Subject: Re: Is MTG Dead? Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 16:02:59 +0900 From: Tim Wilkin To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com [Frank...a follow up] I've read some of the follow-ups to Jamie's original mail and I'm interested to note the the lull in Magic is not localised to Australia. I was recently in the US and enjoyed some good local play, but other than in Seattle (at the Games Centre) it wasn't much different to Australia. Some of the follow up authors have said that it's because of the cards...or because of the internet...or because scrubs have access to decks and commentary that they didn't have before....it's all of these and its other things too... Why are people not turning up to tournaments...because the focus of tournaments are changing. Particularly here in Australia, but I think particularly in the eyes of the DCI. Whereas even so close as a year or so ago, people went to tournaments (PTQs, GPs, etc) because they expected a large field of people to play against and a wide variety of decks to face. It was a challenge to take your newly created deck along and see how it went. You went for the fun of it. Sure, there were htose few people who seriously expected to make top 8 and those few who probably really had an outside chance, but I think most people went for the fun of playing in a large tournament. Now, especially with the Rath Block being pushed as a tournament format, there is so little variety in the environment. Add to this the information access the internet provides (the very place you are now reading this mind you!!!) and basically, unless you're the first to come up with a deck...then everyone knows what you're playing by your third turn. How much fun is that? The whole focus has changed to getting to top 8 (for many people at least) and thus they feel they have to play the 'standard decks'. People don't want to risk playing anything else. Now, there are certainly those people that wouldn't or couldn't make these decks...I know even I struggle to justify the latest Death deck (and I have at elast 10 thousand cards...which is really not many!) These people dont bother going to the PTQs and GPs for fun because they know they're going to get their butt kicked by someone with a netdeck...and that someone might be a 'scrub' as well. A lot of this has come about because of the Rath Block's phat beatdown capability. Decks are now killing within the first 5 turns (often!) and how much fun is that. I thought the whole idea of this game was to play(!!!), but hte whole idea of a tournament seems to be to kill (or defeat if you want to be squeemish about it!) your opponent as quick as possible (how few people are playing control oriented decks in T2 right now??? Not many) Having perused the spoilers from Urza's and read some of the net commentary, I dare say that things aren't going to change much. Either people wont find much worthwhile in the set to slot into their current decks, or the overall lower quality of cards will make it harder to design outstanding new decks. I could be wrong of course!!! I think that all we can do is try and bring people back to the tournaments. As a tournament organiser, judge and player, I've seen the game from all sides. It's up to organisers to encourage less competitve players to the tables and its up to us more experienced players to show them a good time once they get their. Sure, you can still beat them if you want to make it to top 8, but unless its a PTQ or GP you just have to win, why not stop for a moment and ask yourself...can I have some fun today??? Cheers all, Tim Wilkin taw@cs.monash.edu.au