CardShark

Let all our users know just who you are. Tell us a little about yourself, like how long you've been playing, what else you're interested in, anything you want really. I'd like us to become more of a community if at all possible, and the first step is having some basic idea of who we're talking to, you know?

I'll go first. My name is Chewie! Slate (as far as you know). I'm in North Carolina. I'm 26 years old at the time of this post. I started playing Magic back when Homelands came out. I stopped playing Magic right about the time Weatherlight was released. I kept all my cards though.

In college, I started playing Magic again. This is all because of Mike, who I'm sure will introduce himself shortly. So right about the time Onslaught was released, I got back into Magic. And I've been in it pretty hard ever since. We played multiplayer, round table, chaos-style Magic almost exclusively, although we did manage to round up a draft here or there, and we dabbled a teeny bit in Emperor. Since graduating college (BS in Physics and Astronomy, baby!), my playgroup has drifted apart, but I'm determined to have a casual multiplayer group again! If you live anywhere near Kernersville NC, let me know!

But I'm more than just a Magic dork! I also read comics (mostly the more mature stuff like Preacher, Sandman, Transmetropolitan, Astro City, and Watchmen - but I love me some Spider-Man, Thor, Captain America, Batman, etc etc too!). I don't read monthlies (or floppies, whatever you wanna call them) anymore, but I'm all about some trade paperbacks.

I also play video games. In my apartment right now, I have an NES, a Super NES, a Nintendo 64, a Playstation 2, and a Wii. When I can afford it, I'll get an XBox 360 just so I can play Crackdown and Gears of War.

So there's my dorky bio. If there's anything else you wanna know (believe it or not, I did leave some stuff out ) then by all means ask. And introduce yourself, too!

Hey, I'm Mike, as mentioned above. I'm also from North Carolina, and I'm almost 23 at the time of this post. I learned how to play Magic around 1995 (near Ice Age), but didn't really start buying cards until 3 or 4 years later (Tempest and Urza's blocks). My first prerelease event was Urza's Legacy (I still play with the Beast of Burden promo), and I've only missed 3 or 4 since then.

I played pretty regularly with my friends in high school, but really hit my stride when I got to college. It started when I inadvertently set in motion a cascade of events that ended up pulling quite a number of people into the game, either for the first time or out of retirement. There were a lot of awesome people in that playgroup, and we all made some great friends there (I'll be the best man at a wedding this summer!). I got my BS in 2006 (Pure Mathematics and Latin Language and Literature), and moved to Raleigh, where I'm now halfway through a Master's degree in Industrial Engineering. Luckily, I ended up literally across the street from a friend of a friend, who also plays, and we were able to work up a small group that we've mostly been able to keep up rather well all this time.

I'm pretty well-versed in other geeky/nerdy/dorky interests, though I know I really don't read as much stuff or play as many games as often as I used to. The recent year has seen me become a bit of a news junkie, actually.

You'll probably notice that I rarely, if ever, write an article about whatever may be "hot" in Standard or Extended right now. That's chiefly because if someone has already thought of it and people are already working on perfecting it, then I'm just not interested in spending the time or money to play or test it. Also, it's to my advantage if the opponent can't predict what I'm doing just from the first two turns (and even better if they end up getting misled).

Um... That's it for now, I guess. I look forward to meeting more of you.

OK I missed this when I started posting to the forums so let me tell you a bit about myself.

Kittwalker is actually (insert dramatic music riff here) Arthr Childers. I first started selling on cardshark under the name of lamontcranston(which is the user name I have on Ebay and MTGO) but i had to end that user name whan an aprtment fire took out my computer and I couldnt remember the password so I started over and built the inventory that I have today.

If youre a student of old pulp literature you probably recognize my old username Lamont Cranston as the Shadow. My new user name is a bit more esoteric but Kitt Walker was The Phantom. I like old pulp heroes and am trying to finish out my set of Phantom novels from the 70s which I lost in my first apartmant fire. I also collect old radio shows and have over 5,000 hours on MP3's which I enjoy often (you cant beat them on a long drive)

I collected comics for years, my first comic was an old Davey Crockett that my grandfather bought for me when I was about 4 at a local drugstore. I still have it but to tell the truth I have stopped collecting because how they move around writer/artist teams and keep starting titles over again. I am going to start selling of my collection sometime soon.

