definition of casual

[TheCasualOblivion]

What is the general definition of casual here?

I've heard mentioned on the mtgSalvation topic that their definition of casual is non-tier 1 tournament decks.

What exactly is the definition here, I'm curious.

 

[Notepad]

If you play for fun and comaradery, you just might be a casual player.

If you play multiplayer, you just might be a casual player.

If it's been six months since you've looked at a tournament deck list on the net, you just might be a casual player.

If the only formats you know are Singleton, Prismatic, and Two-Headed Giant, you just might be a casual player.

If you have to be reminded that the word emperor means the ruler of an empire, you just might be a casual player.

If you build a Sligh deck, and don't bother to flaunt your rating or your association with the original creators when you write about it, you just might be a casual player.

If you really enjoy original decks, you just might be a casual player.

If losing doesn't make you suicidal, you just might be a casual player.

If the only table you ever played on was found in your best friend's kitchen, you just might be a casual player.

If you have no concept of why "Team Sealed" is even called a team event, you just might be a casual player.

If you like silver borders, you just might be a casual player.

If you think anything not worthy of tier one status at a Grand Prix is a casual deck, well...you're probably a sad little troll.

 

[TheCasualOblivion]

I guess I qualify for enough of those to be considered a casual player, despite my faults (playing mostly fast aggro decks and having a mightily nasty tendancy to play blue).

 

[Oversoul]

I wouldn't consider those faults...

 

[Notepad]

Yeah, I like dueling one-on-one much more than multiplayer, myself, and enjoy fast burn/beatdown type builds. Not a vice. Not like I'm whipping out net deck versions of such. I'd never be so cruel to pull out IPA Standard Dark Fires on some poor guy. But of course, I do have fun with my monoblack classics deck containing Sinkhole, Hymn to Tourach and other such fun times.

And yeah, plenty of blue in casual, though it really sucks in multiplayer more than the other colors. That, and it is a bad political color.

 

[TheCasualOblivion]

I see a lot of fans of clunky but fun combo decks and multiplayer style decks. I'm just not into that style. I like to play fast and violent, and I find you can do that without playing tourney style.

Combo and multiplayer style decks don't fare well against me, and I get the common complaints. Its good for them, teaches them how to play and build better decks.

And yes, I always build my own decks, and never net.dec. I'll sometimes look at tournament decks to get some ideas, but I usually go weird, like building my Elf deck G/U/B, or my Forbiddian deck with 21 creatures.

 

[Notepad]

I think the problem with defining casual is, it isn't really one definition. It is an umbrella term, hence my lengthy Foxworthy-style post.

You could say it is everyone who plays not for tournament victory. However, many rogue deck builders enter tournaments and sometimes even win.

You could say it is people who do multiplayer. But as your and I prove, not everyone gets their kicks that way.

You could say it is being original. You know what though, someone has to make up those net decks in the beginning.

You could say it is the friendship. Hey, a lot of times I don't know any of the people I play against. Especially on MTGO.

You could say it is the fun. But I'll bet winning a Pro Tour and getting that fat check is hella fun, too.

So, honestly, it really is hard to define casual. Much too broad. The only thing I can totally, without a doubt say is:

-Anything Goes-

Yes, that includes tournament players, net decks, and whatnot. But you know what? It works. You play with others and if you don't like playing with them, or their style, you stop playing with them.

 

[Spiderman]

This question seems to come up every year or six months or so... our last "closest" discussion on the term is here, but you could probably do a search and find older threads that talk about it from different people who are no longer here. But SeFRo pretty much sums it up.

 

[Istanbul]

Casual is a state of mind.

If you play the game to win and only to win, and that's the foremost thing in your mind as you play to the exclusion of all else, you are not a casual player.

If you play the game to have fun and be social with people, if you think that hard-casting your Verdant Force on turn 3 makes you a 'winner' even if you then lose the game, because you had fun doing it, you're a casual player.

 

[Reverend Love]

Originally posted by Istanbul
, if you think that hard-casting your Verdant Force on turn 3 makes you a 'winner' even if you then lose the game, because you had fun doing it, you're a casual player. [/B]

I like to call those little gems "moral victories".

