There are things in our lives that become staples and that are hard to imagine where we would be without them. While painting miniatures and playing miniature wargames is certainly one of them in recent years, there is a different staple that I don’t talk about too often on the blog. For me, it is card games. In this article, I’d like to talk about why TCGs are so popular (we’re in a bit of a boom period for them) and why other Gen X and Millennials like myself can’t seem to quit them. To help demonstrate how prevalent they can be, I’d like to talk a bit about my history with them first.
My entry into card games started pretty early. I was probably about ten years old when an older kid who lived on my street that I had never met before randomly approached my brother and I one day asking if we were the people on our street that were into Magic cards. Apparently, he heard that someone was into Magic: the Gathering on our street but I’m not sure he ever actually found them. He didn’t need to as it turns out because he gave my brother and I a couple of common cards that are worth a few cents and our interest was piqued. I had recently read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings for the first time and I loved everything about those books. And here I was presented with some cards that have fantasy characters on them. They were different than Tolkien’s work, of course, but still familiar enough to be appealing and intriguing. I wanted to see more of these cards and learn how to play the game. Simply put, it was the right time and the right place for me to be exposed to Magic: The Gathering.
Fortunately for me, it was not hard to find Magic cards in 1995/1996. If I remember correctly, my brother and I found Ice Age starter decks at Toys R Us for around $10 and we learned how to play the game by reading the tiny rulebook included with starter decks and started playing with our newly found friend. The three of us played casually for quite a few years and had a lot of fun with the game. I think we didn’t fully grasp all the nuance of Magic because it does have some complexity to it, but that never really stopped us. We built up a pretty decent collection over the years as well, even somehow dabbling in other card games like Star Wars CCG by Decipher, which none of us could figure out how to play because it was even more complex, despite having nice looking cards.
My card game journey started to mature when Pokémon TCG came out. Pokémon has been wildly popular as a franchise since its inception and Nintendo was able to convince both myself and brother to get into the video games and the new card game. Pokemon TCG was a real phenomenon because it got younger kids into trading cards in a way that Magic does not. There was such a demand for packs of the cards that they were hard to find at times at retail. It was like nothing I’ve experienced playing Magic which was always pretty readily available.
The Pokémon TCG did some smart things. It simplified card gaming so a younger audience could fully grapple with the mechanics. They also did a great job with foil cards and that instantly made the cards collectible and feel valuable. In fact, they were cooler looking than Magic cards at that time in some ways (if you can look past the yellow border that is). The game is still very collectible to this day which has attracted speculators and scalpers, from what I hear. Possibly because Pokémon was a simpler game and also because I was a bit older, I got interested in playing in Pokémon TCG tournaments which were also hot and widely attended. I even had a decent amount of success winning a few tournaments and right before I quit playing, I won a qualifier tournament in my hometown that allowed me to go to New Jersey for the World Championship. My Dad was not interested in chaperoning a middle schooler to New Jersey for a card game tournament, so we’ll never know how I would have done there. Probably not spectacularly because a good chunk of my opponents in Pokémon cards were a few years younger than me and tended to not have as strong of decks or skills. Those advantages would not be present at the World Championship. Truthfully, I wasn’t drawn to Pokémon because it was easier to win, I just have always been a fan of Nintendo games and there were just enough people my own age playing back then, that I had made some friends and it didn’t feel too weird playing. Sure, I ran into some “haters” here and there but generally, it was a fun period in my TCG journey.
In retrospect, this was a really good period of TCGs. I had plenty of free-time to go to tournaments (which take hours as some of you know) and I was competitive at tournaments. Some time passed and I eventually decided to return to Magic: The Gathering and play in some tournaments. I’m not sure how many I entered during this period, definitely less than with Pokémon and to be blunt, I was never all that great. I won a single Magic tournament and it was with a friend’s Black and Green deck that they let me borrow. I decided to replicate the deck by buying some expensive rares like Pernicious Deed and was never as successful with it after that. The competitive scene in Magic was at a higher level than Pokémon and I didn’t seem to be good enough to stack up or that is how I felt back then. That was pretty much my last foray into Magic: The Gathering. At some point in high school, I quit Magic for good as it turns out. I still have my card collection and remember Magic fondly. Its a great game and that’s why it has lasted for thirty years now. You can play it casually or seriously and there’s plenty of room for both kinds of gamers.
