It was right around 2001 that I was first introduced to Redemption. I saw a pack available at my church’s little kids store and grabbed the orange Warriors pack at the encouragement of a friend. I didn’t totally understand what I was looking at as I fanned through the cards but I definitely thought it was cool. It started the journey of me and my brothers jumping in headfirst into the world of Redemption. Many nights were spent squaring off on the living room floor, listening to Relient K. We were delighted to find out that we had local tournaments being hosted 15 minutes from our house and spent the next six to seven years playing Redemption and refining our decks. 

Upon graduating high school, my Redemption playing days became a thing of the past and I never really considered coming back to the game until a guys’ weekend where my church buddies introduced me to Magic: The Gathering. While many of the mechanics felt similar, I was also massively overwhelmed by the many moving pieces of the game. Although I was intrigued by the game, I found myself more struck by the nostalgia for my days playing Redemption. I decided to see if the game of my childhood was still up and running and was pleased to see that it was indeed alive and well and that tournaments were still being held at the same location thanks to the legacy of the Hake family. With some minor cajoling, my wife gave her blessing to let me embark on another hobby and I started formulating a deck concept I’d feel comfortable piloting, getting some great insights from Andy at YTG, Kurt, and Jayden Alstad along the way. 

After participating in a local tournament and the Southwestern Regional Tournament, I was struck by the patience and graciousness that established players had with me as I relearned even the most basic of gameplay protocols. Reflecting on my performance, I’m proud to say that I’m not utterly terrible despite being out of the game for two decades but certainly have lots more to learn and improve on. The following are a few reflections I’ve been pondering as I re-engage with this enduring game. 

  1. The community is incredibly generous with its engagement for players that are learning the game. Questions about game mechanics are often answered within minutes, veteran players are willing to coach people through strengths and pitfalls of deck construction, and the broader infrastructure around the game (YTG, Redemption CCG App, TLG, the Discord server, etc.) is built to serve the community rather than gatekeep it. This has been so helpful to me as I’ve waded back into the waters of Redemption and makes the game incredibly accessible to those that are interested. 
  2. I believe that Redemption may be uniquely poised to gain new traction in this era of CCG players. Whatever your thoughts may be on MTG, I have seen that we have more Christians that are comfortable navigating the potentially muddy thematic waters of the game for the sake of playing a technical, well-constructed game with a robust playing community. Christian MTG players have the option to avoid cards that are theologically problematic while embracing cool themes like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel, and even Lord of the Rings. Alternatively, they can interact while critiquing the content, as many of us do with the media we engage with as Christians who are in the world but not of the world. With more Christians familiar with CCG mechanics via games like MTG, I believe we also have more potential Redemption players waiting in the wings to play this great game. Many would enjoy content that can enhance their biblical literacy and be more openly engaged with by Christians that either want to avoid MTG entirely or want to play a CCG without wanting to spend time in gameplay discerning the wheat from the tares. A number of my church buddies have mentioned their interest in Redemption especially in the context of teaching their kids about CCG mechanics without having to regularly be on the alert to explain and speak truth over MTG’s content (Still working on getting them introduced though…which leads me to Point 3).
  3. I think that the Paragon play format may be the pathway forward for introducing the game and making it accessible to new players (and I’m not just saying this to gas up my fellow CA player, Kurt Hake). With the popularity of Commander decks from MTG, many CCG players are already familiar with the general concept of a figurehead that sets the tone for what the deck wants to do. The limited nature of the card pool allows new players to not be overwhelmed by the deep well of playable rotation/limited cards but also gives plenty of variety in gameplay strategy. Its design for multiplayer allows multiple players to learn the game quickly by giving them multiple rounds of play to watch the gameplay loop while not having to actually make gameplay decisions unless they’re attacking or blocking. I’m sure there’s plenty of things that I don’t know about the state of the game and where it’s headed but I truly hope that Paragon can soon gain full endorsement from Cactus Game Design and maybe even figure out how to have pre-constructed Paragon decks at similar price points as MTG Commander decks ($50 or less). In the meantime, it’s great that we have the Paragon decks from YTG (which at $75 are a great value) and the incoming cards from Roots 2 should only further bolster the play format and legitimize its place in endorsed and competitive play. 
  4. On a personal note, I’m really glad that Redemption has lasted for as long as it has. After studying theology for my undergraduate and masters degrees and teaching theology in various different contexts, it’s been so cool to see the ways that Scripture feeds into gameplay themes. Cards make me reflect on theological truths and make me appreciate the redemptive story of Scripture. As I continue to get more familiar with the card pool, I’m excited to think about ways that I could make decks less about optimizing and min/maxing and more revolving around theological themes. As Christians, we have found hope in the greatest story known to man and playing a game that highlights that story is a special joy. 

I’m sure if I sat and thought on things longer, I’d have more to say, but I think I’ll leave it here. I only have warm feelings towards this game and am so grateful for the wide community that makes this game possible. I’m excited to keep playing, keep learning, and, prayerfully, introduce more folks to this wonderful game. Blessings, my friends!

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