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By: one million words, Pete Jahn
Mar 17 2014 7:45am
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The State of the Program for March 14th 2014

In the News this Week:

MOCS Crashes, Again: Wizards implemented a new set of controls and tools to help keep events running, and hired people to watch over events. It wasn’t enough. The MOCS crashed last weekend. Details here and here.  
 
MOCS and PTQs Cancelled, Again: The MOCS is cancelled, for now. The M15 season of PTQs is also cancelled. We are not sure when they will return. We are promised a status update in April. Worth’s statement about the cancellation is here. An FAQ on the change is here.  The one promising note: we will eventually get No-TIX events, which will be used to stress test the servers once repairs are made. 
 
All Scheduled Events Down, Again: All scheduled events were brought down by a bug for a few hours on Saturday. Scheduled events were back online a few hours later. Refunds will be granted automatically. Details here and here. Note that scheduled events are continuing. Only the MOCS and online PTQ have been suspended. 
 
Replays Disabled, Again: Wizards has turned off replays, as part of their attempt to get the system stable enough for scheduled events to function. Those of you who remember the transition from V2 to V3 probably remember this happening back then.   Nothing about this is a good sign.
 
Wizards is Hiring:  Wizards is looking to fill a number of positions related to MTGO, including programmers and people to mentor online events. It won't completely cure the PTQ/MOCS mess, but it is a start. Details here.
 
Wide Beta Draft Table Bug: The Wide Beta shows a draft table, which is supposed to show where you, and your opponents, are sitting.   Right now, however, the table lists the names in alphabetical order, regardless of where people are actually sitting. Wizards is working on it. Details here
 
Cube Returns:  Wizards will bring back Cube in a couple weeks. Details here. Wizards will be offering unpowered (I believe) Cube from after the downtime on March 19 through April 2nd. Prize payouts will include, for the single-elimination version, packs for the throwback drafts.   Which brings us to:
 
Flashback Drafts Coming Back: Wizards will be offering flashback drafts opposite the Cube drafts. You can draft Mirage/Visions/Weatherlight during the week of March 19 - March 26, and New Phyrexia/Mirrodin Besieged/Scars of Mirrodin for the week of March 26 –April 2. Details here. I’ll crunch the numbers in the Value of Flashback Drafts section, below. 
 
PE Top 8 Change: Starting with this week’s downtime, events with a Top 8 will now have a two-minute wait period between the Swiss rounds and the Top 8 similar to the two-minute wait between all other rounds.  In another overdue change, pairings for Top 8 will now follow the same rules as paper Magic (see section 10.4, here.)   What this means is that the pairings will not be random, but the person in first place after the Swiss rounds of a constructed event plays the person in eight place, second plays seventh, etc. Pairings are different for limited events. No word on when the modified play draw rule (meaning player finishing higher in the Swiss gets choice of play or draw) will be implemented online. 
 
Buttcrack Bannings: at a recent GP, a player went around taking pictures of himself next to players whose butt cracks were showing, and posted them to the internet. He was banned for 18 months. (Manager's Note:  This has been updated.  The six month number was likely pulled from the article on Time, which was likely pulled from social media.)  Now doing something like that – something that publicly embarrasses people to no good effect – is pointless and wrong to begin with. When you do it in a venue or event run by a commercial enterprise, expect that enterprise to come down on you. Crap like that can make players less likely to come to events, which directly affects the game itself. It’s also a PR problem, and promotes the fat, sloppy gamer stereotype. We have had enough of that already. 
 
HammyBot Update:   Hammybot is a great way to get cards and support the family of the late Erik Friborg. So far, Hammybot has raised well over $6,600! Keep it up! Hammybot still has over 25,200+ cards to sell, including a number of foil Mythics and a nice collection of Foil lands, so if you want to pimp out your constructed decks… 
 

The Timeline:

This tracks things we know are coming, things that are promised, and things we want back.
 

Item
Last Online
Expected
Source / Details
Vintage Masters
n/a
6/16/2014
Details here.
MOCS
3/2014
??
Status update in April. WotC statementFAQ.
Online PTQs
3/2014
??
Status update in April. WotC statementFAQ.
Legacy Tribal Wars
2/14/2014
“in due time”
Last official comment was Post #46 here.
Leagues
2008
2014
Most recent comment.
 
 
 
 
V3 Client Shutdown
n/a
??
When Wide Beta is ready, plus “months” of warning
 
 
 
 
CUBE
2/12/2014
3/19/2014
Details here.
MI/VI/WL Drafts
?
3/19/2014
Details here. MVW 3/19-3/26
NPH/MBS/SOM Drafts
9/2013
3/26/2014
Details here. Scars of Mirrodin block 3/26-4/2
Journey into Nyx
n/a
5/12/2014
Source = Calendar
Magic 2015
 
7/28/2014
Source = Calendar
Jace vs. Vraska
n/a
5/12/2014
Details here.

