Trashdome - Cosmic Encounter VS Magic: Gathering

Michael Barnes wrote:

OK, all you people talking about how MAGIC is too expensive...

How many board games do you own?

If the answer is more than 10, your platform has failed. Vote MAGIC.

But buying more than 10 games instead of Magic gives way more choices of what to game.
Anything from 2 players up to 6 and more, with play times between 30mins and 5 hours. And depending on the group mood and "concentration ability" (drinks), you can choose a heavy or light game.

Vote: Cosmic Encounter

Spend the same amount on M:tG and you'll still have one game. You might have a lot of cards, a lot of combos, a lot of different decks to try out but it's still one game. And whether you could play that one game for 15000 hours and still find it fun with that number of cards is rather questionable.

Those of you with a shoebox full of useless or duplicate CE aliens that you don't want, and can't get rid of, raise your hands. M:tG players with the same problem, raise yours.

That's what I thought.

Magic is more versatile, more groundbreaking, more fun, just...more. Every good thing said about it is true.

Every criticism of it that we've seen here so far is also entirely fair. There are tons of problems with it, the biggest of which is the expense. While you can get thousands of cards now for a few bucks, that's recent; it wasn't always that way. But other than that, most of the problems associated with it can be mitigated with the right partners/game group.

I also dropped out of Magic a long time ago, and would almost certainly never get back into it. But the PC game is always on my computer, and Shandalar is a seriously kickass game from one of the true legends of PC gaming. That gets fired up all the time.

So, in spite of the problems, with all due respect for the greatness and importance of Cosmic Encounter, I'll throw the puppies to the wind and...

Vote: Magic.

Vote: Magic

I don't see how anybody who claims to be a board game enthusiast can complain about the cost of Magic.

Protoss wrote:

But buying more than 10 games instead of Magic gives way more choices of what to game.
Anything from 2 players up to 6 and more, with play times between 30mins and 5 hours. And depending on the group mood and "concentration ability" (drinks), you can choose a heavy or light game.

You're missing the part where the group of Magic players are completely satisfied with it and are not looking to play anything else.

this one is a toughie....

I've played Cosmic Encounter a few times but haven't played it in a number of years. I'm convinced the times that I've played it, we've gotten a couple rules wrong so it may not have been as fun as it should have been. However, I do seem to remember there were some powers that gave you nice symetries, especially if you played them right. It also seemed that all powers were nice if you figured out the secret to them.

I've been an off and on again Magic player. I enjoy the game. I just don't enjoy all the baggage that goes with it. However, I realize that the baggage is what makes the game enjoyable.

In that case.....I'll go with CE.

I used to play Magic a lot before going to the university, I've spent a big amount of money for the cards, but once I started winning some tournaments, I managed to get my money back and ended in profit after selling the cards. The reason I quitted was not money but time - to be a good Magic player, you need to spend a lot of time practicing which I couldn't afford at the uni.Magic is a great game but the main flaw for me is that it's two-player only. Yes, I know there are even multiplayer formats but they suck donkey. On the other hand, if I had enough players in my town, I would be playing Jyhad like a madman.

Even though I would probably never play Magic again, I'd vote Magic. Why? I still visit the Magic website regularly. It has a strong pull for me, something that Cosmic Encounter will never have.

Cosmic Encounter is an awesome game, but Magic is the real deal.

Coming to this thread now with 98 posts waiting to be read, I'm pleased at your choice. I hate CCGs and Magic, love Cosmic Encounter (another of my all time favourites) so my vote is easy: Cosmic Encounter.
(Phew, that'll save me a lot of readin g!)

Not's post reminded me that I had meant to say this earlier: this is a great pairing. No other CCG could take Magic (even if other CCGs are better, a) Magic is much more important, and b) the others would split the vote) and CE really needed an AT titan against it to have even a chance of losing.

I can't wait to see who you eventually pair against Advanced Civilization.

Bullwinkle wrote:

Not's post reminded me that I had meant to say this earlier: this is a great pairing. No other CCG could take Magic (even if other CCGs are better, a) Magic is much more important, and b) the others would split the vote) and CE really needed an AT titan against it to have even a chance of losing.

I can't wait to see who you eventually pair against Advanced Civilization.

I know, it's like pitting father against son.


And I love it.

Bullwinkle wrote:

CE really needed an AT titan against it to have even a chance of losing.

Dune = 14
Cosmic Encounter = 9

Mad Dog wrote:

Dune = 14
Cosmic Encounter = 9

Well, well. I had completely forgotten that. Of course, Dune is a titan.

While I'll be interested in seeing new games in the Trashdome, I think this thread shows that there's life in reusing some of the old competitors, too, if the matchups are right.

Bullwinkle wrote:
"While I'll be interested in seeing new games in the Trashdome..."
The Creature That Ate Sheboygan vs Super Giant Monster Showdown perhaps?

Oh, and I have read the whole thread now. Are we seriously talking about dollar investment here? Thousands of dollars into one CCG vs thousands of dollars into multiple boardgames? Newsflash: it's Magic vs one particular game. It's hardly an equal investment is it?

I have never played Cosmic.

I have only played Magic with people who I was friends with before Magic and all are just as cheap as me. And it was great! I loved my 5 color deck.

There is nothing any more anti-social about deck-building than there is in building your army in Starcraft before you go slaughter your opponent.

Magic