You may or may not be familiar with Mark Rosewater. He’s been the lead designer for Magic: The Gathering, the world’s longest-running and most successful Customizable Card Game, for 20 years. Ten years ago, in his excellent design blog Making Magic, he concluded there were three basic types of card game players: Timmy, Johnny and Spike. These names weren’t meant to demean, but instead describe what he called the “psychographic profiles” of his players.
Timmy’s primary motivation is fun. They want to show up to a tournament, have a good time, and not necessarily win every game — but the ones they do win need to be BIG and MEMORABLE. They want to play the flashy cards, the premiere characters, and let their memes be dreams. Timmy doesn’t have to be young, but often is. I was a Timmy once myself- after opening a Death Star in a pack of A New Hope back in 1996, I literally screamed in a card shop.
Johnny’s primary motivation is self-expression. Building a deck that’s truly unique and leverages cards other players may not be using is what drives Johnny. Like Timmy, they don’t need to win every game, but instead to see their plans to come to fruition just often enough to feel satisfied. I’m a bit of a Johnny myself- consistently drawn to off-meta decks and shunning the “solved” decks topping tier lists.
Spike is there to win. They don’t really care about what’s fun or creative- the goal is the trophy. Spike will copy, tweak and grind until they can play every game to peak efficiency. I’ve got some Spike in me too- when I don’t do well in a tournament, it really hits me.
Do I expect to see my friends living these archetypes as we play Star Wars: Unlimited? Absolutely. You can probably pick out who in your playgroup fits these personalities.
Now how does this knowledge help you? Well, knowing your gamer profile can help you pick decks that mesh with your personality. The result will be more wins and a better time at tournaments. In most card games, there’s a few basic deck types:
- Aggro (aka Speed) – Short for “Aggression”, these decks aim to play small units and rush damage onto the opponent before they can setup a proper defense. They typically lose if the game goes long.
- Midrange – These are decks that aim to get lots of efficient value out, peak in the midgame, and win before the opponent can play their big, endgame units.
- Control (aka Ramp) – These decks look to move up the resource ladder quickly and play powerful, endgame units while the opponent is stuck with cheaper, less effective tools. They usually have to cede the early game to their opponents, so Aggro is a threat.
- Combo – These are the Rube-Goldberg devices of card play. The goal is to get out a very specific set of cards which will result in an instant (or close to instant) win. Combo decks are very draw dependent.
So, what deck types should you try based on your gamer profile?
If you’re a Timmy, try Aggro or Midrange. You’ll enjoy the straightforward gameplay and the big characters. You can concentrate on what you’re doing and not have to stress much about counter-playing your opponent. Avoid Control.
If you’re a Johnny, try a Control or Combo deck. The longer games and more complex interactions will give your creativity a chance to shine. Avoid Aggro. The shorter games just aren’t going to scratch your itch.
If you’re a Spike, I don’t have to tell you what to play. You’ve already looked at the tier list and concluded what the best option is. One piece of advice though- don’t play a Combo deck. Spikes playing Combo decks are a bad experience for everyone else. If a combo deck really is top of the meta, try to return Balance to the Force and advocate for gentleman’s agreements or official errata.
Thanks for reading! I’m off to go see what deck I can Johnny my way into next…and be sure to join us for tomorrow morning’s article where you find out what card the following image belongs to…
Garbage Rollers 
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