Another peak question popped up recently from MTG executives.
What do you all think it is?
I would say the advent of Commander is a big reason.
People don't like to lose. Standard means competition and losing. It's as simple as that.
They should have an article in a pamphlet that comes with seal product that talks about the "Mind's Eye" and teaches people to relax while playing and not get ahead of themselves. Losing is (should be) a learning process, and a little explicit instruction on how to keep calm and relax and not worry could work miracles even.
Multiplyer games becoming the norm can only mean a greater percentage of losers. I don't think not winning is the problem, standard in stores is simply a thing of the past, they keep asking what will it take to fix instead of asking whether the players even want them to.
I posted this on reddit posing that Magic is bigger than ever and we all know its because of commander, why even bother looking to the past?
1. Covid kept players away from each other.
2. Magic Arena is pushed by GotC/Hasbro and pushing players into digital.
3. Product fatigue.
4. Card quality (or lack thereof).
5. Price of admission to competitive Standard decks.
6. Lack of support to LGSs.
7. Lack of power/playable cards outside of mythics.
8. Slowness in banning overpowered and "unfun" cards.
9. Price increases for sealed products.
10. Inflation.
11. Success of Commander.
12. Wedging Commander cards and Commander product into Draft, Set and Collector Boosters.
13. Collector Boosters chasing sales away from Draft booster boxes.
The perfect storm really and I haven't seen a lot from GotC/Hasbro to pull Standard out of what I believe is a death spiral.
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."
1. Covid kept players away from each other.
2. Magic Arena is pushed by GotC/Hasbro and pushing players into digital.
3. Product fatigue.
4. Card quality (or lack thereof).
5. Price of admission to competitive Standard decks.
6. Lack of support to LGSs.
7. Lack of power/playable cards outside of mythics.
8. Slowness in banning overpowered and "unfun" cards.
9. Price increases for sealed products.
10. Inflation.
11. Success of Commander.
12. Wedging Commander cards and Commander product into Draft, Set and Collector Boosters.
13. Collector Boosters chasing sales away from Draft booster boxes.
The perfect storm really and I haven't seen a lot from GotC/Hasbro to pull Standard out of what I believe is a death spiral.
I would say the advent of Commander is a big reason.
People don't like to lose. Standard means competition and losing. It's as simple as that...Losing is (should be) a learning process, and a little explicit instruction on how to keep calm and relax and not worry could work miracles even.
That makes zero sense. In a Standard duel, you have a 50% chance of winning from the start. You can affect this through card choice, deck construction, and gameplay. But in a typical four player Commander game, you automatically start off worse with only a 25% chance of winning - even less when you go to 6-player. While it is true that this puts less emphasis on winning and more on having fun, it can't possibly be as simple as a bunch of sore losers like you suggest.
8. Slowness in banning overpowered and "unfun" cards.
I'd argue that this has a different underlying factor. Commander is slow to ban overpowered and unfun cards, but the massive card pool, the social contract, and the multiplayer politics can all mitigate some of the negatives and allow the format to roll with the punches.
But Standard is a different beast, with its smaller card pool and more competitive nature, and it needs greater care from WOTC concerning the cards they release. I would argue that the sheer number of cards they've had to ban in recent years is indicative of design /playtesting issues and a refusal to print enough answers.
If you look at a timeline of Standard bans over the years, 2006-2016 only saw a couple bans total, but then 2017-present shows a ridiculous uptick, blowing away all of the previous years, going all the way back to the creation of Standard in 1995. They've grown careless and greedy, pushing out unbalanced, unanswered, and/or overpowered cards to sell packs, only to ban them after sales have shifted to the newest set. This has damaged the brand and the Standard format because people don't like spending money on something only to be told later they can't play it.
So, while they may be slow to ban cards, it's a bigger problem that they push out so many cards that need to be banned in the first place.
