September 30th, 1995. I remember the date because it was the night before I moved to my current home in the NC mountains.
I had seen the ads for
Ice Age in
Dragon Magazine (I was an avid AD&D-er) and thought to myself, "How stupid, a game with collectible cards..." But I happened to see the 4th edition Gift Box at Electronics Boutique and, upon reading the copy on the back, decided to give it a shot.
I was hooked within the hour.
Was Magic a better game then? It depends upon the perspective. I agree with
Ferret's view that not knowing what a 'broken' card was. I knew the Black Vise was good, but I liked The Rack was better (mainly because I actually had one). It was over a year before I saw my first dual land or Kird Ape, and I was immediately perturbed by these 'overly powerful' cards.
However, I believe in accepting the reality of a situation, which is that, with the advent of 'Pro' Magic, the innocence of the game has evaporated. Most players are very well-schooled in evaluating cards and identifying 'crap' and 'power.'
The current rules set, too, is far better than all that have come before, in my not-at-all humble opinion.
Better or worse? Hard to say. I wish I could play as much as I did back then (nightly til-4-am sessions of multiplayer and mini-tourneys were all the rage at my apartment) but that's out of the question now, being so busy, not to mention that the player base has shrunk dramatically.
Magic is becoming a purer game, though, and I hope that it continues to do so. Eventually (I hope) the day of the "killer combo" will pass, and the game can be fun for all, once again.