The RESULT of pushing big fatty's that people 'want to buy' results in a lot of chaff in sets (which design from common to the top does not help).
I don't think that design is necessarily targeting pro play with their setups. I think the result of targeting what people have said they want in data collects has led them to narrow the game too much and the result is OP or chaff in the card base.
They need to throw out the data and design for balance. Let people figure out what they want to play and stop spoon feeding decks to people.
It's also one thing to admit that you missed something (cat combo) and yet another entirely to take appropriate action. WotC can be given credit for communicating decently but they get ZERO credit for doing the right things after that. In just about every situation including right now.
I agree they are not taking any action to make standard more affordable and this is just one aspect of the deep hole they are in right now.
I'd delete Mythic as a rarity and put quality cards in their new 'standard playble' product to lower card prices. Balancing where you get your cards from helps too. More uncommon and common quality.
The problem is how WoTC treats the market they created.
It's become so reliant on the Secondary Market to the point where they're unable to replace it with a better distribution model that doesn't hurt consumers. Players should always opt to trade, buy from their local game store, or from each other locally anyways. Without local game stores you're back to having secret meetings in someone's mom's basement. Kitchen table is not a viable substitute for local game stores.
This isn't helped by watching youtube videos of WoTC representatives cluelessly milling about and saying how fun a six mana legendary dinosaur that marks things for death if it ever gets played is.
These WotC representatives are just Magic players who are shilling for the company instead of speaking truth to power because they're afraid of losing their YouTube careers. Luckily we have Magic YouTubers who aren't paid by WotC to speak truth to power that are funded by Patreon. I'm not going to mention their names cause I'd probably get in trouble for it.
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
My problem with the attendance angle of this is that people are asking them to fix and bring the game back to the glory days of mass competitive play.
Well, in the beginning there were a lot of casual players on competetive events. Just because a tournament was a good way to meet people and see what decks they came up with.
But since netdecking, that isn´t a reason anymore to go to competetive events, because you end up playing against the same decks time and again, whatever format you are playing.
So, it leaves the players that are competetive anyway, and they are just a small percentage. i doubt it is enough for a "mass"
People were netdecking in 1997. It is not new. What is different now is that casual players who don’t netdeck are playing Commander instead of 60 card constructed.
As someone that quit MTG for 10 years, and sold everything off, it was hard getting back in even a bit. Standard looked, and still does to an extent look not-fun. So I got into Modern on MTGO, and that wasn't cheap.
If standard looked cheaper and/or like a better time, I'd probably hit real-life events more, big or small, for standard or modern.
I'm sure there are other people that feel the same about standard being the key to our participation and spending.
My problem with the attendance angle of this is that people are asking them to fix and bring the game back to the glory days of mass competitive play.
Well, in the beginning there were a lot of casual players on competetive events. Just because a tournament was a good way to meet people and see what decks they came up with.
But since netdecking, that isn´t a reason anymore to go to competetive events, because you end up playing against the same decks time and again, whatever format you are playing.
So, it leaves the players that are competetive anyway, and they are just a small percentage. i doubt it is enough for a "mass"
People were netdecking in 1997. It is not new. What is different now is that casual players who don’t netdeck are playing Commander instead of 60 card constructed.
Don't kid yourselves, there are plenty of "net deckers" in commander.
As a person who brews and enjoys the creating and playing, I test extensively against top tier decks to see if my brew is viable or falls short.
Net decks are expected and I don't mind them. Sure, no creativity goes into them. It's a little irritating to get blown out by someone who just bought a deck online but if your deck is fleshed out and you've planned a sideboard for troublemakers you should have a chance. At least that's how it used to be.
Part of the problem right now is even if you test, plan, and make an effort the top tier decks will eat you alive unless they beat themselves.
Great tournament standard (RTR-Tarkir) is also great LGS standard. 10 decks means you have the flexibility to be creative and not get blown out 90% of the time. More strategies are viable and the game is fun.
