To recap: Someone wrote an article about spoilers, someone in the forums said they didn't like it, and someone else solicited a rebuttal article. So, to rebut:

I'm not interested in flaming. This is intended to be a refutation of an argument. You should check out the original article; it contained fun, humor, and some terrific stories about the kids and dorks that play this game. I am of those dorks, and I love them. (You should love them too. Wizards of the Coast estimates that seventy to ninety percent of Magic players are “casual.” If they leave, it's bye-bye flight to Prague, bye-bye prize support, bye-bye brass ring.)

The original article was appreciated… but it was window-dressing for spurious downright nonsensical reasoning. Prereleases are about the fun and excitement of new cards. The prize payout is structured accordingly. Let us consider the following scenario:

A group of “bad” players comes to a prerelease with better card evaluation, thanks to the spoiler. Their bad player group-mind had a couple of extra weeks to ruminate on the set, and formed some sound conclusions. Thus, they became better players. Should I “hate” spoilers for helping them improve their game?

<Dark night, pouring rain. A lone man kneels under a street lamp, and screams at the sky>

“Curse you, foul spoiler! My third round opponent, he opened so very many Magemarks, but he didn’t play them. He played with good cards instead. He played these good cards, and I lost. Six packs, it cost me; six packs that were rightfully mine. For it is I, with my quicksilver evaluation; I, and I alone, who is entitled to greatness! Damn you, spoiler! God damn you to hell!”

Maybe I'm exaggerating. Maybe no one ever called spoilers “the devil.” That would be silly.

In all seriousness, I have lost plenty of matches to people who didn't know what they were doing, didn't know they could have won three turns ago. It hurts, sure. What honestly doesn't bother me (or not nearly as much) is losing to someone I've known for a while, who used to be awful, who beat me because they were getting better at magic. I am honestly pleased to see that. I genuinely believe that a greater overall skill level is good for this game. I'll pray to be paired against a nincompoop at a Pro Tour Qualifier, but at a prerelease? Come the hell on. If I really wanted a scapegoat for my losses, I'd blame the mulligans I didn't take, or the card that sat uncastable in my hand that I decided to run, or maybe I'd whine about topdecks or mana. I don't think I'd point an accusing finger at my new-and-improved opponents, let alone the spoilers that ostensibly got them there.

Let's talk about the likelihood of that mattering in the first place. Some of the best players in my area never look at a spoiler. It's not a matter of principle – they just don't care that much. They hear some buzz, but nothing approaching the level of scrutiny and common analysis we're talking about here. They just walk in and smaaaaaaash faaaaaaaace. Maybe they don't immediately pick up on the fact that color X is very strong, and will be heavily played, so hoser Y should be maindecked, but they make up those negligible percentage points. That's what it comes down to: negligible percentage points. The details may vary, but it's always about creatures, power and efficiency, removal, card advantage, and mana. These ideas are pretty static; if they can be learned from a spoiler, it may as well be Alliances as Guildpact.

Having said all that, the article was written in response to people flipping out about potentially losing their spoilers, and if that (people flipping out) is really happening, I have to agree with the author that it's just not a big deal. As I see it, Wizards wants people to adhere to their non-disclosure agreements, and wants rumor publishers to reveal their sources. Whether this is legal/practical/financially justifiable is a discussion well above my head, and probably yours. Do you really think you're qualified to judge the financial impact of a spoiler on the Magic brand? I'm certainly not. I just play this game. I do recall Wizards reacting badly, but eventually chilling out, about Apprentice and Magic Suitcase, so I'm willing to extend them some credit for benevolence. However, I'm skeptical about the financial damage done, and I'm skeptical about their ability to force people to reveal sources. All that is baseless conjecture.

Spoilers are fun. I like reading and wondering about cards, and since I really don't think they detract from prereleases, there's no downside for me. They're not “the devil,” they're not evil beyond reproach. If we lose them, I'll miss ‘em… but I'll, y'know, read something else.