One of the great things about Magic: The Gathering is that it can be as casual as a game of Commander around the kitchen table that lasts for hours or as incredibly competitive as any other high stakes tournament at a professional level. The game is full of lessons about strategy, patience, math, and sportsmanship, and it's not unusual that it appeals to athletes, poker players, and other fans of strategy and competition so frequently.
One of the game's most most popular influencers from outside of the professional card game scene, NFL linebacker Cassius Marsh, has been in the spotlight multiple times in recent years as his love of Magic: The Gathering became public knowledge. The current Pittsburgh Steeler has become a familiar face in the Magic scene and is currently expanding even further into that space by opening up a collectible card shop, Cash Cards Unlimited, in his hometown. Game Rant recently had a chance to catch up with Cassius and discuss both his new store and the parallels he sees between football and playing games like MtG.
RELATED: The Best Magic The Gathering Crossovers
When our conversation turned towards the competitive nature of Magic: The Gathering, Game Rant asked Cassius if felt the same level of competitiveness while playing the card game that he does while playing football. Surprisingly, that doesn't seem to be what appeals to him about Magic at all...
"For me Magic is a casual and fun kind of thing. It's unwinding and fun. And it is semi-competitive at this point, but as long as it's a good game [I'm having fun]. I used to get really salty and overly competitive, but I think that I've toned it down a lot because that kind of thing is never fun to be around."
Anybody who has taken a tough beat can definitely relate to that sentiment. Cassius did go on to talk about ways that Magic does relate to football though...
"Deckbuilding and film study are two things that you can really compare between Magic and football. You know, mentally you have to put your deck together, get all of your strategy out there and that's sort of like watching all of their [other football teams'] games or all of their runs and snaps and trying to key in on tendencies and the best way to attack a team or address a certain player in terms of matchups. But Magic is also just great for intellectual development in general."
The comparisons are definitely interesting and it's sort of refreshing to hear that the competitive nature of MtG isn't actually what keeps Cassius Marsh coming back to the game. He's very hooked to the EDH format and seems to really love the resale marketplace and metagame that keep all of the formats fresh and engaging. Fans of Marsh and collectible card games who aren't in California can follow along with what his happening at the store by keeping an eye on Marsh's social media accounts or watching the live breaks on the store's instagram account.
Cash Cards Unlimited opens to the public on Friday, February 26, 2021.