As my bank statements can attest, I’m not against splashing the cash on Magic: The Gathering merch. My shelves are filled with brands like DragonShield and UltraPro, and card sleeves with art of my Commanders are pretty much non-negotiable at this point. While I might not be rocking anything close to Power Nine level, I’d still like to avoid sticky tables or rogue beverage condensation dealing damage to my precious cards. So, sleeves and card storage are a totally justifiable expense – at least in my mind. Yet, somehow, a playmat has always been a harder sell.
Playmats are used by players across all of the best card games, but are they really even necessary? When I have newer decks that are left languishing in cardboard boxes, why would I drop $50 on what is, at its core, a glorified mouse mat? Well, it turns out that all it took to change my mind was a trip to MagicCon Amsterdam and a glimpse at MTG artist Daria Aksenova’s adorably chaotic World of Trash collection. Like some kind of garbage-diving siren, Daria’s opossum playmat called me back to the Artist Alley again and again until I finally gave in.
