Subject: PTQ Formats Date: 18 Sep 98 03:55:50 EDT From: Catherine Nicoloff To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com I'd like to point out something that all the pros and non-pros have been dancing around in this entire thread. It seems pretty ridiculous to me that a very vocal minority of players assumes that the PT has *already found* all the good PT-level players, and everyone else is just a "scrub" trying to qualify, and therefore they deserve to get pounded in the head with disadvantages. This is, in reality, what Pros are saying when they say the current system is *perfect* because "the pros deserve an advantage". Doesn't anyone else think it's ludicrous for these players to make such grandiose assumptions about their skill levels? How many times did Dave Price run the PTQ circuit before he finished high enough to qualify for the next PT? Is Dave an inferior player to all of the Pros who have been eternally qualified since PT I? By the logic that the current system is perfect and rightly favors the best players, Dave Price was a "scrub" who deserved to work harder than everyone else for the same rewards. The truth is, there are tons of great players worldwide who have to qualify and re-qualify using the PTQ's. In no way at all do I feel that these players are the slightest bit inferior to all their pre-qualified brethren. They have the same skills, the same drive, the same abilities. In fact, the only thing these "scrubs" lack in comparison to the average Pro player is the ability to dedicate an equivalent amount of time to the relevant PT format. The current bulk of the pre-qualified Pro environment is composed of players who (despite their own feelings on the matter) are only slightly more skilled overall than the above-average "scrub" who qualifies for every PT the hard way. The skill advantage they claim is not about strategy. It's about playtesting. Once you're on the gravy train, as Jamie Wakefield pointed out, it's easier to *stay* on the PT than it is to *get* on the PT. So, in essence, what the current system asks us to do is to pretend that *all* the best PT players have already been found, and that therefore they deserve a system in place designed to keep them on top and everyone else beneath them. I'm tired of pretending that little piece of fiction. In reality, the whole world is full of great Magic players who have the potential to be every bit as good or better than the current Pro Tour elite. But our system hands them a Catch-22: In order to do well on the PT, they must first get on the gravy train. In order to get on the gravy train, they must first do well on the PT. You find the best players in the world by taking all of the competitors and giving them identical problems. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Competitor, Congratulations! You have qualified for the Pro Tour! You have three months to build the best deck and practice. We wish you the best of luck! Love, WotC --------------------------------------------------------------------- But the reality is this : --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Scrub, Congratulations! You finally qualified! You have two weeks to scrape up a deck and somebody to playtest with. Everyone else started three months ago. Good luck, you'll need it! Love, WotC --------------------------------------------------------------------- This is NOT how you find the best players in the world. - Cathy Nicoloff Team Legion PS - http://www.mtgnews.com/ is hosting a vote on this topic. ____________________________________________________________________ Get free e-mail and a permanent address at http://www.amexmail.com/?A=1