That was nearly 25 years ago now, so you might be thinking the title of this article isn’t true then, is it? Well in the years since, there have been periods where I didn’t really play any card games or I played the next “evolution” in TCGs, which are Living Card Games. This includes a period of playing Lord of the Rings: The Card Game and Arkham Horror: The Card Game. I enjoyed both card games pretty well but living card games have their pros and cons compared to TCGs. They provide a lot of content (which can be hard to keep up with) and they aren’t necessarily that much cheaper than TCGs. It depends on how you acquire your cards for a TCG and if you’re buying lots of packs of random cards or purchasing specific cards that you want. This could truthfully be an article in and of itself. The biggest thing that LCGs lack is collectability because the products are widely available to anybody that wants them for as long as they’re in print. It doesn’t scratch the collecting itch in the way that buying random packs of cards and collecting a set does. This is probably why I collected Non-Sports cards, especially Marvel and Star Wars cards when I wasn’t busy with LCGs. And while those are collectibles that have no game attached, it helped scratch the itch, albeit indirectly. So as you can see collecting cards has been something I’ve done a good chunk of my life and I’ve enjoyed it greatly.
And now as I write this in 2026, I’ve dipped my toes back into TCGs, if you can believe it. What makes these card games so appealing and seemingly inescapable for some of us?
One of the biggest draws and in some people’s eyes, drawbacks to TCGs (and LCGs for that matter) is that you have to build your own deck. While yes, this takes work, I think it is ultimately a personal expression of what you enjoy in a game. Your deck can be whatever you want (within the rules of the game of course). If you like a particular faction in a game, you can of course build a deck around that. Depending on the game, your deck can play in whatever manner you want. It can be super aggressive and try to win as early as possible or a deck that slows the game down and thwarts your opponent before you achieve victory. To some degree, you can do this in miniature wargames but generally, I think deck construction in a TCG is more wide-open and there are way more options to choose from than when you’re making an army in Warhammer, for example. You can also make your deck as serious or as casual as you want. A serious deck would hopefully fare well at a tournament whereas a casual deck is just fun to play, even if it isn’t super effective at winning. For me, this is the experience that I miss the most when I don’t have a card game in my life. There’s nothing quite as enjoyable as building and a deck and trying it out and card games either. I’ve tried like Astro Knights, James Bond Legendary, Skytear Hordes, and even Sentinels of Multiverse did not quite scratch that itch, despite being competent card games.
TCGs also offer a quick gametime. Most can be played between 30-60 minutes which is lightning quick compared to many board games and miniature wargames. This lets you play different decks in back-to-back games against the same opponent to keep the variety high. You can also play against several different people in a couple of hours which is a nice bonus as well. Despite the short time spent playing games, that doesn’t make playing less satisfying or less strategic. TCGs provides fun in a short burst which is nice when you’re a busy adult like myself.
While Pokemon TCG was not good at this while I played (the metagame was pretty stagnant, in other words), Magic: The Gathering is pretty adept at keeping the metagame shifting so that it doesn’t feel stale at the tournament level. TCGs are best equipped for a constantly evolving metagame because if the hot tournament-level deck changes, you can always buy new cards and build a new deck. It goes without saying that there are always new cards coming out too so you don’t have to wait too long generally for the most powerful decks to change. This does increase the cost of playing tournament-level competition but I still think it is easier than with miniature wargames. The metagame also shifts a fair bit with both Warhammer games by Games Workshop but that is a different situation because you need to paint up a large number of miniatures which takes time and effort. By the time you complete this task, your army of Space Marines might not be good anymore because the metagame has since changed. While of course, you can play casually and ignore whatever is popular in the metagame, I do think this illustrates one of the strengths of TCGs at the same time.
The other thing about TCGs that isn’t easy to replicate in other mediums is that you are collecting pieces of cardboard that often have beautiful artwork on them. It varies based on card game and there are some just use screenshots from TV shows and movies, but Magic: The Gathering has always had pretty nice art on their cards. Art is subjective and you won’t find every single card beautiful, but there are many which are quite breathtaking. I can’t speak for others but for me, collecting artwork in card form that you find appealing never gets old and those cards are the ones that you’re most proud of in your collection as well. I think this is the primary appeal of cards whether they be sports cards, non-sport cards, or TCGs. For some reason, art is very collectable for some people and I think TCGs give you a chance to both collect and use something which is somewhat rare in hobbies. There are plenty of things like comic books that can either be collected and kept in pristine condition to maximize their value or you can read them and they become significantly less valuable and collectable. While I would be careful playing with really expensive cards since you can damage them and lower their value, it is doable with TCGs. You can also buy valuable cards in poor condition so you’re not out much if they get damaged.
