Poll
Question:
Timmy, Johnny, Spike, Melvin, or Vorthos: Which are you?
Option 1: Timmy: The entire reason I play is to have a good time!
votes: 136
Option 2: Spike: I get my greatest joy from proving something by winning!
votes: 56
Option 3: Vorthos: I like seeing the whole as the sum of the parts!
votes: 44
Option 4: Johnny: I want to express something!
votes: 37
Option 5: Melvin: I appreciate how a subject makes me think!
votes: 59
If you aren't sure who these guys are, check out Mark Rosewater's articles:
Timmy, Johnny, and Spike Revisited
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr258
Melvin and Vorthos
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr278
If you look around, there are tests too.
I'm mainly Timmy/Johnny, but I'm mostly like Vorthos. I appreciate a good story.
Yeah, you know after reading the profiles again, I'm starting to see a little bit of all the types in me. I'm finding it hard to pin down one type for myself.
I'm a pretty straightforward Timmy myself. I got into the game fairly recently because my friends all joined the Magic club at school and persuaded me to join. I play for enjoyment, and use a large green-red deck. It's about 100 cards, but I took out all the doubles so I would have a different experience every time I play. All the cards are unique. Winning isn't important to me, I just like to see how powerful I can get my {protean hydra} or {molimo, maro-sorcerer}. I've only sunk about $30 into the game, but I've managed to get some pretty good cards by trading away everything that isn't green or red. Simply put, I'm a noob, and that's the way I like it.
Right on! ✊ I play with a guy who is a devout Timmy and I love playing against his decks. Getting a laugh out of his combos and responses is the best and it brings out the Timmy in me!😊
I am, on the other hand, definitely Jonny/Vorthos. My decks are often full of singles that mix well with others for a chain reaction of combos or sequence. I often wont use a card due to its yukky or boring artwork.
(P.S. felt like voting Spike just out of principle😜)
I like thinking in mtg and i love a challenge hence Melvin
And timmy but i only had one choice...
I love creating a narrative between my deck and my opponent. If a card doesn't fit my deck theme it doesn't get in. The problem I encounter is my decks are a work of art but they usually get beat down :)
i.e. Johnny
Boy, do you people sound like a bunch of kids from the participation trophy generation.
Play to win, keep score, and take delight in beating down your opponent! Do the noob's a free service and teach them how to improve by displaying your deck making and decision making skills all while crushing there weak deck.
Quote from: Bluenote20 on December 21, 2011, 02:54:11 PM
Boy, do you people sound like a bunch of kids from the participation trophy generation.
Play to win, keep score, and take delight in beating down your opponent! Do the noob's a free service and teach them how to improve by displaying your deck making and decision making skills all while crushing there weak deck.
Sooooo, Spike?
Nope I voted spike, I love winning, but I enjoy playing against my friend who is a Timmy for sure he has some of the funniest combos I wanted to vote all of the ways because I'm a bit of everything I play for fun, I play for the sweet artwork and I play for the strategy
Quote from: Bluenote20 on December 21, 2011, 02:54:11 PM
Boy, do you people sound like a bunch of kids from the participation trophy generation.
Also: "De gustibus non disputandum est"
@bluenote
Playing is it's own reward, I don't expect a participation trophy. I see little point in playing to win in Magic, at a recreational level it's a pay-to-win game, so winning doesn't always reflect on the skill of the player. I know a guy who got into Magic about a month ago and immediately dropped over a hundred dollars into cards. Now he goes around waving his deck full of mythic rares everywhere and considers himself an expert.
Quote from: Kvathe on December 21, 2011, 07:21:01 PM
@bluenote
Playing is it's own reward, I don't expect a participation trophy. I see little point in playing to win in Magic, at a recreational level it's a pay-to-win game, so winning doesn't always reflect on the skill of the player. I know a guy who got into Magic about a month ago and immediately dropped over a hundred dollars into cards. Now he goes around waving his deck full of mythic rares everywhere and considers himself an expert.
