
The Powerful True Life Story Behind Why We Choose to Do Good With Magic
Please see our blog for the complete Powerful and True Life Story of why we chose to do good with magic, areas of focus and our long term goals of working towards the ability to support online mental health and Children's Hospitals.
This story also explains:
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How Magic is Meaningful and Why The Community Around Magic Matters
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How We Found Renewed Hope, Love, and New Friends in the Magic Old School Community
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And How Magic and Visiting the Shores of Imagination Can Actually Save Your Life

What We Stand For: Starting A Old School Magic Group Focused on Doing Good & Creating A Positive Community
As a result of a difficult personal and tragic family experience that occured during COVID, we took trying times and turned them into something positive and started an Old School Magic players group called Four Horsemen, along with my Co-Founder Nick Brier & John Ekleberry, and with leading commentating support from the Creator of "The Deck" and O.G. Old School Pro Tour Magic the Gathering Champion, Brian Weissman.
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Remember what it was like to cast a big creature and proceed with a massive beat down, amidst extended and intense creature combat and creature-based battles for the win. If you're the type of person who likes to have fun playing Magic, this is the format for you.
If you like to smile, laugh, and have a good time with a beverage of choice over some vintage 'cardboard crack' throw down, this is the group for you.
The Four Horsemen Old School Magic Players Group is focused on creating a positive community of likeminded Old School Magic the Gathering players who aspire to do good in the world, build friendships, and give back to their communities. We have built a community focused on social interaction with great camaraderie, lots of good old fashioned Old School Magic fun slinging old cardboard, and making some good friends along the way!​​
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Our Mission, Goals & Philosophy
Our Mission is to leverage the internet, social media, community building, interaction, one-on-one connection, conversation, gaming, and events to provide a nurturing community of individuals who are passionate connecting with like-minded individuals. We promote positive online mental health amidst increasing stress, anxiety isolation and mental health issues that naturally combats the negative impacts of toxic online behaviors and the inherent destructive and addictive aspects designed into social media platforms.
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We promote positive online mental health amidst increasing stress, anxiety, isolation and mental health issues by creating, nurturing, and supporting a positive community focused on increased online connection, and interaction with Magic as "The Gathering" center and mechanism around which we focus, and in-person gaming and community building at the center to help grow a positive community. We sponsor events, gaming tournaments, and community gatherings.We also aspire to give back to our communities and good causes through in-person events.
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What We Stand Against
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We Are: Pro-Truth, Pro-Facts, Pro-Free Markets, Pro-Capitalism, Pro-Freedom, Pro-Individual Rights, Pro-Charity, & Pro-Old School Magic the Gathering Fun!
We Are: Anti-Hate, Anti-Trolling, Anti-Cyber Bullying, Anti-Cyber-Harassment, Anti-Online Toxic Behaviors, Anti-Hate Speech, Anti-Narcist, Anti-Fascist, Anti-Communist, Anti-Socialist, Anti-Racist, Anti-Social Media-Based Assault, Anti-Defamation, Anti-slander, & Anti-libel.
We specifically do not support and formally denounce Internet trolling, online hate speech, online cyber bullying, cyber harassment, cyber stalking, psychotic and abusive social media-based assaults, sociopathic behaviors, attacks on individuals or groups who are trying to do good, and related destructive and abusive behaviors demonstrated by keyboard individuals behind their screens who are toxic to the community we are trying to build. We encourage such individuals to seek professional mental health assistance.
We are in the Midst of A Mental Health Epidemic Crisis
Mental health issues are at epidemic levels in our society caused by the intrinsic addictive aspects intentionally designed into social media platforms and other societal factors. More than ever, individuals are vulnerable to isolation, loneliness, anxiety, stress, insecurity, self-doubt, depression, anger issues, suicidal thoughts, body image issues, psychological disorders, and mental illness.
We strive to create a positive, mentally-healthy online community based on person-to-person interaction via web camera, meeting rooms, open forum discussions, and private one-on-one discussions. We leverage our community to increase positive socialization, social interaction, and personal connection and communication combined with the playing of collectible card gaming and community activities that increase interaction and socialization. We also coordinate and sponsor events, gaming tournaments, and community gatherings.
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Most Men Lead Lives Of Quiet Desperation
The famous author, philosopher, and Transcendentalist, Henry David Thoreau wrote the famous line: “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation." We established Four Horsemen Old School Magic as a community with a charitable charter to create a space within the Old School Magic the Gathering gaming community to bring together likeminded individuals who have a love for the game, a fascination with niche and fringe Old School magic Formats, who want to have and experience a unique form of 1993-1994 Old School magic while making friends and participating in friendly community.

The Principles of Four Horsemen Old School Magic
Increase The Magic Fun
- Enhance and encourage the fun and interaction of the OS MTG 94 feeling and game play.
- Keep the Four Horsemen free of hatred, trolling, bullying, and harassment.
