Hi! Are you tired of all of these Magic terms and words getting tossed around like lunch in an old sailor’s stomach? Ever wonder if you prefer control, combo, or aggro decks? Do you prefer winning, being clever, or playing big effects? Are you competitive or casual? Are you more inclined to be rogue or run a netdeck?
Whew! All of these Magic identities running around! Doesn’t it get confusing? What kind of Magic player are you? Take this (relatively) simple test and find out!
To begin, you will need to print out The Official “Find Out What Kind of Magic Player You Are…” Answer Sheet located at the bottom of this article. Or, make your own! Just number a piece of paper 1 through 30. It’s that simple! Then record the letter of each answer next to the number on the conveniently placed line. After answering the thirty questions, go to the scoring section below and find out your results!
1). If your opponent casts a beefy 4/4, would you rather have:
A). Countermagic in hand plus the mana to play it.
B). Removal in hand in order to take out the creature
C). A nice 5/5 to up the stakes
2). If your opponent is at five life, is it because:
A). You hit him fast with creatures and now you’re just waiting for the final kill to arrive via topdeck
B). You have taken control of the game several turns ago and you have a clock on the board certifying the inevitable death of your opponent
3). If your opponent has seven cards in hand later in the game, is it because:
A). You played a mana denial strategy and there are cards gumming up your opponent’s hand.
B). You play some sort of combo deck and just played a card that requires everybody to draw more cards.
C). The only reason that your opponent would ever have several cards later in the game is because he must have drawn him with his own effects.
4). Is Nature’s Resurgence:
A). A Fun multiplayer card!
B). A Combo tool that can fuel an engine
C). Pretty good in creature rush decks like Stompy
D). Nothing more than bad trade stock
5). If you are praying for a card to topdeck that will win you the game, is it:
A). A large X spell to burn your opponent away
B). A Falter to allow all of your creatures to swing for game
C). A Mind Warp that will allow your Megrim to kill your opponent.
6). If you were forced to play a Red deck at a generic Constructed event, would it be:
A). Sligh, Deadguy Red, Goblin Beats, just something fast!
B). A land destruction deck
C). A new Dragons deck with a lot of Scourge cards
D). Your recent Sneak Attack/Pandemonium deck
7). White:
A). Is for enchantment removal and weenie decks
B). Has been really bad these past few sets
C). Misses Armageddon
D). Is a challenge that I like to build with.
E). Is very powerful in our multiplayer games
8). My favorite Type One deck is:
A). Keeper or The Deck
B). Nether Void
C). Big Zoo with Erhnam Djinn
D). Deck Parfait
E). Stompy, Sligh, or Suicide Black
F). Straight Blue, lots of counters, Morphling for the game
9). If I only have time to read one StarCityGames.com article, do I read:
A). Rob Dougherty
B). John Liu
C). Scott Johns
D). Sheldon Menery
E). Peter Jahn
10). When you played in Regionals (or if you had played), do you play:
A). Your own deck
B). ‘Tog
C). U/G or G/R
D). Wake
E). Astral Slide or Reaminator
F). MBC
G). Some idea you got from a ‘Net article but wasn’t in the top tiers.
11). Have you played in an FNM or local store tournament in the past month?
A). Yes
B). No
12). Have you played an evening of multiplayer at somebody’s home in the past three months?
A). Yes
B). No
13). If asked to name your favorite combo of all time, would you choose:
A). Howling Mine + Stasis + Island Sanctuary
B). Illusions of Grandeur + Donate + Necropotence
C). Humility + Orim’s Prayer
D). Megrim + Memory Jar
E). Coalition Victory + Shyft + Gaea’s Balance
14). If you had to build a deck around a Blue enchantment, would you select:
A). Battle of Wits
B). Invoke Prejudice
C). Day of the Dragons
D). Mind Over Matter
E). Rising Waters
15). After Counterspell, what is your favorite countermagic?
A). Spelljack
B). Forbid
C). Force Spike
D). Stifle
E). Complicate
[Okay, I’ll say it: What, no Mana Drain? – Knut, getting there before the forums can]
16). Is Stifle:
A). Good because you can get Phage, the Untouchable into play via Sneak Attack or Animate Dead
B). Interesting because it does something that’s never been done before
C). A valuable card because it can be playable in the metagame
D). Crap because it’s usually card disadvantage or gluts up your hand
17). Is Chaos Orb:
A). Banned under DCI rules so no one plays it
B). Restricted in Five Color and a few guys have one in their deck
C). A really fun card and we have a blast seeing it played in our games.
D). Way too expensive for anybody in our playgroup to even conceive of owning.
