For as long as I've been a gamer, I've realized how much these activities bring people together. It's not about winning and losing, but the entire experience around the events that unfold at the table. It's the people you're sitting and spending time with.
My brother, who has been one of the people I have spent the most time discussing and playing Magic with, hasn't spoken to me in three years.
It's three years that feels like a lot longer. Magic has had some amazing new ideas and creative directions over that time period. Dinosaurs, pirates, planeswalkers with abilities, and the wonderful new additions of Sagas and Adventurers have all been brought into the game. If I went back in time and told myself what the future would hold, I'm not sure that I would believe it. To me and my friends, spring 2008 was the pinnacle of freedom and our own Magic experience. Shadowmoor had just been released - I remember picking up a few packs before heading out to see the first installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe - it was that long ago. My friends were buying and trading and facilitating trades to friends-of-friends, since internet sellers hadn't really taken off for us yet, and we lacked local game stores that sold singles in large quantities. It was an era one can never return to.
Sad to say, the playgroup disbanded by autumn 2010. I'm still not really sure why. One of the ringleaders decided to sell all his cards. A few others followed suit. I managed to buy a large chunk of the collection, but as the group transferred to other colleges and moved farther from our home base, games were scattered. Out of ten of us that we could count on to get together and play Magic with, there were about four of us remaining. I was fortunate, since my brother and I lived together.
We yearned for the return of our larger multiplayer groups. I never followed Standard, and I was always about building janky decks to try out. When Commander 2011 was released, my brother and I were interested in all the support being given to the format, so we wanted to try out the decks and see what we could do. I remember us sitting down and playing Ghave vs Kaalia after picking up the decks. We tried to get the old group back to playing again with this format, but overall, it fizzled.
My brother and I continued to build our collections over the next few years, but it was mostly so we could play against each other while we waited for our group to grow again. Finally, in 2015, I began teaching my wife and some new friends, and that began leading them to play Commander. I still had some lulls here and there, as I was exploring other games and enjoying various hobbies. My brother was always impressing me with how he could show up to an FNM and walk out with prizes. One of my favorite memories was when he won half a box of Eldritch Moon at the pre-release. He also walked away from the Aether Revolt pre-release well rewarded too - and he had opened a foil Heart of Kiran to boot!
I didn't play as much during Kaladesh or Amonkhet, and that's when the events took place that caused my brother to stop talking to me. It was a quiet silence that I hoped would soon change. I could feel the wound grow as Ixalan was released and I decided to tune up a Commander deck and start a playgroup again.
I built Gishath, embracing my love for Naya, tribal, and awesome combat steps. Instead of focusing on how I didn't have a playgroup, I focused on the friends I had who were still playing, inviting a few over each month for a night of games. I'm proud of say we got together many times from fall 2017 to spring 2018 - at least one weekend a month - and it gave everybody some excitement again. Summer 2018 even had me meet a new friend to play Magic with, and by autumn 2018, old friends who had left the game were intrigued by my encouragement to come back, and started looking at Commander. By summer 2019, it wasn't uncommon for us to have two rotating tables in my basement, everybody laughing and having a good time in a way that rivaled what we once had during the days of summer 2008.
But with all those good things, I still find myself thinking about the empty chair and the seat not filled that I wish my brother was sitting at.
I spent time going to and checking in with a counselor to try and process my own grief and acceptance about where things are. It was extremely helpful for me, but there's one aspect of my relationship with my brother that I never dove into - all the games we played.
I think of my brother whenever a new set is previewed or a Magic announcement is made. New sets and announcements are exciting, but also give me grief, especially when something is previewed I wish I could talk with my brother about. I've offered my brother the chance to rebuild out relationship, but that isn't something that's been accepted yet. So, while I wait for him to make that decision, I've had to accept the current situation while leaving the door (and the spot at the game table) open.
Two years ago, I was browsing through various online Magic bargains, and I saw a Mogis playmat on clearance. I immediately thought of my brother, who had only recently acquired his first playmat at the Eldritch Moon prerelease. Despite not communicating, I purchased it with the intent of giving it to him at our reunion, having it unfolded at his spot at the table. I wanted him to walk into the game room, seeing it sitting and there, and realized it was saying "Welcome back, we've missed you".
Mogis to me represents kind of a pinnacle of the relationship I had with my brother and Magic. The original Theros block (running from autumn 2013 to spring 2014) was a peak point in my own life personally. Lots of good memories came from that time, but one of those reasons was because I was spending a ton of time with my brother. Theros had themes and ideas we both loved. I was a huge fan of the satyrs and the enchantment creature borders (especially the foils). My brother loved the minotaur tribal aspect. He loved playing his minotaur character in Dungeons & Dragons, and it seemed like Magic was embracing the tribe for all it was worth. Since buying the Commander 2011 decks, we were always on the lookout for new commanders. When Mogis was previewed, it was all my brother and I talked about. Despite not being a minotaur himself, one could not argue that this guy would be a legit way of leading a Commander deck. Being a fan of janky-type decks, I felt that there was nothing to stop one from constructing a minotaur tribal deck helmed by Mogis.
