Building Realms & Community: A Sorcery Collector’s Journey

February 13, 2026

Nerdly: Can you introduce yourself and where you are from?

Mike: My name is Mike, and I live in the metro Boston area.

Nerdly: How would you describe yourself in the trading card space?

Mike: I’m a casual player who embraces competitive play because I enjoy a challenge.

Nerdly: How long have you been involved in the hobby? And what got you into it?

Mike: I started playing Magic: the Gathering during Beta. A friend of mine in middle school brought a deck of cards to my house one weekend, and I was instantly hooked. I’ve always been a fan of fantasy worlds, and had played the fantasy board game Heroscape, so MtG scratched an itch for sure. I immersed myself in the game until my junior year of high school and began exploring other hobbies and interests, leaving MtG behind. In 2020, MtG caught my eye again, and I began playing Commander, and taught my 8-year-old son (whom I had read The Hobbit with) how to play when the LotR set released. The unrelenting pace of releases was impossible for my son to keep up with, either financially or just in terms of attention span, and MtG just became untenable for us to continue as a hobby. It was at that time when I heard about Sorcery; Alpha was just getting into people’s hands, and Beta preorders were becoming available. I put in my preorder for one box, and the rest is history.

Nerdly: What do you primarily collect?

Mike: I collect a lot of things—records and concert posters being my primary collections outside of Sorcery. Within Sorcery, I’ve found myself collecting original art, including sketches for card art, artist proofs, and art that we have commissioned for the Massachusetts Sorcery Guild events.

Nerdly: What standout items do you have in your collection? And what’s the story behind them?

Mike: I have Jeff Menges’ sketches for Swiven Scout and Sir Galahad—his sketches are so incredibly detailed that you’d likely not consider them sketches. I also purchased the artwork that we commissioned from Drew Tucker, for a single player playmat at the Massachusetts Sorcery Guild’s first big event—it’s the Pathfinder, who is creating the realm (there’s a Lone Tower in the background as he walks into a lush landscape in the foreground). Mike Sep, who works with me on MSG projects, provided the concept, which includes this amazing Easter egg when you place two of the playmats against each other—the runes of the Pathfinder align to create a halo effect. We’re considering commissioning a second artwork from another Sorcery artist with a similar halo, so that you can align the two playmats for a crazy effect.

Nerdly: Do you have a theme or philosophy that you focus on?

Mike: I coordinate many of the events for the Massachusetts Sorcery Guild, and so the philosophy I approach it with is to create something that everyone can enjoy. I want the LGS owner and employees at Great Stories (who we partner with for our monthly and larger events), the artists we invite, the casual players, the competitive players, their children, new players, and anyone else who might stop by to find something to enjoy and value about their experience during one of our events. It’s tricky to maintain but a lot of why we are so successful is thanks to MSG members. They’re just genuinely kind and welcoming people who approach our events with a similar attitude.

Nerdly: Is there a set or era you feel doesn’t get enough love?

Mike: With only three sets (and one mini set) in the bag for Sorcery, that’s tough to say. I guess Arthurian Legends gets shorted just because it’s a smaller set and the box opening experience isn’t as great as the others—and I’ve heard it referred to as the “Fallen Empires” of Sorcery. I think it’s a great set for drafting, the cards added depth to the game play, and there’s some real bangers that people chase (Ring, Morgana, and tri-sites)—so it certainly isn’t as bad as some people like to portray it as.

Nerdly: What has been your most impactful memory in the hobby?

Mike: I have a lot of memories from my childhood of playing MtG but my most cherished memory is introducing my son to MtG and Sorcery, and seeing him enjoy himself at events. We went to GenCon two years ago and he was so amazed by the immersive experience of it all that we’ve been going every year since—and participating in Sorcery events each year while we are there!

Nerdly: Are you currently working on anything you would like to share?

Mike: We are working with a Sorcery artist to create some Massachusetts Sorcery Guild-branded Skelton tokens, which we’ll be making available on a very limited basis. Doing commissions are so fun because you get to conceptualize something and then see an artist’s execution—it’s better than the moment of anticipation for Christmas Day that I had as a child! We previously worked with Drew Tucker to create a MSG-branded Spellslinger token, which we give out to new players at drafts. We’re continuing monthly events at Great Stories, and wrapping up a series of events for new players with the Welcome Kit from EC (what an amazing freebie for LGS’s!).