Net deck away. When the game is done right I know exactly how to beat those guys.
As a person who brews and enjoys the creating and playing, I test extensively against top tier decks to see if my brew is viable or falls short.
Net decks are expected and I don't mind them. Sure, no creativity goes into them. It's a little irritating to get blown out by someone who just bought a deck online but if your deck is fleshed out and you've planned a sideboard for troublemakers you should have a chance. At least that's how it used to be.
Part of the problem right now is even if you test, plan, and make an effort the top tier decks will eat you alive unless they beat themselves.
Great tournament standard (RTR-Tarkir) is also great LGS standard. 10 decks means you have the flexibility to be creative and not get blown out 90% of the time. More strategies are viable and the game is fun.
Net deck away. When the game is done right I know exactly how to beat those guys.
When there are 10 decks in the meta, not being competitive against one of them isn’t fatal. When there are three it is fatal.
What bugs me about the entire thing is that WoTC has to know that even if they fix standard and somehow restore FNM attendance, how they are currently selling and distributing cards isn't sustainable. When stores have to be apprehensive when deciding on how much product they need to buy, if a product is even going to sell, etc, that's creating a toxic environment for what was once the backbone of the entire game. I just don't see how gaming stores will survive with the change in purchasing trends and the constant race to the bottom without some kind of serious support from Wizards themselves. Maybe local game stores have to evolve and start being combination restaurants and diners? I know my place of business has one of those burger vending machines and it isn't too expensive to get a freezer chest and microwave to just sell those packaged White Castle sliders. Keurig machines are kind of expensive though...
Man, I totally wish my LGS was built in a strip mall that was next door to an arbys. That alone would probably get me attending more events just by the fact I'd be eating dinner next door.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
What bugs me about the entire thing is that WoTC has to know that even if they fix standard and somehow restore FNM attendance, how they are currently selling and distributing cards isn't sustainable. When stores have to be apprehensive when deciding on how much product they need to buy, if a product is even going to sell, etc, that's creating a toxic environment for what was once the backbone of the entire game. I just don't see how gaming stores will survive with the change in purchasing trends and the constant race to the bottom without some kind of serious support from Wizards themselves. Maybe local game stores have to evolve and start being combination restaurants and diners? I know my place of business has one of those burger vending machines and it isn't too expensive to get a freezer chest and microwave to just sell those packaged White Castle sliders. Keurig machines are kind of expensive though...
Man, I totally wish my LGS was built in a strip mall that was next door to an arbys. That alone would probably get me attending more events just by the fact I'd be eating dinner next door.
My local actually did that, serve coffee, and actual food that they make there.
What bugs me about the entire thing is that WoTC has to know that even if they fix standard and somehow restore FNM attendance, how they are currently selling and distributing cards isn't sustainable. When stores have to be apprehensive when deciding on how much product they need to buy, if a product is even going to sell, etc, that's creating a toxic environment for what was once the backbone of the entire game. I just don't see how gaming stores will survive with the change in purchasing trends and the constant race to the bottom without some kind of serious support from Wizards themselves. Maybe local game stores have to evolve and start being combination restaurants and diners? I know my place of business has one of those burger vending machines and it isn't too expensive to get a freezer chest and microwave to just sell those packaged White Castle sliders. Keurig machines are kind of expensive though...
Man, I totally wish my LGS was built in a strip mall that was next door to an arbys. That alone would probably get me attending more events just by the fact I'd be eating dinner next door.
My local actually did that, serve coffee, and actual food that they make there.
I want to move within driving distance of whatever LGS that is because I'd be there probably every other day.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Mine gets food trucks now and then and sells snacks inside with access to a microwave. 2 blocks away from food, brewery with food, and bar with good food.
It's also has a big stock of board games, miniatures, other card games, RPG, and serves beer in the back room with game tables. Good format for staying alive.
They also didn't fire a single standard FNM in December and maybe 1 in November (with 7) but had 81 people show up for FNM modern (and they fit comfortably).
