Stephen A Smith Brings His Hot Takes to… Magic: the Gathering?

Last updated on October 15, 2024

Black Lotus | Illustration by Christopher Rush

Stephen A. Smith, an ESPN host who discusses all things sports, is no stranger to weighing in on drafts and giving his controversial takes, but he was recently asked by to give his take on a very different kind: a Magic: The Gathering draft. Ever the consummate professional, Smith got straight to work analyzing the two Magic cards presented to him to determine his first pick in a hypothetical draft of Vintage Cube:—Black Lotus and Sol Ring.

Magic influencer Benjamin Wheeler wanted to know what Smith would choose for his “Pack 1 Pick 1” in a Vintage Cube Draft: A Sol Ring or the famous Black Lotus. Even if Smith was the type of hardcore Magic fan who knew what a Vintage Cube Draft was, this decision would be difficult. So, he did what any new player does when presented with incomprehensible pieces of cardboard: he went with the cooler-looking of the two.

“We’re talking about Magic right?” Smith said, clarifying his thought process.

“Where the hell is this going?” He continued, indicating Sol Ring. “This could be taking me to another universe. I don’t know where the hell I’m going through here. This looks far more intimidating.”

It’s hard to argue with Stephen’s methodology when it comes to pure aesthetics, but did he make the right choice?

Did Stephen Make the Right Choice?

Sol Ring | Illustration by Mark Tedin

Like a lot of questions in Magic: The Gathering, the choice between Black Lotus and Sol Ring isn’t a straightforward one.

Initially, Black Lotus seems like the obvious answer. It’s the best method of getting quick mana – the resource players need to play their cards – and can enable wins as early as turn one or two in the right decks. It also rarely sells for under $10,000, with one high-quality first print of the card selling for millions of dollars.

However, if you’re playing a slower deck that prefers a more consistent form of mana, Sol Ring may be a better option. After all, Black Lotus is a one-use card, where as Sol Ring can be reused every turn. On top of that, Sol Ring only costs a few bucks.

Jon Finkel, who is considered one of the best Magic: The Gathering players of all time, even chimed in to say he thought Stephen A. Smith made the right choice:

So, did Smith just get lucky, or is he about to take the world of Magic: The Gathering by Storm? I guess we’ll have to wait to see his pack 1, pick 2.

What Even is a Magic: The Gathering Vintage Cube Draft?

To understand whether Stephen A. Smith can be as trusted about Magic: The Gathering as he can about sports, we first need to understand what he’s even weighing in on here. A Vintage Cube Draft is one of the many ways to play Magic: The Gathering. It involves selecting cards for your deck from three randomized “packs” of cards, which are put together by the person organizing the event.

Like any Draft, your first pick – which players call “pack 1 pick 1” – is important. After each selection, players pass the cards from their first pack to the player sitting next to them to choose from. So, if your first pack has two powerful cards, like a Black Lotus and a Sol Ring, you’re not just choosing which one you want, but which one you want to allow the player next to you to have.

Vintage Cube Drafts specifically tend to include some of the most powerful cards in Magic’s history, so making the right first choice can be even more impactful. So, is Smith likely to walk away from his first Vintage Cube Draft with a victory?

Stephen A. Smith’s Methods Aren’t Purely Madness

Magic players probably got a good laugh watching Smith disregard the text of the cards presented to him and instead focus on the art. After all, the text explains what the card actually does. However, understanding what each aspect of the card means or what the hell mana is requires a baseline understanding of Magic’s rules.

As a Magic: The Gathering fan who knows very little about football, I’d probably take a similar method to Smith if someone asked me to pick between Aaron Rodgers or Caleb Williams as my quarterback. I’d pick the younger, healthier-looking guy who isn’t afraid of vaccines. And so far this season, it seems like I’d be right to do so. 

Similarly, Smith using the artwork on Magic cards isn’t the worst method. Art on Magic cards is more than just something pretty to look at, it’s also practical. A stronger creature looks more intimidating, and a more powerful spell looks more impactful.

Squirrel | Illustration by Dave Greco and Chatterfang, Squirrel General | Illustration by Jason A. Engle

Above is the artwork for two Magic cards, and my guess would be, that even if you’ve never played Magic, you would know which of the two is more powerful. The one of the left is a relatively weak Squirrel Token, while the right is Chatterfang, Squirrel General, a stronger card with a host of interesting abilities.

Likewise, it probably isn’t hard to see that Nexus of Fate is a more powerful spell than Contentious Plan since the former shows a dramatic display of magical power while the latter shows people arguing over scrolls.

However, this method isn’t foolproof, especially with some of Magic’s older cards. Black Lotus is a great example of this. It was one of the first cards ever designed, so the game’s developers didn’t yet know how insanely powerful it was.

Still, Sol Ring is no slouch, and some might argue the Stephen A. Smith method worked in the end.