Hello! I’m Johnny Cycles and welcome to Cycles Gaming, your source for original Magic: The Gathering content and more. I began playing Magic in the 90s, stopped around the printing of Ice Age, and then returned 10 years later to find the game changed in ways unimaginable, yet still familiar. Opening a Planeswalker for the first time left me confused and amazed. What in the world IS this thing? How does it work? Where are the negatives? But many of the rules – untap, upkeep, draw – and creatures running the gamut of fantasy and D&D remained the same. I’ve been playing actively ever since and have fallen in love with the game all over again.
Content
At Cycles Gaming you will currently find articles on all things Magic: The Gathering, from game strategy, to deck building, to my musings on the best dragons ever printed. As the site continues, there will also be videos of game play with commentary. From time to time, I will also provide some non-Magic related content, but more on that when the time comes.
Currently, I’m most interested in Commander and Modern and so the upcoming content will be geared towards these two formats.
Finally, the content on this site is primarily for the casual player. I love brewing and playing cards and decks outside of the top tier. If it’s janky, I’m interested!
About Me
I’m a former Russian literature professor who specialized in 19th-century Russian literature. I love Dostoevsky more than Tolstoy, but both will change your life. I’m currently a stay-at-home dad of three. I love fantasy fiction and horror movies. If you’re surprised at the length of my articles, hopefully my history as an academic plus my love of fantasy helps explain it…
Thanks for reading! I look forward to reading your comments on my articles, Russian literature, or the best fantasy series ever written (Tolkien, Jordan, Sanderson?).