WotC should be helping stores do better. People with good places to play games... spend more money on games. Screw Walmart.
What bugs me about the entire thing is that WoTC has to know that even if they fix standard and somehow restore FNM attendance, how they are currently selling and distributing cards isn't sustainable. When stores have to be apprehensive when deciding on how much product they need to buy, if a product is even going to sell, etc, that's creating a toxic environment for what was once the backbone of the entire game. I just don't see how gaming stores will survive with the change in purchasing trends and the constant race to the bottom without some kind of serious support from Wizards themselves. Maybe local game stores have to evolve and start being combination restaurants and diners? I know my place of business has one of those burger vending machines and it isn't too expensive to get a freezer chest and microwave to just sell those packaged White Castle sliders. Keurig machines are kind of expensive though...
Man, I totally wish my LGS was built in a strip mall that was next door to an arbys. That alone would probably get me attending more events just by the fact I'd be eating dinner next door.
It's the current distribution model of Trading Card Games/Collectible Card Games as a whole that's unsustainable not just Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro with how they're currently selling and distributing Magic. Living Card Games have started to become a more favorable alternative over Trading Card Games/Collectible Card Games and Digital Card Games due to how you're able to get everything you need to build a deck for less than what you'd spend on other card game genres without having to break the bank to play multiple games at once. Digital Card Games like Hearthstone and Shadowverse are really just Video Games trying to pretend that it's an actual card game genre when it's not.
The big downside to Living Card Games compared to Trading Card Games/Collectible Card Games is that it's much easier to get back something stolen in Trading Card Games/Collectible Card Games than it is with Living Card Games where everything is in bulk not to mention that the gameplay experience is vastly different to a degree where Living Card Games feel too much like playing a board game. EDH/Commander is literally the closest thing Magic has to a Living Card Game that requires you to spend more than you normally would on Living Card Games while maintaining the experience of Trading Card Games/Collectible Card Games that's missing from most Living Card Games like L5R and Star Wars.
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
have you played vintage or legacy? They seem very much like living card games where you buy once and with only very minor updates you buy again. The updates are typicly VERY small in price too.
As a person who brews and enjoys the creating and playing, I test extensively against top tier decks to see if my brew is viable or falls short.
Net decks are expected and I don't mind them. Sure, no creativity goes into them. It's a little irritating to get blown out by someone who just bought a deck online but if your deck is fleshed out and you've planned a sideboard for troublemakers you should have a chance. At least that's how it used to be.
Part of the problem right now is even if you test, plan, and make an effort the top tier decks will eat you alive unless they beat themselves.
Great tournament standard (RTR-Tarkir) is also great LGS standard. 10 decks means you have the flexibility to be creative and not get blown out 90% of the time. More strategies are viable and the game is fun.
Net deck away. When the game is done right I know exactly how to beat those guys.
Strongly agree its never been easyer to hate out decks or play the meta. Now if only wizards gave us the TOOLS to utilize that information. This is why we need all deck types to be viable at least at T2 level. So you have the ability to try to play the meta.
Check this article by Silvestri. He puts it succinctly and maybe WotC will listen to him. They are screwing up their game and Standard is almost done at the LGS level. Even the pros are bored and sick of bad design.
Why buy these new cards if only 1 or 2 are going to make a showing? I know there's some hope at new set releases but there's not much to work with. None of the tribes have all the pieces and the easy mana to work it with like Energy. 3 more months? No way. Schedule that funeral for standard.
The big downside to Living Card Games compared to Trading Card Games/Collectible Card Games is that it's much easier to get back something stolen in Trading Card Games/Collectible Card Games than it is with Living Card Games where everything is in bulk
Living Card Games feel too much like playing a board game.
How is losing TCG cards easier to get your cards back? A smart thief won't try to sell the stolen cards in one piece to reduce people tracing the theft back to the thief. Most people don't insure their cards unless the collection is very expensive.