2. Magic Arena is pushed by GotC/Hasbro and pushing players into digital.
3. Product fatigue.
5. Price of admission to competitive Standard decks.
9. Price increases for sealed products.
10. Inflation.
13. Collector Boosters chasing sales away from Draft booster boxes.
Agreed on all of these, especially when looked at together. Players have a limited amount of time and money for a hobby. When that money doesn't stretch as far, they can't buy as much. Yet WOTC has pushed out more product than ever before, in too many types of boosters, at too high of prices. WOTC has self-sabotaged with both product fatigue and wallet fatigue.
I know this thread is largely about the death of Standard, but if WOTC doesn't course correct, the consequences will likely ripple outward to other formats. I used to buy boxes of boosters, but now I only buy singles. When there were only 4-5 Commander precons a year at $30-35 apiece, I would often buy them all; now that they release 19+ precons a year, with prices up to $50 each, it's become rare for me to even buy one. It's just more manageable to buy singles.
It's a truth that has reached meme-level, but Magic foils are often Pringles right out of the pack. Other issues include inconsistent ink colors (I've seen copies of the same card pulled from the same box where one was white yet creamy and the other was super yellow) and inconsistent finish (some cards are super slick and smooth while the surface of other cards is rough and almost textured). They need to get it together if they want people to buy with confidence.
It's almost like WOTC forgets that people need a place to gather and play this game. As much as they've focused on collectors and whales who will hoard cards away, the game lives or dies with the LGS. And WOTC seems determined to cut them out.
I love Commander, and I've played EDH/Commander since 2009. There are many reasons why it has been successful, some of which could be replicated in Standard and others that cannot. One obvious draw - an eternal non-rotating format where you can play your cards forever once you've bought them - would never fit inside the box that is Standard. But maybe WOTC should look at why this format has flourished and try to apply what they learn to promoting other formats. You can build a Commander deck cheaper than a Standard deck and still have a better chance at winning. When I've been to the game store, I often hear strangers ask if people want to play Commander or occasionally Modern or Pioneer, but it's been years since I heard anyone ask if someone wanted to play Standard.
1. Covid kept players away from each other.Modern is doing fine.
2. Magic Arena is pushed by GotC/Hasbro and pushing players into digital. The best answer.
3. Product fatigue.Arguable.
4. Card quality (or lack thereof). Arguable.
5. Price of admission to competitive Standard decks.Modern is much more expensive unless you play one deck no matter how badly it does..The format is full of cards from overpriced Modern specific sets. Fomat staples stay high.
6. Lack of support to LGSs. Agreed.
7. Lack of power/playable cards outside of mythics.Nothing nearly as egregious as Ragavan. Meathook Massacre was an outlier.
8. Slowness in banning overpowered and "unfun" cards. More like printing them in the first place, repeatedly, but agreed.
9. Price increases for sealed products.Modern, yet again.
10. Inflation.Bad for everything, but, once again, Modern is doing fine.
11. Success of Commander.
12. Wedging Commander cards and Commander product into Draft, Set and Collector Boosters.No disrespect, but competitive players care NOTHING about Commander, save for it possibly inflating prices on a single here or there. This rarely effects Stanard.
13. Collector Boosters chasing sales away from Draft booster boxes.We like them, it drove singles prices down. Unless you like foils and alt art cards, Standard is cheaper than it's been in a long time.
The perfect storm really and I haven't seen a lot from GotC/Hasbro to pull Standard out of what I believe is a death spiral.
I remember first hearing of standard, and thinking "why would I ever play a format where my cards are illegal in a year or two?"
Ever since I've played, I've been astounded that standard was still a thing. It always seems like it's dying. I remember Eldraine. Nobody played standard. I remember Kaladesh. Nobody was playing standard. I remember Zendikar. Who was playing standard? Two or three people at a little table (while the draft was hopping and popping). I mean more people play it than vintage,but more magic players play Go Fish than vintage.
I've only met two or three people who were passionate about standard. Who does it even serve? Replace it with extended.
