NFL Player Cassius Marsh Explains How Magic: The Gathering Sharpens HIs Mind

YouTube: KNBR

49ers defensive end Cassius Marsh loves to play Magic: The Gathering. The 26-year-old NFL player even recently announced that he is starting a stream channel for Magic Arena, the new digital card game entering the esports scene this year. Now,

"I've been playing since I was 11 years old, so I love it," Marsh told KNBR. "It's something I'm very passionate about off the field. It's a big-time mental game, so for me, off the field, it helps me escape after a long day at work, just get into my little nerdy world. It's definitely helped me develop mentally. I don't know how that's translated to football, but it's extremely challenging mentally."

Marsh has attended several competitive Magic tournaments called MagicFests (formerly called Grand Prix). The offseason gives Marsh time to attend the events that take place around the world. He recently attended Grand Prix Prague earlier this month.

"[At the event], they have several different tournaments, each day has different events," Marsh added. "They do tournaments for rewards. They do drafts. It's a lot like the [NFL] draft in some ways. You can come up on someone you really thought wasn't going to be there, so it's really cool. There's so much that goes into the game."

Marsh also emphasized how expensive it is to play the game but says that's it's worth it because of its fun and "extremely interactive" mental gameplay.

If you're a Magic Arena player, we invite you to join our MTG Arena Facebook group here.

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