18). U/G Madness is:
A). A great deck because it’s a winning deck that I can build cheaply!
B). A great deck because it is at the top of the Extended metagame.
C). Fun if you start playing with cards like Crush of Wurms and Tidal Kraken.
D). Annoying because I’ve seen way too much of it for the past several years.
19). For my life counter I use:
A). Paper and pencil
B). Dice
C). Whatever is laying around or my head. It’s not that big of a deal.
20). For my sleeves, I have:
A). A bunch of extra boxes of new sleeves for tournaments
B). Each deck sleeved in a different color that tells me which deck it is.
C). One deck sleeved for tournaments
D). No sleeves at all.
21). The most reprinted cards of all time include Stone Rain, Disenchant, Counterspell, and Fog. Which are most likely to be found in your decks?
A). Stone Rain
B). Disenchant
C). Counterspell
D). Fog
22). Do you own preconstructed decks?
A). Yes, my Arena League uses them
B). Sure, they’re pretty good decks
C). Yeah, I like the challenge they present in playing
D). No, of course not
23). Of those listed, which block is your most favorite:
A). Urza’s Block
B). Invasion Block
C). Odyssey Block
24). Every player has created their own cards. What was the very first card you ever created?
A). A powerful, huge creature
B). A slick and fast creature
C). A card that did nothing that has ever been seen before
D). Burn, countermagic, or removal
25). Congregate should be:
A). Banned!
B). No action needed, who plays it anyway?
26). Would you rather:
A). Fine-tune a deck.
B). Build your own from scratch
27). As a member of R&D, you have the final choice as to what set Wizards prints next. Which do you choose:
A). Unglued 2
B). A Type One Only Expansion
C). A set that pushes the boundaries of Magic
D). A normal set, boy it’s been a while since we had one of those
28). Of the following cards removed from the basic set, which is the biggest loss?
A). Winter Orb
B). Mind Twist
C). Lord of the Pit
D). Illusionary Mask
29). When you get together with the Magic playing guys, but decide that Magic is boring, what do you do instead?
A). Play poker for money
B). Get out those Dice! Play Dungeons and Dragons
C). Go to a bar
30). Of the listed Masques Block cards, which is the best?
A). Blinding Angel
B). Rishadan Port
C). Foil
D). Blastoderm
Scoring: Wasn’t that fun? Alright, now that you’ve answered the questions, let’s score this puppy! What you need is simple. Print out The Official “Find Out What Kind of Magic Player You Are…” Scorecard located at the bottom of this article. Or make your own! You will need the following categories. Make sure you leave room for tick marks for each category.
Needed categories: Timmy, Johnny, Spike, Aggro, Control, Combo, Tempo, Counter, Casual, Rogue, Netdeck, and Social.
Then, just read the information on each question below, and give yourself the appropriate score!
Question 1: This question is meant to give you an initial idea of the sorts of questions that will be asked later on, so it’s not tricky or anything. If you chose A, then give yourself a point in each of Counter and Control. If B, just a point in Control. If C, a point in Timmy.
Question 2: This is the first question meant to draw out a certain aspect of Magic players. If you answered A, then give yourself a point in Aggro. If B, then you scored a point of Control.
Question 3: Again, the first question on a particular aspect of Magic play. If you answered A, then you are very Tempo. Give yourself two points in Tempo. Johnnies really like playing funky effects like Prosperity and Wheel and Deal. If you answered B, you score one point in Johnny. If you answered C, then you are hardly Johnny or Tempo, but you could be a lot of other things. However, that’s definitely a competitive trait, so you get a point in Spike.
Question 4: Nature’s Resurgence is one of those cards that can be viewed very differently by different people. As such, it makes an excellent test card. Answer A gives you a point in Social. B gives you a point in Combo and a point in Johnny. Answer C gives you a point of Aggro. Answer D is very Spike, so you get a point in Spike.
Question 5: This is a very simple split. Timmy, Spike, and Johnny. Answer A is Timmy, B is Spike, C is Johnny. Give yourself a point in each category. However, there are also more subtle answers here as well. You score an additional point in Aggro for B, and a point in Combo for answer C.
Question 6: Another way to pull out some interesting tension. Answer A is the most likely to win. Therefore it is definitely Spike. However, it is also highly Aggro. And its Netdeck. Score a point for each category. B is very Tempo, so you get a point there. It’s also borderline Spike. Score a half point in Spike for Answer B as well. C yields a point for Timmy, while D gives a point for each of Combo, Johnny, and Rogue.
