If you and I are going to get along, I feel as if you need to know a few things about me. An introduction would be the most appropriate here but most people really don't like reading about how you got into the game, and how long you've been playing; it's boring and it doesn't add anything to the content of the article at all.

Luckily, most of the info that's relevant to my writing about Magic is all in that little bio at the bottom of the page. The most important line (besides the link to my other blog - mtgcolorpie.com) is this one:

"As an advocate of EDH, he's always carrying around decks of his favorite format."

Belief #1 is that everyone who plays Magic should have an EDH deck. And anyone who already has one should have two. You don't need more than two, but you're certainly welcome to build more.

I'm in the process of having about 10+. Though that number constantly fluxuates.

But this isn't about my love for EDH, not in the slightest. It's about why you should start playing EDH. You've seen a growing number of posts and articles and blogs about EDH. Suddenly, people are critiquing new cards saying "Well, that's good in EDH, not much else though." And suddenly you find yourself wondering about EDH. Huh, maybe I should play EDH, you wonder. You've read about it, know about the rules, but nothing's convinced you to play it.

There's one thing that drives people to do new things:

Curiosity.

Well, that and possibly attracting someone you might be interested in (But that's not important right now). Why did you start playing Magic in the first place? Was it the art, the strategy, the people playing it? You were curious. After a series of events you're playing Magic and reading this article trying to get to you to try a new format.

Admit it: You're just a bit curious.

There are a million things that people have said and written before about why they play EDH: It's fun (though fun is subjective), and you get to play cards you don't usually do (which is correct), yadda yadda yadda. But the real reason you should play EDH is simple:

EDH is social.

Magic, at its core, is a social game, Some of this might not make sense to you at the moment and that's ok. Dr. Richard Garfield created Magic as a way to pass time between D&D games (another WotC product). This game was created to keep the gaming feeling alive between gamers in a social setting. It has since evolved and created this huge empire where people make their lives off this one game. There are so many facets to this game that it's easy to lose sight of why we sling cards.

Belief #2 is that everyone gets something different from Magic. That's where we get the Spike/Johnny/Timmy/Vorthos/Melvin designations from. But that's also why we get such different articles from different people. Kelly Reid and his financial analysis, Darwin Kastle and his limited expertise, Adam Styborski with his love of all that is Casual, Ari Lax with his competitive nature. Each one of these authors brings something unique to the game of Magic, something that they find interesting.

No matter what anyone does with the game, it's all about being social. This is why I find MTGO to be a really strange hybrid of Magic and technology. Even though you're sitting at computer alone, you're still playing Magic. All of the pundits who predict the end of Magic shall come by electronics are sorely mistaken. Yes, you can play at time you want to (work, in bed before falling asleep, other places you could take a laptop), and you can play against anyone in the world, you're still sitting at a computer writing everything down when you want to talk to your opponent(s).

LOLing doesn't replace an actual laugh.

I've been playing Commander (MTGO's EDH) and I draft on there, but it isn't the same as going down to your local game store and actually holding the cards in your hand and sharing good times with your friends. MTGO is an awesome training ground for testing new decks to try and win your next PTQ. It's a sterile environment where you want to just see how your deck runs. You don't care about what your friend did last night, all you want are results.

This is why playing Commander doesn't quite live up to sitting at a table with friends. Sure, you can still pretty much play the same game, as long as you don't mind clicking 500 times passing priority or waiting while someone leaves their computer for a minute not knowing when they get back. Because all you're doing is playing a simulation of Magic.

Video game consoles have always come with at least 2 controllers. From the earliest Atari to the next generation Xboxes/PS3/Wiis, it was always set up so at least two people would be able to play. Pong was two players. Through the ages, the most popular video games allowed for more than one player. One of the most beloved video games of all time is the N64 classic GoldenEye. Why?

Multi-player.

You and three friends were sitting in a room laughing and shouting at each other for screen peeking. Never had you had so much fun in your life. As the internet grew up, we started playing our games online against other players. Why could that possibly be?

We're social animals. We want interaction with other beings.

While you still get a lot of the games where you're sitting on the couch playing a first person shooter (Halo Reach, Call of Duty: Black Ops) you're still playing against other people. Most of those people don't play the single player missions anymore; they want to go against with other humans. Even though it's a simulation, they want to play with people, not against computers.

You might argue that such events such as PTQs are social events. I'm not going to argue; you meet your friends there, in real life, and you play with actual cards against actual opponents. What could get more social then that? Do me a favor: during one of the rounds see how loud the room is.

Quiet, huh?

There's some interaction, such as announcing what you're casting, or the yell for a judge. "But they're concentrating on their play," you may argue. "It's a very intense moment. Why would they be talking to their opponent?"

You get that same experience while playing online.

Ever seen a quiet EDH game? A bunch of players and their 100 card decks who aren't laughing or arguing or politicking each other? How about one where people are all standing around with their hands on their chins trying to talk about finding the right move? Yes, there's takebacks and sometimes people playing really controlling decks, because it's a social game.

Belief #3: EDH is one of the best formats to capture Magic's original feeling. Summoning large dragons is a great feeling, no matter what player profile you fit under. Now it's not just about metagames and being Next Level when you're casting your General for the third time in a game. It's about hanging out with friends and having a good time.

Sometimes when you have been playing the game for so long, you get jaded and burnt out. I have not seen one person quit EDH because they can't afford it, they're tired of the same decks, or their cards rotate so they don't want to invest new cards. Maybe there are one and two people quiet EDH, but I haven't come across them. Whenever I get done with a round at a tournament, I always ask if they want to play EDH. Those who do have a deck light up and smile. No matter how bitter we were playing against each other before, we're now smiling and laughing at something insane that happened in our EDH game.

Once silence is now filled with social sounds.

Having an EDH deck is like being part of a secret society that knows to have fun. There's a small rift between competitive players and casual players; each side only can see their side of the spectrum. EDH is the coming together of that. Yes, there are times where you do have more competitive EDH decks versus tribal decks, but there's more of an equal footing here. If you remember above, I suggested everyone have two EDH decks, and this is why. Sure, you can have your ultra competitive Uril deck, but then a Kemba cat theme deck also works as well. With that concept, you can better fit with more groups and their playstyles.

I could argue that much of the charm of EDH is with the deck building, or how you can play the deck 30 different times and have 30 different games, or that you can play politics in multiplayer, or you can play cards that never get to play with before. People want to have fun when they flop cardboard. The restrictions that EDH gives with the deck construction allows for greater flexibility what people think is fun.

You can play Magic, or you can play Magic. Yes, there is a great aspect of this game arguing over that 60th spot in your deck and which sideboard will go with the expected metagame. Sometimes you just want to play with your friends and have a good time. DCI judges helped popularize and spread the gospel of EDH. After a long day judging the highest of the highest competitive events with some of the best Magic players in the world they unwind by playing EDH. The banned list that Sheldon and that group maintain isn't just about powerful cards, but unfun ones as well. If you notice, they classify the rules under the social section. They want the format to be fun more than anything else.

Just like Magic, there's something that everyone can find interesting for EDH as well. Over the next several weeks we'll get to the other aspects of EDH, but for now, let's just have fun. The next time someone asks if you have an EDH deck, I hope you say yes. Not just for their sake, but for yours as well. It gives you a great chance to meet new friends.

And you always want a friend to play Magic.