With the Strixhaven Prerelease scheduled for this coming weekend, I’m yet again reminded of how long it’s been since I’ve been able to sit across a table from my friends and sling some spells. As I’ve gotten older, the amount of time available for me to play the odd game of Magic has become less and less, which has made the times when I do get to play more and more important. Always, the most highly anticipated event for me has been the prerelease.

When I was six-years old, way back during Ice Age block, I used to play Magic with my brothers and sisters on the floor (our comprehension of the rules was suspect, to say the least). In middle school and high school, I totally forgot all about Magic: The Gathering, and it wasn’t until I got a co-op program job placement during university that I was reintroduced to the game. My boss turned out to be a gigantic nerd (go figure) and absolutely loved Magic. He took me to my first prerelease event, which I must admit I was highly skeptical of at the time. It was the Shards of Alara Prerelease and there were several hundred people in attendance - I was absolutely blown away! I had no idea that so many people were passionate enough about Magic cards that they would be willing to appear in public and play with complete strangers. I have been hooked ever since.

Fast forward an embarrassing number of years: now I’m a dad, and I’m lucky if I get to play cards once every couple of months. With the COVID-19 pandemic, you can dial those occurrences all the way down to zero. Let me be clear, not all my friendships are predicated on some fanatic-level love of Magic cards, much the opposite, in fact; often I must beg, scream, and bribe to get enough buddies together to play. BUT, Magic does make a great excuse to get together, have a beer or two, and catch up on life. Now, after more than a year without any of these rare get-togethers, I find myself sorely missing what has become a social pillar in my adult life. Here is hoping the second half of 2021 sees a resurgence of all things social, and the return of Magic and gathering to our lives.