Philosophical Musings of a Book Nerd

It wasn't going to be long, not with the popularity of the Magic: The Gathering trading card game, for Wizards of the Coast to capitalise on the phenomena and release a series of books based on the game. Seriously though, Magic: The Gathering is like the crack cocaine of the roleplaying world – they made bucket loads of money on the product – enough to pretty much buy T$R – that they didn't need to capitalise on it at all. All they needed to do, which is what they have done, is to continue to release expansion packs and revised editions and the money would simply keep on rolling in.

I like Magic: The Gathering – it is fun to play and it is also fun to build the decks upon which the game is played. It was also fun trading cards to get your hands on those elusive rares and out of print cards to make your deck even better. I spent hours, and thousands of dollars, on this game, and now all I have to show for it is my red goblin deck, my black Breeding Pit deck, and my green weenie deck, as well as a few prized cards that I did not end up selling when I sold the rest of my collection on ebay (and my collection does include a Fast Bond, though I don't believe I have my Demonic Hordes any more, though I do have 4 Mazes of Ith, a common card still worth $20.00 a pop).

I've got back into the game again since I found a shop that hosts sealed deck tournaments here in Melbourne, and I pop in once a month (or am planning on doing so, since I have only been once so far). While I am not going to go hell for leather with collecting cards any more (though if a booster pack does pass my way with a shiny mythic rare, then yoink).

I really don't remember much about this book except that it would mention certain cards as it went through the story, and a part of me thought that I could make a deck with all of the cards that were in this book, that is until the Black Lotus was mentioned.

The funny thing with Magic: The Gathering, is that the ultra-rare, out of print cards, such as the Black Lotus, can fetch hundreds of dollars a pop (and the current price of a Black Lotus is around $5500, rounded up). Hey, I thought that you could actually invest in Magic Cards, and it is something that I might actually consider, though I must say there is always a risk that 1) nobody actually wants the card when you want to turn it into cash and 2) nobody plays Magic: The Gathering any more. Still, the price of the multi-lands

have gone from $25.00 when I last played to game to $120 now. Not only does it form a hedge against inflation, but the longer it remains out of print (and the longer the game remains popular) the more expensive the card becomes. However, I have already outlined the risks, and since I am not an investment adviser, please don't rush out and spend $5500 on a Black Lotus and then try suing me because that piece of cardboard has become worthless.