Jr. Jacob Evans sat with his friend at the Gaming Warehouse, rapidly laying down Magic: The Gathering cards. Evans used a “Token Deck,” which is a deck of cards that allow him to set down lots of monster cards in one turn. His friend used a “Control Deck,” which allows him to gain territory on the board by repetitively clearing it of all cards. The two players may look like they were quietly playing a simple card game, but to Magic players, the game was tense. Evans summons monsters as fast as his friend can clear them, gaining life points as he does. For the last 20 minutes of the game, Evans’ opponent staggered on 2 life points, eventually losing. The game lasted for a full hour, with Evans finishing with a whopping 78 life points. To those who do not participate in Friday Night Magic, or do not play Magic: The Gathering, this makes no sense. However, for Evans, this was a big deal.

  At the Gaming Warehouse, weekdays are for business, but Friday nights are for Magic. Friday Night Magic is a nationwide day where people come together to play the popular card game. This event happens at any participating game or hobby store, and lots of players attend. The Gaming Warehouse, located on Riley, participates in FNM, attracting lots of players in the local area. Some players that attend FNM are students at West Ottawa.

  Evans attends FNM whenever he can. Like the other players, he arrives at the gaming store, sits down, socializes, gets out his cards and starts playing. From 6 to 10, he plays multiple games of Magic, often switching out seats to play with others. Evans first came to FNM simply to play and get better at the game, but as time passed, Evans enjoyed being surrounded with people with the same interests. FNM eventually became more about interacting with the people he played with.

  Some Magic players attend FNM to play the game for fun, and some use the gathering to practice and improve. Justin Denhoff, an employee at the Gaming Warehouse, plays Magic in his spare time, and knows a few things about becoming a better player. Denhoff believes the most challenging part of playing Magic is “finding your playstyle and determining what cards you’d use the best.” The most essential part of improving in Magic, as Denhoff and Evans can surely agree, is repetition. “Losing. That’s how you get better,” Evans said. “Because when you lose, you realize what you did wrong.” Playing the game over and over again appears to be the best way of gaining experience and knowing your way around the game, and FNM provides that exact opportunity for all Magic players. It does not matter why Magic players attends FNM, because they always take something away from the experience.

  So if you play Magic: The Gathering, the Gaming Warehouse is open from 6 to 10  every Friday for people who want to improve on their game, socialize with other players, or just have a good time, because at the Gaming Warehouse, weekdays are for business, but Fridays are for Magic.