ðŸ'ðŸ'ðŸ'Hear hear, dear boy!
Quote from: Kvathe on December 21, 2011, 07:21:01 PM
@bluenote
Playing is it's own reward, I don't expect a participation trophy. I see little point in playing to win in Magic, at a recreational level it's a pay-to-win game, so winning doesn't always reflect on the skill of the player. I know a guy who got into Magic about a month ago and immediately dropped over a hundred dollars into cards. Now he goes around waving his deck full of mythic rares everywhere and considers himself an expert.
Your odd's improve greatly with better cards that cost more, yes. I have lost to a cheap goblin deck with a deck that I have over $500 invested in and my opponent saw fit to point it out that he had only spent 10 dollars. What I was criticizing was the "I don't play to win attitude". You don't need to separate "having fun" and "winning" they can go hand in hand. If you dont't play to win what do you do? Play to see your favorite card hit the battlefield or set up a combo that never is effective enough to win the game? The example you used of your friend who spent alot on mythic rares only proves he is an idiot and hasn't garnered enough experiance from playing to know that a bundle of rares won't win a game. You also say "winning doesn't always reflect the skill of a player". How does one improve this "skill" without learning from a shortcoming in their deck, making an adjustment that improves their deck with the end result being them WINNING more.
The bottom line is that winning is the end result of all the other things you speak positively about. I wonder if a football team that goes 0-16 on the season had a fun year.
Definitely Spike. 😜
Quote from: Bluenote20 on December 22, 2011, 07:03:43 AM
Quote from: Kvathe on December 21, 2011, 07:21:01 PM
@bluenote
Playing is it's own reward, I don't expect a participation trophy. I see little point in playing to win in Magic, at a recreational level it's a pay-to-win game, so winning doesn't always reflect on the skill of the player. I know a guy who got into Magic about a month ago and immediately dropped over a hundred dollars into cards. Now he goes around waving his deck full of mythic rares everywhere and considers himself an expert.
Your odd's improve greatly with better cards that cost more, yes. I have lost to a cheap goblin deck with a deck that I have over $500 invested in and my opponent saw fit to point it out that he had only spent 10 dollars. What I was criticizing was the "I don't play to win attitude". You don't need to separate "having fun" and "winning" they can go hand in hand. If you dont't play to win what do you do? Play to see your favorite card hit the battlefield or set up a combo that never is effective enough to win the game? The example you used of your friend who spent alot on mythic rares only proves he is an idiot and hasn't garnered enough experiance from playing to know that a bundle of rares won't win a game. You also say "winning doesn't always reflect the skill of a player". How does one improve this "skill" without learning from a shortcoming in their deck, making an adjustment that improves their deck with the end result being them WINNING more.
The bottom line is that winning is the end result of all the other things you speak positively about. I wonder if a football team that goes 0-16 on the season had a fun year.
But winning is a given thing. It is the point of the game so yes everyone plays to win. But i think they mean being overintense and if you dont win every game you jump off a bridge. (okay a little too intense) but you get my point. I think they are saying that you only play to win.
Edit: I understand your point.
@bluenote the purpose of these archetypes is to better understand what it is that you enjoy about this game we all love. Of course the premise of play is to win, but I have played many games where I had a choice: play the smart move and likely win, or do something interesting/crazy/funny? Now, this wouldn't even be a question for Spike, but for me I nearly always choose to do something funny, even if it costs me the game.
Loosing 0-16 can make one ðŸ˜", but we don't keep score. My friends and I get together, have some beer, and generally have a good time. That's why I play.
No one is trying to say that "it's not cool to play just to win" (at least I hope not.) Everyone has different elements of the game that they enjoy. For Spikes, they have fun winning at any cost. For Vorthos, they will collect as many copies of this one particular printing of a {Mountain} in foil just because they love the art.
It's just a game. Enjoy.
