Magic The Gathering

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They still chase women away. That's why they end up with troons only. The community put itself in that position.
 
I thought I would poke my head in here and scream to the void for a moment. See, I just finished selling all my magic cards a week ago, and I could use a moment to vent.

To give some background, I started around RTR era as an exceptionally poor college kid. My perspective is pretty warped, as at the time, I was moved by the generosity of those around me when they gave me a pile of draft chaff to help me build my first commander deck. And I was really bad at deckbuilding back then. I did Rhys the Redeemed with every card in those colors that said "token", without any ramp, draw, or interaction. But I pretty much just played commander from then on, with the occasional dip into standard with weird rogue decks like UB cycling in amonkhet (the legendary 5 dollar deck that went 0-5 every friday).

But the reason I quit is basically because I can read a chart. There has been some amount of controversy in magic for as long as I've been playing. To some extent, it's inevitable. But as the years have dragged on, the frequency and intensity seems to be rising. Or, in other terms, the slope is downward, and the delta is negative.

Firstly, they're paying too much attention to commander. And note that I say this as a former commander player. I was never the biggest fan of the commander decks because of how they warped deckbuilding. Command tower is the perfect example of this. It's a land of any color with no drawbacks in the format it was printed for, creating some really awful patterns of deckbuilding. Before, it was 99 cards, plus your commander. Now it's your commander, arcane signet, command tower, and 97 cards. More color locked cards don't have as much impact, but you need only look to the new commander specific counterspell to see that it's already a mandatory include for any serious blue deck. Similarly, legendary creatures are slowly polluting other products. While they're not all big winners (see all the uncommon creatures from dominaria), they're clearly designed for commander, and many of them are just absolutely atrocious to play against. It's not the newest problem. Derevi and daretti immediately come to mind as oppressive (made for) commanders, but recent examples include korvold and chulane. They reward you with free cards for doing the thing those colors do best. It's not just the brawl precons, though. Kykar and Yarok from M20 both stand out as new commanders in their respective colors that you have to really work hard to justify running anyone else.

Secondly, they're trying to reach too far and change too much in other eternal formats. Eternal formats change, and they should change over time, but things like hogaak from modern horizons are deeply unhealthy for the format. In fact, that whole set was unhealthy for the format, in that it was several years worth of change in one set. It didn't stop there, either, with the current bombs in standard causing serious problems there too. I played a bit of modern back in the day, and it was nice because I could go a year without touching my stupid tron deck, and it would still do okay when I came back. The first time my pet modern deck dies, I sigh, because it's inevitable. But I trade for stuff and I build a new one over the next year or so, and I do so with confidence because changes are slow on the local level, and my deck plan won't be totally dead next month. It's a very expensive format, and sudden change will lose players because they don't feel like building a new 50 dollar deck.

Lastly, the decisions of the company feel more and more short term. I think that a lot of the things I've already said were damaging to eternal formats fall into that category. Some degree of it was inevitable, but by ramping up the rate, the damage is compounded. The sudden deluge of whale products like secret lairs and collector boosters are another example of quick cash grabs. For the stuff in collector boosters, the only functional difference is that the picture is a couple of millimetres wider and has a photoshopped bleed at the edge. While it was nothing functional or required until very recently, more and more reprints are finding their way into weird places, along with new cards in the walking dead secret lair.

Subjectively, then, the game has gone through crises before, and we're in one now, the difference is that before now I had faith it would correct given a few sets.

What do you guys think?
 
Lucius Aelius said:
What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
I don't think standard design should be constrained by concerns about legacy and commander. There's nothing wrong with a high-octane, high power level standard meta as long as the power level is evenly distributed. As for Commander's power level, its a casual game. Enforce homebrew rules if you're worried about people bringing absurdly complex cards to Commander.
 