On the flip side, if the cards are cheap and accessible like Living Card Games, then they are easy to replace. If you lose your LCG cards, you can arguably by a new set at the store to get all your cards back, in addition to reporting the theft.
Living card games are board games. They are a board game using cards, like Uno. Living Card Games could feel like Magic and other TCGs if they release more expansions, but those expansions have to be playtested. As it stands, LCGs seem to have an annual or semi-annual expansion release cycle, which are less frequent than TCG releases. Also, living card game designs appear to lean towards constructed decks rather than draft/limited like MTG does.
The big downside to Living Card Games compared to Trading Card Games/Collectible Card Games is that it's much easier to get back something stolen in Trading Card Games/Collectible Card Games than it is with Living Card Games where everything is in bulk
Living Card Games feel too much like playing a board game.
How is losing TCG cards easier to get your cards back? A smart thief won't try to sell the stolen cards in one piece to reduce people tracing the theft back to the thief. Most people don't insure their cards unless the collection is very expensive.
On the flip side, if the cards are cheap and accessible like Living Card Games, then they are easy to replace. If you lose your LCG cards, you can arguably by a new set at the store to get all your cards back, in addition to reporting the theft.
Living card games are board games. They are a board game using cards, like Uno. Living Card Games could feel like Magic and other TCGs if they release more expansions, but those expansions have to be playtested. As it stands, LCGs seem to have an annual or semi-annual expansion release cycle, which are less frequent than TCG releases. Also, living card game designs appear to lean towards constructed decks rather than draft/limited like MTG does.
I think what they meant if a single card gets stolen or lost you just have to buy a single card to replace it where LCG singles are harder to come by. I've dabbled in the Lord of the Rings LCG and the new Vs System 2pcg and there is very little resources for singles. Lord of the Rings could even be considered to have a block structure with a 80 initial set or so new cards and then they release about 6 or so new mini expansions that add adventures and characters to the "block". I would argue that LCG's are a little more changing than a board game (at least with the ones that I've played). I've only played both with family members but both seem to have changing metas in their leagues/tournament scenes from what I've gleaned from the internet.
There's definitely conflict of interest in how the sets should be designed and developed, that is for sure. The constructed players want cards to be balanced against the field of available sets while WoTC is more interested in creating different limited experiences, often toying with casting costs and other aspects of cards to produce a better experience to that effect. The current mentality of "just play anything that is legal" doesn't really work under these conditions. The best example I can think of is if someone took warhammers point system out and just had a limit on how many units one could field. All people would see for undead armies would be blood knights and other high powered units and the same would be for the other factions. It would just turn into who has the best unit period they could field, and that is what Modern Magic is basically like. Living card games are always built with constructed in mind so they tend to avoid the issues that a game like Magic the Gathering has with their non-rotating formats.
While this is an issue, it really has very little to do with attendance, though. The problems with attendance is from a toxic environment defined by stagnant archetypes that refuse to die out. They dropped the power level of the next two sets in response to the issues and complaints, which hasn't really helped any in the long run. On top of which, wizards just doesn't know what to do to keep their own game running. They know the environment is bad, but they are concerned a lot more with making money than making people happy because angry people that part with their cash are still just as good as happy people that give them cash. It seems very likely we are going to lose the backbone that has held up the hobby for over two decades all because the company that has been the go-to supporter of the LGS isn't very interested in supporting them anymore.
I hate to break it to people but it's really the community itself that is fighting tooth and nail to keep these places alive. Gone Rogue Games survives via patreon and bare bone margins, I don't really know how my own LGS survives day to day, if it's the snack foods or maybe people just wandering in to get a pack or two. I know all the places that I once went to when I was younger long since shuttered their doors because of the vast changes in the way people purchase things as well as the community going from the early 2000s to the current day.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I'm pretty sure design direction 'thought' they were going to make cards more people wanted to buy. That was the purpose of the changes because people complained about counters and fattys gettin killed.