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Be A Different, Unique, & Interesting Format within Old School
- Be different from other OS MTG Formats where you face the same dominant decks and same cards over and over
- Provide a Different and Unique Experience You Cannot Get from the OS MTG Formats.
Attract Players & Open Old School Magic to All
- Allow everyone to experience playing with the old cards. Proxies allowed, Not “Pay to Play”.
- Attract More players who will participate in out Weekly Thursday night meet ups, play in our online virtual tournaments, & join In-Person Events
- Make the Format as attractive, interesting, and appealing as possible to the Maximum number of Players
Have A Balanced Format that Encourages Broad Card Pool Play
- Move away from the same "Usual Suspects" power cards in ABU that are in all the other formats and encourage play of cards not commonly seen in most decks.
- Enable rules that encourage a broad pool of cards to be played, as opposed to the same few deck themes, and that promotes the play of cards do not often see game play.
- Have A Fun, Balanced, Competitive Format, Where Luck is An Important Factor, & Where Underdogs Have a Chance. Magic is Not Chess.
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Goals of Four Horsemen Old School Magic
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Grow the Community of Active Involved Members
- Increase our community of members who are active who participate in our events, who contribute positively to the community and stay involved. - We do not want a large community who is not active.
Keep Magic Fun & Active
- Ensure the format and group keeps things fun and interactive
- Always keep the Four Horsemen free of hatred, trolling, bullying, and harassment. Keep anyone who violates the group rules out permanently.
- Ensure member participation is positive and contributes positively to the format and the community.
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Achieve A 50 Player 4HM Tournament
- Have a Online Virtual Tournament that has 50 players
- Work to Evolve to A point where we can do Good in the Community Formally
- It is the long-term aspirational goal and intention to over time hopefully be able to evolve this endeavor and mature our group to the point where we can transition the Four Horsemen into a more formal entity that can do good in the world and help with some good causes.
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Host One Annual In-Person Event Per Year
- Host an din-person event annually that attracts at least 40 players
- Utilize any proceeds to make a charitable donation to a North Texas Children's hospital
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Within A Few Months of Establishing the Four Horsemen Old School Magic Players Group in July of 2022, we went from an Idea, to where we are Today!
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Charitable Causes
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We made a financial contribution to a charitable cause and provided near $4000 to fund legal and attorney fees to help our community member who was struggling to afford the legal costs of fighting a custody battle for his child and was at risk of loosing custody of their son permanently. We helped pay legal fees and helped secure his parental visiting rights.
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Since no donations have ever been made to, nor received by Four Horsemen Old School Magic Player's Group, we support this format, our community, our free online web camera tournaments, prizes, and costs via our Etsy Store and from our own pocketbook; this charitable gesture was made by our founders from their own pockets to help a community member in need.​
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Hosted 23 Free Online WebCamera Tournaments
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We hosted our first In-Person Tournament Event at SCGCON Dallas!
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Hosting regular online web camera based Old School magic tournaments every 5-6 weeks. We are averaging 30-40 players per Tournament and host them online every 6 weeks!
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Free Participant Prizes
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We have since given away over $4000 in FREE prizes to our players and community members!
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Community Growth, Contributions & Content
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We went from 2 members, to over 530 Facebook Group Members, and over 1900 Followers on Instagram. We launched our Four Horsemen Discord Group and 100 members have joined us on Discord
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We released 230 videos on The Four Horsemen YouTube Channel and now have 380 followers!
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We released our Blog with Stories of Magic Nostalgia, as well as the Meaning and Positive Impact from our Old School Magic the Gathering Community.
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Supporting & Patronizing Old School Magic Artists
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We started our own custom artwork project with Ken Meyer Jr., completed our first Kickstarter, surpassed our goal and hit $5,500, and shipped over 70 play mats to our backers! Thank you for supporting us!
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In Person Tournament Events
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We are planning DesertCon Las Vegas 2026: Old School Magic in the Desert!
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DesertCon is a multi-day, in-person gathering in the Las Vegas desert of Old School Magic: The Gathering players featuring Old School Swedish (SWE) and X-Point Old School Main Event Tournaments while also exploring growing formats Four Horsemen and 7pts Singleton​
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Hosted as an unofficial side event to MagicCon: Las Vegas 2026, DesertCon runs in parallel, offering attendees a unique and immersive experience that complements the official festivities.
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​DesertCon features 1993-94 draft experiences, four Old School Magic tournaments, professional DJ social mixers, evening parties with live music performances by Dallas-based musician ISHI, featured Old School Magic artists, sellers, charity raffles, guest speakers, and more; all in the fabulous Las Vegas!
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Founded in September 2025 by a coalition of format leaders, DesertCon supports meaningful charitable causes through raffles and donations while offering a vibrant set of mainstream Old School events, and spotlighting the creativity of the broader Old School ecosystem showcasing rapidly growing formats.
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If you're looking for a positive Old School Magic Community where you can make friends and have fun sling some old cardboard, join the Four Horsemen Old School Magic Camaraderie and Fun Here!
​Ways You Can Participate & How You Can Support Us:
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