Collected Company is a powerful magic card. What makes it so good? Is it the instant card type or the card advantage engine for green decks? Most of the time, the best part is putting two creatures into play. I can go on and on about the greatness of Collected Company, but I want to talk about the real meaning behind those words instead.
If you wand to grind magic competitively, collecting a company of friends and teammates is essential. Surround yourself with Magic minds, whether in person or online. Find a testing team, a solid friend group, and Discord or Facebook discussion groups.
Teams
Finding a testing team is relatively important if you want to grind Magic seriously. I was fortunate to join a team back in January (Team Tempest) and have a group of like-minded players with similar goals. Being able to support each other throughout everyday life or during tournaments really helps ease the pressure of the grind.
Teammates can support each other logistically. Finding cards for decks, filling out last minute sideboards, booking hotels or travel, grabbing lunch between rounds, etc. This helps build camaraderie and a sense of belonging. All this will translate to positive energy and positive mindset during long tournaments and seasons.
Friends
Friends are an essential part of Magic. Having a group to play with regularly, whether competitively or just for fun, helps keep Magic enjoyable and social. They can also help test for tournaments. Now that may sound similar to a testing team, but there are some useful and important differences.
Testing with friends is more relaxed and casual. With less stress sometimes your testing is more productive, or feels less like work. Back when I was in college I would always play with a circle of friends for hours, and it was more of a fun thing then dedicated testing. While it may not have been really as strategic as a Discord call like I do now, I still was able to learn and see many lines of play from it. Even if you have a regular testing team, casual testing with friends can reveal new lines of play or fringe strategies.
Online Groups
Online discussion groups like Discord or Facebook a great for mastering a specific deck or archetype. Focused groups of players around the world can share experience and information. Joining these communities is important to be able to keep up on the latest changes or tweaks to a deck.
Large online groups can help you learn how a specific deck works even if you don’t play that deck, or it can help you find the solution to a troublesome matchup. I participate in the Modern Grixis Death’s Shadow group, where we frequently discuss strategy and lines of play. Especially in older formats, it is good to find a deck you like and will play for awhile. These discussion groups can provide community and support for your favorite deck. Join them and share.
Zack is a SCG grinder with one ultimate goal: getting to the Players Champ. Based out of NYC, you can find him in other cities every weekend trying to hit that goal. When he isn’t traveling he streams. Follow his journey on Twitter!