Fiscal Analysis of Flashback Formats:

(Repeat from last week) The next flashback format will be Mirage / Visions / Weatherlight. This is not really just a Lion’s Eye Diamond lottery. The format has a number of money cards, including Natural Order and Vampiric Tutor, plus an assortment of expensive uncommons. The average retail price of the cards in a MI / VI / WL draft set is about $10.50, which is above average even for a flashback draft. Here’s why – a list of all the cards worth more than the price of a booster, plus the five most expensive commons at the end.
 

Card
Rarity
Set
Price
Lion's Eye Diamond
R
MI
$ 125.77
Vampiric Tutor
R
VI
$ 45.23
Natural Order
R
VI
$ 33.67
Enlightened Tutor
U
MI
$ 21.23
Null Rod
R
WL
$ 19.30
Undiscovered Paradise
R
VI
$ 15.60
Doomsday
R
WL
$ 13.90
Mystical Tutor
U
MI
$ 10.13
Shallow Grave
R
MI
$ 9.21
Anvil of Bogardan
R
VI
$ 9.13
Gemstone Mine
U
WL
$ 8.06
Cursed Totem
R
MI
$ 7.74
Phyrexian Dreadnought
R
MI
$ 7.14
Firestorm
R
WL
$ 7.08
Worldly Tutor
U
MI
$ 6.44
Serenity
R
WL
$ 6.20
Desertion
R
VI
$ 5.79
Winding Canyons
R
WL
$ 5.49
Tithe
R
VI
$ 4.84
Lotus Vale
R
WL
$ 4.55
Flash
R
MI
$ 4.19
Crypt Rats
C
VI
$ 4.34
Quirion Ranger
C
VI
$ 1.93
Choking Sands
C
MI
$ 1.35
Fireblast
C
VI
$ 1.27
Spinning Darkness
C
WL
$ 1.03

Opinion Section:  Providing Feedback

In one of my other lives, I train volunteers who work on the phone bank at the local Public TV station. (Caveat: I’m also a volunteer for Public TV. What I say here isn’t official, and I don’t speak for Public TV or the station.) Part of that training is in handling comments from callers. Some of the comments are useful, and I teach to phone bank people how to enter them into the system.   There are two types of comments I tell them not to enter. The first is people saying that they really like Public TV or the show they are watching. Of course we are happy to hear this, but the staff assumes that, if callers are pledging money to the station and asking for copies of the show on DVD as pledge premiums, they probably like the show.   
 
The other set of comments that generally don’t get entered are the callers who simply call to rant and tell us they hate pledge drives. We know. No one at Public TV likes pledge drives. If there was any feasible alternative, there would be no pledge drives. However, staying on the air takes money, and pledge drives produce money.   What I tell my people is that if someone calls and complains about the pledge drive, stay friendly, listen, and give the call to me if the caller’s rant is more than you can handle. But don’t bother entering the comments unless the caller has something constructive to say. 
 
So why is this relevant? Wizards just had to suspend the MOCS and online PTQs, again. They asked for comments at this email address and this forum thread.   I’m sure they will get comments – many of them full of venom and hyperbole. But, please, if you make a comment, say something useful and/or constructive. An email saying simply “This si the suxor!!!11!1!. Bring MOCS back!!!!1!1!!” isn’t very useful, and it wastes the time of whomever has to read it. So vent if you must, but constructive criticism would be infinitely more useful. 
 
And please, avoid the hyperbole and bombast. I’m going to end up reading the forum, and that stuff just makes me tired. The program is not the “worst ever.” The WotC folks are not “totally incompetent,” “completely unqualified” nor do they “care abosultely (sic) nothing about the game.”   And the folks at WotC are not 9 feet tall (except Matt Tabak), nor are they all Reptiods. Excessive exaggeration does not increase your veracity.
 
And while I am ranting – enough with the comparisons to Duels of the Planeswalkers, Hex, etc. Magic, the Gathering™is the most complex game in existence. The rulebook is 190 pages, plus another 50 pages of tournament rules and over 14,000 unique pieces. If a player simply draws for the turn and does absolutely nothing but say “go,” that turn involved 16 priority passes.   And MTGO makes that all work, with very, very few glitches. Yes, it has all the aesthetic appeal of overcooked oatmeal, but you can use it to play Magic, according to the rules. If you cut out a couple thousand of the trickier (and more interesting) cards, and about half the rule book, you have Duels of the Planeswalkers. Cut out two thirds of the cards and most of the rulebook, and you have Hex.  Both of those games are a lot simpler, so they can have flashier interfaces. But until you can show me a game that can handle the interaction of Necropotence, Humility, Opalescence, or can give Ixidron Banding and Horsemanship, then it’s hardly a relevant comparison. 
 
So, MOCS and PTQs crashed, again. MOCS and PTQs are suspended, again. Does that suck? Absolutely. Do you think that Worth and the other folks at WotC know that? I suspect they do – and they are probably hearing more about it from their superiors. Can MTGO be better than it is? Lawd, I hope so. It’s barely playable as it is. And I suspect the folks working on MTGO know that, too. 
 
