Back to Blogging and The Five M's of Cabel the Pauper

It has been nearly a year since I have posted anything new here.  And what a year it was!  I shall spare the details for the sake of my readers and myself.  All you need to know for the purposes of this long-overdue post is this: I've returned to playing Magic: The Gathering in real life at the same time I am reforming my writing activities on the Internet.

That means it's time to get back to blogging here after breaking several promises to update regularly about Magic Online and far too many other topics.  On this Monday, I will begin (again!) by directing your attention to the changes already made and my plans for the future.

First of all, this blogs description in the header has been shortened from its former declamatory incarnation to be more concise and accurate regarding the intended content.  I've distilled what I'll be covering to one main point and five other interrelated interests of mine worth writing about.  The most important is now listed at the top of the page and the rest of these - all beginning with the letter "M" by some strange coincidence - you will find in a revised list of links in the sidebar.

Magic: the Gathering will be what I post about the majority of the time.  It will not be about bourgeois Money Magic formats, which I oppose. Instead, this will be the place for what I have christened Rarity-Restricted Casual/Competitive styles of play.  I explained what this was in the post immediately preceeding this one three days shy of one year ago.  If you are unfamiliar with what this approach to Magic is, I encourage you to find out below or by clicking the link provided.

In fact, I intend to make it known to you and every other Magic player I come into contact with.  Much, much more on this in future posts.

Last, but not least, are the other Five M's of Cabel the Pauper.  I will elaborate on these sub-topics in the future.  For now, two elements of each are alluded to in parentheses as sub-headers for the new link lists featured to your right.  Here they are for reference below:

• Marxism (Philosophy & Politics)
• Meditation (Buddhist & Franciscan)
• Music (Performance & Enjoyment)
• Mixology (Professionalism & Recovery)
• Media (Social & Traditional)

You'll note that there are five of these just as there are five colors in Magic: The Gathering.  The idea here is to connect these areas of interest and inquiry to the game itself, as well as combine them together in the same way the five colors join forces into guilds, shards, and wedges.

Perhaps someday I'll be good enough a writer to compose a piece that connects all six!  But that post is for another day and, after having said all that needs to be said for now, this post itself has become too magniloquent.

In closing, I hope you enjoy the new format and subject matter.  This time I make no promises with regard to a set blogging schedule. But I plan to explain reasons for returning to playing Magic: The Gathering in real life as opposed to Online; for returning here instead of continuing to post elsewhere on the Internet; and for settling upon these specific five topics.

It's good to be back!  Thanks for reading and following along and good luck to the Standard Pauper players still struggling with Magic Online.  Peace,

- C

Holiday Update 2013

I've missed over a week of daily posts here thanks to the hectic pace of the American Holiday Season.  As good and universal excuse as any!

But it is true!  Magic: The Gathering kind of has to take a backseat at this time of year.  Playing Standard Pauper on Magic Online keeps me going year-round.  The holidays, even though I don't necessarily follow the religous reasons for them, are still a traditional time to set aside some time for others in my life.  My family and my friends, those I love and those who love me.

So this blog has been on the back-burner in the lead-up to the big one, Christmas.  Now that Santa Claus gets to cash in on his seasonal unemployment compensation (snicker!) I can return to blogging about Standard Pauper.

And I've got more than cookies on my plate!

In the final days of the Old Year, Cabel the Pauper will be making preparations for the New Year.  Here's what you can expect:

1) A regular posting schedule, the most constant of any Standard Pauper blog, that is still consistent with my in-real-life schedule...

2) The next installment of my continuing monthly Standard & Pauper series at PureMTGO...

3) Final details on the next season of Standard Pauper Deck Challenge tournaments sponsored by PDC Magic on Thursdays in 2014!

You will find all that and more on Cabel the Pauper in 2014.  More Post-Tournament Posts and more Cards of the Day, more random posts on philosophy, and the addition of posts on the music I love and make as well.

But first...let me make it through the rest of the holiday season and maybe get a couple of relaxing matches of Standard Pauper in :-)  Until next year, good luck and have fun!  Peace,

- C

I Think It's Thursday: Magic and Philosophy

At least I'm pretty sure this is Thursday.  I have a show tonight in the Adirondack Mountains with my old band, Black Mountain Symphony, so it feels like the weekend...

So I'll be quick.  Last week I noted that philosophy has become as important a hobby to me as playing music Pauper Magic.  It seems to me a marriage of any two of theses makes sense to explore as well, the ones that marry philosophy and any of my other interests are the most worthwhile to me.

That's what the Philosophy of Magic is, the combination of the two, both applied to the other at once.

That's a broad generatlization for some specifics that I haven't figured out yet.  Surely other thinkers also enjoy this game and do the same from time to time.  How might Kant's categorical imperative apply to tough game states?  What might Walter Benjamin have thought of the aesthetics of the game?  What's the logic behind how Richard Garfield's design that makes everything work?

