Subject: Reasons why the Dojo isn't killing MTG
Date: Tue, 05 May 1998 20:30:47 +0200
From: Paul De Meulenaere <pauldm@ping.be>
To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com

I would like to give my oppinion on the current debate that concerns the
influence of the magic dojo on the worldwide magic scene.First of all
let me introduce myself: Mathijs Luts, #1 standard player in Belgium,
and an avid magic player since early Antiquities.I would also make sure
everybody is fully aware of the fact that the following is purely my own
vision of the facts, I completely understand that are a lot of players
who will disagree with me and I respect their opinion as much as mine.

Now let me make one thing clear: I think the dojo is a good thing for
the magic community.I'll give you my reasons for this statement:

1)It's a great way to learn about  the game as a whole and about the
popular decks in particular. Please be aware of the fact that deck
copying exists for a long time and will continue to exist as long as
magic exists. all the dojo changes is the ease of finding and copying
good decks! Some people just don't have the time to spend hours and
hours on developing a killer deck, while others just don't have the
people to test with, is it so unfair to still give these people the
opportunity to play competitive magic? Right, I don't think so.

2)In the long run it are still the the top players who come out best!If
you don't believe me, just go check out the major tournament reports:
Never ever has a scrub won a major tourney with a copied deck.

3)The fact that scrubs skip an important part of the learning curve is
true, but then again this also means they still have to learn all the
game mechanics and rules in the long run if they ever want to become a
good player. To do this they will also have to understand the mechanics
of the mana curve and land ratio; copying decks just delays the
inevitable.

4) A good player can even put the fact that people copy decks to his
advantage: if he can design a deck that beats the popular decks in his
area, he will be able to finish high at every tourney he plays.

5)the dojo provides excellent info on the metagame to experienced
players.

Comments are always welcome.
Mathijs luts,
member of team international.