The corridors to the play rooms were filled with tension as players set up for the upcoming rounds of games and matches. Players unboxed cards and decks, organised their dice and then unfurled their playmats from their compact folds.
What appears to us to be a simple piece of cloth acutally is not so simple.
Trade card games are niche niche, with very thin margins between profit and loss. The margin between winning and losing is very small, usually measured in the space of a millisecond, often purely down to luck, or the result of spending hours, days or weeks optimising a few moves. I’ve been thinking about this in relation to the playmat, and whether it adds to the fun or hinders it.
The foundation of precision play
After initial cleaning, the finish of the surface of the deck is important. It should enable you to quickly and uniformly mix the cards, support your ability to play them from wherever they happen to be, and not permit them to become too adherent to each other or to other nearby cards to the point where an unredeemable mistake such as a misdeal could occur.
So you’ve got nice cards, you’ve learned all the moves, but they always seem to go awry. Cards get caught, or flop, during the riffle phase. It’s just plain ugly, and frustrating. Poor surfaces can greatly increase friction between cards, causing you to perform less than optimally. All card players, especially professionals, want to use the highest quality surfaces to aid them in performing their best. A smooth surface is an essential aspect of card magic. It can mean the difference between success and failure, and with card magic, psychology already plays a large role.
For play on a surface above the cards, the top surface of the mat needs to be the right texture, but that’s just one facet of the overall product. Thickness is also a factor. A product that is too thin will move around during play, and a product that is too thick will have cards riding up incorrectly at the edges. Our cards game mats fall in the 3-4mm thickness range, being thin enough to be low profile but substantial enough to have weight and to feel solid under your hands.
For casual players, durability is unlikely to be a major concern; pieces are likely to be used once or twice and then left on a shelf to gather dust. However, for the regular player, it is essential that pieces can withstand repeated use for the occasional match-in or even a major tournament session. While most pieces may still roll decently even after some wear-and-tear, over time bases and dice will ring wear on edges and surfaces, creating grooves. ThisRING can further impair the roll of the die over time and decrease the overall enjoyment of the game.
Design as strategic communication
in their hands, or scanning the room to notice individuals staring intensely at their screens, you will often find the same general layout of materials and posture. Many students study in similar ways, frequently sprawled out or bent over while engaged deeply with their schoolwork. This widespread pattern may seem benign, yet it can subtly pave the way for musculoskeletal issues, as the repeated strain of consistent
What does your mat say about you as a player? Does it expand on current artwork relating to your persona or gaming preferences, or does it relate to something that is more personal like your favourite TV show or Movie. On the complete opposite end of things, we have the minimalistic designs that keep the focus where it should be, on the cards, and don’t add anything else to the game.
Your competitor type is:
Selecting your artwork is not just about looking at something pretty while you play, it can reflect your outlook on competition and focus. Some of the pieces are intimidating or unusually designed giving you that small edge in focus during matches. But let’s be real, most players just choose their artwork to give themselves that little boost of confidence over the grueling days of a video game tournament.
The gear hierarchy that matters
Card accessories can be a very tribal topic for serious card gamers. On the one hand, you have people who store their most expensive cards in deck boxes so they don’t get mixed in with the rest of their collection and can dry out properly. On the other hand, you have people who are comfortable storing their cards in sleeves, for easy shuffling and dealing without the risk of wear.
Playmats are a special case, because you always see them (i.e. they’re always in your field of vision), and they thus affect your play style significantly. As seasoned TCG players expand out their full setup, they seek a high quality TCG playmat to suit their needs and their personal style.
The comfort factor nobody mentions
Magic tournaments are grueling events designed to wear down the competition through hours of tedious, point-less cardboard card-flipping. In the short term, the stresses upon the body from hours hunched-over flat tables, supporting their weight upon each play, are easily underestimated. And those who say “what’s the big deal? I’ve done worse things to myself through lack of sleep” need to appreciate that an inured late-night surfer is a very different animal to a tournament player. By the time you’ve reached round six with wrists aching from having arms held in an unnatural position, you will be a quivering, drained wreck who just wants to be curled-up on the floor, whimpering gently for your mother. It’s at this point that most players are reminded of the very real difference a good playmat can make to the overall enjoyment of playing Magic.
Psychological comfort levels also have to be taken into consideration. Playing with decks and cards you are familiar with can help neutralize variables outside of your control such as the unknown decks your opponents play. Also playing with familiar gaming tokens, sleeves, boards, and cards can help to remove one variable from the equation allowing you to focus on the variables you can control such as your performance. In a best of three match setting, that mental edge can give you the edge you need to progress while your opponents get knocked out.
Investment in long-term performance
With proper use and care, a high-quality playmat can last you for years to come. In the long run, spending a bit of cash up front on a high-quality playmat is cost effective. In contrast to continuously having to purchase cheaper, low-quality playmats as they fall apart, a quality playmat can keep you playing for years.
After playing hundreds of games, my mat looks as good as new and still functions flawlessly. For most consumers, the value of a high-quality mat comes down to how long it will last. What’s even more valuable though, is the attachment you’ll have to this mat. Most people look at more than the price and really try to judge the quality of a product and how it will make you feel every time you use it. Mats are such a huge part of your gaming experience and get to be there to celebrate all the wins and crawl out from all the losses.
Your playmat becomes an integral part of your identity as a player, rivalling the importance of your deck and strategy.