I've found similar questions asked of other areas of arts and entertainment, namely in series of books that take on pop culture phenomena and delve into the philosophy of them.  These include the Blackwell/Open Court Pop Culture and Philosophy series that famously began with Seinfeld and Philosophy.

::

The THOUGHT for today is simple: I'd like to see a Magic and Philosophy book published in the same way.  The game is certainly a pop culture phenomenon and its design, mechanics, following, game play, and subject matter all lend themselves just as well to philosophical examination as the television shows, movies, musicians, and other games that have been written about.  Hopefully someday Magic will get the same treatment as these sitcoms and rock bands.

And now I'm off to play in a rock band myself!  Until next time, good luck!  Peace,

- C

Standard Pauper Card o' the Day: Structural Collapse

And the holidays are upon us all!  Before I sit down with family for a spaghetti dinner (turkey will be tomorrow and I'm still sleepy from last night's get-together with the other side of the family) I'll see if I can find a Standard Pauper card since not everybody around the world celebrates this holiday.  Any Red cards about holidays?

Structural Collapse - Gatecrash

MTGO - Traders: CARD NAME- 0.02 Tix

Aside from the incredible irony of holidays being associated with a collapse in structure, it turns out that this Rauck-Chauv holiday is pretty big deal for the Gruul Clans.  Planeswalkers of the anthropological persuasion are in for a challenge if they wish to know more about these wild celebrations. From the MTG Salvation Wiki:

"Little is known about the Ghor Clan, however, Rauck-Chauv, a holiday celebrated many times a year by the Gruul, is named after their two-headed leader. It is likely the Ghor are the most hedonistic clan."

There are a few other commons and uncommons in the Classic card pool that mention these reoccuring events.  So here, when we run into a holiday, it will always be Rauck-Chauv instead!  At least until I find another Magic: the Gathering holiday with Pauper representations.  

Mmm...savor that flavor!  Savor your turkey and cranberry sauce, too, and hey...I'm thankful you stopped by :-)  Happy Thanksgiving!   Peace,

- C

I Think It's Thursday: The Magic of Philosophy

While the primary focus of this new blog will be Standard Pauper and other Rarity-Restricted Casual-Competitive Magic: The Gathering formats , you'll notice I'm interested in a little bit more than just that.  Aside from music - which I just play instead of wasting time blogging about - my biggest current interest in a new-found passion for philosophy.

One might say I've fallen in love with wisdom.

So once a week I'll shift focus from Standard Pauper to my philosophy studies.  But I'm sure I can think up ways to tie the two together most of the time.  The best Magic writer of all time, Mike Flores, has often noted that has favorite hobby is not playing Magic, but thinking about Magic.  And that suggests that there is a Philosophy of Magic waiting to be thought up and written about.

For the time being, and from this point forward, I just want to share what I discover to be the Magic of Philosophy and the Philosophy of Magic.

The THOUGHT for this I Think It's Thursday is: I think philosophy is magical.  I've often had many variations of a dream profession. I'd wonder how great it would be to be a famous rock star or bestselling novelist, a powerful politician, or even pro Magic player.  But these days I  often dream of just being a philosopher, a worthier pursuit than all of these other dreams, and probably even the one for which I'm better suited and likely for success IRL.

::

Anyway, I'm rambling as I'm bound to do when I get all thoughtful.  Thanks for tagging along with me while I keep tabs on my philosophical studies and ramblings. Until the next time I Think It's Thursday, good luck, have fun, and good games!  Peace,

- C

Introducing: Cabel the Pauper - A New Pauper Blog

Greetings and well met!  I am Cabel the Pauper. This is my first post on my brand new blog about Pauper Magic and my other eclectic interests.

In real life, my name is Colin.  I'm a Thirtysometing dude from historic Albany County, New York.  I am an American citizen and English is my native tongue.  I cannot blog in any other language...yet!

Blogging

What I write here will reflect my interests and who I am in real life.  The subject matter will focus primarly on playing Pauper on Magic Online.  But I'll also blog about any of those things listed in the blog description from time to time.  I like lots of different topics and enjoy sharing my thoughts and writing about all of them.

But the top focus of Cabel the Pauper will be Standard Pauper and all Rarity-Restricted and Casual-Competitive formats of Magic: The Gathering on Magic Online and on paper.

This is my second attempt at a blog after years of political blogging as Soundpolitic and posting about Pauper as Copperfield.  I consider it a big step forward in my personal reboot as a Magic player and blogger at the same time.

I'm thinking a bit of my Magic and blogging history is an order, if only to get it out of the way so I don't feel the need to keep relating the same tale ad nauseum. I'll try to keep this explanation - and all blogs henceforth - brief and to the point:

Soundpolitic

As Soundpolitic, I learned the ropes about blogging.  I started out on DailyKos and then The Albany Project, eventually working my way up to a front-page and rec-list  poster of political blogs.  It was a good writing experience and I got to meet some interesting politicians and activists in my local political scene.

