I have always loved card games. Bela was and remains my first love, but it has become increasingly difficult to find and arrange for three other people to play a game. I ended up in the plus while playing poker online, but the amount of stress was too great for me to enjoy it in the long run. I learned many other games with more or less success, but I forgot them as I didn't play them.
In the higher grades of elementary school, I met Magic the Gathering. I can't claim what exact year it was because I don't remember, but since the Invasion block was current, I know it was around 2000. A long time ago. I liked the concept and the gameplay itself. During that period, there were some other Trading Card Game things, but none resonated with me like MTG. Just like in every story, there was one big but – here it was the price. If you've ever entered MTG, you know how expensive it is; if you haven't – don't, your wallet will thank you.
It would be about fifteen years before Hearthstone started a revolution that would be just for me. It wasn't the first digital card game, but it was one that 'put them on the map.' The success was incredible, and I still play it today. That success encouraged many other games to enter the digital world. All with more or less success. Gwent, Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel, League of Runeterra as just some of them. And in the end, Magic The Gathering Arena was created. A game made for me. The opportunity to play MTG without constantly buying physical copies of cards.
Of course, if you wanted to spend a ton of money on MTG Arena, you could and still can. But you could play completely for free, just like I do. My goal there has never been to be competitive at the highest level but to have fun. The progression of free play isn't great, but it's good enough for normal play. You won't have all the decks, you won't have all the cards, but you'll have enough. Or better said, I will have just enough for what I need.
Since its release, I have played a few games a week. Sometimes more, sometimes less, but I somehow feel that the average would be very close to half an hour a week. Until recently, I realized that I hadn't played for almost half a year. The reason was clear – I got bored playing crossover things. I'm not against them, but I think everything should have its measure. Lord of the Rings, Spider-man (which wasn't even available digitally), Dungeons & Dragons, Final Fantasy, Assassin’s Creed as some of the collaborations. While Avatar: The Last Airbender was the straw that broke the camel's back. Was it because it was too much for me or because this is an IP I never got into? I'm not sure, but I'm also not sure if it matters.
I felt like I was losing some of the originality that the game had; let's not kid ourselves, there were many things that had 'inspirations' from other media or cultures. But this was no longer borrowing; this became a direct entry into those other IPs. To the point where you could have several of them simultaneously in a game, which became grotesque to me. Now that a new set has come out that isn't tied to any IP, I have played a few games, but I think it's only a matter of time before I leave the icon on my desktop untouched for months. Who knows, maybe I'll find people for bela...
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