I hope this gives you some insight as to why card games like Magic: the Gathering are so popular. It is definitely a unique hobby that has similarities to board games and miniature wargames but also stands apart and offers something unique at the same time. While Magic hooked Gen X’ers and Millennials first, it has remained popular since then and other card games like Pokémon have also brought new people into the hobby. Since the TCG landscape is always changing, there are always new people trying out the hobby for the first time and that is why I suspect TCGs will be with us for many years to come.
Kuribo's Painting 
Thanks for sharing. I will be honest I could never get my head around the card games. I even bought packs of Pokémon cards to play with my class, and to allow others who didn’t have any cards to play. I won a couple of boxed sets of Magic in a raffle, someone very kindly took an age to get me started and it went in one ear and out the other. I ended up giving them away to a house guest who played a lot. They have tournaments up here as well as a trading network where cards are bought and sold. Every Sunday the games club will have a pile of people playing,vand even the Thursday club will sometimes have a game or two on the go.
I don’t know why I struggle, after long COVID any words longer than chicken can give me a headache, but not before.
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Magic is a bit more abstract and complex than something like Pokémon but the basics of the game aren’t too difficult to grasp with a decent teacher. I’m not saying you should try Pokémon because I think you have to be the right age to really enjoy it, but it is a lot less abstract (or it used to be anyway) and anyone can learn it pretty easily. I don’t know Lorcana well and have never tried it but it should be easy to learn too considering its target audience of Disney fans, young and old.
Having said that, I think people who don’t enjoy TCGs or have never tried one find it mystifying why younger people get so wrapped up in it and that was partially why I wanted to write this article. I’m not trying or expecting to change anybody’s mind as none of us lack for things to do, I reckon, but I do think with the right game and teacher, you could play a TCG without any trouble. Warhammer Fantasy was more complicated than the basics of Magic are, for example.
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An interesting insight, Jeff! 🙂 I’ve just never known anyone who’s been into card games so I’ve never bothered, but let’s be honest, I’m a die-hard wargames miniatures dinosaur! 😉
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I could be wrong as I’ve not yet had the chance to visit your fair isle, but I think in the US its easier to get into card games than miniature games because the cards are more omnipresent. I get the impression it isn’t necessarily that way in Britania, but I could be wrong! Having said that, I don’t think liking miniatures makes you out of date or old fashioned. Both hobbies are pretty in vogue these days so I’d say you’re young and incredibly hip instead! 😀
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I’ll just correct you there, Jeff! I am neither young nor hip and have my wife’s complete backing on those two issues! 😉
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Haha!
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I remember when Pokemon first started, and the shortages as I was working at GW at the time, and four out of five phonecalls would be someone trying to find a stock of cards ! LOL Never got into card games, I appreciate 2D art, but much prefer 3D art, probably due to getting into wargames at an early age, and influencing my preference, plus into model making before that. This is one of the cool things I find with our hobbies, we are not all into exactly the same thing, but can appreciate our friends different journeys. Congratulations on your tournament wins as well, shame you couldn’t go to the world championships.
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That’s incredible! I think some people think Games Workshop is a place that does more than just miniatures and they’re dead wrong, of course. I remember hunting for Pokemon cards everywhere, including bookstores, video game stores, and there was a store that opened in my local mall for a couple of years selling Pokémon cards and Beanie Babies. That store perfectly encapsulated the fads of that time now that I think about it.
I like making 3D art as well so I totally understand that. I can draw but I’m not well-versed in fantasy art or 2D painting so that ups the appeal to me. Those who can’t do, collect, I guess you could say.
I didn’t talk about it much but there are a lot of licensed TCGs and that is a big vehicle for attracting people. There was a WWE card game for a number of years, for example. Nowadays, a lot of the licensed games appeal to certain crowds, namely anime/manga fans which doesn’t really grab you or I don’t think. If there was a 2000 AD card game, that might be a different story!
Having said all that, thank you for the kind words and while it was a long time ago, I am glad I was able to win in the competitive scene a few times. I didn’t participate in any sports hardly and didn’t really win at much growing up so having some success there feels good even a couple decades later.
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Nice write up, but I don’t remember any of my GenX friends playing card based games, we were more into early D&D and AD&D. Making models and playing “war-games” with them was more our jam – if we weren’t outside playing physical games.
Now when I was in my middle to late 30’s I remember my two boys (both Millennials) telling me that I should look at Magic. I was far too much into GW Warhammer and painting 3D miniatures by then to try a card based game. I remember looking up the games on the early Internet (dial-up!) I had, but I just didn’t see the appeal. Now when I walk into any FLAG, I see tons of folks sitting around flipping cards – still don’t see the appeal, but least they have a steady flow of people into the hobby space.