Quote from: BlackJester on December 22, 2011, 11:26:15 AM
@bluenote the purpose of these archetypes is to better understand what it is that you enjoy about this game we all love. Of course the premise of play is to win, but I have played many games where I had a choice: play the smart move and likely win, or do something interesting/crazy/funny? Now, this wouldn't even be a question for Spike, but for me I nearly always choose to do something funny, even if it costs me the game.
Loosing 0-16 can make one ðŸ˜", but we don't keep score. My friends and I get together, have some beer, and generally have a good time. That's why I play.
No one is trying to say that "it's not cool to play just to win" (at least I hope not.) Everyone has different elements of the game that they enjoy. For Spikes, they have fun winning at any cost. For Vorthos, they will collect as many copies of this one particular printing of a {Mountain} in foil just because they love the art.
It's just a game. Enjoy.
Thanls bj that is a much better way of saying what i was trying to say.
Magic is a game?!?!?! I'm glad someone told me, I've been showing up to work in armor for the past 10 years. Thanks! I will enjoy now.
Quote from: Bluenote20 on December 22, 2011, 01:09:07 PM
Magic is a game?!?!?! I'm glad someone told me, I've been showing up to work in armor for the past 10 years. Thanks! I will enjoy now.
You still have your armor on.
Lol
I'm a spike. No doubt about it.
Bump for the new members.
Quote from: Alex2911 on April 26, 2012, 02:49:12 PM
Jester, I think you are your own player type.... The notorious Black Jester, Master of everything who can never be beaten or even damaged. He's hexproof and indestructible.
Awesome though I may be, it may surprise you to learn that I'm actually not that strong a Standard or Limited player. My tools have been so sharpened to my meta that it is difficult for me so see cards and decks an their interactions in different environments.
I'm incompetitive.
^^ To the top! ^^
johnny timmy, i like to make big plays as well as find creative synergies and interactions. i especially like making a bug play as a result of these interactions.
I'm 40% Timmy, 40% Johnny, and 20% Spike.
On the Vorthos/Melvin scale, I am
70% Vorthos and 30% Melvin
I can't really vote on this. I fit into every single category except spike. I'm a Timmy because fun is my #1 goal, and I have fun even when I lose. I'm Johnny because I love coming up with unusual combos, playing less used cards and trying to make them good, and I have the most fun when my personal creation comes through and does something grand. I'm vorthos because I love checking out all the different art and artists, hearing about the lore, and if I got a copy of a foil m12 {Diabolic tutor} signed by Greg Staples, I'd value it as high as a power 9. And I'm a Melvin because I'm always intrigued by how things work. I learn about the rules all the time. I hope to eventually learn enough to take the judge test.
And then there's spike. Ugh. Not for me at all.
Quote from: ntheawsome on June 04, 2012, 09:26:18 PM
I'm 40% Timmy, 40% Johnny, and 20% Spike.
On the Vorthos/Melvin scale, I am
70% Vorthos and 30% Melvin
I love this! This person
really knows themself when it comes to magic. To the point of being able to break it down by percentage. 😄
Of course those percentages are approximations, I can't be too sure. I'm more Spike on Friday, more Timmy during work hours, and Johnny when I'm all alone.
Definitly spike
I am a Melvin when I am in deck building mode and the Vorthos tends to come out throughout construction as I try to add parts that all mesh really well. I become Johhny and Spike when I am playing my new constructed babies. But all in all I am Timmy throughout the entire process since I love this game so much.
Quote from: BlackJester on December 20, 2011, 05:12:08 PM
Yeah, you know after reading the profiles again, I'm starting to see a little bit of all the types in me. I'm finding it hard to pin down one type for myself.
Then there should be a new player type. Jester: I'm a little bit of everything.
Quote from: JohnSalun007 on June 09, 2012, 02:56:13 PM
Quote from: BlackJester on December 20, 2011, 05:12:08 PM
Yeah, you know after reading the profiles again, I'm starting to see a little bit of all the types in me. I'm finding it hard to pin down one type for myself.
