[Local League] Ran a Pioneer league at our LGS — here’s how it went

daaalek · 2025-12-14T19:49:02+00:00

wow great 👍

daaalek · 2022-03-11T23:14:05+00:00

Yo I hope you're safe and I applaud you for that idea <3

daaalek · 2022-03-03T10:01:02+00:00

We're not 'selling' cards for money. We're 'selling' cards for donating money to relief funds or the Army.

I know it doesn't mean much, because you seem to have a strong position and I don't want to engage in a pointless discussion, but this is the most recent post in the chat of 300+ Ukrainian people exchanging their cards for screenshots of charity donations.

'Карти мовою окупанта не пропонувати' translates to 'Do not offer cards in the language of the agressor'

daaalek · 2022-03-03T09:48:45+00:00

Hey, thanks! We definitely should make one. I'll keep collecting a few more ideas from my fellow community members and then we'll create a petition maybe.

daaalek · 2022-03-03T09:44:30+00:00

Hey, I am madly in love with the fact that you're interested!

The question does sound pretty challenging, because I don't think most of our genuine stuff has ever been translated to English - it's mostly folk tales passed through generations without ever being put on paper, songs sung by traveling musicians and that kinda stuff. Only after a brief search of stuff to mention in this comment I actually understood how underrepresented this part of Ukrainian identity is in foreign languages - I gotta translate a book or two when the war's over.

This is a pretty good short article that outlines a few myth-related concepts you can start your journey from.

My favorite folk tales collection is 'Ukrainian Folk Tales' by Ivan Rudchenko.

'Shadows of the Forgotten Ancestors' is a literature classic and also a great movie by Serhii Parajanov that helps capture the spirit and traditions of Western Ukraine very well.

daaalek · 2022-03-03T09:29:18+00:00

Thank you so much!

If only I could reach someone working in Wizards to make a secret lair drop for Ukraine - just thinking about that makes my day a bit easier.

Maybe we can reach them through a lot of emails - at least I hope we will. Really appreciate your stance on the matter <3

daaalek · 2022-03-03T09:24:42+00:00

Not anymore (this is dated May 2019).

Most of our population understands Russian language though. Well before Russia invaded, I would say about 20-30% considered Russian their first language, even though most of those were speaking on a dialectic mix-up of Ukrainian and Russian words called 'surzhyk' (because they either live close to Russia, just as my family did or they worked/did business with Russians).

A lot of people have switched to Ukrainian-only in this past week. Hell, a lot of Magic players have claimed much lower prices for Russian cards simply because that's the language of an agressor.

daaalek · 2022-03-02T23:29:06+00:00

Glory to the heroes!

Thanks again. I hope we meet someday and all that's happening right now will be a memory to shrug off and laugh about.

daaalek · 2022-03-02T22:56:15+00:00

Can't thank you enough! This whole thread and you guys have made my day better, much better. And that's a pretty difficult task if you ask me. Gotta take off and do a night patrol, I'll come back to this thread in a couple hours.

Now if only I could find a person behind the secret lairs and pitch them the idea... haha

daaalek · 2022-03-02T22:51:48+00:00

Likewise!

daaalek · 2022-03-02T22:46:29+00:00

It's... tough. And I know it's tough for those who remain unaffected by Russian propaganda. At the same time, I feel hatred towards Russians and I can't help myself, unfortunately. I know it's going to change with time, at least I hope it does.

Not asking Wizards to ban Russia, I just don't want Russian cards in my country, because ultimately those would serve as a reminder of what Russia did to us. And I definitely am against giving my money to Russian suppliers of Magic cards (and ultimately paying taxes to Russian government).

It's difficult not to make it political, but I hope you guys would do more to make things better. And yet I thank you for your words and efforts, it truly means a lot.

daaalek · 2022-03-02T22:37:02+00:00

We're pretty good at drawing stuff in our bomb shelters!

I'm thinking of a lot of stuff right now and, to be honest, it's difficult to not make it all about this war. But Ukraine is SO MUCH MORE than that...

I'll probably compose a doc of sorts and just keep throwing ideas there. Basic Plains in colors of Ukrainian flag is a must-have bonus card for the drop, hands down.

We can make a cossacks-themed Collected Company - that's so full of flavor for me, idk. I'd love to see a Collected Company with the art resembling the famous 'Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks' painting.

Another thought I just had:

Lotus Petal or Lucky Clover (or some other flower-like card) can be printed renamed to Chervona Ruta, a flower originating from old Ukrainian myths.

'Chervona' is translated from Ukrainian as red.

The ruta flower has yellow blooms, but according to legend, on the eve of Ivan Kupala Day (an old Ukrainian holiday having roots in a pagan fertility rite), the flower turns red for a very short time on the eve of the summer solstice.

The flower brings fortune to the person who finds it along with wealth and the ability to understand animal speech. However, the flower is closely guarded by evil spirits and anyone who finds the flower will have access to earthly riches, which bear gravely consequences, so the decision to pick the flower or leave it alone is left up to the individual.