Question 7: Answer A gives a point in Netdeck. Answer B is a point in Spike. Answer C is a point for Tempo, and a half-point for Spike. Answer D is pure Johnny, two points there, plus a point for Rogue. Answer E is a point for Social.
Question 8: Score a point for Control is you answered A. A point for Tempo with B. Timmy gets a point with C. D gies you a point of Johnny. E is a point for Aggro. And F is a point for Counter.
Question 9: This is a borderline trick question because two answers are scored similarly. If you answered A, then you get a point of Spike and a point of Rogue. If you answered B or E then you get a point of Casual and a point of Social. If you answered C then you get a point of Spike and two points of Netdeck. Lastly, if you answered D then you get two points of Spike.
Question 10: This is obviously a question meant to draw out several categories. A is pure Rogue, score two points in Rogue. Answer B gives you a point in each of Control and Counter. C is the Aggro answer, score a point of Aggro. Combo a-go-go is the root of D, score a point of Combo. E is actually the Johnny answer. Sneaky isn’t it? Score one for Johnny. And if you choose F, then you get a point for Control. Oh yeah, if you chose G, then you get a point of Rogue. Also, if you chose any answer B through F, then you score a point in Netdeck. Therefore, each answer should score in two categories.
Question 11: A quick question with a quick score. Score two points in Social with an answer of A. No score for answer B.
Question 12: Another quick question with similar answers. Score two points of Social and two in Casual with A. No Score for B.
Question 13: This is meant to separate the combo players from each other. Score a point of Tempo for Answer A. Score a point for Spike and Netdeck for Question B. Johnny and Casual each get a half point for Answer C. Answer D is, well, if you are so hyped up on a combo that was banned before it was legal in every environment outside of Type One, then you are Hyper Spike. Score two points for Spike in this case. Answer E is a point for Rogue and a point for Johnny.
Question 14: Another pretty straight-forward question. Answer A is a point for Johnny. B is a point for Johnny and Rogue. C is a point for Timmy. D is a point for each of Spike and Combo. And E is a point for Tempo.
Question 15: If you honestly believe that Spelljack is the coolest Counterspell ever, and you answered A, give yourself a point in each of Timmy, Casual, and Social. If your answer is B, then give yourself two points of Counter and a point of Spike. C is a point of Spike. D is a point of Johnny and a point of Counter. E is a point of Johnny.
Question 16: If you answered A then give yourself a point of Johnny and a point of Combo. Answer B is still a Johnny answer, but Counter, so give yourself a point in each category. Answer C is Spike so score a point for the Spikester. Lastly, Answer D yields a point of Aggro and a point of Timmy.
Question 17: If you answered A, then you are so boring. Give yourself a point in Boring. Heh. Just kidding. Seriously, A gives you a point of Spike. Answer B yields a point of Casual. Answer C is a point of Casual and a point of Social. Answer D is a point of Timmy.
Question 18: If you answered A then you get a point in each of Timmy and Aggro. Answer B is a point of Spike and Aggro. Answer C is pure Timmy, two points there. Lastly, answer D is a highly Johnny answer. Score a point for Johnny.
Question 19: Another simple question. Answer A is a point under Spike. Answer B gives no points. Answer C is a point of Casual.
Question 20: Yet another easy question. Answer A is a point for Spike. Answer B is a point for Timmy. Answer C is a point for Casual. Answer D is two points for Casual.
Question 21: If you answered Stone Rain, then you get a point for Tempo. B is a point for Control. C is a point for Counter. And D is a point for Casual.
Question 22: Answer A is competitive, score yourself a point for Spike. Answer B is pure Timmy, score a point there. Answer C is all about the challenge, Johnny gets a point. Answer D, however, is Super Spike, so give yourself two points of Spike.
Question 23: Quick question with a quick grade. Answer A, Spike. Answer B, Johnny. Answer C, Timmy.
Question 24: This question basically asks, “How does your mind work?” If you answered A, then give yourself a point of Timmy. If you answered B, then you get a point of Aggro. Answer C is the Johnny answer, notch another point for your Johnny-ness. Lastly, Spike makes boring cards like removal. Score a point for Spike if you answered D.
Question 25: Don’t you love these quick questions? Score a point in Casual and Social for answering A. B doesn’t score you anything.
Question 26: Here is an interesting question. Answer A is a point for Netdeck. Answer B is a point for Rogue. Pretty easy.
Question 27: Haven’t we all thought about being members of R&D? Well, what set would you like? Answer A gives you a point of Casual. Answer B gives you three points of Type One Fervor, but nothing else, really. Answer C is a point for Johnny and Rogue. D is for Spike and stuff. Give your Spike a bone…er…point.
