On September 12th, 2012, Zac Clark published the first ever article on Hipsters of the Coast. Zac was playing at Twenty Sided Store and went 2-2 playing Standard. Two of his matches were against members of the community who would go on to become regular writers for Hipsters of the Coast. Unbeknownst to all of us, something big was just beginning.
Four years is a very long time for a small operation like ours to survive. We don’t have a major tournament circuit like Star City Games. We don’t have a slate of hall of fame pro players like Channel Fireball. We don’t have the backing of a massive secondary market like TCG Player. What we have is our own energy and passion and a will to make Hipsters of the Coast continue to grow as a voice within the Magic community.
The community is why we’re all here. It’s why we write about Magic. It’s why you read about Magic. It’s why Mark Rosewater is still making Magic. This community can be amazing and it can be terrifying. It can be uplifting and it can be disappointing. But it’s still the reason we get on planes, pile into rented cars, or hop on the local mass transit system to play a card game for hours on end.
I began writing about Magic a few months after Zac. I approached Matt Jones at Friday Night Magic and told him I wanted to write a newsy column covering current events with a sarcastic slant, starting with a scathing critique of how dumb the name Dragon’s Maze was for an expansion set. A year ago I took over the day-to-day operations of Hipsters of the Coast, an honor I absolutely did not expect and one that has taken some time to get used to. But now, as we celebrate our anniversary, I consider this to be one of the most amazing things I’ve ever had the pleasure of doing.
I get to sign my emails “Chief Hipster.” How cool is that? I never understood why the President of Wizards of the Coast isn’t called the “Chief Wizard.” It’s a real shame and speaks to the corporate feeling of a company founded to create Dungeons and Dragons modules. But I digress.
We begin our anniversary celebration by reflecting on our past. We’ve put together a list of the Top 25 articles we’ve published in the past four years, and we’ll be revealing five of them each day with some new commentary from either the original author or a current writer. We’ll also re-run a few of our most important pieces throughout the week.
Before I go I want to thank some people without whom Hipsters of the Coast would absolutely not be where it is today. This operation cannot be sustained by one person alone and without the help of others we would not have made it to our fourth anniversary, let alone any future anniversaries.
First, I want to thank all of our contributors, past and present, who have given their hard work and sweat (and maybe blood) to creating content for us. Some have only written once while others have written more than a hundred articles but every single one of them has helped get us to where we are today.
Next, I want to thank Hunter, our former Editor-in-Chief, who helped shape Hipsters of the Coast’s early voice, brought us out of the obscurity of the Brooklyn gaming scene, and always encouraged me to improve as a writer and a journalist.
A few writers deserve special thanks. Tim, Giaco, Zach, Kate, Monique, and Shawn have all contributed more than 50 times to Hipsters of the Coast in the past four years, an astounding contribution.
Our management team, next on my list, is made up of some of the most incredibly generous people I know, who dedicate an exorbitant amount of their time and effort, without compensation, to make sure Hipsters keeps moving forwards. Zac, our founder, is a constant source of support and ideas. Jess, our content manager, is both incredibly wise and has become a moral compass not just for us but for large parts of the community. Carrie, our editor-in-chief, has unparalleled analytical talents which not only make her the best Magic player on staff but also invaluable in guiding Hipsters of the Coast. Matt, our art director, has defined the aesthetic and voice of the site and brings nothing but joy into the world. Dave, our technical guru, has brought us into the modern era both in form and function and has been my most invaluable partner in operating the site on a day-to-day basis.
Last, but certainly not least, my wife Sara, our chief financial officer, has been the most supportive influence in my life from when I began writing to when I took over operations and continues to inspire me to make myself and Hipsters of the Coast better every day.
What We Learned is a weekly feature here at Hipsters of the Coast written by former amateur Magic Player Rich Stein, who came really close to making day two of a Grand Prix on several occasions. Each week we will take a look at the past seven days of major events, big news items, and community happenings so that you can keep up-to-date on all the latest and greatest Magic: the Gathering community news.