This cluster is because they changed the way they make sets. They have shot themselves in both feet and apparently they refuse to believe that they were completely wrong as we are not seeing them fix how they're doing things. Same ole so far. I'll do a pre release and then wait and see about Dominaria.
Why can't they just reprint standard staples more often? I thought that polukranos and jace architect of thought were great reprints. Maybe that can get more people playing standard.
Why can't they just reprint standard staples more often? I thought that polukranos and jace architect of thought were great reprints. Maybe that can get more people playing standard.
Polukranos can't be printed out of its plane, Theros. It would make no sense.
But… With Core Set 2019 coming that opens the door for multi-plane cards to be reprinted, you may get your wish on some cards.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Playing since 1994: Currently MAGS (HomeBrew),Standard & Pauper (Pioneer and Modern are degenerate trash formats)
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
I get annoyed at their R&D being so focused on limited and the marketing / financial department vetoing reprints based on the secondary market price and the need for stocking stuffers in masters sets. The R&D are like "lets make a set about tribal", then don't include two of the best tribal cards in the set that is about tribal. I'm talking about Aether Vial and Herald's Horn. I'm pretty sure someone in here was thinking Cavern of Souls and I would love to have seen that instead of the horrible Unclaimed Territory, but the problem is that decks that are tribal right now would be running four of them and they didn't print enough land destruction to deal with it. They'd need Ghost Quarter at the very least to make that work along with possibly Molten Rain.
That's actually the big problem I have with the entirety of Ixalan: It's so focused on limited for the tribal theme that no one can build a competitive tribal deck with some of the tribes because the strategies are all geared towards sealed and draft builds. I'm not even bothering with pre-release because it's just a waste of two or more hours having to fiddle with a six pack randomized sealed pool that ultimately devolves into removal vs creature battles plus if the stars aligned and someone got a bomb that aligned with their sealed pool. I still like picking up the pre-release packs post release for a discount since they tend to be a good buy these days.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
I'm positive that the limited focus of today, in combo with the 'I like creatures' and 'I dont like to feel bad' is the vast majority of why the standard sets have sucked lately.
Our Prerelease had way less participants than the last few. Just barely enough for 2HG and Single to fire.
Last few Prerelease our second LGS had to deny people because they didn't have enough product, now they have more than enough spares. And the midnight Prerelease is also on the decline.
Something's deterring people from playing the sets and in my opinion that's the mediocre limited format. Maybe that will get better with Dominaria, but Ixalan will leave quite a scorched earth behind and people won't forget that.
I always feel bad when I hear these stories because in general, if someone came to me and said "Hey, could you come and help our event fire?" I'd probably come and help. I'm actually not a big fan of MtG events because the competitive ones run too long for my tastes, but pre-release is more like a lazy saturday thing. To be frank, the reason people probably didn't show up to pre-release is that this is the last one of the "mixed pack" events and it's happening in January after the holiday honeymoon period. Everyone is financially bankrupt from their holiday spending and is heading strait into the tax season. Heck, the entire shelf that was once stocked with mince meat and gingerbread cookies is now stocked with the "New Years Resolution Staples" of protein powder, special K breakfast cereal that thinks it's healthy but is actually an adult sugarbomb fest, and granola bars.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
I don't think that design is necessarily targeting pro play with their setups. I think the result of targeting what people have said they want in data collects has led them to narrow the game too much and the result is OP or chaff in the card base.
They need to throw out the data and design for balance. Let people figure out what they want to play and stop spoon feeding decks to people.
It's also one thing to admit that you missed something (cat combo) and yet another entirely to take appropriate action. WotC can be given credit for communicating decently but they get ZERO credit for doing the right things after that. In just about every situation including right now.
I agree they are not taking any action to make standard more affordable and this is just one aspect of the deep hole they are in right now.
I'd delete Mythic as a rarity and put quality cards in their new 'standard playble' product to lower card prices. Balancing where you get your cards from helps too. More uncommon and common quality.