EDH / Commander lacks what made Paper Standard successful and that was being really good at drawing new blood into the game at Local Game Stores (LGSs). But because EDH / Commander itself is by definition a Casual format it draws in less people at Local Game Stores (LGSs) solely on the fact that Competitive EDH / Commander is almost impossible to hold official Organized Play events for due to how it tends to grind games longer than they're supposed to. Instead of rotating out sets / expansions for Paper Standard, they could rotate out specific cards and rotate them in later which is sort of what Konami has done with Yu-Gi-Oh! for balancing out the metagame for their version of Standard known as the Advanced format.
Think of it as the Phasing mechanic but specifically targeting problematic cards within the Standard metagame instead of how phasing normally works in Magic: The Gathering. But instead of phasing back in during your next untap step it stays "phased out" for a certain period of time until it phases back in when there are actual answers to the problematic card(s) in the format's card pool to where it's not as big of a threat that it once was. You'd probably have less competitive players migrate from Standard to Modern and/or Pioneer which doesn't get as much tournament play as Standard used to have because Standard's card pool would actually be expanding and not shrinking as much.
That way players can run the cards they want without having to worry about an entire set getting rotated out when Wizards of the Coast / Hasbro can just rotate out all the problem cards with minimal power creep issues or at least that's the idea anyway. That would lead to key cards that are vital to keeping specific cards in check while at the same time not cost as much in order to keep up with the format. Only problem I see with this is If they rotate out a specific problem card that's a 3-4 of staple in certain decks with no viable replacements for them. What If they printed viable replacements for them in advance so that when the problem cards do get rotated out then players will have viable replacements for them?
"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
1. Covid kept players away from each other. Modern is doing fine. Huh Modern? We are talking Standard. Did Covid regs not pertain to Modern players??? WTH? Mask up, quarantine, social distance, oh unless you play Modern.
2. Magic Arena is pushed by GotC/Hasbro and pushing players into digital. The best answer. Agreed.
3. Product fatigue. Arguable. Its not arguable its a FACT!!!
4. Card quality (or lack thereof). Arguable. Another FACT, period!!!
5. Price of admission to competitive Standard decks. Modern is much more expensive unless you play one deck no matter how badly it does..The format is full of cards from overpriced Modern specific sets. Fomat staples stay high. Again with Modern, we aren't talking Modern unless its drawing players away from Standard.
6. Lack of support to LGSs. Agreed. Yep.
7. Lack of power/playable cards outside of mythics. Nothing nearly as egregious as Ragavan. Meathook Massacre was an outlier. Again with Modern designed and playable cards, jeesh.
8. Slowness in banning overpowered and "unfun" cards. More like printing them in the first place, repeatedly, but agreed. Yep.
9. Price increases for sealed products. Modern, yet again. Again this makes zero sense.
10. Inflation. Bad for everything, but, once again, Modern is doing fine. How does Modern doing fine make Standard bad? What is your point?
11. Success of Commander. Undeniable, period.
12. Wedging Commander cards and Commander product into Draft, Set and Collector Boosters. No disrespect, but competitive players care NOTHING about Commander, save for it possibly inflating prices on a single here or there. This rarely effects Stanard. Wrong. Yet you prove my point, a competitive Standard player doesn't want unplayable Commander cards in his/her deck. So you proved my point.
13. Collector Boosters chasing sales away from Draft booster boxes. We like them, it drove singles prices down. Unless you like foils and alt art cards, Standard is cheaper than it's been in a long time. Standard is a hair cheaper because LESS PEOPLE PLAY IT, demand down, price down. Again from the Modern whale perspective, jeesh.
The perfect storm really and I haven't seen a lot from GotC/Hasbro to pull Standard out of what I believe is a death spiral.
By the way what exactly does Modern have to do with any of my points??? You could have summed up your points with a #14 Success of Modern and saved a lot of work.
Maybe I will go and butcher up one of your posts next time. Its fine to refute but crossing out my points, not cool, not cool at all. But two can play that game.
PS Thank you to FunkyDragon, that is the way you respond or counterpoint.
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."
