The Magic the Gathering Community

[kaien]

Magic was going downhill for quite a while before incidents like WOTC permabanning people who said mean words in ways completely disconnected from the hobby, with shittier cardstock (a problem WOTC didn't fix until years after widespread complaints), bigger and bigger rule issues, open favoritism in the pro community and widespread distribution issues just to name a few.

Yeah, you have to go pretty far into the weeds to really explain what's wrong with Magic as a game right now. Like, I could run off at the brain for a thousand words about the design issues hampering different organized play formats, but it would make sense to maybe three people reading the thread and they'd already know what was up anyway.

Some goof trying to turn the competitive scene into another front of the social media gender wars is, for good or ill, near the least of Magic's problems. An entertaining sideshow, though.

 

[AnOminous]

Yeah, I'm not gonna claim the basic CCG business model isn't kinda shitty -- it was loot box gambling years before "loot" and "box" were ever two words anybody strung together -- but greedy little ripoff shits take it way beyond anything you could blame on the game or the people who make it.

I've heard it's also standard practice for stores just to steal the good cards out of boxes and substitute shitty ones, then pass on the garbage to customers and sell the good ones on ebay.

 

[Water-T]

We have an fair bit of black fellas at our shop, most of em play Yugioh it seems like. 1-2 play the Transformers CCG, and 1-2 that plays Magic. I think it's kind of like why a lot black dude like DBZ and stuff, in that they just grew up watching it as kids so they end up draw more towards it instead of M:tG or another game.

Oh yeah. The black people in my old town were way more into YuGiOh than MTG, and they were the majority of the people buying those packs. I rarely saw any at the store because I only came on FNM or set release events, and not for YGO events.

 

[Ebonic Tutor]

I've heard it's also standard practice for stores just to steal the good cards out of boxes and substitute shitty ones, then pass on the garbage to customers and sell the good ones on ebay.

Opening packs for stock to sell of cards, sure. Repacking all those cards and resealing the packs is not anything I've seen personally and I've been behind the curtain at few places during the weeks before a sets release and sure they are opening those packs but I've never seen anybody have the nuts to try and reseal the packs with cards.

Not that I wouldn't think a smaller scummier shop wouldn't try it to save a nickle. I think it's more likely something the company that supplies Walmart with stuff that they might do something like that though, I've noticed on average my pulls from packs at the shop vs. Wal-mart packs tends to lean towards the shop stuff having the actual value in it.

Also, fuckin' lol at just buying packs to get what you need though. Just buy the fuckin' singles it'll save you more money and WotC don't see any of that cash either.

 

[kaien]

Opening packs for stock to sell of cards, sure. Repacking all those cards and resealing the packs is not anything I've seen personally and I've been behind the curtain at few places during the weeks before a sets release and sure they are opening those packs but I've never seen anybody have the nuts to try and reseal the packs with cards.

Yeah, that's not really a thing that happens. The one exception was when Wizards experimented with that recyclable cardboard packaging in Modern Masters 2015 -- I think some eBay sellers tried to run scams where they glued those packs back together, which is why Wizards went back to foil packs after that and never fucked around with the cardboard again.

You used to have more esoteric scams like scaling and box mapping, but last I checked better packing technology defeated those a long time ago.

 

[Jaimas]

Yeah, that's not really a thing that happens. The one exception was when Wizards experimented with that recyclable cardboard packaging in Modern Masters 2015 -- I think some eBay sellers tried to run scams where they glued those packs back together, which is why Wizards went back to foil packs after that and never fucked around with the cardboard again.

You used to have more esoteric scams like scaling and box mapping, but last I checked better packing technology defeated those a long time ago.

....Until WOTC fucked them up on their own, you mean.

 

[kaien]

....Until WOTC fucked them up on their own, you mean.

This is true. Wizards has never had any trouble wrecking its game without any help from the community.

Actually, here's a short version of what's wrong with Magic that the broader range of gamers can maybe understand. The problem Magic has faced forever is the problem that online games have come to face more and more in the last several years: how do you create a constantly evolving game that nevertheless remains balanced and fun to play? The correct answer is, very carefully, and the Wizards answer is, usually pretty badly.

