The soft brush of the cards is the only thing heard in the untouched silence. A card is drawn. Weight is shifted on a chair as seconds pass. In the distance, a hound cries. Attack phase! Goblin Piker is no match for the fiery wrath of Shivan Dragon. It is quickly slaughtered and placed in the graveyard. A slight chuckle reflects the importance of the kill. An additional attack by Geyser Glider easily wipes out all remaining life points. The victor, satisfied, slaps a rubber band on his cards. Tonight he celebrates. Tomorrow he trains. The game? Magic.

Magic: The Gathering has more than a gathering of followers. Played by two or more people, this card game combines creatures, spells, sorcery and quick thinking to establish a victor. Equipped with a deck, one can challenge any takers in an attempt to reduce the opponent’s life points from 20 to zero. But don’t be fooled by the seemingly simple set up. There is complexity deeply rooted within the game; the thousands of cards and abilities available amount to an extremely diverse and unique game.

Magic is often subjected to disdain and categorized with the likes of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh, the same all-too-familiar childhood games that everybody thought died out in the 1990s.

However, this one did not. In fact, Magic has recently encountered a rise in popularity. Garfield itself contains a number of Magic players, and is host to a weekly Magic Club. Those who can swallow their pride and play the game find that, well, it’s fun.

“It started out with the pictures on the cards,” says senior Wilson Platt. “They originally drew me into the game. As I got older, the intricacies of the game kept me playing. No two games are alike.”

The decks range in color, with each color representing the theme of the deck. For example, Red represents fire while  blue represents water. Each of these themes carries with it unique abilities, such as rejuvenation of health or brute strength.

The colors, although separate in the abilities they contain, are also capable of being mixed and matched, with two or three colors per deck. In this way, limitless combinations can be drawn and each game is different

Some players take it to the next level and enter tournaments. Travis Woo, a 2008 Garfield graduate, has entered tournaments to win cash prizes and competed on the Magic Pro Tour. Others compete to earn booster packs, which generally include 15 cards.

“I play in tournaments and bet my booster packs, and when I win I can go home and make my deck even stronger!” says junior Julien Kos.

Typically players will bet three booster packs and play multiple games. Booster packs come cheap, but many find themselves buying huge amounts as they add up. Comparable to gambling, these “high stakes” tournaments are not for everybody.

“Most of the time, at least when I’ve competed, it’s mostly just to advance on to bigger tournaments. The more you win, the better of people you play,” says Platt. Magic players can thus gain money, valuable cards, and experience.

People unfamiliar with the game, however, question the integrity of it as a whole.

“Magic … what the f*** is Magic?” says senior Joseph Lucia.

It is true that, while it seems to go hand-to-hand with the widespread Pokemon, many people still do not know about Magic or all it has to offer. They may have never heard of it growing up, or just chalked it off as a waste of time. The origins of most avid players infatuation with the game stem back to childhood days. Kids that grew up buying playing cards generally familiarized themselves with the various games. By the time Magic became popular again, these same kids were already good and able to jump right back into it.

“I used to be one of those people, thinking Magic was strictly for basement-dwellers, until somebody taught me how to play,” says junior Eli Zavatsky. “Me and Eli (Higham) played in his basement one day, and the next day we brought it to school and a bunch of people wanted to play. That’s when we decided to start Magic Club.”

Magic Club, or Magic: The Gathering: Gathering (yes, twice), holds weekly meetings in Spang’s room. The atmosphere is intense. Battles line the tables and conversation is sparse, other than the clash of verbal spell casting.

All ranges of experience are welcome, and each deck has its own advantages and disadvantages. This makes nobody undefeatable, and gives opportunities to all newcomers.

If you haven’t gotten with the program yet, Magic is cool. You can win money, gain good experience and have fun with your friends.

Many a spare hour can be spent in the clutches of a zombie deck, or fighting off a flying bird or Minotaur Warrior. Magic brings a variety of people together and forms bonds between friends. And it is only growing, so skeptics, beware.

In the great words of Tala Vertan, Makindi shieldmate, “Quit pontificating, mage. Only on the battlefield can we repay all the Order has given us.”