Digital thriving in terms of using a direct-to-consumer business model with Secret Lairs to make up for no In-Person events and tournaments for two years at Local Game Stores (LGSs) on account of the pandemic because that's how Wizards of the Coast / Hasbro made most of their money on Paper Magic was through tournament fees and selling their products to local distributors until they thought Amazon was a one size fits all solution. Turns out that was never the case. They thought that they were making less money than third party sellers on eBay and TCGPlayer as well as Local Game Stores (LGSs) when in actuality capitalizing on the Secondary Market only damaged the ecosystem that helps support their game.
Most of Wizards of the Coast / Hasbro's attempts at making Standard as interesting and fun as EDH / Commander have failed so miserably that I think the designers are morally and creatively bankrupt at this point. The fact that Magic: The Gathering's own IP (Intellectual Property) is so weak to the point that they're desperate for Brothers War to pay off for them while also relying on other IP's via Universes Beyond is a sign of desperation to appeal to an audience who were never really cultured into Magic: The Gathering like we were. How could they? They were either too young or weren't even born yet. The gameplay was what made it stand out yet at the same time doesn't have a way to sell itself like Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon TCG, UniVersus TCG, etc.
If Magic: The Gathering debuted this year instead of 1993 would it still be as big as it is today given that we have more gaming choices nowadays? That we know what Wizards of the Coast's reputation and track record would be like instead of relying on blind faith that they would always have our best interest at heart and not cave in to corporate greed and corruption by having the best public relations with their customers and consumers? How different would things have been If it were the other way around? Something to think about. Sounds like something Tolarian Community College would post on his YouTube channel given his philosophical nature and all. Perhaps we knew in the back of our minds the inevitability but we wanted to enjoy the ride while it lasted.
"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
Some of you grazed upon this point but the fact is WotC has killed competitive magic.
- no GPs
- no real way to get to a PT
- no pptq
- no nationals
All of these events usually were used as a platform to push standard, as they no longer exist, there is very little reason to actually want to play a format that is:
- Rotating constantly
- Every other format may have a higher bar of entry, but that bar of entry is only really paid once (although MH is kind of changing that landscape). Standard is the opposite of that, it's like having constant micro transactions to your game.
- Wotc pivoted the game towards Commander (as it believed that's what most of us wanted - but I think it's more likely that they figured they could make much more money with those products than with anything else, and I think they were right).
- Arena pulling all the standard players to its platform
WotC has been pretty tone-deaf of late (especially regarding this question) and will continue to be so, it appears. I'd love for the game to go back to having 3 block story sets and only 2 standard expansions a year with some supplementary products sprinkled here and there. Give us time to appreciate the card. Right now, every set released already has spoilers 2 weeks after for the next one! That's crazy!
But most importantly...bring back GPs, PTs, PPTQs, Nationals...make us care about competitive play. Right now in Asia, we're about to get the SEA championship. It took several months of weekly events to get its participants. It was not easy to win any of these. But those who are in, the "big" prize? 400$ freaking USD. How is that even worth it for anyone involved? Massive joke.
Remember when we had the big "Pay the pros" crisis...yikes. We all got kicked to the curb and ARE ASKING FOR MORE.
Anyone hoping for anything like before might as well jump ship over to F&B while it's still its own thing (Hasbro will eventually buy them).
Modern and Pioneer are the only formats keeping Competitive Magic alive at the moment where as cEDH is too niche to be an actual consideration.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
America Bless Christ Jesus
"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
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What do you all think it is?
I would say the advent of Commander is a big reason.
People don't like to lose. Standard means competition and losing. It's as simple as that.
They should have an article in a pamphlet that comes with seal product that talks about the "Mind's Eye" and teaches people to relax while playing and not get ahead of themselves. Losing is (should be) a learning process, and a little explicit instruction on how to keep calm and relax and not worry could work miracles even.
I posted this on reddit posing that Magic is bigger than ever and we all know its because of commander, why even bother looking to the past?
https://archidekt.com/user/71716
1. Covid kept players away from each other.
2. Magic Arena is pushed by GotC/Hasbro and pushing players into digital.
3. Product fatigue.
4. Card quality (or lack thereof).
5. Price of admission to competitive Standard decks.
6. Lack of support to LGSs.
7. Lack of power/playable cards outside of mythics.
8. Slowness in banning overpowered and "unfun" cards.
9. Price increases for sealed products.
10. Inflation.
11. Success of Commander.
12. Wedging Commander cards and Commander product into Draft, Set and Collector Boosters.
13. Collector Boosters chasing sales away from Draft booster boxes.
The perfect storm really and I haven't seen a lot from GotC/Hasbro to pull Standard out of what I believe is a death spiral.