Then there should be a new player type. Jester: I'm a little bit of everything.
There's a Jester inside everyone of you. 😚
Quote from: BlackJester on June 09, 2012, 05:42:33 PM
Quote from: JohnSalun007 on June 09, 2012, 02:56:13 PM
Quote from: BlackJester on December 20, 2011, 05:12:08 PM
Yeah, you know after reading the profiles again, I'm starting to see a little bit of all the types in me. I'm finding it hard to pin down one type for myself.
Then there should be a new player type. Jester: I'm a little bit of everything.
There's a Jester inside everyone of you. 😚
If only you all knew my secret......
Melvin (60%) and Timmy (40%)
Quote from: JohnSalun007 on June 09, 2012, 07:37:37 PM
Quote from: BlackJester on June 09, 2012, 05:42:33 PM
Quote from: JohnSalun007 on June 09, 2012, 02:56:13 PM
Quote from: BlackJester on December 20, 2011, 05:12:08 PM
Yeah, you know after reading the profiles again, I'm starting to see a little bit of all the types in me. I'm finding it hard to pin down one type for myself.
Then there should be a new player type. Jester: I'm a little bit of everything.
There's a Jester inside everyone of you. 😚
If only you all knew my secret......
Haha. I keep no secrets. I am an Assassain. Lol.
On a more serious note, I'm pretty much spike with a little Timmy in me when I play with my younger brother.
Quote from: BlackJester on June 09, 2012, 05:42:33 PM
Quote from: JohnSalun007 on June 09, 2012, 02:56:13 PM
Quote from: BlackJester on December 20, 2011, 05:12:08 PM
Yeah, you know after reading the profiles again, I'm starting to see a little bit of all the types in me. I'm finding it hard to pin down one type for myself.
Then there should be a new player type. Jester: I'm a little bit of everything.
There's a Jester inside everyone of you. 😚
"proceeds to cut open stomach" where are u d@/\/\N|t
Very small, back of your neck. Not so much a jester as a jester-shaped tracking device.
D:
Oh man, timmy and vorthos all the way. I don't really enjoy competitive play, it feels like it sucks the life out of the decks, y'know? I have 2 functional decks right now, a leonin equipment deck and a defender/lifegain deck. Both of them are my babies hahaha and I love to play them because the flavor text, the card illsutrations and the strategies are very much in line with my personal taste. I've been playing for about two years, maybe? And i love mtg because of how well it adapts to all kinds of playstyles. Most of my friends are johnny and melvins with a dash of timmy. I think that's what makes a great mtg experience, the diversity within the players, not really how you see the game yourself, but how you interact with other player types.
Mostly spike for fnm and ptqs but when it comes to casual i am a bit of em all. I just built turbo fog for fun lol. And i have a lockdown deck with {mindslaver} and {academy ruins} for fun. I built uw midrange thats a bit different then others and i have affinity for legacy.
I think most PTQ attendees and competitive players would be Spikes.
I'm actually surprised by how many people self-identify as Melvins. :o
I would say I'm like all of them.
I feel like I am a Johnny/Vorthos/Spike. My main focus is deck building and showing off those combinations which is Johnny. And with that I love having my deck and seeing all the little pieces come together and succeed as a whole which is Vorthos. And not gonna lie, if I don't win, I get pissed which is the Spike in me!!
I'm Timmy and Melvin, being a new player
Quote from: AgrusKos on July 17, 2012, 08:40:37 PM
I'm Timmy and Melvin, being a new player
A player's experience has nothing to do with what it is they enjoy in the game. Player's can even change what they like over time.
Quote from: BlackJester on July 17, 2012, 09:57:45 PM
Quote from: AgrusKos on July 17, 2012, 08:40:37 PM
I'm Timmy and Melvin, being a new player
A player's experience has nothing to do with what it is they enjoy in the game. Player's can even change what they like over time.