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
People were netdecking in 1997. It is not new. What is different now is that casual players who don’t netdeck are playing Commander instead of 60 card constructed.
If standard looked cheaper and/or like a better time, I'd probably hit real-life events more, big or small, for standard or modern.
I'm sure there are other people that feel the same about standard being the key to our participation and spending.
Don't kid yourselves, there are plenty of "net deckers" in commander.
As a person who brews and enjoys the creating and playing, I test extensively against top tier decks to see if my brew is viable or falls short.
Net decks are expected and I don't mind them. Sure, no creativity goes into them. It's a little irritating to get blown out by someone who just bought a deck online but if your deck is fleshed out and you've planned a sideboard for troublemakers you should have a chance. At least that's how it used to be.
Part of the problem right now is even if you test, plan, and make an effort the top tier decks will eat you alive unless they beat themselves.
Great tournament standard (RTR-Tarkir) is also great LGS standard. 10 decks means you have the flexibility to be creative and not get blown out 90% of the time. More strategies are viable and the game is fun.
Net deck away. When the game is done right I know exactly how to beat those guys.
When there are 10 decks in the meta, not being competitive against one of them isn’t fatal. When there are three it is fatal.
Man, I totally wish my LGS was built in a strip mall that was next door to an arbys. That alone would probably get me attending more events just by the fact I'd be eating dinner next door.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
My local actually did that, serve coffee, and actual food that they make there.
Spirits
I want to move within driving distance of whatever LGS that is because I'd be there probably every other day.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
It's also has a big stock of board games, miniatures, other card games, RPG, and serves beer in the back room with game tables. Good format for staying alive.
They also didn't fire a single standard FNM in December and maybe 1 in November (with 7) but had 81 people show up for FNM modern (and they fit comfortably).
WotC should be helping stores do better. People with good places to play games... spend more money on games. Screw Walmart.
The big downside to Living Card Games compared to Trading Card Games/Collectible Card Games is that it's much easier to get back something stolen in Trading Card Games/Collectible Card Games than it is with Living Card Games where everything is in bulk not to mention that the gameplay experience is vastly different to a degree where Living Card Games feel too much like playing a board game. EDH/Commander is literally the closest thing Magic has to a Living Card Game that requires you to spend more than you normally would on Living Card Games while maintaining the experience of Trading Card Games/Collectible Card Games that's missing from most Living Card Games like L5R and Star Wars.
"Restriction breeds creativity." - Sheldon Menery on EDH / Commander in Magic: The Gathering
"Cancel Culture is the real reason why everyone's not allowed to have nice things anymore." - Anonymous
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" - Mark 8:36
"Most men and women will grow up to love their servitude and will never dream of revolution." - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
"Every life decision is always a risk / reward proposition." - Sanjay Gupta
Strongly agree its never been easyer to hate out decks or play the meta. Now if only wizards gave us the TOOLS to utilize that information. This is why we need all deck types to be viable at least at T2 level. So you have the ability to try to play the meta.
Check this article by Silvestri. He puts it succinctly and maybe WotC will listen to him. They are screwing up their game and Standard is almost done at the LGS level. Even the pros are bored and sick of bad design.
Why buy these new cards if only 1 or 2 are going to make a showing? I know there's some hope at new set releases but there's not much to work with. None of the tribes have all the pieces and the easy mana to work it with like Energy. 3 more months? No way. Schedule that funeral for standard.
How is losing TCG cards easier to get your cards back? A smart thief won't try to sell the stolen cards in one piece to reduce people tracing the theft back to the thief. Most people don't insure their cards unless the collection is very expensive.
On the flip side, if the cards are cheap and accessible like Living Card Games, then they are easy to replace. If you lose your LCG cards, you can arguably by a new set at the store to get all your cards back, in addition to reporting the theft.