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."
Absolutely all this!
But Standard is a different beast, with its smaller card pool and more competitive nature, and it needs greater care from WOTC concerning the cards they release. I would argue that the sheer number of cards they've had to ban in recent years is indicative of design /playtesting issues and a refusal to print enough answers.
If you look at a timeline of Standard bans over the years, 2006-2016 only saw a couple bans total, but then 2017-present shows a ridiculous uptick, blowing away all of the previous years, going all the way back to the creation of Standard in 1995. They've grown careless and greedy, pushing out unbalanced, unanswered, and/or overpowered cards to sell packs, only to ban them after sales have shifted to the newest set. This has damaged the brand and the Standard format because people don't like spending money on something only to be told later they can't play it.
So, while they may be slow to ban cards, it's a bigger problem that they push out so many cards that need to be banned in the first place. Agreed on all of these, especially when looked at together. Players have a limited amount of time and money for a hobby. When that money doesn't stretch as far, they can't buy as much. Yet WOTC has pushed out more product than ever before, in too many types of boosters, at too high of prices. WOTC has self-sabotaged with both product fatigue and wallet fatigue.
I know this thread is largely about the death of Standard, but if WOTC doesn't course correct, the consequences will likely ripple outward to other formats. I used to buy boxes of boosters, but now I only buy singles. When there were only 4-5 Commander precons a year at $30-35 apiece, I would often buy them all; now that they release 19+ precons a year, with prices up to $50 each, it's become rare for me to even buy one. It's just more manageable to buy singles. It's a truth that has reached meme-level, but Magic foils are often Pringles right out of the pack. Other issues include inconsistent ink colors (I've seen copies of the same card pulled from the same box where one was white yet creamy and the other was super yellow) and inconsistent finish (some cards are super slick and smooth while the surface of other cards is rough and almost textured). They need to get it together if they want people to buy with confidence. It's almost like WOTC forgets that people need a place to gather and play this game. As much as they've focused on collectors and whales who will hoard cards away, the game lives or dies with the LGS. And WOTC seems determined to cut them out. I love Commander, and I've played EDH/Commander since 2009. There are many reasons why it has been successful, some of which could be replicated in Standard and others that cannot. One obvious draw - an eternal non-rotating format where you can play your cards forever once you've bought them - would never fit inside the box that is Standard. But maybe WOTC should look at why this format has flourished and try to apply what they learn to promoting other formats. You can build a Commander deck cheaper than a Standard deck and still have a better chance at winning. When I've been to the game store, I often hear strangers ask if people want to play Commander or occasionally Modern or Pioneer, but it's been years since I heard anyone ask if someone wanted to play Standard.
2023 Average Peasant Cube|and Discussion
Because I have more decks than fit in a signature
Useful Resources:
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EDHREC
ManabaseCrafter
Ever since I've played, I've been astounded that standard was still a thing. It always seems like it's dying. I remember Eldraine. Nobody played standard. I remember Kaladesh. Nobody was playing standard. I remember Zendikar. Who was playing standard? Two or three people at a little table (while the draft was hopping and popping). I mean more people play it than vintage,but more magic players play Go Fish than vintage.
I've only met two or three people who were passionate about standard. Who does it even serve? Replace it with extended.
Low-power cube enthusiast!
My 1570 card cube (no longer updated)
My 415 Peasant+ Artifact and Enchantment Cube
Ever-Expanding "Just throw it in" cube.
Think of it as the Phasing mechanic but specifically targeting problematic cards within the Standard metagame instead of how phasing normally works in Magic: The Gathering. But instead of phasing back in during your next untap step it stays "phased out" for a certain period of time until it phases back in when there are actual answers to the problematic card(s) in the format's card pool to where it's not as big of a threat that it once was. You'd probably have less competitive players migrate from Standard to Modern and/or Pioneer which doesn't get as much tournament play as Standard used to have because Standard's card pool would actually be expanding and not shrinking as much.
