MTG Salvation

Quote from ElAzar »

And because of that i hope they will give a one-year-ban to people caught with fakes, and a lifetime ban for the second offence.

Quote from Mystic-X »

First off, I'd like to express my condemnation and anger in reading about this.
These are exactly the types of parasites which discourage me from ever playing competitively.
There are just too many people out there who try to abuse the system, and for every person getting caught there are probably several succeeding and flying under the radar.

Quote from Poster X »

Its like we have the Holocaust deniers here.

Dramatics aside, I have to say I wasn't expecting Godwin's law to be invoked here by page 3.

Objectively speaking, I think it's fairly obvious that Mr Boettcher is not only immature, but completely disconnected from reality.

Honestly, the only thing worse than cheating is being caught red handed on camera and then adamantly denying it in some futile attempt to imply that he was completely ignorant or oblivious to what he was doing, or that his sketchy shuffling was being done subconsciously without any malicious intent.

A real adult who is caught making an irrefutable mistake or breaking rules (laws or otherwise) may not necessarily apologize if their error was done inadvertently, but will at least acknowledge that they were at fault, take responsibility for their actions, and accept the consequences with grace and dignity. This is of course assuming they aren't in complete denial that what they did was deceptive, irresponsible, and immoral. Alas, for all we know this man is an opportunistic sociopath who doesn't even know the difference between right and wrong (as defined by the ethics of business and sportmanship), or if he does know, simply doesn't care.

Now why do I say that he's clearly disconnected from reality?
Because of the following ridiculous statements (among others which I won't bother wasting time psychoanalyzing for the time being):

"I will be fighting this very hard, as it's more than a hobby it's my career. I'd never cheat at something like this, it's not worth it. Basically embezzling money from a company I own, and I wouldn't do that." and "I don't own a store. I make my living grinding Magic events and buying / selling cards then budgeting based off all that."

I swear to every god in Theros that if I were the hundred-handed one, I would've facepalmed myself a hundred times upon reading that.

Evidently, Mr Boettcher doesn't even seem to realize let alone understand the difference between a consumer (which is what he is), and a company shareholder (which is what he's deluded himself into thinking he is). Seriously, since when does having Magic cards as personal property (regardless of their presumed collective secondary market value) make anyone a part owner of WotC or Hasbro? That would be like me saying I'm a part owner of Microsoft because I've used their operating systems at my office which in turn indirectly earns me income through the use of other software operating on that platform, or because I've bought Xbox games in the past and then traded or sold them second hand when I was done using them for my own personal recreation. I suppose in Mr Boettcher's reality, I'm also a part owner of Toshiba for having one of their lcd tvs in my living room, and a restauranteur is also the part owner of the grocery stores and other food suppliers from which he or she buys their ingredients with which they use to turn profit by selling meals.

I'm sorry to publicly burst Mr Boettcher's bubble, but in actuality he's not the owner of anything beyond his own personal property, and even that is technically questionable since the evidence implicates that some of the properly he's acquired over time either directly or indirectly through Magic tournament winnings can be legally defined as the proceeds of a crime. Suffice it to say the money earned to purchase (some of) his cards (among other things) was earned via fraudulent (illegal) means. Even suggesting that he is (or would be) embezzling from a company that he "owns" is offensive and borderline insane.

At best he's a game enthusiast and hobbyist turned entrepreneur (and I use that term very generously) who uses his knowledge of the game and the implementation of that knowledge for profit; profit which I highly doubt he's actually declaring as income and paying taxes on. Therefore, any winnings or profits from buying and selling cards can not be defined as professional income. At worst (and in reality), he's a con artist who uses carefully practiced slight of hand tricks to gain an unfair advantage for his own selfish gain and manipulate the results of sanctioned events where all participants are expected to play fairly in with a degree of personal restraint despite any temptation to unfairly increase their odds of winning in manners which are unsportsmanlike. Evidently, it would seem as though Mr Boettcher believed that the rules don't apply to him, and after having broken them on camera and being caught red-handed, has now made himself worthy of even less respect by attempting to defend his actions with asinine allusions to what only happened in his own mind.

It would seem fairly obvious that even if he wasn't caught, Mr Boettcher needs to grow up fast, realize he's an adult, and understand that playing Magic isn't (at least for him) a "career" (clearly another word which is ill-defined in his delusional mind). Can playing Magic be profitable and something one spends a lot of time doing and practicing for? Definitely. I would never argue against that. However, calling it a "career" undermines the entire meaning of that word and virtually slaps every person who actually works (be it a real career or a job whose salary or commission they pay income tax on) in the face. I'm sorry if this touches a sensitive nerve and comes as a rude awakening for him and others who believe they have a "career" if their only source of income is playing Magic and/or buying and selling cards (under the table), but it's not. It's a recreational past time which can occasionally or perhaps even regularly be profitable (but offers no guarantee that you'll receive a set amount of income per week, month, or year). To elaborate further, he's a gambler, but there are no professional gamblers. Yes, there are "professional card (poker) players", but those people still earn their living without cheating to win hands, pots, or tournaments. If you cheat to win, you're not a professional by definition because professionalism inherently implies a lack of cheating in your trade. Consequently, I would never associate the words "career" or "professional" with someone whose only marketable skills and/or for-profit activities directly or indirectly involve committing fraud and/or theft.

Truth be told, he's akin to an athlete who uses steroids to win competitions. If that's what he (or others) believes professional" athlete should (or need to) do in order to succeed in their careers and doesn't think there's anything wrong with that, then I sincerely don't think he perceives reality well at all. That being said, he should probably get better educated, consider psychological help, and try working a real job like the rest of us. I'm not here to judge an individual's ambitions (or lack thereof) as many of use don't opt for "the career path" (as defined by what is considered by the majority in general society to be an actual career), but this guy seriously needs to find another viable way to pay his rent and bills (assuming he doesn't still live at home with his parents).

In all honesty, getting caught cheating and banned from playing is probably be the best thing that's ever happened to this guy.
Why? Because tough wake-up calls like no longer having an addictive hobby which has clearly tempted him beyond his will to resist cheating in order to have a convenient source of income is the necessary kick in the arse often required for people with Peter Pan syndrome to reflect on their transgressions so they can in turn achieve greater things, work on rebuilding their reputation, earn a living in some way which they can feel proud of and accomplished, and move on to living a more honest professional life.

I realize that times are tough, not everyone has good job skills or job opportunities, and desperate times call for desperate measures, but the bottom line is that if this guy actually had a reliable source of income (be it a nine to five or otherwise), he wouldn't feel the pressure, desperation, or compulsion to cheat in order to win tourneys for profit and stay afloat financially.

In conclusion, I'm sorry if my post seems long, presumptuous, judgmental, offensive, and/or over-analytical to anyone who may have read it. I just get very frustrated whenever I hear or read about douchebaggery like this, and got particularly upset when I read the interview rebuttals given by the accused in response to the allegations for which additional proof seemingly isn't required. Sometimes losers need to be put in their place and cheaters need to be shamed. Anyways, you can mark my words that if he appeals the ban and somehow wins to have it overturned, I'll lose so much faith in WotC and the DCI arbiters that I'll eat my cube on camera.