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On December 29th, 2025, USA TODAY published an article by Rachel Barber titled, "How Black nerds are turning a fantasy card game into real community." You cannot imagine how important this was to the Magic: The Gathering Black creator space. An article about us? An article uplifting and celebrating all of us?

I was a little obsessed. To be honest, we were all a little obsessed.

When I sat down to write this article, I really didn't know what angle to navigate through. I could just reiterate all the things mentioned in the article. I could uplift the same voices mentioned in the article. I didn't like that. I don't like easy things, I guess. I wanted an interesting angle. I sort of figured, as a black, femme-presenting person, all the topics discussed in the article were obvious to me.

That was my mistake, though. I hadn't realized who the audience of that article and the one I'm writing now were. I'm not writing about Blerds (Black nerds) just for Blerds. Marginalized people of any kind know their own circumstances and triumphs - well most of us do.

My article will attempt to explain the effect of things like the USATODAY article on the space and on Blerds - and marginalized people in general.

The USATODAY Article in Pieces

First lets discuss some elements to the article.

The Cookout '26

The article discusses many different aspects to Black/Nerdy, Blerdy, community. The author discusses how Joseph Johnson, or Blackneto's, TableTopJocks show and Juneteenth Cookout Event has affected the community. The Cookout is a gathering of people playing games - predominantly Magic - and eating good food in celebration of Juneteenth. The 2026 event is June 19-20th and tickets go on sale February 1st, starting at $65. (More information about the 2026 event here).

It might not seem like a big deal, the events that Johnson has created here, but I've spoken to many members of the community, creators in the Magic space, and they think otherwise. Notably Higher, a member of the Commander Format Panel, stated, "To be honest, the work Joe and TableTopJocks are doing really has opened a door that was closed."

There are so few Black nerd spaces. It's hard for Black people to know they feel safe and welcomed into a space. So often, all of us marginalized people have felt left out, or isolated by the community's homogeny. It's hard to find spaces that look and feel like us, especially spaces that want us too.

The Cookout, even it's name, is quintessentially Black. It has culture and community baked in. It is a space designed to make people who are othered - in ways other than just race - feel welcomed. This is so important to expanding the space towards people that aren't the white, cis, heterosexual, competitive men that this game typically attracts.

Magic, Not Mayhem

The article talks about how Magic, "saved [Keontaye Williams's] life and thinks it could do the same for others." It discusses how Keontaye - better known as ReversalWizrd - lost three family members to gun violence and launched a nonprofit focused on "gun violence prevention and uplifting his local community through outreach events." He said Magic, "Saved me from basically being swallowed up by the streets."

It is so impactful to see how Magic, or hobbies in general, can contribute to healthy hobbies. Associating Black people with Yu-Gi-OH! and Anime was something I've always jokingly thought. I've never met a Black person who didn't know Yu-Gi-Oh! and/or Goku from Dragon Ball. I'm not kidding. Maybe I'm kidding a little bit, but the media so regularly doesn't represent the prevalent nerdy subculture of Black people. Spaces like ReversalWizrd found is something we should encourage in our youth. It might even save them.

A Community of Heroes

In the article, Johnathon Jones - fellow EDHREC writer, better known as Kurohitsuki - tries to "build a community his heroes would be proud of." He discusses the normalization of players as players, not just Black players. Additionally, Kurohitsuki wants Black people to know, "there is an outlet. There is a game out there that allows you to be known for what you do, not just what people perceive you as."

So many young Black men are looking for role models, heroes. We have so few heroes in diverse spaces, like card games. We see them in sports and music, but rarely in professional nerdy spaces.

MTGDrip said, "Being a Blerd in competitive tournament Magic is definitely an experience to put it in so many words. The higher I go the thinner the air gets. So when I receive compliments. It's definitely a very quiet cry experience." Being able to see people like us on the pro-tour or people like us at MagicCons is huge for us to have those heroes.

PowrDragn, a former member of the Commander Format Panel, added, "While there are several Blerds that play MTG, there aren't a lot that get promoted heavily. Some of that is due to algorithmic systems simply showing more of what you already consume/interact with, because you're sending signals that you enjoy that. The problem is that if mostly non-Blacks are shared/promoted, that stays the trend. So any chance I get to be more visible, I take it."

We need more heroes like us uplifted so more of us can become the norm in the space.

