I first got into contact with Magic as a young teenager. 4th Edition was my entry point and the cards, flavor, art and mechanics got me hooked so that nearly all of my pocket money went into Magic. It greatly inspired my fantasy. Even back then, cards like Duals, Ali from Cairo or the infamous Black Lotus already had a "mythic" status among players here in Germany.
Being in the high 30s now, the nostalgic feeling about Magic during the early days is still very strong.
So much, that I started to purchase old school cards again some time ago in order to have playable decks for kitchen table Magic with friends of this time. And sometimes I just love to look at them :)
Of course, some of these old cards are very rare and expensive nowadays.
This is one of the main reasons for me to choose the EC rule set as a basis to play 93/94 as it allows reprints of newer sets (e.g. Revised). Honestly, I get that some people love to have it as a somewhat "collectors", "elitist" or "show-off" format and this is fine - yes, looking at you Swedish guys :P
I am always trying to squeeze in some more exclusive versions of cards but I have to be honest about my RL situation: Having property, wife and kids there will be no way in the foreseeable future that I would spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on single cards of this era.
I openly admit that I am using Proxies. This does not mean that I would proxy-in any card into any deck.
Personally, I dislike "The Deck" because it feels like it combines all the powerful cards that old school provides just to come out on top under any circumstances. In comparison, an unusual deck or combination of cards can bring much more fun to the table.
To me, this format should not be about who struggled for the longest time and saved his money to obtain the most playable and powerful cards.
It should be about the nostalgic feeling, fun with friends and love for the game, its art and mechanics.
In this spirit: Happy Gathering!!
