Gathering around the cards: Students launch new Magic club

Vivien Parker began playing Magic: The Gathering when she was 12 years old. Fox Forrest began playing the hit card game when he was only five. Although the two had never met each other, they both came to Augustana this year with a shared goal in mind: creating a Magic: The Gathering club on campus.

Magic: The Gathering — or Magic, as most fans refer to it -– is a collectible trading card game in which players take on the role of a powerful wizard and use cards to cast spells, summon creatures and attack other players. The objective is to lower the other players’ lives to zero.

“It’s mentally stimulating, complex but not challenging,” Parker said. “It’s similar to chess, though less formulaic. I once heard it described as ‘like chess mixed with poker.’”

During RSO game night this August, Parker collected names and emails of students who would be interested in joining a club dedicated to playing the game. Forrest was one of the first to put his name down. 

“When Vivien reached out asking people about officer positions I mentioned I had tons of experience, and then I was assigned as vice president,” Forrest said.

The two found that starting the club was a relatively easy task because of the years of playing under their belts. Parker led a Magic club at Jefferson High School, while Forrest headed a group of 15 that played at the Nexus Vault comic shop in his hometown of Luverne, Minnesota. They decided that Parker would handle the clerical work involved in setting up the club, and Forrest would begin recruiting members.

One obstacle that club members hope to combat is the hobby’s entry costs. A Commander deck — which consists of 100 cards led by a legendary creature card — is the typical choice for beginners. Players can buy preconstructed Commander decks for around $30 to $60, while similar beginner decks cost around $40. Building a deck from booster packs costs even more. 

“I would say that the cost factor scares people away,” Forrest said. “But if you just want to stay casual and play with friends, you can usually borrow a deck.”

Forrest and Parker have both accrued hundreds of Magic cards over the years, so they’re able to lend pre-created decks to players who are new or might not want to spend the money. While this works as a short-term solution, it might end when someone new takes over the club. 

“There may come a day where the leader doesn’t own several thousand cards like I do,” Parker said. 

According to Parker, the Magic club hopes to use funding from the Augustana Student Association to buy cards, sleeves and playmats to ensure there will always be equipment for people to use when playing. 

Parker and Forrest also had to ensure that playing as a group would be fun. One idea they implemented was deciding which cards could be used by players and which ones would be considered “banned.” Forrest said they looked at the official list of banned cards that Magic’s creators put together, and added ones they felt would ruin the playing experience to their own list.

“There are cards that are just too powerful, and specifically unfun to play against,” Forrest said. “We decided to ban them because Magic should be for fun, not for unfun.”

For Magic players, the enjoyment extends beyond the card deck.

“It’s mostly just relaxed with people chilling, talking and cracking jokes every once in a while,” freshman music education major Justin Haugen said.

This became apparent during the club’s second night of play. Forrest, Haugen and Parker passed the time between turns discussing video games, quoting “The Princess Bride” and whistling the iconic theme from Disney’s short “Steamboat Willie.”

Haugen said that this is the first time he’s ever played in a space solely dedicated to Magic. Growing up, he said, he only ever played at friends’ houses when they were available.

Game nights take place on Mondays from 8-10 p.m. in Humanities 321.

“It’s something to look forward to every week. You can show up and know that you’ll be able to get a game in,” Haugen said. “If someone’s not able to make it, you can just play with someone else.”