T👏r👏u👏e
Quote from: BlackJester on December 20, 2011, 02:26:22 PM
If you aren't sure who these guys are, check out Mark Rosewater's articles:
Timmy, Johnny, and Spike Revisited
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr258
Melvin and Vorthos
http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/daily/mr278
If you look around, there are tests too.
I make a deck that is not particularly popular and involves a s***loAd of strategy that often wins games but can be messed up easily even if one thing is out of place or put on the stack in the wrong order.
Quote from: Fishsticks123 on August 21, 2012, 09:39:17 PM
I make a deck that is not particularly popular and involves a s***loAd of strategy that often wins games but can be messed up easily even if one thing is out of place or put on the stack in the wrong order.
Sounds Johnny/Spike to me. 👍
I got started when I joined the swim team at my school a couple years ago. The entire team played, well over 15 people. In the beginning I just loved playing and noticing combos in the more expierianced guys decks. I got complimented many times for noticeing things others didn't. After four years, now all I hope is that some day I can be as good as the seniors that taught me the wonderful game of magic the gathering. I'm a jester, leaning more towards the spike side of the eqaution, because I want to live up to my mentors teaching, an to someday be like the jester or Piotr or any of those guys.
Quote from: BlackJester on August 22, 2012, 01:35:36 AM
Quote from: Fishsticks123 on August 21, 2012, 09:39:17 PM
I make a deck that is not particularly popular and involves a s***loAd of strategy that often wins games but can be messed up easily even if one thing is out of place or put on the stack in the wrong order.
Sounds Johnny/Spike to me. 👍
How would that be Spike?
I am a tuner spike... I love takeing the best decks and make them better... And I love winning
Spike! Spike! Spike!
Bit of spike, bit of johnny
I'm Johnny/Spike/Vorthos. I love building different decks. (By different I mean Odd/Tribals) And I love winning with them. And at the core of it all, it's about the feel of the game. I love being immersed in the stories of Magic. An expansive creation with endless possibilities. 11 years of enjoying this grand game (Granted I stopped for a bit.) And still it intrigues me.
I'm a Johnny/Timmy, but with a sizeable helping of Melvin and Vorthos on the side.
When I first started I was 11 and I was a full on Timmy, I took every big card I got and stuck it in my deck because what they did sounded cool. Now I'm more of a Timmy/spike/Melvin
My friend is a total Spike, but he will prolong the game so he can go for the total PREPARE YOUR ANUS win, but I won because of that at 2 life
Timmy!
Timmaw!
Sp-Ohn-Thos with a splash of -Immy
Definitely a Melvin. At times I will value cards just for the errata, or contemplate the steps leading up to brilliant gameplay.
I love reading about the stories in magic, and seeing something flavorful, I want to be a Johnny player but more practice is needed, I like winning but I only like winning if we're having fun, turn one combos aren't fun to win with. So I'd say Vorthos, Johnny, and maybe a Timmy
Vorthos, I like it all baby
I'm spike, straight up. If i dont win, i'm pissed off. I know there is joy to be had but I derive no happiness from the game when I lose.
If you guys listen to MaRo's podcast Drive to Work #9 he explains that Melvin and Vorthos aren't actually psychographics.
I'm probably closest to a timmy so that's what I voted for. But i can also fall under johnny or spike. But when i'm playing either of those roles, i'm usually still having a good time slinging my spells so.. Timmy!
Quote from: RayZoh on June 01, 2013, 12:38:24 AM
I'm probably closest to a timmy so that's what I voted for. But i can also fall under johnny or spike. But when i'm playing either of those roles, i'm usually still having a good time slinging my spells so.. Timmy!
timmy-spikes rule!!! ya!!!!
I'm a Timmy. I just love having fun with games.
My friend is a Rakdos Spike. He plays to win. Period. And my other friend is a straight Johnny. All he cares about is setting it up to the point of overloading the board with tokens. He has like 9 decks based around this. It's cool seeing the different play styles of everyone.
