Wizardly duels at local games shop

Marcus Beauchamp didn’t quite realize the challenge before him when he suggested this writer learn how to play Magic: The Gathering. I had known about the game – first released in 1993 – but all previous attempts to explain it, mostly handled by my enthusiastic nephew Bryan, had largely resulted in polite nods more than anything. But the owner of Delver’s Cage was, if anything, more enthusiastic, and significantly more effective.

The first step in the process is to make an account with Wizards of the Coast, the makers of the game. Once a player does that, they get a DCI number, and can sign up to get what’s called a “welcome deck” for free. Once the player selects the pack they prefer – each has different characteristics and play styles, and are represented by the colours white, blue, green, red and black – they get that deck and play an introductory game.

I went with black, partially because it sounded like it suited me best – Beauchamp describing it as the most aggressive play style, “Black is I want to win no matter what, I don’t care what it takes” – partially because Beauchamp’s description of it was the most enthusiastic – something he admits tends to happen, because it’s his personal favorite.

After that, you have the chance to learn how the game itself works in a game against someone who is an experienced player, Beauchamp in my case. I won’t explain it here, I shudder to think of the Christmas morning disaster that would result if someone tried to learn how to use their shiny new deck from me. It’s also something that is much easier explained by actually doing it.

I relied fairly heavily on the assistance of another customer in the store, because there is a learning curve, but I steadily learned how things worked, what the various spells and creatures actually did, the mechanics behind blocking attacks and when to go for your opponent and eventually even won. I will not take full credit for my victory, given that I spent a full half of the game getting a grasp of the rules. This should take the intimidation out of the game for some, since a rank amateur like myself can take on an experienced player like Beauchamp and emerge from the other side with a victory. That’s the goal of the program, and that’s his goal as both a teacher and business owner.

“It’s taking my time to make sure that anybody, of any age and with any experience with the game can understand the steps and phases.”

At the end of the first game, players at Delver’s Cage get another opportunity, one to pick thirty items from the “swear jar,” which has cards, money and other things put in by people who have used profanity in the store. Beauchamp wants to run a family business, one where parents can feel comfortable having their kids visit, so if anyone swears there they have to make a contribution.

The primary goal of teaching a beginner is to take the intimidation out of the game. Beauchamp points to a whiteboard prominently displayed in the store for members of the “Beat by a Nine Year Old” club, of which Beauchamp is a proud member. Each name on the board lost the game to a nine year old child, and Beauchamp is proud that kids are playing and beating people who have been playing before they were born.

He admits that the game can become an obsession, something other people in the store enthusiastically agreed with, but something fun that people can do while meeting new people.

The goal of the business, beyond selling games and accessories, is to provide a social space for people, whether that’s people who play Magic: The Gathering, or people who play any other game. The majority of the store is play space, and it’s free to use for anyone who wants to. He says it’s a community before a business, and that’s reflected in the people who frequent it, regulars coming in at least weekly, if not more.

“I personally know over 70 people in Yorkton who play Magic: The Gathering and who have played for years. I have met over 50 people since I opened this store, who play Magic: The Gathering who I did not know previously. I have taught at least 20 people to play Magic since I opened, and at least 10 of those people play on a regular basis, it’s a blast.”

The store goes beyond Magic, with a range of card games and board games to fit a wide range of tastes. This has even meant that Beauchamp himself has had to broaden his horizons, since he has had to learn how to play the Pokemon card game in order to teach others, something he refused to do before opening the business.

There is also something else Beauchamp wants everyone to know, and something that I don’t fully understand yet.

“Robots is a fair matchup.”