But that era of my blogging and political development is over.  I no longer aspire to be the citizen-journalist I originally set out to be. I believe just talking politics with family and friends once in a while is sufficient for now.  I finally want to make my break with the Democrat vs. Republican deadlock as I have completely rejected both conservatism and liberalism.  I'll probably only blog about this sort of thing here only once in a blue moon, and try to keep it Magic related.

That's the main focus of the new Cabel The Pauper blog: Pauper Magic.

Pauper Magic

I first started playing Magic: The Gathering soon after seeing my first cards at a youth group in middle school.  The cards were intriguing and I wanted to know what the text box meant, what the symbols in the corner were for, what the numbers at the bottom meant, and everything else about this unique new game.  I played from 4th Edition during Alliances and Tempest was the last set I got into while playing during lunch and after school.

I quit for a long time, but once I got my first "real" job, I used some of my extra cash to return to Magic.  I was drawn back by the black borders of Tenth Edition and classic fantasy Tribal elements and Hybrid multi-color of Lorwyn/Shadowmoor.  Unfortunately, I lost the job after only a few months, and a few months later sold my rares and uncommons to compensate.

Fortunately, this lead me to discover the Pauper format and PDCMagic and put my remaining commons to good use.  After a while of playing Standard Pauper on paper, I finally got a Magic Online account.  I got my Classic Burn deck that I always wanted, but I always focused on Standard Pauper due to affordability and the great weekly events, MPDC, hosted by Gwyned, and SPDC, run by PDC and Gatherling guru, Jamuraa.

Part of this blog's purpose is to live up to the inspiring example of these Standard Pauper pioneers. So the majority of content on this blog will focus on that format specifically and Pauper generally.  And I don't think I completely lived up to these guys as Copperfield.

From Copperfield to Cabel

Under the name of Copperfield, I started posting deck threads, and later branched out to writing articles on Pure MTGO.  I'm still proud of much of my past work, but more often than I'd like I displayed a regrettable tendency to engage in flame wars and "troll-hunting".  Aside from that, there was the practical matter of solving confusion as to who I was when posting as Copperfield while playing/running hosting in-game as Cabel.

So now it's just Cabel in-game and online and there will never be such useless silliness posted under this clean new alias.  The name change represents a clean break from these bad habits as well a fresh start as a Magic player and blogger.  "Copperfield" was just a stepping stone, some mistakes were made and lessons learned, and "Soundpolitic" was no different.  So retiring both egotistical alter-egos and adopting Cabel makes perfect sense.

Cabel the Pauper

As Cabel, I will continue to post on the PDCMagic boards and will also be making use of the Standard Pauper Players clan-only forums.  I will also try to change my username on PureMTGO and other sites in anticipation of new articles and further forum posts.  MTG Salvation seems like fertile ground for Standard Pauper, and as always the push for official support from WotC marches onward.

But more than anywhere else, I will post here.  And the plan is to post prolifically, yet succinctly.  And above all with good nature, good humor, and good intent.

Because as you can see, I tend to be rather long-winded!  I have many ideas about many things and  feel the need to explain everything about anything I think. This is not bad if kept in my mind, but it's not all worth posting and this blog needs focus and clarity the same way my thoughts do.  This new blog will finally serve as exercise in improving my writing and thinking skills.

So instead of spewing thousands of words about every current of thought that sweeps me away - or getting so caught up in my thoughts that I turn into Mr. Internet Jerk again - I will keep things on the topic and always be as kind and helpful as possible in posts and comments.


And when I say I want the blogs on Cabel The Pauper to be prolific and succinct, I mean I will post once a day and adhere to a strict one dozen paragraph limit....

Two For Tuesdays #1: Introduction!

Except for Tuesdays!  If it's Tuesday, it's time for....Two-For-Tuesdays!

Two-For-Tuesdays will feature not one, but two posts.  In one I'll share my thoughts on the previous nights MPDC tournament.  In the other one I get to post whatever I want just for blogging fun, but these will likely be about Magic as well.  This Tuesday, I choose to write about getting this blog started, introduce myself, and state my main goals and other random musings about what I want this blog to be.

Oh, and since I've done so already, I get to break my one dozen paragraph limit on my random Two For Tuesdays posts, too :-)

 The Blog

And so it begins!  By the end of today I'll get my thoughts on yesterday's tournament posted and the new Cabel The Pauper Blog will officially be up and running!  I hope you enjoy it and visit regularly..

On the to-do list for the Blog's first week is visual and layout decisions and the construction of a proper Blogroll of other Standard Pauper sites and some related useful links for fellow Paupers.  I need to figure out other daily themes to help me keep up the pace of blogging a little each day, too.  I might even include links to my social media profiles, but I don't really use those for Magic much.  If you have suggestions for what you'd like to see on Cabel the Pauper, let me know in comments.

Thanks for reading and stopping by.  I look forward to blogging more and seeing you here again soon.  Have fun, good luck, and good games!

Peace,

- C