Timmeh, because those dragons aren't going o play themselves!
I like how it makes me think. Ive always been a fan of strategy
Hey people. Do you guys think I'm a Melvin or Vorthos?
Couldn't say.. Never played against you... I'm gearing you more towards Melvin though
I picked Timmy, but most accurately I'm a Melthos Timmy, most likely. I absolutely love flavor, but not as much as I love the sheer synergy on one card or even a combination of cards.
I'm an innovator spike but with a dash of analyst
Vorthos for sure, but with a little splash of spike. Most of my games I can win by the 5-6 draw but that's just never fun. I let my opponent set up their strategy and figure out what they're gunna do and see the light in their eyes as they think they're gunna pull off some fantastic combo and then to see heartbreak as I lay down my final piece to the puzzle that they never saw coming.
My friend used three {congregate} with his angel token deck and gained like 300 health (all his tokens and I'd brought out like 40 wolf tokens with my {howl of the night pack} ) and tried to hit me with everything ( a simple {fog} stopped that) and the entire match I'd just been mana ramping with {orcish lumberjack} and stuff and I threw down two {rubblehulk} who became like 60/60 and then used four {blood} and knocked the smile right off his face as he was drained to a minuscule amount of health and then hit him while he was wide open to finish it all.
'Twas a fine day in the battlefield
Jilviin!
I'm a mix of all of them, really.
Timmy: First and foremost, I like to play to have fun. The point of the game is to enjoy playing it, so why wouldn't I?
Johnny/Spike: I enjoy building decks based around silly combinations of cards that somehow work together, however, I also like those combinations to be able to win a game. If given the opportunity, I will go after winning a game, sometimes relentlessly. However, if a combo or a deck is overly oppressive, I'll probably not play it, as I like to have interesting, interactive, swingy games where everyone actually has a shot at taking it.
Vorthos: The Lore of the game is just fascinating, where they're able to at least come up with some semblance of a story line for each new block. I find myself re-reading The Brother's War maybe once a year or so and might even write a piece based on it at some point.
Melvin: My love for Combo stems not from easy-to-use Two-card combos, but from Rube Goldberg-style combos, where a ton of individual pieces have to be brought together to create a machine that ends up ending a game. The Combo B-Plan of my Krond deck functions like this. I can certainly go searching for the pieces, if I have to, and occasionally I just draw them and use it if the Beat Down A-Plan fails. I once built a deck where the point was to assemble the pieces to kill everyone in a single turn with {Acorn Catapult}. Death by Squirrels. It was fun.
Also, one of the most amazing things for me to wrap my head around is this: Over the past twenty years, Wizards of the Coast has just been printing game pieces. The players have taken these game pieces and found ones that end up working together. Whether it's intentional synergy or not, it works. Think of some common combos: {Painter's Servant} was printed, supposedly, to help enable shenanigans with color-reliant Scarecrows. But, as it turns out, it works perfectly with cards from over ten years earlier: {Grindstone}, along with {Red Elemental Blast}, {Pyroblast} and {Force of Will}. There are now several legacy decks based around this interaction. It's just mind-blowing.
Sorry for the tangent, I just love how this game is able to evolve like that.
Melvin
I'm Timmy 100%
I just like playing the game
It's my acid
I have changed i play like a cat, i will run around and play with my prey till i finally feel like taking him out.
I'm defiantly a spike nut and bolt for sure
I'm a Melvin-Timmy. I like playing the game, thinking about card interactions, making decisions to win in game. However, if I fail to win, yet still had a good time, that's ok. I do enjoy finding ways to thwart people though. Like exiling indestructible sand stuff.
Im pretty much the textbook Timmy/Spike like the example i enjoy making decks that are rediculous but will just might work like 5 color dragons
I had a hard time choosing between Timmy and Spike
That was a cool article! I've been playing for a couple months now and I've only versed my kid and his friend so far and my kid and I play together a lot. It didn't take long I know I'm a Johnny/Combo/Offbeat.