I’m not telling you not to comment. I'm not even telling you not to rant.  But don’t just rant, don’t go for excessive exaggeration, and don’t tell everyone, at length, what they already know. Rant if you must, but try to add some constructive comments.         
 
I just reread this section. Is asking for rationality and civility on the Internet any more productive than shoveling water uphill? 
 

Cutting Edge Tech: 

Standard: Last week’s Grand Prix was Modern, and there weren’t any large paper events.   However, one deck has made a splash everywhere. It put a couple copies in the Top 8 of a PE, and was featured in a bunch of videos and on the mothership daily decks. It may, or may not, be the second coming of Mono-Blue Devotion. 
 
UW Ephara Devotion
_Soku_, Fifth Place, Standard Premier #6834303 on 03/09/2014
Creatures
4 Cloudfin Raptor
3 Ephara, God of the Polis
4 Frostburn Weird
4 Judge's Familiar
4 Master of Waves
4 Nightveil Specter
4 Thassa, God of the Sea
4 Tidebinder Mage
31 cards

Other Spells
4 Detention Sphere
4 cards
 
Lands
2 Godless Shrine
4 Hallowed Fountain
11 Island
4 Mutavault
4 Temple of Enlightenment
25 cards

Ephara, God of the Polis
 
Modern: Last weekend, SCG showed that people will play Modern, if you make the event exciting. GP Richmond smashed all records for constructed events, clocking in at 4,300 players. That is huge, especially since it wasn’t a special set, or set in an exotic local: it was simply a Magic tournament run by people who know how to run Magic tournaments. Players like well-run events. Coverage is here.
 
Now, moving on to Modern. It is clear people like the format. However, of the last five large Modern events, Birthing Pod decks have made the finals all five times, and won four. This Top 8 contained four Melira Pod decks, one Kiki Pod, two Affinity and a Splinter Twin deck.  The Top 18 added a few more archetypes, but it is pretty clear that the three main decks in the format revolve around Birthing Pod, Splinter Twin or cheap artifact creatures. I expect that the next update to the Banned and Restricted list might include some parts of these decks. My current guess would be Chord of Calling and Splinter Twin will go, but Affinity won’t be directly affected.   The next B&R change is months away, though, so things may change.  
 
 
 
Pauper: For the first time in a month, I can feature a PE winning deck, and it isn’t base blue. It is blue, of course, but not solidly blue. 
 
Affinity
Intherain, Winner, Pauper Premier #6834313 on 03/10/2014
Creatures
3 Atog
4 Carapace Forger
4 Disciple of the Vault
4 Frogmite
4 Myr Enforcer
3 Somber Hoverguard
22 cards

Other Spells
4 Chromatic Sphere
4 Chromatic Star
4 Lotus Petal
3 Rush of Knowledge
3 Springleaf Drum
4 Thoughtcast
22 cards
 
Lands
4 Great Furnace
4 Seat of the Synod
4 Tree of Tales
4 Vault of Whispers
16 cards

Disciple of the Vault
 
Legacy: Since SCG was running GP Richmond last weekend, they didn’t host a Legacy Open. As a result, this week I’ll feature a deck from last weekend’s Legacy PE – except there weren’t any PEs (at least none were reported.) Legacy did manage to fire and complete some Dailies, so here’s a winning deck from Sunday’s event.
 
 
Classic:  Last weekend’s Classic event wasn’t reported. Maybe it didn’t fire. Maybe it was part of the Saturday crash. So, in its place, here’s a Vintage list from a recent event, as reported on Morphling.de.
 
Vintage BUG
Marcus Quandt, Third Place, Muehltal Vintage Event, Feb. 23, 2014
Creatures
4 Dark Confidant
4 Snapcaster Mage
2 True-Name Nemesis
4 Deathrite Shaman
2 Trygon Predator
16 cards

Other Spells
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Null Rod
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Echoing Truth
2 Flusterstorm
4 Force of Will
3 Mental Misstep
2 Spell Pierce
1 Steel Sabotage
1 Time Walk
4 Abrupt Decay
21 cards
 
Lands
1 Bayou
4 Polluted Delta
1 Strip Mine
3 Tropical Island
3 Underground Sea
2 Verdant Catacombs
3 Wasteland
17 cards

True-Name Nemesis
 

Card Prices: 

Notes: All my prices come from MTGOTraders.com. For cards that are available in multiple sets, I am quoting the lower price. Thus, the price I’m quoting for Thoughtseize is generally the Theros price. In certain other cases (e.g Brainstorm) I will note which version I track. All these cards are generally available from the MTGOTraders Bots, so check out mtgotradersbot, mtgotradersbot2, mtgotradersbot3, mtgotradersbot4, mtgotradersbot5, CardCaddy and CardWareHouse, or you can order them directly from the website. Now, on to prices.
 