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I learned something today because I double-checked the age ranges for Gen X and Millennials and its less likely than I thought for a Gen X’er to have been playing Magic cards in the early days. It came out in 1993, so Millennials might be way more prevalent than Gen X after all. Shows you what I know after 40 years on this Earth!
I think a lot of people who are older than me feel the same way as you about card games. They don’t really see the appeal and I get that. If you get into TCGs at the right time/age, it really clicks. Having said that, miniature games can provide the same benefits like making new friends and doing something that requires some thinking with friends. So I can definitely see where what you’ve been accomplishing with Blood Bowl and possibly Trench Crusade already has you covered.
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That is the goal of our hobbies, isn’t it? To meet new people and make a connection. I hope I didn’t come off as a jerk, I know what clicks for me and what doesn’t. I like and appreaciate other people’s “jam”. Cheers!
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Yes, it is and there is no offense taken here! I feel the same way you do about card games about D&D. I’ve never tried it and I don’t think I’d enjoy it all that much but I’m glad that it exists for the many people who do so I can relate to what you’re saying in that sense.
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This was an excellent read, thanks for sharing! I have a much shorter (and comparatively more recent) history with Magic, but have kept all the cards so you never know! Are you getting back into Magic then? You’re a very brave man in this day and age of crossovers and the like!
I really liked your point about the art, by the way. That would often be a major factor in whether I included a card in a deck or not, because with something like MtG, it can be incredible to see your board state build with so many beautiful cards. One of my favourite decks was in the Shadows over Innistrad block, Red/Black Vampires, and it was mostly jank but it *looked* fabulous!
The other point in favour of cards over minis is that it has always felt cleaner to me 🤣 Like, minis require tools, and usually leave bits of plastic and mess, as well as brushes and all that getup. While cards are usually just nice and neatly boxed away 🤣
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Cheers, mate and thanks for giving it a read! I actually have a different card game in mind than Magic because their business model is a bit of a turnoff for me. Mostly because I’m not wealthy and am too busy to keep up with their packed release schedule. I will share more about the card game soon enough, hopefully! I just need some time to sit down and write about it.
I really agree with your examples of Magic and the art. That is also a strong vote for having some theming in your deck like you had with vampires. It makes the board that much more beautiful!
Yes, that is a great point! The barrier to entry is way lower. You really just need the cards and sleeves. Sure, you could buy a life counter and some other things that are handy but really, its way quicker and easier to get started than miniatures. Card supplies are very easy to obtain cheaply too where as miniatures are harder to store and require more tools like you pointed out. Now your vast collection of card games is starting to make sense! 😉
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🤣 Oh yes, that’s very true about the card games, and it definitely goes some way to explain why I have such a collection!! I’m very intrigued by this card game that you’re getting into, though, so I’m looking forward to learning more there!!
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I hope to not make you wait too long though this week has been pretty hectic so far, so it might be a little while yet before I can carve out the time. Thank you for your patience in the meantime 🙂
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A good read and very interesting for someone like myself who never got into the whole cards hobby. To be fair, as a teenager I was already into miniatures, heavy metal and bird watching so I really had being uncool and socially unacceptable covered nicely and didn’t need to add anything else!
I suspect that card games, like miniatures, have the appeal of being physical, tangible hobbies that are played face-to-face with other humans. I know a lot of people who say that video games lack appeal these days because after sitting in front of a screen from 9 to 5 in the office the last thing they want to do is sit in front of another one in the evening/weekend.
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Haha, that is a good slate of hobbies I would say. I would have never guessed that bird watching was one of them. The other two are not surprising at all, of course!
Yes, I think what you describe is a huge appeal of them. Card games are easy to take somewhere like a card store and play with strangers or friends and you can detach from technology completely, if you want. Its not the worst place to potentially make some friends either and that isn’t as easy to do these days as it used to be or at least that’s been my experience post-pandemic.
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Magic came out when I was in my early 20’s, I remember hating the art but being intrigued. The Star Wars TCG was the first bug that bit, and I remember laughing my butt off playing Aunt Beru with a squad of Jawas and taking down my friend’s Empire set.
I really never got into them, but collected Pokemon and Digimon cards with my kids, which was a lot of fun for all of us!
I really enjoyed this, I was never as keen on the card games as I was on miniatures, but I have some friends that are still loving Magic and having a blast with the cards. Which, I have to admit, has some really nice art now!
I think you have a pretty valid point about the art, too. I loved looking at the D&D books when I was a teenager, and it encouraged me to draw and paint. I imagine a lot of kids growing up with Magic cards did the same thing! I’m always happy to see people appreciate art more!
