I officially crossed the Rubicon into the fun that is Old School Magic: The Gathering on Saturday, February 23rd. On this date Matt, Sean, and I trekked from the burbs to the cold city for the Cleveland Rocs Old School Magic tournament, hosted and planned by Rajah and the good people of the Cleveland Old School scene. The event was held at Bottlefest in Lakewood, Ohio. The venue is a mead house and craft brewery with a decidedly Old School and fantasy ambience to it, perfect for the day's festivities. Before the tournament began, however, my compatriots and I stopped at the convention center where MagicFest Cleveland was being held. We did not journey there to duel with the many folks gathered for Standard play, but to acquire new spells for our various decks and collections. It was fun, it was dangerous, and I loved it.As soon as I walked into the convention center I was taken aback by enormity of it all. The gigantic room held more than 10 large vendors. These merchants were selling everything from deck boxes to Magic art, and of course, cards. More cards than I've ever seen in my life. I saw a Black Lotus for the first time, not to mention all five Mox and the rest of the Power Nine. These incredibly powerful, rare spells that I've known only from stories since 1994 were right there before my eyes. This was an awesome experience. As I looked through all the cards I was tempted to spend far beyond my means, and that is both the joy and the danger of Old School Magic. I set a rough budget and went to town.I did not purchase any of the eight cards in mycollection.came in an issue ofI got about 20 years ago. The other seven cards were gifts from my brother and Matt. I knew that this would be the day that I put some skin in the game. In addition to working on my quest I also wanted to get some cards for my deck. I acquired threefrom, fourfromandfor my brother since he has a penchant for merfolk, afroma deck box, and two rarecards. Not only did I make my firstpurchase, I also got my first rare(s)!How utterly awesome!is a card that I used to have in, but along withit somehow went missing over the years. It was reclaimed on this day! I can still remember the first time I encountered it in my dad's deck 25 years ago. I immediately knew I was doomed without even comprehending its ability...the card oozes power and has great flavor.may not be as good of a card, but the artwork is outstanding. I love the coloring. I will never forget these two cards, my first purchases and my only two rare cards. One day I will make a Green/Black deck using them, regardless of how effective it is.After making our purchases the three of us headed west to Lakewood for the tournament. I had some minor jitters along with a great deal of excitement. What if I made an honest mistake and someone thought I was angling? What if I got utterly obliterated? I know that Old School is a casual format, but nonetheless I was a tiny bit anxious. I only have one deck, my white weenies, so that is what I brought:That is kind of hard to see, so here is the deck list:1 Preacher4 Savannah Lions3 Order of Leitbur4 White Knight4 Icatian Javilineers3 Tundra Wolves4 Benalish Hero4 Swords to Plowshares3 Disenchant1 Army of Allah3 Armageddon1 Jalum Tome2 Land Tax4 Crusade16 Plains1 Maze of Ith2 Strip Mine1 Black Vise2 Juggernaut2 Conversion2 Mesa Pegasus2 Repentant Blacksmith2 Circle of Protection: Black2 Circle of Protection: Blue2 Circle of Protection: RedBelieve it or not, I actually did pretty well. We played Swiss style (I had no idea what that was until the day of tournament) and my first round was a victory because my opponent was late. Turns out he did pretty good so that was OK. Everyone was really warm and friendly which helped to alleviate my concerns; this is truly an awesome format devoted to enjoying the game as it was meant to be played. I ended up finishing roughly in the middle of the pack, which I was thrilled with. I beat one opponent who was a long-time modern and vintage tournament player whose friend gave him a "zoo" deck that I beat 2-1 in a series of really close games. Had I not putin my board I would not have made it out alive. I got smoked pretty badly by several robot decks and developed a small degree of terror any time someone put out, not to mention the schooling I got from Matt when we paired up.is the bane of my existence! To be fair Matt did warn me during our weekly play sessions to be prepared for the devastating impact that card would have on my deck and I failed to listen...After almost three months of playing in the Old School scene I can say without reservation that it has truly enriched my life. I have a high-stress job and knowing that I can escape into the world ofwith some good friends, good brews, and good spells has been excellent. I made a point to tell this to Mark Poole when I met him at the convention center. As he signed my old copies ofandI thanked him for being a part of a game that thrilled me as a boy and is now a happy escape as an adult. He smiled and thanked me for saying it; by his look I could tell he was aware of how many people's lives have been enriched by Magic: The Gathering. After 20 years I have come full circle.