That way players can run the cards they want without having to worry about an entire set getting rotated out when Wizards of the Coast / Hasbro can just rotate out all the problem cards with minimal power creep issues or at least that's the idea anyway. That would lead to key cards that are vital to keeping specific cards in check while at the same time not cost as much in order to keep up with the format. Only problem I see with this is If they rotate out a specific problem card that's a 3-4 of staple in certain decks with no viable replacements for them. What If they printed viable replacements for them in advance so that when the problem cards do get rotated out then players will have viable replacements for them?
"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
By the way what exactly does Modern have to do with any of my points??? You could have summed up your points with a #14 Success of Modern and saved a lot of work.
Maybe I will go and butcher up one of your posts next time. Its fine to refute but crossing out my points, not cool, not cool at all. But two can play that game.
PS Thank you to FunkyDragon, that is the way you respond or counterpoint.
PPS For reference.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOwLKyEB0hA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxPJ38uSd50
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0qttshrfhs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRI5mlRovjA
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."
Just wanted to add that losing in a multiplayer game equals no sweat (it was many against one).
Losing in a one on one match is big damage to one's dignity (that they take the loss too seriously).
Most of Wizards of the Coast / Hasbro's attempts at making Standard as interesting and fun as EDH / Commander have failed so miserably that I think the designers are morally and creatively bankrupt at this point. The fact that Magic: The Gathering's own IP (Intellectual Property) is so weak to the point that they're desperate for Brothers War to pay off for them while also relying on other IP's via Universes Beyond is a sign of desperation to appeal to an audience who were never really cultured into Magic: The Gathering like we were. How could they? They were either too young or weren't even born yet. The gameplay was what made it stand out yet at the same time doesn't have a way to sell itself like Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon TCG, UniVersus TCG, etc.
If Magic: The Gathering debuted this year instead of 1993 would it still be as big as it is today given that we have more gaming choices nowadays? That we know what Wizards of the Coast's reputation and track record would be like instead of relying on blind faith that they would always have our best interest at heart and not cave in to corporate greed and corruption by having the best public relations with their customers and consumers? How different would things have been If it were the other way around? Something to think about. Sounds like something Tolarian Community College would post on his YouTube channel given his philosophical nature and all. Perhaps we knew in the back of our minds the inevitability but we wanted to enjoy the ride while it lasted.
"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
- no GPs
- no real way to get to a PT
- no pptq
- no nationals
All of these events usually were used as a platform to push standard, as they no longer exist, there is very little reason to actually want to play a format that is:
- Rotating constantly
- Every other format may have a higher bar of entry, but that bar of entry is only really paid once (although MH is kind of changing that landscape). Standard is the opposite of that, it's like having constant micro transactions to your game.
- Wotc pivoted the game towards Commander (as it believed that's what most of us wanted - but I think it's more likely that they figured they could make much more money with those products than with anything else, and I think they were right).
- Arena pulling all the standard players to its platform
WotC has been pretty tone-deaf of late (especially regarding this question) and will continue to be so, it appears. I'd love for the game to go back to having 3 block story sets and only 2 standard expansions a year with some supplementary products sprinkled here and there. Give us time to appreciate the card. Right now, every set released already has spoilers 2 weeks after for the next one! That's crazy!
But most importantly...bring back GPs, PTs, PPTQs, Nationals...make us care about competitive play. Right now in Asia, we're about to get the SEA championship. It took several months of weekly events to get its participants. It was not easy to win any of these. But those who are in, the "big" prize? 400$ freaking USD. How is that even worth it for anyone involved? Massive joke.
Remember when we had the big "Pay the pros" crisis...yikes. We all got kicked to the curb and ARE ASKING FOR MORE.
Anyone hoping for anything like before might as well jump ship over to F&B while it's still its own thing (Hasbro will eventually buy them).
"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