Living card games are board games. They are a board game using cards, like Uno. Living Card Games could feel like Magic and other TCGs if they release more expansions, but those expansions have to be playtested. As it stands, LCGs seem to have an annual or semi-annual expansion release cycle, which are less frequent than TCG releases. Also, living card game designs appear to lean towards constructed decks rather than draft/limited like MTG does.
I think what they meant if a single card gets stolen or lost you just have to buy a single card to replace it where LCG singles are harder to come by. I've dabbled in the Lord of the Rings LCG and the new Vs System 2pcg and there is very little resources for singles. Lord of the Rings could even be considered to have a block structure with a 80 initial set or so new cards and then they release about 6 or so new mini expansions that add adventures and characters to the "block". I would argue that LCG's are a little more changing than a board game (at least with the ones that I've played). I've only played both with family members but both seem to have changing metas in their leagues/tournament scenes from what I've gleaned from the internet.
While this is an issue, it really has very little to do with attendance, though. The problems with attendance is from a toxic environment defined by stagnant archetypes that refuse to die out. They dropped the power level of the next two sets in response to the issues and complaints, which hasn't really helped any in the long run. On top of which, wizards just doesn't know what to do to keep their own game running. They know the environment is bad, but they are concerned a lot more with making money than making people happy because angry people that part with their cash are still just as good as happy people that give them cash. It seems very likely we are going to lose the backbone that has held up the hobby for over two decades all because the company that has been the go-to supporter of the LGS isn't very interested in supporting them anymore.
I hate to break it to people but it's really the community itself that is fighting tooth and nail to keep these places alive. Gone Rogue Games survives via patreon and bare bone margins, I don't really know how my own LGS survives day to day, if it's the snack foods or maybe people just wandering in to get a pack or two. I know all the places that I once went to when I was younger long since shuttered their doors because of the vast changes in the way people purchase things as well as the community going from the early 2000s to the current day.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
This cluster is because they changed the way they make sets. They have shot themselves in both feet and apparently they refuse to believe that they were completely wrong as we are not seeing them fix how they're doing things. Same ole so far. I'll do a pre release and then wait and see about Dominaria.
Polukranos can't be printed out of its plane, Theros. It would make no sense.
But… With Core Set 2019 coming that opens the door for multi-plane cards to be reprinted, you may get your wish on some cards.
STOP using "dude/bro" as a pejorative or insult. Grow up.
Margaret Thatcher: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.”
Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
Martin Luther King Jr.: "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
That's actually the big problem I have with the entirety of Ixalan: It's so focused on limited for the tribal theme that no one can build a competitive tribal deck with some of the tribes because the strategies are all geared towards sealed and draft builds. I'm not even bothering with pre-release because it's just a waste of two or more hours having to fiddle with a six pack randomized sealed pool that ultimately devolves into removal vs creature battles plus if the stars aligned and someone got a bomb that aligned with their sealed pool. I still like picking up the pre-release packs post release for a discount since they tend to be a good buy these days.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!
Spirits
I always feel bad when I hear these stories because in general, if someone came to me and said "Hey, could you come and help our event fire?" I'd probably come and help. I'm actually not a big fan of MtG events because the competitive ones run too long for my tastes, but pre-release is more like a lazy saturday thing. To be frank, the reason people probably didn't show up to pre-release is that this is the last one of the "mixed pack" events and it's happening in January after the holiday honeymoon period. Everyone is financially bankrupt from their holiday spending and is heading strait into the tax season. Heck, the entire shelf that was once stocked with mince meat and gingerbread cookies is now stocked with the "New Years Resolution Staples" of protein powder, special K breakfast cereal that thinks it's healthy but is actually an adult sugarbomb fest, and granola bars.
1. (Ravnica Allegiance): You can't keep a good esper control deck down... Or Wilderness Reclamation... or Gates...
2. (War of the Spark): Guys, I know what we need! We need a cycle of really idiotic flavor text victory cards! Jace's Triumph...
3. (War of the Spark): Lets make the format with control have even more control!