Passing A Jitte

Cast your mind back to 2005, to a card store that is no more. It was a draft – eight blokes – and yes, it was just blokes that day – with packs of Champions and Betrayers of Kamigawa arrayed before them. This was a table which had a slant to it. Specifically, it had four members of a group we knew as Infinite Monkeys at it – actual PT-qualifying kinda guys. Two pairs of brothers, even. Bonus, one of the pairs had a Nice One and a Mean One. Not mean-mean, just you know, cocky. Guy has accomplishments, has that swagger. The mean one, let’s call him E.

In this pool there was a guy who is a sweetheart, but has trouble reading. We’ll call him D. It’s okay, he’s a good enough player and he’s a friendly guy. Plus, he wins his share of games, in his own words, by ignoring any card that’s too complicated. Cards that are complicated are usually combo cards or cards for constructed. Easier to just run with cards that hit people.

Pack two unwraps. Everyone looks, there’s a bit of chuckling and smack talk and lies, and people take their card. D passes to E, E passes to his brother. Next pack, everyone picks up and E immediately whips his head around and says, so loud the room shakes, “What the FUCK!?”

“What?”

“You just passed me a jitte.”

The room goes silent. This is of course, against the rules. This is a Bit Of A Problem. There’s some conversation. Some crosstalk.

E hands the pack backwards, gives D the jitte, explains to him how amazing it is, and the draft continues with this strange awkwardness, E a card down.

Then I had to head home.