They call them the “Power 9.”
They are part of the original two sets in Magic: The Gathering and they’re so powerful that they’re banned in almost all tournament play.
Even the formats that allow them only allow you to use one of them. And the pinnacle of the set has been known to fetch as much as $125,000 in pristine, unplayed condition. That speaks to the rarity.
And War Torn Front owner Chia Lee has three of those cards himself.
For the last two years the avid Magic player has turned what was once his hobby into his profession – parlaying his skills and his acumen into a full-time job that has become anything but. While most people dread waking up in the morning and heading into work, Lee gets to go to a card shop that he actually owns and talk about the one game that has preoccupied his mind for as long as he can remember.
And that’s while he’s at work.
His free time? That’s when he gets to play.
“The tournaments really depend on the season. Sometimes it is every weekend and sometimes it’s once-a-month,” Lee said of his playing schedule. “I look forward to it and I love doing this. When you can turn what you love into what you do for work? I recommend it.”
Under Lee’s tutelage War Torn Front has become a Magic battle-zone for players searching for competition and camaraderie. Getting into that sort of grouping helps raise ones skillset but also helps foster a community of players that attracts others – both the serious and the novice alike.
One day a week, Lee said, the shop is dedicated to beginning players who are looking at starting out with either the tournament format or just leisure play. While it can be intimidating at the start – and expensive for those who think first with their wallet before knowing exactly what it is they need to build the adequate “deck” to play with – Lee said that days like Thursday’s intro sessions are the perfect springboard for those looking to get their feet wet.
The cost, he said, isn’t nearly as prohibitive as one might think.
Some of those “Power 9” cards he has in his deck, even the latter ones, can go for as little as $500 to $600, but a solid beginners deck that’s good enough to play a suitable game with, complete with hardware needed to store it, can go for as little as $30. Like anything, it can be built from there.
“Most of our players are from the 18-to-24 demographic so these are guys that are working and have jobs and they’re able to pay for these things,” Lee said. “But sometimes they don’t have that kind of money and there are options out there. As I became a better player I learned that you don’t need to have a lot of money to put together a decent deck. And that’s what I try to show people when they come in here for the first time.
“It can be a lot of fun if you’re into it. All you have to do is try it.”
War Torn Front is located at 506 N. Union Road. The shop is open Monday from 2 to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday from 2 to 9 p.m., Friday from 2 p.m. to 12 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information call 209.824.7777 or visit www.wartornfront.com.