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Early Magic art is inconsistent, in my opinion. There are some beautiful cards and some that are a lot less so. The Star Wars CCG was a very interesting game. It was so complex and detailed but also open-ended. I’m glad you were able to take down the Empire with the little guys! 🙂
Pokémon cards are pretty valuable nowadays, if the cards live on in your family’s collection. There is even a new Digimon card game which I can’t believe. Everything that is old is new again, I suppose!
I’m really glad to hear you enjoyed it as I know it is an adjacent hobby that only a few people in the blogging community dabble in so I wasn’t sure how the topic would be received. I intend to write a follow-up on this article talking about the new card game that has got my attention and the fantasy art in that game is a big reason why so hopefully you’ll find that interesting too. If nothing else, it will be a showcase of great traditional fantasy art which feels underappreciated in our digital world.
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Wish I had your allowance as a kid to be able afford all the cards you bought!
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Funnily enough, while writing this article, I was thinking about how cheap things were back then. I would spend $20 and get 5-6 packs to open once or twice a month which isn’t too crazy when you think about it. If I could do that now, I’d be thrilled! I’ll stop here before I start sounding like an old person who is ranting about how everything used to be better when they were young 😀
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Seriously, I don’t know how one can get into the hobbies I enjoyed as a kid with the prices today. Insert old man yelling at clouds meme here.
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I know! I think the same way. Some hobbies have gotten really bad in this regard. A lot of people complain about this situation so there are lots of old men yelling at clouds in vain, for better and worse!
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Was just looking through my old Magic cards yesterday! I only have a small collection that just overflows outside a small crayon box, but it’s fun to remember the very casual games I had with my friends when we were into it (I also started during the Ice Age!).
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That is a very modest sized collection but well worth its weight in gold! I’m glad to hear that other people got into the game around the time of Ice Age. I loved the cards I got from that set and it was a great theme for Magic to explore. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Eric, and keep up the great work with your music!
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I’m just thankful I still have it!! Thanks for the reply. Been checking out your miniatures on instagram – very cool stuff!!
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You’re welcome and I enjoyed seeing your artwork as well. I used to draw Nintendo characters before I got back into painting miniatures about ten years ago so it was a pleasant surprise. Drawing is a very fun and relaxing way to spend some time!
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Do you have your Nintendo characters posted anywhere? Would be fun to see!
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Yes, it is on my Deviantart account which you can visit here: https://www.deviantart.com/isuckworse/gallery. I haven’t looked in a while so it was nice to look back on some of the things I worked on.
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Wow! Those are great!! Thanks for sharing – you’ve got quite the talent!
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Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it and one of these days I’ll have to draw something again. Its been a while now.
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Good read! Fun to hear you played magic back in the 90s, I got into it much later (2010s) which still somehow makes me a veteran in comparison to a lot of the players I’ve seen around now.
I really agree with you on all the points, especially the metagame shifts, I realised maybe 10 years ago that if I was going to play a game with a shifting metagame it shouldn’t also be a game that invalidates all my painting! Since then I’ve happily played non-competitive miniatures game and kept any competitiveness to TCGs.
Intrigued to hear what game has captured your attention!
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I was curious to hear your response to this article because you’re one of the more avid card players in our community (off the top of my head anyway!). I wasn’t really sure what your history was with TCGs at the same time though so its interesting to learn that you got into Magic that late. I was done with Magic at that point, which kind of makes me feel old thinking about it!
I couldn’t agree more with you on the metagame aspect of our respective hobbies. I can’t figure out why miniature enthusiasts tolerate it because its really unfair to have a fast changing metagame when you’re supposed to have a painted army! That has to be one of the most consumer unfriendly aspects of GW’s business surely.
I’m really looking forward to writing the article as well. It might intrigue a few of the regulars around here! 🙂
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It was a bit of a late start to card games, I was somewhat aware of Magic before that, but didn’t have anyone I knew that played it until I went to university. It’s blown up a bit since then, there was a whole period where I pretty much stopped playing warhammer and concentrated on Magic, and of course all the other card games now.
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Magic does very well in college/university, I’ve noticed. I bet there are quite a lot of people who find the game at that age. Did you play Magic before VTES or the other way around? I remember seeing some VTES coverage in a TCG magazine called Scrye in the US which reminds me just how venerable that game is!
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Magic first! Vtes I discovered through friends in 2020 or thereabouts.
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Interesting and not what I expected 🙂 VTES would be easier to learn after Magic though, suppose!
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