Haramburger said:
Magic has been so DESPERATE for a competent female in the community, in the BROADEST SENSE, that trannies are simply trying to fill the void that has remained vacant for decades before a real woman finally steps in. It's no understatement, if you are a legit XX chromosome female that isn't obese and face isn't wrecked, there is a vacant throne waiting for you. All you have to do is just give a single shit about playing the game and kind of liking the lore as a premise(I'm an interdimensional wizard constantly battling other wizards) and you will have a multi-million fan base in 3 months max. It's amazing that no woman seems to see this free kingdom for the taking, and either can't or won't play the game. At this point though, I wish one would JUST TO PURGE THE TRANNIES. Flop a few cards, play a few rounds online, talk about your favorite dragon on social media, pine that you wish you played during Arabian Nights or Legends days, and you would be a multimillionaire.

I believe in gatekeeping, but the time for keeping women out is long past. Women, please come in and cleanse us of the dudes in dresses, I'm begging you. We don't have the walls up to even attach a gate to anymore. Show up, talk the talk and pied-piper these soyboys and dickcutters out of here!
Click to expand...

Well, a glance over at our Trans social media thread might make you realize that once troons infest a space, they're going to work their hardest to boot out every woman already there and prevent every woman trying to get in from arriving. Maybe mtf are allowed in, but only true & honest women can get in there now - those cis women are just inferior to neovagooches, don't you know?

I don't see women who play the game ever really fluttering over towards the spheres which troons habitate, though. I would guess most women playing prefer to play in casual, local groups -- or competitive local groups where they know everyone involved and don't have to worry about some stinks-to-shit grog coming over and oogling them. There are a few streamers and content creators who're chicks of note, but they don't seem to really have much in the way of charismatic appeal at large - but that's seemingly true for most people in this field.

Stab You in the Back said:
I don't think standard design should be constrained by concerns about legacy and commander. There's nothing wrong with a high-octane, high power level standard meta as long as the power level is evenly distributed. As for Commander's power level, its a casual game. Enforce homebrew rules if you're worried about people bringing absurdly complex cards to Commander.
Click to expand...

I think the complaint is more that those rules have to keep being updated to deal with shit like fierce guardianship and teferi's protection - cards which don't necessarily immediately win the game, but which are so unreasonably powerful that it often feels like a deliberate handicap not to include them. It is getting a little annoying to keep house banning shit pushed in this way, but I generally think that most EDH groups should completely construct their own banlists anyways. Pick-up EDH with randoms has never really been something I've seen much appeal in, so I can't really speak to the frustration these cards bring in that regard.
 
Rich Evans Apologist said:
I think the complaint is more that those rules have to keep being updated to deal with shit like fierce guardianship and teferi's protection - cards which don't necessarily immediately win the game, but which are so unreasonably powerful that it often feels like a deliberate handicap not to include them. It is getting a little annoying to keep house banning shit pushed in this way, but I generally think that most EDH groups should completely construct their own banlists anyways. Pick-up EDH with randoms has never really been something I've seen much appeal in, so I can't really speak to the frustration these cards bring in that regard.
Click to expand...

It's pretty much this. I never had a particularly solid playgroup, and spent most of my time playing with randoms at the LGS. I was one of the longer lasting players there, and while some people stuck around for more or less time, the scene would change over the months and years. The standard banlist was the one people usually went with, and it's really hard to ban out cards in that kind of setting. And you basically nailed it. Everyone else at the table is playing whatever the new best of is, so it's a real feels bad to be the one person at the table who isn't using it. Commander in general has shifted a lot toward "good stuff" piles, with much less optional customization. And that's equally due to objectively more powerful cards being printed for the format, and a lot of new best of commanders being printed, because those kinds of commanders tend to be the more "do x, draw a card", which leaves less weird spots to find synergy for cards that are bad in other decks.
 
Lucius Aelius said:
I thought I would poke my head in here and scream to the void for a moment. See, I just finished selling all my magic cards a week ago, and I could use a moment to vent.

