I think I'm addicted to drafting on MTGO. Could you give me advice on alternate hobbies to pursue?

I want to have a healthy, diverse set of interests. Despite having an absolute blast playing limited, MTGO as a hobby seems to suffocate me with its demands of time and money and energy. I don't have anything better to replace it with, though, so any efforts to draft in moderation tend to be short-lived. When I think about ways to spend my time, I often compare them to drafting on MTGO, as drafting satisfies my needs better than most anything else. "Why should I do X when I could draft instead?"

Drafting, to me, scratches several itches of mine so much better than anything else I do.

  • There's an aspect of competitive accomplishment: I find a lot of fulfillment in knowing that I'm good at something I've done consistently for 7+ years.
  • There's a social component: I help admin a local Facebook Limited group and often post screenshots and draft logs to foster discussion, to the point where I feel a constant desire to share every notable thing that happens in my drafts.
  • The game has a lot of parallels to real-world gambling: my success (or failure) has tangible monetary impact, which can be both disheartening, and extremely fulfilling. On good runs, or when pack RNG swings my way, it feels amazing to know that I've earned my next few drafts, and that's there's actual value in my inventory because of my skill. (EDIT: Not saying this is a positive aspect, but more acknowledging how this could be contributing to why it's feels so appealing.)
  • The game itself is just fantastic. It packages up so many unique components into one 2-3 hour journey. It's not just gameplay, and it's not just deckbuilding -- it's a multi-stage test of skill that works you on all angles. This dynamic is why I don't play constructed anymore. I love the puzzling, active problem-solving part of reading signals and making pick choices. I love how every draft is a unique experience, with formats having so many unique angles for which to approach archetypes. I love exploring formats! And this is without even getting into the gameplay that draws people to constructed, too.

I don't want Magic to be my life. I barely spend time on normal pastimes like TV shows or movies or books, because if I have a day off, I'll chain 3-5 drafts in a day. I just, I don't have anything that hits those above points in a way that is ultimately as satisfying. I want to be able to spend my time in a healthy way.

Do you have any advice?

Posted Apr 26, 2017, 6:22 PM UTC · edited

3470
Loading comments…