away and got a full set of Vampire: the Jyhad (later known as Vampire: the Eternal Struggle), because Vampires are frickin cool and flowers are only so-so even if they're black. My friends roleplayed Vampire: the Maquerade and I thought I was much more likely to play Jyhad than Magic. Turns out none of my friends got into Collectable Card Games for several more years, so I ended up throwing away my Jyhad cards in disgust. ...but over the past few years I've kept coming back to Magic, to see the new cards, draft a couple times, Johnny for a while, pick up some commons at the flea market, then give my cards away for whatever reason (a kid wanted baseball cards so he got three power nine cards, I stomped out of Sam's motel room because he was ribbing me for my religion so he got a couple Orzhov theme decks, I got tired of being homeless and carrying around a bunch of cards so Dallas got a Time-Spiral Fat Pack I turned into a Coalition Victory deck with Transguild Courier, Lilith decided to kick me out of her place so I left in a rage and she got a proto fairies vs angels duel set which I'm happy to say she ended up playing, etc etc.). ... I should have an honorary degree in Digression.

I give you...

VAMPIRE: the Gathering:

Vampire Bats Creature - Bat 0 1
Vampiric Link Enchantment - Aura (It's common, it turns any creature deck into a vampiric creature deck, and they're 4 for $1 or less)
Vampiric Tutor Instant (10$ a pop)
Vampirism Enchantment - Aura
Vampire Hounds Creature - Vampire Hound 2 2
Vampiric Touch Sorcery (10 cents)
Vampiric Sliver Creature - Sliver 3 3
Moroii Creature - Vampire 4 4
Crovax the Cursed Legendary Creature - Vampire 0 0
Irini Sengir Legendary Creature - Vampire Dwarf 2 2
Mirri the Cursed Legendary Creature - Vampire Cat 3 2
Vampiric Embrace Enchantment - Aura
Vampiric Spirit Creature - Spirit 4 3
Treacherous Vampire Creature - Vampire 4 4
Arrogant Vampire Creature - Vampire 4 3
Krovikan Vampire Creature - Vampire 3 3
Ravenous Vampire Creature - Vampire 3 3
Repentant Vampire Creature - Vampire 3 3
Sengir Nosferatu Creature - Vampire 4 4
Sengir Vampire Creature - Vampire 4 4
Skyshroud Vampire Creature - Vampire 3 3
Soul Collector Creature - Vampire 3 4
Ascendant Evincar Legendary Creature - Vampire 3 3
Mephidross Vampire Creature - Vampire 3 4
Skeletal Vampire Creature - Vampire Skeleton 3 3
Stalking Bloodsucker Creature - Vampire 4 4
Vein Drinker Creature - Vampire 4 4
Shauku, Endbringer Legendary Creature - Vampire 5 5
Vampiric Feast Sorcery
Blood Tyrant Creature - Vampire 5 5
Garza Zol, Plague Queen Legendary Creature - Vampire 5 5
Szadek, Lord of Secrets Legendary Creature - Vampire 5 5
Vampiric Dragon Creature - Vampire Dragon 5 5
Baron Sengir Legendary Creature - Vampire 5 5

Lifelink cards have vampire-like abilities (do damage, gain that much life), so I included them here:
Nip Gwyllion Creature - Hag 1 1
Genju of the Fields Enchantment - Aura
Mourning Thrull Creature - Thrull 1 1
Mistmeadow Skulk Creature - Kithkin Rogue 1 1
Spirit Loop Enchantment - Aura
Nectar Faerie Creature - Faerie Wizard 1 1
Daybreak Coronet Enchantment - Aura
Knight of Meadowgrain Creature - Kithkin Knight 2 2
Loxodon Warhammer Artifact - Equipment
Steel of the Godhead Enchantment - Aura
Scourge of the Nobilis Enchantment - Aura
Paragon of the Amesha Creature - Human Knight 2 2
Necravolver Creature - Volver 2 2
Rakavolver Creature - Volver 2 2
El-Hajjâj Creature - Human Wizard 1 1 (a Vampire: the Jyhad precursor?)
Windwright Mage Artifact Creature - Human Wizard 2 2
Rhox War Monk Creature - Rhino Monk 3 4
Voracious Hatchling Creature - Elemental 6 6
Doubtless One Creature - Cleric Avatar * *
Essence Sliver Creature - Sliver 3 3
Cliffrunner Behemoth Creature - Rhino Beast 5 3
Brion Stoutarm Legendary Creature - Giant Warrior 4 4
Horned Cheetah Creature - Cat 2 2
Zebra Unicorn Creature - Unicorn 2 2
Changeling Hero Creature - Shapeshifter 4 4
Stir the Pride Instant
Cairn Wanderer Creature - Shapeshifter 4 4
Battlegrace Angel Creature - Angel 4 4
Divinity of Pride Creature - Spirit Avatar 4 4
Kjeldoran Gargoyle Creature - Gargoyle 3 3
Exalted Angel Creature - Angel 4 5
Paladin of Prahv Creature - Human Knight 3 4
Warrior Angel Creature - Angel Warrior 3 4
Windbrisk Raptor Creature - Bird 5 7
Phantom Nishoba Creature - Cat Beast Spirit 0 0
Titanic Ultimatum Sorcery

More on Vampire: the Jyhad / Vampire: the Eternal Struggle (same game, new name), I was going to beta-test the Sabbat expansion in '96, but ended up getting lost at Origins and I couldn't find the group until it was too late to sign up, so I wandered into a random room and guess what was in there... Magic. That's called foreshadowing, I wanted Vampire and ended up with Magic. ...and Richard Garfield, who created both Magic and Vampire: the Jyhad / Eternal Struggle. He was talking about creating a card called Wrath of God and wondering why people would play artifact decks. Apparently the seeds of Affinity were sown among the players before it spread to the designers. I quietly told Richard I wanted to talk to him after the conference and he got the impression it was going to be a very cloak and dagger moment, but I just wanted to chat and get his signiture next to his name on my deckbox for fun. I mentioned how Magic cards could be used as story-telling devices, just connect the cards and there's a story. He asked to see my Magic deck, but all I had was a 6th Edition Starter Pack I had just picked up, though oddly enough, I just so happened to have a preferece for putting all my artifacts on top. That sort of thing happens to me quite a lot. Some call it synchronicty, some call it serendipty. ...some call it magic. ;)

Labels: eternal struggle, game, jyhad, magic, magic the gathering, mtg, role-playing, rp, vampire, vampire the masquerade, vampires, vampirism