I started playing Magic at the end of The Dark and the start of Ice Age I still remember when we played for ante and Fallen Empires cards were still being played. I stopped playing for a while around Urza/Odyssey blocks but got back into it with the Onslaught block. I played in a couple of tournaments (and was readily beaten) for years - I finally found someone I worked with and he and I would have large cold war type games where we just kept building up our armies and neither one attacking until it was in our favor. When I discovered booster drafting it did make me a much better player and now I try to get to a FNM event each week and play much more often including pre-release and release events.

Okay... a little about myself. I'm originally from Texas, but live in NY now. I got started playing Magic when Homelands had just been released, and I preferred the Ice Age cards to the 4th Ed, so I was happy to see Cold Snap come along, even if it did take 10 years!! Anyways, an army buddy of mine introduced me to Magic one day while we were waiting for our AD&D group to gather. It took me a while to get the hang of it, and he had some extras he gave me (all green) and soon I began collecting my own.

Upon each of my moves in the Army, I was able to find a playgroup here and there, and my card collection continued to grow, although I never managed to get my hands on any "power cards", so most local tourneys I got beat down like nothing. It was still fun, and I just enjoyed the interaction, and seeing the different variations and combos that others came up with.

I briefly stopped playing shortly after Urza Block, but picked up again near Oddysey block. My attendance at FNM hasn't been as often as I'd like (being married and all, family DOES come first) but i still try and get in a game or two here and there. I miss big multi-player games. The places I've found up here to play now don't really get into those, but prefer to stick to type 2, or Legacy formats. Since I'm not really managing to buy all that many cards as of late, I mainly hit the Legacy tourneys now.

I enjoy articles on Cardshark alot, and have even used a few to create my own versions of some of the decks I've read about on here. I've got one I may submit (maybe as an article, maybe just to see what advice I can get on how to make it better) I played it this past Sunday at my local card shop, and it did better than I thought, and I had some close calls on the matches I lost, but it was just missing an element here and there. I made a few tweaks, and am anxious to try out the revamped version, and see how it fares next time. Anyways, here's to seeing more articles, and the forums are always fun.

Brian Anderson

My name is Indigo Mentoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.. Wait a minute. That's not it. Your father was a hamster and your mother smelled of elderberries.. That's still not it. Brave, brave, brave sir Robin. First sight of danger he turned and fled. Brave, brave, brave, sir Robin. Argghh!! We apologize, that blogger has been sacked...

hehehe, My name is Bradley Simpson. I started playing magic near the end of the Revised set. Just before Fallen Empires came out. I don't get a chance to play much anymore.. especially since I have a 4 month old son. I have been collecting magic since then. You should see my 4 sets worth of Fallen Empires.. =) I never stopped loving magic the gathering.. much to my wife's annoyance of course. I am 34 years old as of tommorrow. Monday, June 18. I do a lot of nerdy stuff... play Final Fantasy and other strategy games. Too much time on the computer. I am also a struggling author. I wrote a book which I am very proud of. It is called Dreamsbane of Tamalor. Hence the deck with story articles you might see in the casual articles area. More about me? I work in electronics... and it can get quite boring sometimes. Working for a living sucks, playing mtg for a living and writing bestselling books are two of my lifetime goals. =)

I usually go by "Debaser." It was my stage name when I played in a local band here in Charleston, WV. Now I'm going back to becoming a student at WVSU for English and Comp. Sci and playing Magic. I'm also 23 - 24 pretty soon.

I started playing right when Darksteel was released, and I started a small collection with a roommate. I gave the collection to him since I owned the Xbox and he bought some games(a friendly yet stupid move on my part). I rebuilt my collection to eat the old one alive.

My composite rating sucks. That's all I need to say. I don't play REL 1 tournaments(like FNM) because I don't have those days off, and the points aren't enough. I play higher REL tourneys and scrub out like a champ.

I started my column because for starters I really need to get back into writing again and get rid of the rust. I also attend just about every major tournament in the WV/KY/OH area, so I'm pretty up to par what's hot and what's not. I like Starcity Games a lot.

Game on, guys.

My name is Sean, I started playing around the time Beta came out and stopped around Homelands. I no longer play but I collect and sell as a hobby, there's a nostalgia behind Magic for me, unfortunately no one I know plays any more so I'll just stick to collecting.