The cost of entire sets is relevant if you redeem, but it is also a decent indicator of overall trends. Prices were pretty much unchanged this week. Born of the Gods had dropping, because of the release events, but it is stabilizing now.  It may climb a bit – redemption of the set begins next week.
 

Complete Set
Price
Last Week
Change
% Change
Born of the Gods
$96.02
$99.17
($3.15)
-3%
Dragon's Maze
$77.81
$74.07
$3.74
5%
Gatecrash
$108.85
$110.85
($2.00)
-2%
M14
$146.40
$137.93
$8.47
6%
Return to Ravnica
$149.54
$152.56
($3.02)
-2%
Theros
$111.43
$113.89
($2.46)
-2%

Standard prices took a slight drop this week. The format is pretty stable and most players have the cards they need, so there are not enough buyers to drive up prices. The chase cards are falling back to more normal levels. Expect another spike when a new deck shakes up the format, or when we get closer to the next set.
 

Standard & Block Cards
Price
Last Week
Change
% Change
$8.34
$7.31
$1.03
14%
$19.35
$21.44
($2.09)
-10%
$18.72
$18.27
$0.45
2%
$20.39
$18.31
$2.08
11%
$16.64
$17.39
($0.75)
-4%
$7.79
$6.86
$0.93
14%
$28.76
$30.91
($2.15)
-7%
$15.29
$15.35
($0.06)
0%
$9.00
$11.63
($2.63)
-23%
$10.61
$10.94
($0.33)
-3%
$22.53
$27.58
($5.05)
-18%
$12.65
$14.04
($1.39)
-10%
$7.53
$7.43
$0.10
1%
$29.77
$31.10
($1.33)
-4%
$12.09
$11.16
$0.93
8%
$10.42
$9.93
$0.49
5%
$10.47
$11.08
($0.61)
-6%
$33.88
$35.04
($1.16)
-3%
$14.67
$16.62
($1.95)
-12%
$7.25
$7.62
($0.37)
-5%
$32.61
$29.86
$2.75
9%
$6.11
$6.54
($0.43)
-7%
$6.69
$7.51
($0.82)
-11%

Modern prices are climbing, slowly. Bitterblossom soared when unbanned, but it is showing up only occasionally at the top tables. If you are a really good Fae player, it works. If not, it’s not for you. The price will slowly fall. Other cards, like Azusa and Primeval Titan, were part of the Amulet of Vigor deck, which flashed briefly but could not sustain. Everything else is staying strong. 
 

Modern Cards
Price
Last Week
Change
% Change
$25.78
$25.78
$0.00
0%
$10.09
$10.53
($0.44)
-4%
$31.05
$31.00
$0.05
0%
$14.56
$13.56
$1.00
7%
$32.18
$34.20
($2.02)
-6%
$15.17
$12.95
$2.22
17%
$15.96
$15.96
$0.00
0%
$30.10
$28.72
$1.38
5%
$15.16
$16.00
($0.84)
-5%
$20.55
$19.93
$0.62
3%
$19.16
$20.91
($1.75)
-8%
$14.49
$13.69
$0.80
6%
$13.21
$13.21
$0.00
0%
$31.14
$27.65
$3.49
13%
$29.42
$27.57
$1.85
7%
$36.60
$36.60
$0.00
0%
$30.13
$28.59
$1.54
5%
$10.95
$10.06
$0.89
9%
$75.20
$66.06
$9.14
14%
$18.24
$17.23
$1.01
6%
$58.85
$51.23
$7.62
15%
$33.34
$33.52
($0.18)
-1%
$21.49
$22.98
($1.49)
-6%
$22.15
$23.64
($1.49)
-6%
$28.80
$30.28
($1.48)
-5%
$17.57
$17.23
$0.34
2%
$14.05
$13.42
$0.63
5%
$93.60
$86.47
$7.13
8%
$47.77
$48.09
($0.32)
-1%

Pauper prices are overall up a bit. The effect of the last round of flashback drafts is wearing off. The next couple flashback drafts – Mirage and Scars blocks – should not have much effect on these prices.   
 

Pauper Cards
Price
Last Week
Change
% Change
$1.77
$1.44
$0.33
23%
$3.00
$2.95
$0.05
2%
$1.54
$1.32
$0.22
17%
$2.91
$2.90
$0.01
0%
$2.24
$2.32
($0.08)
-3%
$4.34
$4.34
$0.00
0%
$9.54
$9.54
$0.00
0%
$1.80
$1.51
$0.29
19%
$2.94
$3.24
($0.30)
-9%
$1.27
$1.27
$0.00
0%
$2.95
$2.95
$0.00
0%
$5.68
$5.32
$0.36
7%
$2.96
$2.96
$0.00
0%
$3.48
$3.48
$0.00
0%
$0.93
$0.76
$0.17
22%
$3.74
$3.36
$0.38
11%
$1.73
$1.93
($0.20)
-10%
$3.08
$2.82
$0.26
9%
$5.42
$5.11
$0.31
6%
$1.09
$0.77
$0.32
42%
$0.65
$0.56
$0.09
16%
$1.22
$1.36
($0.14)
-10%

Legacy and Classic prices were pretty stable again this week. A few minor drops, mainly due to flashback draft effects. Nothing of significance. Lion’s Eye Diamond is still the most expensive card on MTGO, despite being a MOCS promo AND Mirage flashback drafts. It takes a lot of work to stamp down the price of an old rare that is heavily played. To really make the price drop, Wizards would need to make LED a rare, not a Mythic, in Vintage Masters.   That said, I could see it dropping below Force of Will soon.
 