Barriers to Entry

Cost

The article talks about the introduction of, "proxies...and the 2019 launch of MTG Arena," and its attempt to erode the barriers to entry into Magic in relationship to its cost. It's not news to discuss the wealth disparity amongst marginalized people, especially Black people. If most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, imagine what the lower end of that looks like. Expendable income is hard to come by.

And Magic is not a cheap hobby. I regularly use the money I make writing articles to fuel my hobby. Most Black Creators have full time jobs alongside creation. Having options to spend large sums of money is huge in getting marginalized people into the game. Deckbuilding playtesters like Moxfield and Archidekt are great resources for this as well for playing Magic for free online on Spelltable. These are ways to break down the barriers for marginalized people.

Stereotypes

The article discusses how Magic is seen as a white, male-dominated and hyper-competitive hobby. While the majority of its players are, this isn't what the whole community is made of. I love how Johnson puts it in this article: "If you’re pretending to be a wizard, skin color shouldn’t matter."

This idea that someone can't be a magical creature and Black has and always will be an insane "take" to me. Black Wizards - or in the case of Magic, Planeswalkers - should be common place and normalized. We are a part of the community.

Jasmine, the Director of On Da Stack! said, "When I made ODS, my original intention was to highlight my diverse and interesting Magic: The Gathering playgroup. And also showcase that “nerdy” people do not have to portray stereotypical characteristics."

We all yearn for a space to be seen. It's why Magic TikTok is filled with relatable moments from the game. It's what we love to see. This extends to our identities as well. We want people to look, think, talk like us. Representation like this, lots of it, helps dismantle harmful expectations and stereotypes amongst marginalized communities.

Marginalized-Owned 3rd Spaces

The article mentions ReversalWizrd's Black-owned game stores. "He felt it was his duty to attract more players who looked like him." Encouraging more people like us to speak up creates an understood sense of community. Being able to feel safe in a space with you considered, is hugely important. Safe for some isn't safe for everyone. I've felt this most of my life. Nerdy spaces have always been hostile to women.

Being a nerdy person my whole life made it hard, even in Black spaces, to feel safe. Spaces owned by marginalized people made me feel more safe by increment. Everyone needs that understanding and safety.

ReversalWizrd went on to say, "There are so many narratives on television and other things that show people of color, especially Black people, in a bad light, stereotyping is to always be a thug...Black people don't just do these bad things. We're not just all out here playing sports. We're also nerds. We can be whatever we want to be."

Women

The article attempts to broach the topic of marginalized femme people in spaces, recounting, "a young woman calling ahead to say she wanted to come in and play, but every time she attended other Magic: The Gathering events, she felt uncomfortable." However, they weren't able to interview a femme on this topic. So I did.

Jasmine from On Da Stack! said,

"We recently had a video go off on our socials and the most commented thing was depicted sentiments of shock regarding the mere presence of Black women existing in this space. As a Black woman myself, I was appreciative of the acknowledgement...at first. Then that appreciation turned into a bit of frustration/confusion, I suppose. We are not a monolith. We possess no limitations in our interests or capabilities. And we need more of us in this game to represent that. So now the mission is to draw in others with similar interests who can see themselves in us: just regular friends and family they feel comfortable enough to approach trying something they otherwise wouldn’t have - like Magic."

No notes. She said it perfectly.

Conclusions

When I reached out to the community about this article, HotSinglesINN stated, "It's hard to receive validation from people who don't understand that you came into this space at a disadvantage." Which is so tough as a creator in a space like this, let alone existing in the space. They go on to say, "I started playing Magic in a LGS where I was ostracized by the very audience you make content for now."

As creators, we face unique struggles making content for people who might not even like us. Especially when compared through the lens of the success of others that don't face the same inherent opposition.

"Having giants in the nerd community be Black, and proudly so, makes space for people like me to start creating content. Not only that but the acknowledgment from Black creators is validation that we belong here. The kind you cant get anywhere else," HotSinglesINN ended with. So perfectly said.

We see it in the music industry with GloRilla and Sexyy Red featuring on Tyler, The Creator's Sticky and Doechii in Balloon on Chromokopia. It uplifts Black, women rapper's voices. We need to look out for each other.

At least, that's what I think. Tell me what you think! I'm @strixhavendropout!