To give some background, I started around RTR era as an exceptionally poor college kid. My perspective is pretty warped, as at the time, I was moved by the generosity of those around me when they gave me a pile of draft chaff to help me build my first commander deck. And I was really bad at deckbuilding back then. I did Rhys the Redeemed with every card in those colors that said "token", without any ramp, draw, or interaction. But I pretty much just played commander from then on, with the occasional dip into standard with weird rogue decks like UB cycling in amonkhet (the legendary 5 dollar deck that went 0-5 every friday).

But the reason I quit is basically because I can read a chart. There has been some amount of controversy in magic for as long as I've been playing. To some extent, it's inevitable. But as the years have dragged on, the frequency and intensity seems to be rising. Or, in other terms, the slope is downward, and the delta is negative.

Firstly, they're paying too much attention to commander. And note that I say this as a former commander player. I was never the biggest fan of the commander decks because of how they warped deckbuilding. Command tower is the perfect example of this. It's a land of any color with no drawbacks in the format it was printed for, creating some really awful patterns of deckbuilding. Before, it was 99 cards, plus your commander. Now it's your commander, arcane signet, command tower, and 97 cards. More color locked cards don't have as much impact, but you need only look to the new commander specific counterspell to see that it's already a mandatory include for any serious blue deck. Similarly, legendary creatures are slowly polluting other products. While they're not all big winners (see all the uncommon creatures from dominaria), they're clearly designed for commander, and many of them are just absolutely atrocious to play against. It's not the newest problem. Derevi and daretti immediately come to mind as oppressive (made for) commanders, but recent examples include korvold and chulane. They reward you with free cards for doing the thing those colors do best. It's not just the brawl precons, though. Kykar and Yarok from M20 both stand out as new commanders in their respective colors that you have to really work hard to justify running anyone else.

Secondly, they're trying to reach too far and change too much in other eternal formats. Eternal formats change, and they should change over time, but things like hogaak from modern horizons are deeply unhealthy for the format. In fact, that whole set was unhealthy for the format, in that it was several years worth of change in one set. It didn't stop there, either, with the current bombs in standard causing serious problems there too. I played a bit of modern back in the day, and it was nice because I could go a year without touching my stupid tron deck, and it would still do okay when I came back. The first time my pet modern deck dies, I sigh, because it's inevitable. But I trade for stuff and I build a new one over the next year or so, and I do so with confidence because changes are slow on the local level, and my deck plan won't be totally dead next month. It's a very expensive format, and sudden change will lose players because they don't feel like building a new 50 dollar deck.

Lastly, the decisions of the company feel more and more short term. I think that a lot of the things I've already said were damaging to eternal formats fall into that category. Some degree of it was inevitable, but by ramping up the rate, the damage is compounded. The sudden deluge of whale products like secret lairs and collector boosters are another example of quick cash grabs. For the stuff in collector boosters, the only functional difference is that the picture is a couple of millimetres wider and has a photoshopped bleed at the edge. While it was nothing functional or required until very recently, more and more reprints are finding their way into weird places, along with new cards in the walking dead secret lair.

Subjectively, then, the game has gone through crises before, and we're in one now, the difference is that before now I had faith it would correct given a few sets.

What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
As a legacy player, I agree. Legacy should change slowly because most new cards shouldn't approach the strength of older ones, it's expensive to get into for new players and there needs to be good reason to buy what you need for a deck.

I play a lot more kitchen table these days. Most of the people I play with aren't interested in standard much, most play garbage decks and it's a lot more fun. I liked commander briefly until they started printing cards for commander. It was meant to be a different way to use things that were made for another format, not a format in itself.

Modern is a cesspool. MH, I loved w&6, hogaak was fine by me (there's dredge hate in legacy) but it did really change things too quickly.

I buy the cards I'm missing, though, not lottery tickets.
 