I left work on the Born of the Gods release day and stopped by my local game store to pick up a few singles from the new set. There, sitting with all the new cards for sale, was a foil Mogis. The Nyx-star pattern border twinkled in the store light, showing off nothing but perfection. I added it to my purchases, came home, and presented it to my brother, who was surprised I had gone out of my way to give this as a gift. This was something worthy of leading a Commander deck, and I felt like I would regret passing it up for my brother if I didn't get it.
My brother didn't feel like there was enough minotaur support, and turned Mogis into a Group Slug deck. Since our playgroup was largely extinct at the time, this was played out mostly 1v1 Commander. I can distinctly remember him playing it once during spring 2016 in a 3-player game, but it still needed some work. When Amonkhet hit the following year, I brought the idea up again, but it didn't take off. By the time Hour of Devastation hit, there were no more discussions. I still have no idea what the status of the Mogis commander deck is.
Fast forward to this summer, 2020. I wasn't sure what Jump Start would bring as a set, but when this preview hit, I felt the wound of missing my brother aching anew. This was something I felt he would build.
I thought about Sethron for a week, and after a lot of mental processing and encouragement from friends, decided I would build a Sethron deck. The deck would tribute to my brother and the Magic memories we shared. It's a therapy deck, as I get to build and think about the card choices and see the deck get built as opposed to just thinking "I wonder if my brother ever built that". So, without ever thinking this is a deck I would construct, I am going to give my own take on minotaur tribal. Since the deck was also a tribute to the relationship I had with my brother, I wanted to get foils of the cards that I could - though there may be some exceptions! I'll discuss this more in future posts. I do plan on playing the deck when I deem it finished, though I don't want to play it until then. Part of this process is taking the time to build the deck and go on that journey.
I wasn't sure where to start, but a friend had mentioned Didgeridoo possibly going up in price with Sethron being previewed. It was that comment that made me think about building the deck, and a week later, after watching the prices, I ordered my first piece of the deck. There's something about adding old cards to Commander builds, especially when it's something as old as Homelands. I was even more ecstatic to see that the price had jumped by $4 a week after I had ordered mine.
As I continued to make the mental list in my head of what the deck would include, I went back to the following "classic" Theros minotaur cards I wanted to add.
I have fond memories of getting beat up by these creatures in my brother's 60-card minotaur deck. Felhide Petrifier gives every minotaur deathtouch, my favorite keyword ability, and an obvious Commander inclusion. Rageblood Shaman was the big tribal leader in original Theros that screamed "play minotaur tribal!". Ragemonger helped speed out the best of your army, and its art always impressed me. Kragma Warcaller was also a big hitter from original Theros, helping to give all the minotaurs haste and pumps when swinging. All obvious choices, but it's part of the process. Each card tells a story. It's not just about throwing the cards together and building the deck, it's about making sure that I'm including the right cards, even if the minotaur creature pool is small. These four are obvious inclusions, but starting with the obvious choices is a good way to start laying a foundation.
I also could not build a minotaur tribal deck without their deity of slaughter somewhere in the list. Mogis was always on the list to be included. As my brother already has a foil Born of the Gods Mogis, this deck would be a perfect place to include the Constellation version of Mogis. I know there's some controversy about Secret Lair, but the Theros Stargazing is my favorite Secret Lair that's been offered. I also feel it's the best one. It's alternate art that embraces the themes of the plane. I was able to pick up a Constellation Mogis, which arrived before my own Secret Lair came (ironically).
The year actually began with me thinking about a possible minotaur deck for my brother long before Sethron - it all started as Theros Beyond Death previews started. Deathbellow War Cry was exactly the type of card created for minotaur tribal. So, with my initial "quick list" of original Theros, I looked to Theros Beyond Death to provide the next batch of minotaurs to include.
The thing that immediately jumps out to me is that these minotaurs want to be sacrificing creatures and enchantments. I'm not sure how that will play out as the deck continues to develop, so its something I will have to keep in mind as I progress through deck development in future installments.
Thanks for taking the time to begin this journey with me. Due to this being a "therapy deck" as I call it, I wanted to be able to blog my own process and thoughts. Writing and sharing the stories and memories are just as important as the deck itself. Feel free to leave a comment, or reach out on twitter @artificeralf
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