Question 28: Answer A is pure Tempo. It’s like the most beloved card of Tempo ever. So, if you regret the loss of Tempo’s Banner Card, then you get two Tempo points. Answer B is really mean and dirty you Spike you. Score a point for Spike. Lord of the Pit is the card to assuage your Inner Timmy. Yield a point for the Timmy. Lastly, Answer D is a fun Johnny card. Give yourself a Johnny-Point.
Question 29: Answer A shows that your group is all about competition. Score two points for Spike. Answer B shows that your group is about doing neat things and stuff. Score a point each for Casual and Johnny. And if you chose Answer C, then you are a very social group. Score a point for Social. And since being at a bar is all about the big play, score a point for Timmy as well.
Question 30: The last question! Real briefly, A is a point for Control, B is a point for Tempo, C is a point for Counter, D is a point for Aggro.
Interpreting the Results: Now you need to tally your marks in each category. What you have is a raw score. Below, we will understand what the terms mean, and how to interpret the raw scores.
The Triangle of Purpose.
The first interpretation is based on the three categories Spike, Timmy, and Johnny. Imagine each of these as points on a triangle. The idea here is to find out why you play? What makes you happy?
Spike: Spike is all about winning. Spike can play any style, but chooses a deck that yields the most wins. It does not matter how boring, unfair, or antagonistic the deck is, so long as it wins. Spike is happiest with winning. Spikes will have a tendency towards being Netdeck.
Johnny: Johnny is about trying new things, breaking unusual cards, and trying to find challenges. Although Johnny can play any decktype, he gravitates away from Aggro decks unless they are unusual in some aspect or another. Johnny is happiest when using some card in a completely different way than usual or having people compliment him on his deck. Johnnies have a tendency towards being Rogue.
Timmy: Timmy is all about the big splashy effects. The bigger the better. If a Timmy doesn’t win, no big deal. So long as the Timmy is able to pull of a huge effect or cast an enormous spell. If a Timmy is smashing players with a large creature, then he’s happy. Timmies have a tendency towards being Casual.
Because we have a triangle, you can be in more than one category simultaneously. You should have, however, a primary tendency. Your primary tendency is whatever of the three categories you scored highest in. That’s pretty simple. Now, how do you know if you have a secondary tendency? Look at the scores for the other two categories. Is either one or the other at least half of the score for your primary tendency? If so, then you have a secondary tendency. You label yourself by your primary tendency first, then any secondary tendencies.
Marge scored 12 points in Spike, 7 in Timmy, and 3 in Johnny. Marge’s primary tendency is Spike, with a secondary tendency in Timmy. Therefore, Marge is a Spike/Timmy.
Mable, however, scored 12 points in Johnny. She also scored 5 in Timmy and 5 in Spike. Mable, therefore, has a primary tendency in Johnny, without any secondary tendencies. Mable is a Johnny.
Sally scored a 10 in Spike, and a 5 in each of Johnny and Timmy. Sally is a Spike/Timmy/Johnny or a Spike/Johnny/Timmy, whichever appellation she prefers.
The Triangle of Style.
There is another separate triangle of properties – your style. The style of deck that you build has no relation to the purpose behind playing Magic. As such, these are two separate frameworks of Magic demography.
Aggro: A player of Aggro decks wants to play creature decks. Sligh, Fires, White Weenie, and Suicide Black are all examples of Aggro. A player who scores highly in Aggro is most comfortable swinging with creatures. Aggro players are usually either Spikes or Timmies.
Combo: A Combo player is one who really enjoys the interactions between cards. Combo players play a deck that wins through the interactions of these cards. These are often more difficult to play. Combo decks include Prison, ProsBloom, Pebbles, 21 (or PandeBurst), Wake, and Academy. Combo players are usually either Johnnies or Spikes.
Control: Control players try to take control of the game through various methods before producing their own win mechanisms. A control player is most comfortable with several answers available to him for problems. Examples of control decks include ‘Tog, MBC, Draw-Go, The Deck, and Machine Head. Control players are usually either Johnnies or Spikes.
You find out your primary and secondary tendencies in the Triangle of Style similarly to the Triangle of Purpose. Find the aspect where you score the highest. Then, see if you score over half in another category. Therefore, you could be an Aggro/Control. Or just Combo. Or whatever.
Style Adjuncts:
There are two additional areas of style that were looked at in this study. Each is different in its manifestations, and they are below.