Lucius Aelius said:
It's pretty much this. I never had a particularly solid playgroup, and spent most of my time playing with randoms at the LGS. I was one of the longer lasting players there, and while some people stuck around for more or less time, the scene would change over the months and years. The standard banlist was the one people usually went with, and it's really hard to ban out cards in that kind of setting. And you basically nailed it. Everyone else at the table is playing whatever the new best of is, so it's a real feels bad to be the one person at the table who isn't using it. Commander in general has shifted a lot toward "good stuff" piles, with much less optional customization. And that's equally due to objectively more powerful cards being printed for the format, and a lot of new best of commanders being printed, because those kinds of commanders tend to be the more "do x, draw a card", which leaves less weird spots to find synergy for cards that are bad in other decks.
Click to expand...

Yeah, at that point, I'd maybe keep hold of one cheapo "okay" deck if I ever get the urge but otherwise drop the hobby. I've got a group of maybe 3-4 people who plays once in a blue moon anymore, but I still prefer that to having to play with randoms. I'm the sort of person who prefers to go wide, so a card like Cyclonic Rift - which I got a few of just from drafting - was more valuable to me to turn into a $30 deck.

But this is kindof the problem with pickup over groups with regards to wizards printing cards for the formats. In pickups, you get the people who are either playing CEDH (which I find to be utterly uninteresting) or who are playing pubstomp with their CEDH decks too often. Every deck has the best of the best mana rocks, the auto-includes for their color, so-on. When they print cards like deflecting swat or arcane signet, it's pretty shit. But card ideas like lieutenant are often cool and balanced enough, shit like the offering cycle is a lot of fun, and ideas like partners can be really neat when they aren't just goodstuff piles. Cards like Commander's Insignia are fun little things that offer an option in decks but aren't at all mandatory, and some of the straight-to-commander commanders like the gaybros or zedru are really wonky and fun without feeling oppressive like Deveri or Oloro or Markov.

But then, the people in my playgroup are largely there to hang out and have a good time mutually, not to pour their cash and time into becoming the ULTIMATE CHAMPION. I've never understood what drives someone to try to hyper-optimize a deck in an ideally-4-player singleton format whose lifeblood is politics.
 
So personally I have played most the major tcgs; MtG, Pokemon and YuGiOh. Pokemon was my access and mtg and yu gi oh followed and its been damn 22 years now. Like the above poster RTR was my first true forray into MtG the game was simple yet very effective. Yu gi Oh at this point was recovering from teledad format and Pokemon was pretty shit frankly.

Its really sad what has happened to mtg over the years, its become so toxic by politics and opportunistic gate keepers they have destroyed the game. In the UK local play is dead I have to travel over 35 miles to play a single FNM. When its like that its not worth it at all.
 
Uh oh...
 
438A5E54-9FCF-4E52-9CA2-99EABDCF4E72.png

Funny if true.
 
Inquisitor_BadAss said:
View attachment 1682009

Funny if true.
Click to expand...
Doubt.

22lbs of cards is like two 800 ct. card boxes. While rats (and mice) will eat card collections, I have doubts that a serious (((investor))) wouldn't individually sleeve his cards. Rats are hungry little bastards, but they won't chew threw hundreds of plastic sleeves/binder pages to get at your cards. You would definitely lose a few cards with a rat infestation, but not an entire fucking collection.

Also, FWIW, rat urine will destroy more cards than rat gnawing.
 
That she's a woman employee with some possible competence means she can do anything shy of burning down the building and still keep her job.

(She's been on game knights 3 times)
 
Flexo said:
That she's a woman employee with some possible competence means she can do anything shy of burning down the building and still keep her job.

(She's been on game knights 3 times)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=7qGYM62UMjQ
Click to expand...
Why would they do that to her, they should at least put her on with remotely competent players like Commander Clash or Commander VS. Gook and Other Gook are the absolute worst EDH players I have ever seen.

Also.

We Got Kodama of the East tree..now they absolutely must give us a Kodama of the west tree..so I can change my Mono Green deck from Ghalta...to Kodama of the Center tree..and attempt to have all 5 out at once and become SUPER ASIA.
 
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