Legacy / Classic Cards
Price
Last Week
Change
% Change
$13.90
$13.90
$0.00
0%
$37.20
$37.20
$0.00
0%
$19.51
$19.51
$0.00
0%
$19.82
$19.82
$0.00
0%
$24.75
$24.75
$0.00
0%
$25.09
$26.11
($1.02)
-4%
$121.64
$121.46
$0.18
0%
$62.55
$62.55
$0.00
0%
Hurkyl's Recall
$20.64
$20.28
$0.36
2%
$17.61
$17.61
$0.00
0%
$31.94
$31.94
$0.00
0%
$125.77
$131.66
($5.89)
-4%
$26.11
$26.11
$0.00
0%
$67.22
$69.59
($2.37)
-3%
$31.16
$31.16
$0.00
0%
$32.15
$33.67
($1.52)
-5%
$19.30
$19.30
$0.00
0%
$15.50
$15.50
$0.00
0%
$32.64
$33.94
($1.30)
-4%
$98.79
$98.79
$0.00
0%
$65.72
$68.87
($3.15)
-5%
$30.28
$31.51
($1.23)
-4%
$25.47
$25.47
$0.00
0%
$26.66
$26.66
$0.00
0%
$37.27
$37.27
$0.00
0%
Vampiric Tutor
$44.05
$45.23
($1.18)
-3%
$23.29
$24.55
($1.26)
-5%
$75.74
$76.53
($0.79)
-1%

The Good Stuff:

The Good Stuff starts with a list of the non-foil, non-premium cards on MTGO that cost more than $25 each – that’s $100 per playset. LED is holding strong, despite Mirage block drafts AND being next month’s MOCS promo. The price fell, but LED is still the most expensive card on the list. The other change is that a bunch of Modern cards have been added to the list.   
 

Card
Set
Rarity
 Price
Lion's Eye Diamond
MI
R
 $ 125.77
Force of Will
MED
R
 $ 121.46
Rishadan Port
MM
R
 $    98.79
Tarmogoyf
FUT
R
 $    95.33
Tarmogoyf
MMA
M
 $    93.60
Wasteland
TE
U
 $    75.74
Liliana of the Veil
ISD
M
 $    75.20
Misdirection
MM
R
 $    67.22
Show and Tell
UZ
R
 $    65.72
Gaea's Cradle
UZ
R
 $    62.55
Mox Opal
SOM
M
 $    58.85
Tundra
ME4
R
 $    51.44
Tundra
ME2
R
 $    51.35
Vendilion Clique
MOR
R
 $    50.88
Vendilion Clique
MMA
M
 $    47.97
Vampiric Tutor
VI
R
 $    44.05
Bayou
ME3
R
 $    41.80
Underground Sea
ME2
R
 $    39.42
Volcanic Island
ME4
R
 $    39.10
Bayou
ME4
R
 $    38.91
Volcanic Island
ME3
R
 $    38.52
Underground Sea
ME4
R
 $    37.27
City of Traitors
EX
R
 $    37.20
Griselbrand
AVR
M
 $    36.60
Sphinx's Revelation
RTR
M
 $    33.88
Noble Hierarch
CON
R
 $    33.34
Polluted Delta
ONS
R
 $    32.64
Voice of Resurgence
DGM
M
 $    32.61
Bitterblossom
MOR
R
 $    32.18
Natural Order
VI
R
 $    32.15
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
WWK
M
 $    31.94
Cryptic Command
MMA
R
 $    31.77
Mutavault
MOR
R
 $    31.64
Tropical Island
ME4
R
 $    31.21
Mishra's Workshop
ME4
R
 $    31.16
Fulminator Mage
SHM
R
 $    31.14
Batterskull
NPH
M
 $    31.05
Tropical Island
ME3
R
 $    30.32
Sneak Attack
UZ
R
 $    30.28
Karn Liberated
NPH
M
 $    30.13
Cryptic Command
LRW
R
 $    30.10
Mutavault
M14
R
 $    29.77
Threads of Disloyalty
BOK
R
 $    29.64
Geist of Saint Traft
ISD
M
 $    29.42
Scalding Tarn
ZEN
R
 $    28.80
Domri Rade
GTC
M
 $    28.76
Mana Crypt
ME2
R
 $    27.98
Misty Rainforest
ZEN
R
 $    27.37
True-Name Nemesis
C13
R
 $    26.66
Mana Drain
ME3
R
 $    26.11
Ajani Vengeant
ALA
M
 $    25.78
Tangle Wire
NE
R
 $    25.47
Flusterstorm
CMD
R
 $    25.09

The big number is the retail price of a playset (4 copies) of every card available on MTGO. Assuming you bought the least expensive version available, the cost of owning a playset of every card on MTGO you can own is $27,170. That’s down about $80 from where we were last week. 
 

