Magic: The Gathering is a trading card game that pits two spell-slinging competitors against one another in the ultimate battle of wits. Each player tries to build up their magic reservoir - known as mana - in order to cast spells, summon monsters, and take out their opponent in the process.
It's a game enjoyed by over 20 million people worldwide, including a few artists featured in the Electric Daisy Carnival.
Julian Scanlan, known by his stage name "Slushii," has only been playing the game for a few months. But he's already hooked.
"A good friend of mine, Eddie, was super into Magic," said Julian. "He would always try to get me to play... and I finally gave in and we ended up playing for hours."
According to Julian, it makes sense that DJs would take an interest in Magic.
"You have an end goal in a song, and a specific strategy." he said. "Maybe I'll use different sounds in place of other sounds to get everything going. Versus - maybe I'll play this card instead of this card and try to get the ultimate combo going. I think music and card games have a lot in common."
Julian, along with other artists, took time away from performing at EDC to visit the Grand Prix tournament at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The tournament runs from June 15-18, and winners get a $10,000 grand prize.
Author's note: Interviews have been edited for clarity.
