Local Man Wastes Hundreds of Dollars on Standard Deck That Also Didn’t Work in Arena

Sylvania, OH – Local man and Magic: The Gathering reporter Jon Ruggiero claimed he had a great idea for a Standard deck that will blow away his Friday Night Magic competition even though the same deck barely made a dent in the Arena meta when he played it online.

Ruggiero may seem like a moron who wasted money on a bad deck, but he decided to take time to condone his ideas, even if only to himself.

“Look, Arena is great, but it is not real Magic,” I claimed, while talking to myself in a natural, yet slightly journalistic tone. “I can go in and play my dailies and my quick drafts and get an idea of how the game is played, but to really know the cards you have to get them in your hands. People do not realize how tactile a game of Magic is: hand-shuffling your deck, flicking the cards while thinking of your next play, reading an opponent’s cards with your unwashed hands; it’s all important.

“That is why, even though I had a losing record with Puppet Crafting in Best of 1 Standard Play, I had to get it in paper and put it through the paces at my LGS with a working sideboard (since that will fix every problem with the deck). Did I have to foil out the entire thing? Of course, I am a high-level Magic player and all the professionals I have imagined bling the hell out of their decks! Did I need to make sure my mana base was perfect and the most expensive I could make it? Are you listening to yourself, myself?”

All of Ruggiero’s justifications for making a paper deck made perfect sense to the person reporting on this story.

“Yes, looking back on everything I should know better. It’s not the same, but Arena can be a good tool to try things out without spending money. I don’t have to rush out to any game store to buy cards every time I get excited to try a hare-brained deck I think will improve my ability. My already-overwhelming collection of cards does not need any more shiny new toys when I cannot appreciate the things I already have. But, with that said, wait until you hear my next deck idea!”

As of press time, Diane if you’re reading this please don’t leave, we can work this out once I figure out how to break Codie, Ravenous Codex I swear.