Don’t get me wrong, online webcam tournaments are a great alternative when need be but nothing beats a real life gathering of middle aged men drinking beer and playing Magic. That’s not to say an online legaue can’t have its pleasant suprises though! During my 4th month of competing in the Online Dutch Oldschool League, I ran into an old acquaintance, whom I haven’t talked to for decades.
You might remember from previous posts that I started playing Magic with my cousins back in 1995. My older cousin used to occasionally invite his highschool friends over for Emperor Magic. Sure enough, 28 years later, my online opponent was one of my cousins’ highschool firiends, non other than party animal Beastie Bas! This chance meeting could only have happened online because Bas now lives in the Philippines. We had a blast reminiscing the old times and catching up on life while playing our matches. It was a very pleasant suprise. Plans are being made for a real life reunion with Bas, my cousins and a few other “ninety-fivers” next time he is in the Netherlands because nothing beats real life!
Uthden Troll Cup
The Online Dutch Oldschool League was a great way for me to get to know the wonderful individuals that make up the Dutch Old School community. By the end of 2021 Covid regulations became less restrictive and the live Dutch tournament scene started to gear up again. I was excited to jump in and finally meet players in person. The Uthden Troll Cup in Leeuwarden is a yearly epic Old School event that lasts an entire weekend. It turned out to be a great entry point for me.
Because I wanted to focus on the experience and less on the result, I ran a very casual beta-only red/green deck for the main event on Saturday. The deck performed as expected, so I had plenty of time to chat, drink beers and just chill. I had the pleasure to conclude a perfect day with a very entertaining casual match against a drunk Richard, an experience in itself. It was everything you excpect it to be and more. After more beer it was time to fold a Durum Doner in my neck and hit the hotel. Tired but satisfied I put my head to rest in a spinning hotelroom trying to get a few hours of sleep before day two would start.
Back to 1995!
During my second day at the Uthden Troll Cup I couldn’t help not being just nostalgic, but wishful, about how simple and pure Magic was to me 25 years ago. I signed up for the the ’95 draft event and got to open a 4th Edtion, Chronicles, Ice Age and Homelands booster. Nostalgia ran rampant at our table as we cracked our packs.
The whole value aspect of opening old boosters was not a factor. Because this was a draft, people were focussed on getting playable cards and having fun instead of pulling ‘the golden ticket’. The feeling of pure joy and exhilaration when you spot a Craw Wurm or Control Magic is such a powerful emotion. I ended up running a Blue/Green deck with a heavy focus on creatures and stealing cards from my opponent. Stealing creatures at instant speed during the declare attackers step with Ray of Command is delightfuly evil. I found that it could easly take out two of your oponents creatures.
I had amazing experiences at the Uthden Troll Cup. I want to take this opportunity to thank Ron for this amazing first experience. Ron was the most gracious host and set a very high bar. He left me hungry for more! Next on the agenda is Dadbodcon. Time to feed the Machine Head, so less beer and more focus!
The Edge-Man 
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