There have been several interesting articles about playing Magic lately at StarCity: It seems these articles are debating what type of player everyone should be and if players should strive to not be"scrubs." Tim Stoltzfus linked to a few articles in"Do You Play to Win?" that had a definition of"scrub" which he matched Anthony Aubry to because of his comments in"Death of a Rogue." Also, there was an interesting piece on FNM from Evan Reed,"A Good Tourney Spoiled: Lack of Proportion" and I would like to say a few things about the ongoing debate on scrubs, net deckers, and"winners."

Let me start with"Death of a Rogue" and Anthony Aubry. I have an unfair advantage over Tim regarding classifying Anthony because of one reason; I know him. Tony is not a"scrub"; Tony is a gamer. He buys new games all the time to amuse himself and his friends. Magic was good for Tony until the scene started drying up and all the tournaments were sanctioned or PTQs. He was not"In it to Win It" during his Magic-playing days, but he did have some memorable moments in local tournaments where he was usually about .500 for the day while having a good time pulling off a combo or two. He did not complain when he lost, or whine about getting net decked - as the linked page in Tim's article suggests"scrubs" would do - and he was always jovial throughout the tournament.

As I said, I have an advantage - but I think that Tim should have some background before making personal remarks or classifications about a specific person. Also, Tony never said he was looking to win in his article; just that he did not find the game fun anymore, which was a good enough reason to quit for him. (Well, that and almost all of his Magic-playing friends quit at that same time.)

As far as the linked page in Tim's report is concerned, the uncomfortable truth is, well... I am a scrub. Not in the aspect that I complain so much at the tournament or at my opponents, but I do seem to handicap myself with deck choice frequently in constructed events. Currently, I am playing green/white in OBC; I know it is a second-tier deck behind green/blue and mono black, but I have taken it to two events going 2-2 and 3-2. Currently, it is heavily maindecked to beat blue/green with Spellbane Centaurs and other maindeck cards that have no business being there.

Why am I not playing blue/green? With some simple changes, I can keep my anti-blue/green cards and get the power of Aether Burst and Circular Logic, losing little from the white cards I had in green/white; Glory is replaced with Wonder and Aquamoeba replaced Tireless Tribe. Your links helped me make that decision to test this stronger deck against the field; I will let you know how it goes.

Evan's article about his FNM experience was interesting; I myself have run up against the same guy, he changed one card and is"innovating" the design. Ohhhhkay. The fact of the matter is that guy is willing to blow up the tournament with his power deck for one of three reasons:

• He wants to win the card
• He is trying to boost his ratings
• He is really uptight about winning.

There really isn't a lot to be done about that player except mocking him over the net deck. Mocking is completely acceptable if you don't use profanity... And the first time he denies that it is a net deck, you should pretty much stand up and announce to the tournament he is playing 98% of a net deck with an extra island. Still, if one person wants to win the whole thing that badly, it is his prerogative to bring the hammer and win the whole thing so you have to take that round with a grain of salt and say"the next match will probably be more fun." You could even ask him if he has any fun decks he wants to play until the next round; see what he says!

Basically, have fun if you are going for fun regardless of who or what deck you play - just don't expect everyone to be there for fun.

Fun vs. Winning: This is what it all comes down to during the course of these three articles, and all of them have valid points. The"Play to Win" article suggests that you are not trying to win if you don't use every possible means to succeed - which is correct in the video game world and in Magic tournaments. If you are playing to win, bring the best deck, playtest against the best four or five decks for preparation and take no prisoners during the event, Friday Night Magic, Pro Tour Qualifier, or your local game shop's Saturday tournament. If you really want to win, take the big guns and start shooting.

If you are playing in a tournament to have fun and burn some time with friends, do just that. Take elves, take goblins, take squirrels, take whatever roguish creation you have to the tournament... But be aware that sometime during the day, you will take a beating by a guy with a tweaked deck trying to win; that is just the way it is. Try not to get upset at the quick loss and go play a couple of games before the start of the next round with somebody. Squeeze that Magic time for all it's worth.

I also recommend that the serious player go to the local store every now and then with just an absolutely ridiculous combo deck and attack with 50/50 squirrels, it helps with stress. Everybody keep playing for whatever reason, and good luck.