 

[omori]

Wow, I’m surprised you guys haven’t found a pic of the complaining troon in question.



A Phil-tier bucktoothed potato.

 

[Water-T]

Wow, I’m surprised you guys haven’t found a pic of the complaining troon in question.

View attachment 1004753

A Phil-tier bucktoothed potato.

That thing fell off the ugly tree, hit every ugly branch on the way down, landed on the ugly street, and then got hit by the ugly truck that dragged it all over ugly town until it hit an ugly wall and exploded in an ugly fireball.

 

[Ebonic Tutor]

This is true. Wizards has never had any trouble wrecking its game without any help from the community.

Actually, here's a short version of what's wrong with Magic that the broader range of gamers can maybe understand. The problem Magic has faced forever is the problem that online games have come to face more and more in the last several years: how do you create a constantly evolving game that nevertheless remains balanced and fun to play? The correct answer is, very carefully, and the Wizards answer is, usually pretty badly.

I don't believe we have reached a Urza's block or even OG Mirrodin level of broken in standard again but it is feeling a lot like OG Zendikar from what I can tell. Fuckin' Oko is indeed broko but WotC banning a chase mythic from the new set isn't gonna look too good on the heels of the Field of the Dead banning.

Modern, whew modern. The combo of Modern Horizons/War of the Spark/Throne of Eldraine have done a number to the format. Don't get me wrong, I love the Urza decks to death and I think it with the thopter-sword combo in of itself isn't too bad. The combo of Oko, Mystical Dispute, and Mystic Sanctuary are probably going cause them to ban something. I fear it'll be Mox Opal dying for Urza's sins though.

I do like the approach they are taking with Pioneer right now though, everything was legal first week except Khan's fetchlands and then doing possible bans every Monday based on MTGO data for the first little bit. I have a feeling some of the decisions will be a little sketchy but as time goes on it'll start to resemble early Modern.

Wow, I’m surprised you guys haven’t found a pic of the complaining troon in question.

View attachment 1004753

A Phil-tier bucktoothed potato.

I just assumed most people knew who Autumn was by this point in the thread. She/They/He/WTFever has popped up earlier on in the thread.

 

[omori]

@Ebonic Tutor Ah, sorry I don’t follow this thread at all, I saw the post come up on my twitter feed yesterday, rolled my eyes and figured a hideous troon was behind it.

 

[kaien]

I don't believe we have reached a Urza's block or even OG Mirrodin level of broken in standard again but it is feeling a lot like OG Zendikar from what I can tell. Fuckin' Oko is indeed broko but WotC banning a chase mythic from the new set isn't gonna look too good on the heels of the Field of the Dead banning.

I dunno what it's like in other local metas, but around these parts, paper Standard is dead. It is an ex-format. Nobody plays, no store even tries to fire it at FNM. It's always ebbed and flowed, but it feels like we've hit the bottom of a slope we started rolling down with Battle for Zendikar. Even before Oko came on the scene, it just wasn't worth it to build $400-500 worth of deck to play the format. We'll see what happens, but for now it's got a big hole to climb out of.

 

[Ebonic Tutor]

@Ebonic Tutor Ah, sorry I don’t follow this thread at all, I saw the post come up on my twitter feed yesterday, rolled my eyes and figured a hideous troon was behind it.

It's not a traditional troon, they are a non-binary I think so a they/them's.
Doesn't change the fact the way they dress makes the look like the wizard version of carrot top and the picture makes me gigglesnort.

I dunno what it's like in other local metas, but around these parts, paper Standard is dead. It is an ex-format. Nobody plays, no store even tries to fire it at FNM. It's always ebbed and flowed, but it feels like we've hit the bottom of a slope we started rolling down with Battle for Zendikar. Even before Oko came on the scene, it just wasn't worth it to build $400-500 worth of deck to play the format. We'll see what happens, but for now it's got a big hole to climb out of.

Same nobody plays standard but Modern almost always fires as did the Sat Modern thing and the Sat Pioneer thing has done well too.

Glad I got my 3 full art Oko's for like $35ish ea. They dude is gonna see play in eternal formats forever.

