Hot Springs County High School club focuses on gaming

Red, white, black, green and blue. Just colors to some, but for those in the Hot Springs County High School Trading Card Game (TCG) Club these five hold sway over their competition.

Paraeducator Kaleb Olsen said the club began after some students learned he liked to play Magic: The Gathering, one of the more popular TCGs, and they wanted to get together and do some competitive games. After some deliberation, he chose to start the club to provide an environment for students to get better at their skills.

Olsen stated Magic "requires you to make your own deck with a specific theme or strategy in mind. It has a bit of a learning curve to it, but as you play you start to understand different ideas such as tempo, card advantage, and play predictions."

Decks are built around the five main colors - white for healing, blue for control, black for death, red for destruction and green for life - though players can build decks using combinations of any colors as well. While regulation play is a regular favorite, club members also play regular variations such as Three-Headed Giant, Emperor and Commander, as well as one they created called Circle of Death.

Though Magic is a favorite, many of the students are interested in other games such as Force of Will, Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon and Hearthstone.

Olsen became interested in trading cards when he was five; one of the first baseball cards he received was an old Cal Ripken Jr. Card collecting became a passion for him, though it wasn't until he was 10 that he started gaming with Pokemon. He mostly traded cards with classmates and learned how to play but not very well.

Though he fell out of card gaming after middle school, he found his way back into it in college when a roommate introduced him to Magic and he was hooked.

"I started reading anything I could get my hands on about the game, and spent my other time watching tournaments online to get an idea of how professionals played the game," Olsen stated. "I even started playing in competitive tournaments myself. Playing competitive Magic has become a passion in my life and is something that constantly forces me to better myself.

"I set up this club to give students an opportunity to excel in an area they are passionate about. The skills they can learn in TCG Club not only help them in life after high school but could also turn into a career."

Olsen further explained the ability of problem solving - a main part of most TCGs - and critical thinking has led many Magic players to have successful careers. The game also forces players to be adaptable, and allows them to be as creative as they want.

"The first competition after each new set release can be crazy because no one knows what anyone else is playing," Olsen stated. "As the weeks go on players analyze the meta-game and research the top decks being played. If you know that many players are bringing X deck to the tournament and you know that Y deck has a good match up against it, you'll want to play that deck. The next week might be different and there might be a new deck that is popular so you'll have to change up what you're playing. If you don't learn how to adapt in Magic you'll never be competitive."

Olsen said there are about 20 students, boys and girls, in the club; on average eight or nine show up for the meetings, 6-8 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays and after school on Fridays. He noted they've been preparing for the tournaments played Fridays in Riverton. Though individual members have competed in them, they have yet to attend as a club.

The club recently provided concessions at the high school as a fundraiser, with proceeds going to buying packs of cards for "drafts," during which the packs are opened and passed around a table, each player choosing a card as they come around and building a deck from those they select. Olsen would like to see the club become self-sufficient, buying packs and selling the rare cards, with the proceeds going back to the club.