Welcome to those of you who are still catatonic from yesterday’s tryptophan overdose, those of you unfortunate enough to be back at work today, those of you taking a break from your Black Friday shopping frenzy, and to everyone outside the U.S. who refer to this day as “Friday!”

With Thanksgiving still sitting in my belly, I want to take the opportunity to mention some of the things that I (and to some extent all of you), as a casual Magic player, am thankful for. And since everyone loves a Top 10 list (and some alliteration), I figured I would rank the thirteen things I’m thankful for so you can question my intelligence in what I’ve included on the list . . . and even in how I ordered them.

13 – My Brick-and-Mortar Card Shop

For me, it is a little different. Baseball Etc., is a small store that sells a wide variety of packs of Magic, has good prices for boxes of the recent set, and has a very small display of singles (barely twenty cards). The store is too small to support tournaments, and Phil, the owner, isn’t interested in running tournaments.

When the store I was affiliated with as a Tournament Organizer went under, Phil came to the rescue. He agreed to be the sponsor for my tournaments with the young kids at our local library so we could continue to host prereleases. Phil is in constant contact with me whenever any issues come up, and has been an ideal partner. I’ve tried to send as much business Phil’s way as possible, but it hasn’t been as much as I would have liked. I’m thankful to have such a great guy to work with in relation to the tournaments.

12 – Gathering Magic

As a writer, I’m thankful that Gathering Magic offers me a place to share my thoughts with you and provides me with a great set of editors who make my articles look a lot better than they otherwise would. Since leaving the Muse Vessel, formatting and editing articles are two of the things I don’t miss at all!

11 – When Things Go Exactly Right

Did you read Tombstone Stairwell? Did you notice those tokens die on each player’s turn? That means the Falkenrath Noble is going to cost my opponents 13 life on each player’s turn, and I would gain 13 life. Yeah, I bet you’d take a chance on it, too!

As each person took his turn, I started killing off my opponents, 13 life at a time. Everyone was above 13 life, so it was taking longer than I wanted, and I had no way to protect my cards. I knew this combo was terribly fragile since killing the Noble or the enchantment (or wiping out my graveyard) would end the combo, but as turn after turn passed, no one was stopping it. It wasn’t until the second-to-last opponent when someone managed to kill the Noble. Thankfully, thirteen Zombies were able to do the rest of the work all on their own.

I’m thankful for the games when everything goes exactly right!

10 – Podcasts

I wrote about podcasts not too long ago. I appreciate the effort and time that these people put into weekly podcasts that entertain me for an hour or two. While a single podcast may not be a whole lot of work, maintaining that effort week after week while keeping up the podcast quality, all while receiving little or no remuneration, is greatly appreciated. My job has long stretches of dull, mindless work, and a podcast makes the day go by much faster. Those of you with jobs like that realize just how thankful I am.

9 – Young Players

I recently had the chance to watch two very young players duel. Both players were still new to Magic and were still struggling with what cards were permanents and what cards weren’t. We slowed their game to a crawl, and I moved back and forth between the players as they took their turns, explaining when you could and couldn’t cast creatures and instants, among other things. We didn’t worry about strategy. Annihilating Fire to the face on his first main phase when there were creatures in play was something the game said he could do, so he did. Creatures smashed, and every single life point taken from the opponent was a reason to celebrate.

I’m thankful that I could help them with some very basic rules, and I’m thankful that they let me remember how exciting and new Magic is when you are just starting.

8 – Young Players

I am able to watch their fundamental cognitive skills improve. They see the game on an entirely different level that a younger person would not be able to see.

I also am able to watch the maturity level of players change. Players who would rant about unfair games or hold a win-at-all-costs attitude move past that and accept the random nature of the game. Many of the players pass on what they have learned and understand how sometimes that newer, younger player just needs to beat you more than you need to beat him.

I’m thankful that I get to watch my young players grow up.

7 – Costco Pizza

I know this is a little out there, but let me explain. My playgroup meets at my house almost every week to play Magic. It used to be hit-and-miss for food during these Thursday nights. Some nights, it was a bowl full of chips; other nights, it was a variety of snacks. Other times, I would order pizza.

One day at Costco, my wife noticed the Costco pizzas and how inexpensive they were. She suggested that they might be a good alternative on Thursday nights. We took a couple home and froze them. On Thursday, we thawed them out and threw them in the oven. They were delicious! Since then, Costco pizza has actually dropped in price! It has been my go-to meal option on Thursday nights for years. Until my next recipe article, it will probably continue to be Costco pizza.

6 – Twitter

I’m thankful for the interesting people I follow on Twitter. I’ve run into a few haters, but they are mostly culled away, and I’m left with several hundred interesting Magic personalities and many interesting Magic conversations over the course of the day. Dan Barrett (@dangerawesome) got me started with his Twitter primer, and my Magic life has been enriched because of it.

5 – Wizards of the Coast

It almost seems too obvious to include Wizards on the list, but they are here nonetheless. It isn’t just because they make the cards, but also because they do such a good job making Magic. Wizards has consistently put out good sets of cards for over five years now. Every set seems to have something for everyone and is beautifully done. I appreciate the openness of the company and everyone involved in all aspects of the company. Wizards caters to Timmies, Johnnies, Spikes, Melvins, Vorthoses, and everyone in between and makes it look easy. Keep it coming!

4 – My Readers

I look at the comments around the Internet and for other specific articles, and it is easy to see why I’m thankful for all of you. My readers are supportive and positive without fail. Even those who would criticize are offering constructive criticism, backing up their statements and offering helpful ideas for improvement. There are very few writers who can claim to have such a great bunch of people reading their stuff. Your comments, tweets, and e-mails are all appreciated.

It is very easy to forget to tell people just how much you enjoy their articles, podcasts, and so on. Most of us doing this have massive egos that need feeding. We appreciate feedback more than you realize.

3 – Fellow Writers

In particular, the Seedborn and Graveborn Muses are constant sources of ideas and help. Since we started on the Muse Vessel almost two years ago, Brandon and Daryl have been the writers I go to when I want to bounce ideas or determine if my article needs something. Even as the Muse Vessel wound down and we moved to GatheringMagic, we continued to provide that first check for each other, making sure we haven’t strayed too far off the beaten path. We started as writers with similar interests and turned into friends.

2 – My Playgroup

Where would any casual player be without a group of friends to get together with and play Magic? When I first came to Boston, everyone I knew were people I met through my wife. I started a playgroup as a way to play Magic and meet people who would know me directly, rather than as Yolanda’s husband. The group has grown, and the members have changed completely, but the purpose is still there. I count the regulars in the group as good friends.

1 – My Family

I have Magic art in our living room (a framed Overgrown Tomb print) and spent hundreds of dollars on a library card catalog, loaded with Magic cards, that sits in our living room.

I am very thankful for my tolerant family!

I hope each of you had a great Thanksgiving. We’ll see you next week for Golgari Week!

Bruce Richard