Jonny Magic and the Card Shark Kids by David Kushner

Author:David Kushner
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781407089546
Publisher: Random House

8. THE CARD SHARK KIDS

It was a bright August day as the ESPN2 cameras closed in on the Exposition Center in Brussels, Belgium. Outside the towering gray building, the sun sparkled on the giant aluminum orbs of the Atomium, a 334-foot-high, 2,400-ton sculpture of a molecule of metal. Inside the hall, explosions erupted on stage as ghost-faced saxophonists squealed and catsuited dancers shimmied up wintergreen ribbons. The 2000 Magic: The Gathering World Championships had begun.

Seven years after the game hit shelves, this was going to be the grandest event yet. Fueled by the influx of new players from Pokemon, Magic was bigger than ever. Wizards of the Coast was reaping the rewards, selling to Hasbro, publishers of Monopoly and Scrabble, for 450 million the previous year; Richard Garfield, who stayed on as a consultant, pocketed 125 million. The trading card game juggernaut he had envisioned at the waterfall nearly a decade ago had exceeded his wildest dreams.

Today, 271 of the world’s greatest young cardplayers had come to compete. Though the game was still considered dorky by many outsiders, the players had become increasingly diverse. There were nerds, jocks, blue-haired punks, chain-smoking thirty somethings, former cheerleaders, valedictorians, and debate team champions. On some level, many had one thing in common: a feeling that they never really fit in. Now, instead of living their parents’ dreams, they were trading their vanilla futures to travel the world playing cards. And, not surprisingly, some of them pissed off their moms and dads in a big way. As one of the female pros put it, choking back tears, “You’d be amazed at how many of us have been thrown out of our parents’ homes.”

But all that was behind them today. They lined the long tables under the towering arches of the Expo hall, eagerly ripping fresh Magic cards from their shiny silvery wrappers. Fifty teams from Singapore to Slovakia had come to play for 250,000 in cash prizes and the two big trophies: team and individual champions of the world. In the seven-year history of Magic, no one player had ever walked away with both titles. But as the ESPN2 cameras trailed a tall curly-haired player through the crowd, it was clear when the favorite, Jon Finkel, had arrived.

Since his first Pro Tournament in 1996, Finkel had solidified his standing as the Bobby Fischer of the game. He had become the number one money earner with 151,426 in winnings. He proved to Pokemon and Magic fans around the world, as well as to Garfield and the people at Wizards of the Coast, that, contrary to popular belief, you’re never too young to make a living playing cards. When asked on ESPN2 how he felt being the top pick, Finkel answered with authority. “It’s easy to be the underdog, because no one expects you to win,” he said, “but I prefer being expected to win. It puts pressure on you. If you lose, you’re going to let people down.”

With each step toward the arena, he was swarmed by Magic players who wanted him to sign their Ophidian—the card renowned as his favorite.

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