the unwritten rules of magic: the gathering
well, i guess they are written now.
to be a respected and respectable magic the gathering player, you need to be aware of some unwritten rules of constructed play and follow them even when things get heated. nobody likes playing with someone with bad manners, and magic the gathering, being a multiplayer game, is best played with other people.
the three unwritten rules of magic the gathering are universally known by everyone who has been playing magic for more than seven years, as they used to be written down and given out in every booster pack.
if you never saw them, they are as follows:
- your opponent is trying to kill you. keep this in mind at all times. they are only playing against you – right now in this very moment – because they want to kill you. they purchased cards and built an entire deck out of them with the sole intention of killing you. it is designed to do so. every decision, every sideboard card. your opponent hates you. if they didn’t hate you, they would not have built their deck to kill you. do not forget this. let it linger in the very front of your thoughts throughout the entirety of every match you play. allow it to consume you – but only to a point. do not allow it to consume you inasmuchas you let your guard down even in the slightest; because, your opponent will use the opportunity to do what they came here tonight to do, which is, again, kill you. instead, use this knowledge to fuel your own hatred of your opponent, and channel that hatred into anger, and then channel that anger into complete devastation.
- Always say “good luck, have fun” before a match starts.
- Smile.