Weekly Highlights:

The temperature rose above freezing for a bit this week, and even hit 50 degrees for a few hours. In Wisconsin, that means people were out in shorts, flip-flops and mini-skirts. In a few places, I can actually see weed poking up through the snow. I even saw one very confused robin – but it will still be a couple weeks before the ground thaws enough for that robin to find a worm. Still, actual thawing is happening. 
 
PRJ
 
“one million words” on MTGO.
 
This series is an ongoing tribute to Erik “Hamtastic” Friborg.
 

38 Comments

I am probably sadder about by IYankemDDS at Fri, 03/14/2014 - 13:19
IYankemDDS's picture

I am probably sadder about replays than most. I hope they are back soon!

Oh crap replays are off!! by Leviathan at Fri, 03/14/2014 - 13:26
Leviathan's picture

Oh crap replays are off!! Ughh...

Good stuff Pete, thanks for reporting.

You didn't change not to now by Sensei at Fri, 03/14/2014 - 13:57
Sensei's picture

You didn't change not to now before copy-pasting the PE Top 8 Change section.

The buttcrack picture guy by Gabriel Strasburg at Fri, 03/14/2014 - 14:03
Gabriel Strasburg's picture

The buttcrack picture guy should not be banned or be getting in trouble in any way. They should be bannning the huge tubs of lard that are so fat they dont even know when they are showing 4 inches of crack.

The main reaon I quit paper magic was the stench and overall disgustingness of the other magic players, with the majority coming from the neckbearded fatties shown in the buttcrack picture series.

Ban anyone with noticably poor hygiene from attending tourneys and the attendance will go up and everyone will be happier (except the stinky people).

The banning over crackgate by enderfall at Fri, 03/14/2014 - 15:21
enderfall's picture

The banning over crackgate was 18 months, not 6.

I was able to obtain a new by AJ_Impy at Fri, 03/14/2014 - 17:03
AJ_Impy's picture
5

I was able to obtain a new comment, but not new news, on the Tribal Wars return here: http://community.wizards.com/comment/50327166#comment-50327166

The banning was apt. Bullying by Paul Leicht at Fri, 03/14/2014 - 17:17
Paul Leicht's picture
5

The banning was apt. Bullying even in the guise of "being funny" is not acceptable. Being narcissistic (lacking all empathy for fellow human beings) is not an excuse. Yes visually seeing people with weight issues sit in folding chairs is not pleasant. However no one should be looking at that as their focus of attention during a 4500 player tourney. No one who came there to win anyway. If you aren't there to win then why are you there? To make fun of obese players who did come to win? To be a jerk/asshat to people you've never met because you think they are somehow wronging you? Eighteen months was lenient, imho.

OK next subject: The failures of WOTC with software. Duh? Glad they are still hiring people in an attempt to get things working. You make some very valid comments Pete, via commenting on this subject matter. It is easy enough to rage and rant and being hyperbolic because who ISN'T just the tiniest bit frustrated with this long running comic tragedy? I am not sure it isn't helpful to list out what you think needs doing even if this is already "known" by those that read these comments. Sometimes things bear repetition and sometimes people need to have things spelled out in great detail, again and again before something clicks.

I agree that saying "This is upset-making, stop doing this" is probably not the most encouraging comment to receive. But it does indicate that people care. Which is imho important.

Bullying? Really? I know by Strahd at Sat, 03/15/2014 - 01:52
Strahd's picture

Bullying? Really? I know that is a cool new phrase to throw around now, but come on! The amount of butt crack and the smell at these events is why I don't take my kids to any events or play paper anymore. It is more offensive to me that these people lack self respect and refuse to cover up. They HAVE to know they are exposing themselves. Its disgusting, really.

What else do you call public by Paul Leicht at Sat, 03/15/2014 - 06:36
Paul Leicht's picture

What else do you call public shaming?

I agree that hygiene is a real issue with introverted intellectual types with little social training. But all this kind of thing does is reinforce negative attitudes towards these people without actually affecting change.

Do you remember the Zvi Mowschowitz grooming incident? When he was invited to the PT a bunch of friends got together, got him a hairstyling, a suit, and suddenly he was no longer a kid but an adult playing a sport. He felt great because his friends looked out for him and his appearance changed dramatically from then on. Now to look at him as a PT Hall of Famer and mtg author he seems the very epitome of a pro player.