 

[Fervent Champion]

I dunno what it's like in other local metas, but around these parts, paper Standard is dead. It is an ex-format. Nobody plays, no store even tries to fire it at FNM. It's always ebbed and flowed, but it feels like we've hit the bottom of a slope we started rolling down with Battle for Zendikar. Even before Oko came on the scene, it just wasn't worth it to build $400-500 worth of deck to play the format. We'll see what happens, but for now it's got a big hole to climb out of.

One store in my area host paper standard events and those don't even fire. Eternal formats are the ones people want to play in paper around here. Why would you spend $500 on a deck to will rotate next year when you can spend an extra $200 and get a Modern or Pioneer deck that will never rotate?

 

[kaien]

Same nobody plays standard but Modern almost always fires as did the Sat Modern thing and the Sat Pioneer thing has done well too.

The jury is obviously still out on Pioneer but for the moment local people seem to be excited. The first few events have drawn on par with Modern. It's a good sign at least in that it shows people want to play constructed Magic, if only they can do it in a format that's fun and doesn't break the budget.

 

[Maratus volans]

Wow, I’m surprised you guys haven’t found a pic of the complaining troon in question.

Taking notes on fashion from Allison Pregler ain't no way to be, son.

I dunno what it's like in other local metas, but around these parts, paper Standard is dead. It is an ex-format. Nobody plays, no store even tries to fire it at FNM. It's always ebbed and flowed, but it feels like we've hit the bottom of a slope we started rolling down with Battle for Zendikar. Even before Oko came on the scene, it just wasn't worth it to build $400-500 worth of deck to play the format. We'll see what happens, but for now it's got a big hole to climb out of.

Paper Standard is still alive around here, but it's a tiny scene and those guys are mostly the diehards that play every format. Most people I know who are still playing Standard are doing it exclusively on Arena now.

 

[nekrataal]

Also does anybody else remember the rumors that a lot of people threw their games to Autumn to get them to the end of the MC tourney? From what I know magic players, no mofo is gonna throw a game just so a troon can get ahead without somebody offering them something or threatening them. The fact that nobody there investigated the rumors speaks volumes to me.

If it were a normal person they would have, but nobody would dare look into it because it’d mean not championing a troon.

Yeah, you have to go pretty far into the weeds to really explain what's wrong with Magic as a game right now. Like, I could run off at the brain for a thousand words about the design issues hampering different organized play formats, but it would make sense to maybe three people reading the thread and they'd already know what was up anyway.

Some goof trying to turn the competitive scene into another front of the social media gender wars is, for good or ill, near the least of Magic's problems. An entertaining sideshow, though.

It makes for a good distraction from discussion about making cards more accessible and doing away with the reserve list.

Wow, I’m surprised you guys haven’t found a pic of the complaining troon in question.

View attachment 1004753

A Phil-tier bucktoothed potato.

He’s an ugly ass goon who discovered he could get his way by becoming a troon.

 

[Inquisitor_BadAss]

Also does anybody else remember the rumors that a lot of people threw their games to Autumn to get them to the end of the MC tourney? From what I know magic players, no mofo is gonna throw a game just so a troon can get ahead without somebody offering them something or threatening them. The fact that nobody there investigated the rumors speaks volumes to me.

This has peeked my interest and is definitely worth looking into further. Any name drops around the time or finger pointing?

 

[Where Do You Find Them?]

Repacking all those cards and resealing the packs is not anything I've seen personally

There was a trick you could do that involved someone working out the random number generator that they used for the packs. So if you had a big box, you could open a few packs and work out what was in every other pack.

 

[Woke Capitalism]

Ok, so here's what I meant to post before. Warning, this post contains SA.

Look, someone being reasonable in a Magic thread!

Ah yes. A well reasoned debate. This person used to go by Dickeye and was universally hated in the gaming subforums. He's a know it all and now he's trooned out, so he's important and correct 100% of the time.

Rule 1: Don't engage them.

Dickeye then went on to actually join the Magic twitch chat and talked incessantly about trans rights for hours. I looked through the old VODs to confirm this. I had to watch even more Oko for this, I hope you all appreciate it.