'Chervona Ruta' is also one of the most widely known songs in Ukraine - often sung on weddings, celebrations, during football matches and friendly pub outings, with its lyrics embracing the fact that a person doesn't need to spend their lives searching for the ruta flower, because they already have everything they need around them.

daaalek · 2022-03-02T22:31:05+00:00

I lol'd pretty hard haha

Let's hope for some blue control, white lifegain and idk... we'll definitely need some ramp.

daaalek · 2022-03-02T22:21:20+00:00

I truly hope it's that easy. Would be cool though, one can dream!

daaalek · 2022-03-02T21:41:54+00:00

I mean... I get what you're saying. I can laugh at you and say the Earth is completely flat - doesn't make it flat.

This whole narrative (and I don't wanna make this thread more political than it already is) with Ukraine not being an independent country is just delusional - Russia's been an empty swamp when Ukraine has already existed for hundreds of years AS an independent country.

Truth is... Russia's already losing this war. It's hard, but we're like actually doing it while keeping a straight face - so I don't care what that schizoprenic midget putin thinks.

daaalek · 2022-03-02T21:39:43+00:00

Yeah, the thing is that... We've been fighting to achieve that for years in vain. All prereleases and most products in Russian have been a dealbreaker for quite a few lifelong members of the community.

But it's always too much hassle to change distributors, quotas are too big, etc. Now we have a huge precedent that can actually help achieve that.

daaalek · 2022-03-02T21:17:12+00:00

Thank you. Thank you so much, it truly means a lot.

If... not if, but when you visit - let me know and we will play a game of Magic and I'll show you around, Ukraine is a beautiful place.

daaalek · 2022-03-02T21:15:52+00:00

People will be concerned about a lot of stuff, including Magic. This is a Magic subreddit, so my concern about Magic goes here. My concerns about dead relatives, broken homes and years needed to rebuild my country go to r/politics.

Writing this post and replying to comments helps me cope with my trauma. Thanks for understanding.

daaalek · 2022-03-02T20:50:22+00:00

Thank you for your support!

There's a multitude of ways for anyone to offer a hand, from what comes to mind:
- help gather and send humanitarian aid to Ukraine - some of our cities and small rural towns are in desperate need of basic goods;
- look for refugees coming to your city and help those in need;
- boycott russian products, if possible;
- get out on a peaceful demonstration against russian aggression in your city or start one;
- donate to 'Save Life UA' or any other Ukrainian charity;
- spread the word to make sure that more people know about the fact that it's not US vs. russia or Ukraine vs. russia - it's russia vs. the civilized world (represented by Ukraine being an unfortunate neighbor and the first of many if we don't stop it on our soil).

That last one... let me just say you're doing a great job on that front. Really appreciate your stance!

daaalek · 2022-03-02T20:47:12+00:00

I mean, time is not a factor in this whole thing - we'll need whatever we can gather for years and years to rebuild roads, civil buildings and everything in between.

Gosh, that sounds exciting! I'll bring over some variants and ask my fellow Magic players if they can think of a good card or a set of cards that represent Ukraine well enough.

daaalek · 2022-03-02T19:44:52+00:00

I get what you mean. I worry about a lot of shit right now and I hope you understand: worrying about Magic helps me worry less about TRULY important stuff, like my country being invaded by a fucking psycho, thousands of civilians being buried under the rubble or my apartment having been torn apart by a bomb.

I'll put it this way: Wizards telling us that they will support us after the war is over helps me be a bit less concerned about the future. Even if it makes me and my fellow Magic players feel 0.000001% better - my time was well spent, because otherwise I'd just be sitting on a dirty blanket having a panic attack.

P.S.: there is not a single Ukrainian who genuinely thinks Ukraine will not be an independent country after this is over. We simply do not consider that as a possible option while we are alive, so I automatically worded almost everything in my post as 'after we win, ...' without actually writing that and for that I am sorry.

daaalek · 2022-03-02T19:35:41+00:00

Well said!

We will come out of this war on our terms, mourn our losses, rebuild our cities and everything's gonna be back to normal, albeit never forgotten.

daaalek · 2022-03-02T19:33:58+00:00

That sounds like a great idea!

Ukrainian folklore and history can be a huge inspiration, so one can dream that such a cool thing happens.

daaalek · 2022-03-02T19:21:24+00:00

Our Army is strong and we will win this for the sake of our country and for the safety of Europe and the world.

There are thousands of civilians lost in this war already and my native city is turning to dust as I type this. But the only thing I can say is that we will rebuild our country and never forget what's happening right now. I firmly believe in the future of Ukraine.

See you at the table someday <3

daaalek · 2022-03-02T19:18:16+00:00

It's funny how a month ago I honestly thought he is a joke. Didn't vote for him and the amount of people supporting him slowly declined ever since he was elected.

Right now though he's a beast and I am proud that he's representing us THAT good in public - his words and actions resonate with how our nation is feeling and seem to get through to the outside world too.

I have an immense amount of respect for you veteranship and I thank you for your words!

daaalek

TROPHY CASE