That change did not come about because he was shamed into it but because people around him supported him and encouraged him. Sure you are discomfited by very idea of interacting with such poorly trained individuals but trust me that snapping sarcastic photos of their backsides is bullying and not constructive and hence WOTC had an obligation to ban the perpetrator.

Imho you are missing an opportunity to teach your kids something about compassion and empathy by making sure they aren't exposed to people who don't have your own level of self-esteem and social awareness...

I prefer to teach my kids by Strahd at Sun, 03/16/2014 - 13:22
Strahd's picture

I prefer to teach my kids self respect and hygiene. As far as compassion and empathy, we do a lot of community volunteering and they do also, even at 3 and 5. Maybe Wizards should start giving game warnings and losses for people being exposed or smelling at tournaments if they want to seem family friendly and get rid of this kind of stereotype. This is problem that has been going on for YEARS. It is not my job to take all of these people and get them groomed, nor their friends job either.

Teaching your kids by walkerdog at Sun, 03/16/2014 - 15:35
walkerdog's picture

Teaching your kids self-respect doesn't give you the authority to decide that this isn't bullying. Your attitude is similar to a conservative to shames folks on welfare, then says it is okay because he "gives lots to charity." Good behavior in one area of your life doesn't mean you're not a douchebag in another area.

Why are those (respect and by Paul Leicht at Sun, 03/16/2014 - 16:39
Paul Leicht's picture

Why are those (respect and compassion, hygiene and empathy) things mutually exclusive? By saying "no we can't go to the store where the other people play magic because you will encounter improperly clothed obese individuals there who clearly have never seen a bar of soap" (if you bother to explain that is) is in essence teaching them to disrespect people who do not share your values.

Understanding that there are all kinds of people in the world is a key lesson. It allows people to step into other people's shoes (empathy) and maybe even show them respect despite their own lack of socialization (compassion). All this leads to a better more complete person (integrity), and a clean mind and heart (hygiene) as well as body.

I do get your position as a parent. It is your first and rightful impulse to protect your (very) young ones from undo harm. Not to stop them from getting a few scraps and bruises when they adventure into the local outer world by playing on the lawn/in the sandbox/etc but to keep them from actual danger and discomfort. However there is such a thing as teaching by example and teaching by behavior and this attitude you have presented reinforces intolerance rather than self-respect.

Does it disgust me to see someone's tush sticking of their jeans? Mildly. Does it disgust me to smell alcohol & tobacco on someone's clothing/breath? Sometimes. Does it repulse me to know someone is loath to bathe? Occasionally (it depends on how pronounced the odor is). Have I ever disgusted anyone? I am sure I have. Does that make me better than you or them? No. Worse than you or them? No.

But different, perhaps. Now I live in a huge city so I may be a bit more tolerant in general of presentation since I see so many different people doing it differently but in general I think (Americans in particular) people value orderly and well put-together displays (and smells). If someone does not fit in, in this manner they know it.

But they may not be aware of why. They may require someone to actually point it out to them (not YOU obviously...) This doesn't mean humiliate them in public and laugh at them because they aren't as well-brought up as yourself. That kind of disrespect shows a flaw in one's one self-respect. Rudeness of that kind reflects poorly on the doer not on the target of the mockery.

Do you know how annoyed I get when I go to a theater and some guy comes and stands next to me in a stall and pees and then walks out without washing his hands? I mean totally disgusting right? But people do that all the time. Heck I sneeze, I go wash my hands. (Because invariably I sneeze into them even if I have a kleenex.)

If you consider that bullying by howlett23 at Sun, 03/16/2014 - 21:34
howlett23's picture

you have never been bullied. I have no issue with the ban, or if you want to call it inappropriate, etc. but it was not bullying. That is just a new PC term for anything that isn't Cumbaya-nice in this day and age. 1. There were no faces of the "victims" 2. The guy who posted it is probably someone who shows some crack when he sits down, so I consider it more as laughing at himself as well. 3. The "victims" are(or were until all this stupid publicity) oblivious to it, and even once they learned of it there would not be much confrontation about it, perhaps by their own friends who MIGHT recognize them, but guess what, that probably happens anyway. My friends and I tear each other apart, worse than anyone else ever could because we are truly friends, we don't need to be sweet and compassionate and PC and all that other crybaby bullshit that some people think makes someone your friend. We all know we are there for each other when it REALLY matters, not when someone else is "picking" on us by showing pictures of our cracks. We are loyal to our own and don't need approval and can do without it being called bullying or mean or narcissistic or brutish or anything else you want to try and label it as. Fact of the matter is , I prefer my friends to be this way, so I can dish it back and not feel bad and to know they are telling the truth,even if its layered in sarcasm. Its so much easier that way than trying to figure out whos a fake ass liar or whose someone that only wants to be your friend to get something from you, etc.

