I just read the article posted by Douglas Scheinberg called Why Wizards is an Evil, Evil Corporation, and the first thing I would like to say to Douglas is that I, for one, appreciate your honesty and your thorough presentation of the way you feel... And although there are some things that I agree with you about, but in general I strongly disagree.
Everybody seems to forget one aspect - and in my opinion a very important aspect - of the Magic experience: Opening a pack of cards. I love opening a pack of cards; it gives me a feeling of anticipation, and excitement that I can rarely find anywhere else. When you open up a pack of Odyssey and get Hint of Insanity, it is disappointing. Why is it disappointing? Because you could have gotten a Call of the Herd. When you open up a pack of Odyssey and get Shadowmage Infiltrator, you are happy; excited, even. Why are you happy?* Because you didn't get a Cabal Shrine. The very fact that crap rares exist make it exciting to open packs! If every rare was as powerful as the next, then that entire experience would be gone.
The fact that it is difficult to get four of every rare to build your deck is one of the aspects that keep Magic alive. I can say with complete confidence that if Magic had been released without different rarities, then it would have failed. People say that Magic is alive today because of the innovative game play and the unique aspects of this pioneer game; that is partially true, but it is also alive because of rarities. There are people (and their numbers are a lot more than you think) who enjoy trading way more than playing Magic. The thrill you (and I) get from winning a match is the same thrill and adrenaline rush that a trader (and I am also in this group) gets from unloading three of their seven Devouring Strossus cards that they opened for the one Ghitu Fire that they needed! (I can testify to this because I have made that trade - and despite popular belief, I have also won a match.) You are proposing that we take that experience away!
To me, that's the same as if you told me that all tourney instructions to reread: Report to your table, and we will then tell you who wins. There is no need to play your match, as we have now organized the tournament so that everyone gets the same amount of wins.
How fun is that?
Just recently, I bought ten packs of Apocalypse and opened them. It was thrilling. You may think I am odd, but the fact remains that I had a blast just opening the packs. Why, you may ask? Because I was hoping to get a Mystic Snake to replace the four that my friend lost when his Provincials Deck vanished. I opened the packs one at a time and I got the following rares: Cromat, Shivan Reef, Mystic Snake (Yeah), Caves of Koilos, False Dawn, Phyrexian Arena, Wild Research, Prophetic Bolt, Death Grasp, and Mystic Snake (Sweet). I got two Mystic Snakes - the card I was looking for. My whole day was better after that; I was happy for two reasons. One, I got two of the card I was hoping to get. Two, I didn't get any 'Volvers; I don't like the 'Volvers, but seem to be cursed to get one in every third pack. Again, the existence of crap rares contributed to my ultimate happiness.
This same argument applies to Magic Online; if everyone has access to every card, there will be no trading, no thrill of opening a pack, no pride in a collection of cards. You say"The way I see it, Magic Online shouldn't punish players who don't want to buy virtual pack after virtual pack." I disagree; I think Wizards is just trying to make money.** I do agree with your concept that it would be nice to play against people who have the same card access as you do... But is not allowing the purchase of Virtual boosters the answer? Possibly, but not the only answer. A solution I favor is to allow everyone (by, say, right-clicking on an Avatar) to display statistics about that person including rating, both Limited and Constructed, and collection size. This way if you don't want to play against some one who spent five hundred dollars to build a rare-infested deck, then you don't have to.
Sure, there are ways around it and people will dump cards they don't need to minimize their collection size, but it will allow people like you and me to proudly display that we only own a hundred and eighty cards (basic land would not count) and we want to challenge someone else who has less then two hundred cards. I am not going to talk further about Magic Online in this article; I will address that in another article later.
I believe that all the reasons above are enough to dissuade people from joining your well-intended (but ultimately game-destroying) crusade. But that is not the most important reason that Wizards should not change the way they distribute Magic. The most important reason is Capitalism. I am not an American (I am Canadian - and yes, there is a difference but don't get me started), but I do know that Capitalism works. The entire premise of your article is that Wizards is Evil because they are making a profit selling us stuff we don't want. Disagreements of whether we want the stuff or not aside, that does not make them evil - it makes them smart. It makes them Capitalists. It makes them money. It keeps them in business, and it keeps Magic alive!
What Wizards is doing is called profit maximization, and it is a good thing. It is one of the foundations that America was built on. If it didn't work that way, then you would not be reading this article on Star City... Because Star City would not exist. Crap rares are just as important to Pete and all the other people who sell Magic singles as the great rares are. Don't take that wrong; I don't mean Star City wants to get crap rares when they open packs, but the fact that those rares exist at all keep them in business. Magic is sold the way it is because it works best that way. Despite what people tend to believe, Wizards is not made up of a bunch of people who have no idea what they are doing, sitting around all day with their collective heads stuck up their butts. They are made up of professionals who are experts in their field - be that marketing, logistics, law, or creativity.
So if you wish to trumpet up support for a boycott to change the way Magic is distributed in regards to rarity, then you can try. Be warned, though, that I will not sit aside idly drinking beer, eating back bacon, and snacking on an Apple Pie for dessert*** (in tribute to my southern neighbors) - I will fight you with every keystroke and every post. Two quotes come to mind:
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."
"All that is necessary for evil to prevail is that good people sit aside and do nothing."
Finally, to address Douglas's final comment that says"Send me anything at all, but please don't tell me that I shouldn't try to help make Magic a better game by making it cheaper and more accessible to everyone." I will not try to stop you from making Magic a better game for everyone - as a matter of fact, I will help you - but making it cheaper and more accessible to everyone will not make Magic a better game. You get what you pay for; if you make the game cheaper then it will be just that: Cheaper. Not less expensive, but cheaper - and everything that that entails.
Wayne Alward
AlwardWayne@JohnDeere.com
* - Or maybe you're still sad because you wanted a Call of the Herd instead of Finkel, but you get my point.
** - I think I must have missed the press release that stated"Making Money is bad and evil, particularly if you are a corporation." When did that become true? If Wizards does not make money, they will shut down, plain and simple.
*** - Okay, actually I don't drink beer and I am trying to lose weight, so that cuts out the Back Bacon and Apple Pie... But play along, eh? (Along, eh? Alongi! Am I weird for finding that funny?)
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