When I'm not working or going to school I like to go to shows (mainly old style hardcore/posi stuff) I snorkel, I'm a big movie buff, I read a lot (favourite book is venus on the halfshell), I used to play drums but I don't think my neighbours would enjoy that so they're collecting dust dutifully in a storage locker, and when I'm not doing any of that my girlfriend and I are trying to train our kitten to stop being so crazy and evil. I've lived in San Diego my whole life and don't have any plans of leaving California, for those that live here you know why.

That's pretty much it. :]

Welcome, welcome, one and all. I appreciate everyone taking the time to introduce yourselves, and I encourage everyone that hasn't done so already to take a minute and say hi. I'd really like to get a sense of community going here, you know?

My name is Tim. I am currently 16 years old and i live in a small town in Ohio called New Knoxville.

I just started playing Magic this past November when i me and two friends went into a store and saw all these Magic cards. We had heard a bit about it, but not much and we decided to play it that night at the sleepover. I bought the arcanis's guile 10th edition deck one friend got the white (cho-manno's resolve?) and the red(dont remember wat its called). That night we watched a movie and got onli9ne to get the rules when we printed out like twenty-some pages of rules. we read the rules that night and a day or so later we finally started playing. we had alot of things wrong and over time we got clear on all the rules. I am now into Magic alot and i want to get really good at it (lots of tourneys, limited and stand constructed).

The thing that is hard is that my friends arent into it as much as me. And in a small town i need to drive like at least a half hour to FN, which will be better once i finally get my license in about a month. i dont really have many people to play with and when i do play with my friends, i have alot more good cards then them and usually i win. It's also hard because of my limted money and that i dont have my license yet. Not to mention that my whole family thinks the game is stupid and not worth my time and money. Besides these 2 friends everyone else thinks these card games are stupid and lame so i dont bring it up that i play. The only thing we have within like 1 1/2 to 2 hours away is FNM and an occasional tournament of some sort. well enough of that blabber. Im sure you all have been through this kind of thing before at some time or another.

I played in my first tournament at the end of December. It was a Lorwyn booster draft and it was sweet!

Alright about me. i run cross country and track. I like to swim, run, bike, bowl, play Magic =), play video games, snowmobile, snowboard, learn guitar and drumset, hang out, and watch movies, among other things.

Hey, man. Nice to meet you.

I also had to deal with a fair amount of skepticism from family for quite a while, but when they started to see how much fun I was having, they became quite supportive. I still get packs from my mom for birthday and christmas, and my dad even learned how to play (and built a vicious black deck that can still destroy me and my brother). Also, hopefully you'll be as lucky as I was when you get to college, and find a group of awesome people to hang around with (that wedding I mentioned in my post above: awesome).

yeah its sorta hard when everyone thinks its stupid. lol, im trying to get my dad to go shopping in columbus (2 hours away) on the 19 so i can go to the Prerelease of Morningtide while he shops...

Yeah, my old man still thinks I'm wasting money every time I buy any, but at least my mom doesn't mind. She even got me packs for Christmas. My girlfriend thinks it's really stupid, but she knows I enjoy it so she leaves me alone for the most part. Good luck getting to the Prerelease, man. They're easily the most laid-back and enjoyable tournaments.

well, it looks like i probably wont be able to go to the prerelease because my parents dont have another reason to go to columbus. My dad, even though he doesnt like Magic, i think he's starting to lighten up a bit cuz he knows it's something i enjoy. Im gonna keep trying and hoping to get to the prerelease....

My time has come to introduce myself:

My name is Billy Moreau and I am a Magic addict. I have been playing since early 1996. I have one of those DCI numbers that is now so short they had to add extra digits onto it just so I can play in tournaments. I have played in over a thousand tournaments during my time living in New York and Iowa. I have played in Tournaments in Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, New York and Massachussets. I finished 7th at Iowa States in 1999 and since then have not done as well in tournaments. I was ranked 4th in the world in Pokemon at one point before it died out in Iowa. I currently work with handicapped people in New York and have been doing so for 8 years. Because of my odd work schedule it is very tough for me to stay current in Type 2 and go to tournaments. I have been playing Magic Online quite a bit (billymoreau) and really enjoy drafting. I have written almost two dozen articles for Cardshark and would love to have people give me suggestions on topics to write about if you don't have the time to write yourself.