Pak's Version:
Western
Magic: The Gathering Association (WMGA) had an amusing beginning. Paklin
Lam, a student from Vancouver had been collecting Magic cards in grade
four because some of his friends also played it. As the popularity died
among his friends, so did his playing. But Pak remained a collector and
reader of IQ Gamer, the nerd magazine of all TCGs. When he decided to come
to Western, he knew he had to leave his home behind. So he began to start
cleaning his room, and stumbled on his old mono-colour decks. Thinking
that the popularity must be around somewhere, he brought his decks to
Western, but secretly hid them away.
It was not until Pak met Samuel
Shafer on an eventful October day. And they started talking about their
respective geekdoms and what they used to do in the day. It was then Sam
told Pak that he also plays with his brother, with a collection that puts
Pak's to shame. So he brings his cards over, from the city of Forest, and
so started the days of late night Magic.
Their floor sophomore, Steve Bisch started noticing this every time he
visits the washroom since they played in the hallway. Steve tells us that
he also plays with his brothers, and soon brings his cards over. As the
nights grow longer of mass Magic games, so has the intrigue and members of
2North Delaware wanted to learn. As people started to learn, so has the
recruitment of other floor sophomores through Steve's connection with
them.
But as the year
wasted away, the group began to realize they are all going their separate
ways, and the late nights of Magic would fade away. It was then, on a
Tuesday in May, Sam realized that it was three days before the deadline of
USC Club Proposals. So he jokingly calls Pak at 1:30pm and wakes him up
(Yes I was still sleeping then). He joked about starting the Magic club
and Pak ignored him and went to shower. In the shower, Pak realized the
club's possibilities and ran into Sam's room with only a towel on agreeing
to the idea. They get to work that afternoon, drafting the proposal and
constitution. On May 29th, WMGA was declared an official club of the
Western.
Sam's Version:
Although Pak had his Magic beginnings at a much
earlier age than I, they were just as humble for this co-founder of the
WMGA. It all started seven years ago, the year was 1999 and I (Sam) was in
grade eight, and up to this point I had never even heard of magic cards.
My brother decided one day to go buy a booster pack to see just what magic
cards were about. After seeing them for myself I started a five-year long
collecting spree. After learning how to actually play from a Japanese
exchange student my brother and I started playing. I, being more of a
collector at heart never really got into the actual game, I was more
interested in collected the cards for their artwork. After a price
increase on boosters my brother and I stopped playing and collecting
altogether. It was only until later, when I met Pak, that I would ever
exhume my magic cards to play and collect again. The rest I suppose, is
history.
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