Every day before the morning bell blares, a war rages within the high school's heavily fortified, brick walls. Students wage these skirmishes upon lower-cafeteria tables, amid their unsuspecting peers.  Is ignorance truly bliss, and how can these students possibly vanquish each other daily with administrator approval?  Welcome, dear readers, to the invisible world of popular card game "Magic: the Gathering".
   This particular group of Planeswalkers, or players, surfaced after senior and now six-month player, Leo Key, formed a Facebook group called “Lewiston MTG” back in August.  They started the tradition of meeting before school without actually planning it.  Players usually arrived around 7 a.m.
    “There were a lot of people who wanted to play ‘Magic’, but they had no place to play,” said Key.
   Students who wandered into the cafeteria in the mornings started to notice the group. “It’s cool that it brings people together and gives them the opportunity to hang out,” said senior Jessica Teigen, of her observations of the players.      
   First distributed in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast, “Magic: the Gathering”, also called “Magic”, gained a dedicated following. Fans created several online forums to discuss deck-making and card-trading. Wizards of the Coast webmasters even released an online level system to track points from tournaments.
   LHS’s addition to this fandom consisted of about 15 members, but the group continued to grow as the year progressed. “We’ll teach people if they are new,” said Key.
   Although no official rulebook existed, players discovered the rules from game veterans or just general gameplay.     “Even though I’ve been playing for a while, I still have questions,” said senior and year-and-a-half player Hannah Wesselman.
   Players collected cards in order to build decks with which to play.  At the beginning of each match, players possessed 20 health points which the other players attempted to destroy as they played cards with attack abilities.  Once a player’s health dropped to zero, they lost the game.     
   “At its basic level, it is a really simple game,” said junior and six-month player Phillip Steiner.  “But people turn it into … this big cycle of people making decks to beat other decks.”
   If simplified, the game involved a system where players used specific “land” cards to fuel their attacks and defenses.
   “Planeswalkers are like aristocrats,” explained senior and year-and-a-half player Andrew Acuff. “They need land.”
  These lands cards corresponded with five different types of mana - red, white, blue, green and black.  Using specific mana, players cast either instant, sorcery, creature or enchantment cards to affect other players or defend against attacks. “Each card has its specific ability,” said senior and four-month player Livi Grimoldby.
   Tuesday “Magic” nights at the Clarkston store Gameplay provided another opportunity for players to gain new cards, critique decks and hone their skills.  Students from Clarkston and Asotin High Schools as well as adults also gathered at these meetings for casual play and trading.   “They trade for a specific card that they need or they want,” said Grimoldby.
  As more players materialized Tuesday nights and at school, veterans served as their unofficial “Magic” mentors through help particularly with deck-making.
   “Find a player who knows what they are talking about,” advised Wesselman.  “Ask them to help you build a deck.  The rest is just trial and error.”
   These new players increased membership since the group’s start in August. “New people are joining every day,” said Grimoldby.
  Where they once occupied one cafeteria table top, now players took over two or even three tables in the morning.
   “We’re eventually going to have the whole cafeteria at some point,” said Grimoldby with a laugh.  “I can just see that now.”