Subject: Re: The Super Series Condition Date: Wed, 29 Apr 1998 20:42:04 -0400 From: Noah To: dci@wizards.com, fkusumot@ix.netcom.com, touretts@ix.netcom.com He's right. I'm one of the better Atlanta juniors, and I qualified for the JSS Eastern Division Championship. I finished with a record of 3-1-2, both draws decided on time, and failed to make the top 8 because of this; had I won either of those draws, I most likely would have been the 7th or 8th seed. I was disappointed to see many not-so-good players there, and it seemed some people had no chance at a high finish because of lack of skill and experience. As Toby said, almost all of the Day 1 players qualified for the second day. My first match was against a black/red Gravepact deck. Not saying Gravepact is a bad card, but this guy had no chance against me. After that though, I played all net-decks... three mono-red, one mono-blue Steel Golem deck, and one Donais U5C. I was playing a U/G Tradewind deck. I was beaten by one of the mono-red decks, even though my opponent was a bad player. The two draws came against the Steel Golem and U5C decks, and I beat the two better players playing mono-red. It was all luck. I agree that the JSS should have some sort of limited format, testing the players' deckbuilding and playing skills rather than his or her top deck skills. The three-leveled approach is unnecessary. I think the Junior Division of the Pro Tour was much more competitive than this, and much harder to qualify for. As far as the amount of money given out, I'm not really concerned. The JSS prizes may be higher, but the Championship only occurs once a year rather than at every PT stop. Divisional Championships are good for nothing. I'll never play in one unless it is in Atlanta, because the only thing one can win is airfare. Now I can just play in the Orlando open tournament, and I'll surely be one of the top 40 players. I'll probably just have to win the first two, then draw the rest. Sadly, this is most likely the case. In general, I think the JSS is a horrible plan. There is too much wasted time, and the setup is such that juniors are not given the opportunities to go to real PTs except once every three stops. Bad players have the chance to win good money, and this should not happen. Wizards should not give out the money, but players should have to earn it. The junior tournament system desperately needs to be reworked, insuring quality competition and fairness to all. Feel free to write back, Noah Eden DCI #9342