 

[Killer Joe]

So here's a huge blanketed statement:

Casual magic game play is the absence of an organized DCI sanctioned tournament.

 

[jorael]

Another kind of 'moral victory' (if that's what you want to call it) is finding a place for cards that you wouldn't play normally (not powerful enough). They could be key cards in a combo(wall of razors in a Kavu Lair deck ) or just fit the theme very well that they become cool to play (ornithopter in a ninja deck).

Magic has hundreds of cards, so thousands of interactions between those cards. To me casual means, finding the interactions that are most surprising/very funny and not going for the broken power interactions (e.g. high tide + palinchron).

I'm a casual player, but I'll play non casual decks as well. If I blast several opponents away with my Beaconblaster deck (beacon of creation + blasting station + fecundity) that isn't casual anymore, to me. That doesn't stop me to play more win-oriented decks occasionally. It helps me staying sharp. Others playing more competitive decks during casual nights have the same effect on me, they keep me sharp as well.

 

[Notepad]

Originally posted by Killer Joe
So here's a huge blanketed statement:
Casual magic game play is the absence of an organized DCI sanctioned tournament.

I think John Friggen Rizzo was a casual player. Just my perspective on things. And he played in an awful lot of tournaments.

Speaking of SCG, there is a nice daily series going on by Adam Grydehoj at the moment. He's talking about the casual golden days everyone goes through, and does a bit of card evaluation and deck building with a casual kick. Is a really good read. Here's his latest:
http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/expandnews.php?Article=8698
Of course, you can find his past installments here:
http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/archive.php?Article=Adam Grydehoj

I think this captures the casual feeling. And, to restate my anything goes idea, I'd like to say:

Casual is playing in the spirit of the game.

Meaning, of course, you enjoy the game as a game. Not as something to obsess to perfection to win money over. You can do that too, so long as you do so within the spirit of the game. What that is, of course, is a very broad subject, still.

 

[Ferret]

I've always thought of "Casual" as remembering that it's just a game. Games are meant to be enjoyed by all. Sure, you want to win the game, but you want to make sure that everyone who plays it enjoys it enough so that everyone will want to play again. Since Magic has so many thousands of possible combinations and new ones constantly coming out (whether we can keep up or not) the ideas keep flowing and the oportunities for fun never end...

-Ferret

"It's all about fun!"

 

[Killer Joe]

Here, let ME show you....

F is for Fi-re Bal-ling your neighbor
U is for Ur-za's Raaaaaage
N is for no more crea-tures, here on the game ta-ble...

I must've had my "FUN" mechanisim broken when I was a child because I'm not totally happy unless I screw someone out of either life points or deny them of any creatures.

"Now THAT'S F-U-N!!!!!"

 

[Notepad]

C is for some a-hole Counterspells your spell.
L is for some a-hole land-destructions your stuff so you can't kicker anything.
D is for some a-hole plays discard and empties your cards before they can be pumped big, forcing you to play 2-point fireballs before they're lost.

What does that spell? Um...

Nyah nyah!

 

[Oversoul]

I guess it spells "cld." As we all know, that is an anagram for LCD (liquid crystal display). Hmm, the plot thickens...

 

[Notepad]

I personally like the "Anything goes so long as its within the spirit of the game." description. It works. It takes in people who have fun from winning so long as they aren't jerks about it. It also includes the people who have fun.

After all, the spirit of any game is to have fun!

(Unless you're playing Thermonuclear Warfare. But, I'd never hack into WHOPR to play war games with it, anyway.)

 

[Gizmo]

Casual is when you play for fun.

Non-casual is when you care about winning.

 

[TheCasualOblivion]

I play to win, its part of the definition of the word "game"

What I don't do is build decks with the purpose of preventing my opponent from winning. Give them some hassle yes, blow up their stuff definitely, come out of the gate with some speed and make an attempt on the early game, sure. But to prevent their deck from running, or to build a deck with the speed to win the game before it starts, no.

That's what tournament decks are.

Casual you give your opponent a chance, even if their deck isn't as good as yours.