Tempo: As an adjunct to the above Triangle of Style, Tempo is another style you can prefer. You can have Aggro-Tempo decks, Combo-Tempo decks, or Control-Tempo decks. Tempo, as a style, basically tries to keep the opponent from doing anything, and as such, secures a win. The most common way of doing this is through mana denial. Examples of Tempo decks from the past include Blue Skies, Frozen Fish, the original Senior Stompy, Sligh-Sphere, Nether Void, ErhnaGeddon, and Prison. Tempo players can be any of the above three styles. You rank as Tempo if you scored at least four points of Tempo. The appropriate appellation for your Tempo-ness is a hyphen after your style. So, if you are an Aggro/Control, then you would now be Aggro/Control-Tempo. And so forth.
Counter: There are basically two types of Control. The first are those players who want control of the board. The second group are those players who absolutely have to have countermagic in their hand or else they always feel vulnerable and naked. You score as Counter if you receive at least five points in Counter. Your Control aspect must also have been at least a secondary tendency, or else ignore this aspect. The appropriate naming scheme for anybody who has Counter is to place it in parentheses directly after Control. So, for example, if you are Aggro/Control, and you have six points of Counter, then you would list your type as Aggro/Control (Counter). If you were Control/Aggro, then you are now Control (Counter)/Aggro. And so forth.
You can be both Tempo and Counter. If so, then you include both, like this: Control (Counter)/Aggro-Tempo
The Continuum of Creation.
There are two more aspects which are diametrically opposed to each other. Imagine a line with the following two aspects:
Rogue: As a general rule, you create your own decks. If you get an idea from another source, you have to make it your own by changing it around. Your decks are rarely expected, which you believe gives you an advantage in the metagame, since few will have prepared for your deck. Rogue players are comfortable playing their own construction at the highest levels of competition.
Netdeck: You play decks that other people build, although you may tweak them for a metagame here and there. Maybe you are good at tweaking a deck, but poor at deck design. Or, maybe you don’t trust yourself at higher levels of competition. Maybe you want a proven winner – after all, Netdecks are good enough to win. However, you feel most comfortable with the wisdom of many in the deck you play.
Each person is either Rogue or Netdeck. Please note, the name Netdeck does not have to refer to getting ideas from the Internet. You can also get them from friends and such. Whichever ranking is highest is your characteristic. If you are tied, then you have no characteristic. Pretty simple, eh?
The Addendra of Attitude.
There are two last categories that you might score highly enough in. Both deal with attitude.
Social: You like the social aspect of playing Magic. You brag about cards, talk about deck ideas, and play in large groups of people. Multiplayer is the place for you and where you feel most comfortable. Although any Social player may have any aspect, players here have a tendency to be Casual.
Casual: You might play in a few minor tournaments like FNM, Arena League, and local store tournaments. However, Magic, for you, isn’t about super high caliber competition. It’s about casually sitting around and playing cards. If you don’t win, fine. Maybe you are a Social player and you like the interaction of the game. Maybe you are a Johnny and you like tinkering with the cards. Whatever your other types, you prefer to simply take it easy and not put too much pressure or money into the game of Magic.
If you have at least five points in either Social or Casual (or both) then you have that characteristic. Excellent! The correct way of noting ant Addendra of Attitude or Continuum of Creation is to add them to the end of your type following a colon.
Working Your Magic Type:
Your Magic type is represented is the following pattern:
Triangle of Purpose / Triangle of Style with adjuncts / Continuum of Creation and finally any Addendra of Attitude. So for example:
Johnny/Timmy Combo-Tempo: Rogue Social
Spike Control (Counter): Netdeck
Spike/Timmy Aggro/Control (Counter)-Tempo: Netdeck Social Casual.
And so forth. I hope that now you have a greater idea of your own Magic Personality. And that you had a lot of fun, too! Tell all of your friends and have them try to Find Out What Kind of Magic Player You Are…..
Until Later,
Abe Sargent
The above is not meant to be an actual or scientific test of your Magic Personality, style, attitude, or purpose. Although there are kernels of truth in the above test, it is meant solely for your own enjoyment, and does not represent studies, statistical analysis, or any actual effort. In fact, this survey is more akin to those you find in YM or Seventeen entitled “Is He Boyfirend Material,” or, “Does He Like-You-Like You or just Like You?” We hope you enjoyed “Find Out What Kind of Player You Are…” and will travel with Abe Airlines again. Thank you, and enjoy your life.
Appendix – Forms Used for the Test
Official “Find Out What Kind of Magic Player You Are…” Answer Sheet
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Official “Find Out What Kind of Magic Player You Are…” Scorecard
Spike Timmy Johnny
Aggro Control Combo
Casual Social
Rogue Netdeck
Tempo Counter