You are dead wrong. I was by Paul Leicht at Mon, 03/17/2014 - 00:05
Paul Leicht's picture

You are dead wrong. I was most definitely bullied growing up (NYC public schools bro) until I learned how to fight back. And even then the bullying didn't stop until my rep grew to the point that the bullies learned to stay away from me by word of mouth.

And I disagree with your argument over the term. Bullying isn't merely having your lunch money taken, being pushed into a wall, punched, kicked, beaten within an inch of your life or being called hateful names over and over again. Bullying is a not a new term. Nor is the definition.

It is also a term for what this person did. Mocking the obese and the socially inept aka Public humiliation.(If you prefer that term we can agree to call it that instead.) If you haven't been publicly humiliated it might not seem so to you but it is. Your argument about no faces sadly does not hold water. I wish you were right because then the perpetrator would merely be a jackass and that is no one's business but those who know him.

Unfortunately many people have come forward and either ided the people in the photos or self-ided because they know others would recognize them.

What you do with your friends is your own business (as long as you aren't doing it in public where authorities may take notice.) I don't care. I am not talking about that.

And honesty in friendship is important obviously even if it is tinged with a loathing or apparent disrespect. I have no problems with that. If you dis me though expect it back in spades. I am nice until I need to be otherwise.

Being "PC" isn't the issue here. The issue is simple: Don't take photos of others without their permission and publicly humiliate them. Particularly don't do it at a corporate event or expect to banned from future events. (I know you don't have a problem with that.)

If it was self-deprecatory I would respect that for what it was but it wasn't. I expect he felt like he was doing something that would get him attention, make him popular with his friends and help him get cred as a comedian. I suspect he feels different about it in hindsight.

Lets not pretend we are all gang-bangers here because even if you know the signs and have the right attire (gat, kicks, doo rag, etc) you aren't that stupid if you play the game with any level of skill. So all 'tough guy' talk aside why the need to shame the "fatties"? Don't you think they get enough slack during their daily lives?

Oh you think it is righteous to treat strangers the way you treat your best friends just because you treat them like crap? I am not buying it, you know better.

The most interesting part of this aside from the obvious division in opinion about what constitutes bullying and what is proper behavior in public is that people care a lot on both (all) sides of the issues. That is pretty damned fascinating because I am pretty sure there has been zero talk about butt cracks in the public domain of the mtg community before this. At least not where I could read it.

Also Howlett, you've been with us for more than a couple years now (remember all those rants about classic?) try finding and using the frigging Enter key now and then eh? (Just because it is easier to read for us older folks.)

I am surprised so much of the by Alphi at Mon, 03/17/2014 - 06:59
Alphi's picture

I am surprised so much of the argument revolves about the weight of the guys in the pictures. Of course, it is obvious the guys with their cracks showing were of the rather heavier persuasion, but the way I took it, it was much more about cracks showing than anything else. Especially as he guy posing in front was not exactly lightweight himself. Maybe it's due to me having a different - unamerican - sensibility?

But if you take away the weight dimension, than I don't think it's bullying. It's still wrong and obnoxious, but it's hardly bullying to go after socially repulsive habits.

It's one thing for you and by MarcosPMA at Mon, 03/17/2014 - 03:59
MarcosPMA's picture

It's one thing for you and your friends to talk trash to each other, I get that. I'm in a fraternity and part of the nature of us being close is throwing "insults" at each other and trash talking. I know and they know it's just us having fun, but I would never do that to someone else. They don't know who I am, what I'm like and whether or not my comments are intended to be in jest or to actually hurt.

Just because someone isn't bullying you face to face doesn't mean you're not being bullied. Just because they're not punching you or pulling your pants down or whatever doesn't mean it's not bullying. Bullying is when you want to intimidate people, when you want to show power and the thought that you're better than them, that they're worse than everybody else. Nothing good can come about when you take those kind of pictures, even if you don't show the faces. The victims will know it and will know they're being laughed at and that's wrong.

The difference is that by walkerdog at Mon, 03/17/2014 - 14:26
walkerdog's picture

The difference is that friends are generally established as being friends before acting in a way that (otherwise) might be rude, cruel, vicious, etc.

Think about it like this - Sunny in Philly is hilarious. It's a group of friends who treat each other horribly (and expect it) but also treat others (not their friends) horribly. They don't mind it too much amongst themselves, but outsiders who are treated in the same fashion hate them, because that's not an acceptable way to behave to people you aren't friends with, who don't expect it.

What about the fiscal by Barbarian King at Fri, 03/14/2014 - 18:54
Barbarian King's picture

What about the fiscal analysis for Scars Block? Could we have it next week, please?

The guy taking those pictures by a small child at Fri, 03/14/2014 - 19:34
a small child's picture

The guy taking those pictures deserves what he got. Bullying is simply intolerable.

That said, hygiene is a serious issue in the community. Many other competitive sports and games have dress codes at the high levels of play, and I think this would be appropriate for magic as well. I'm not saying everyone should be expected to wear collared shirts and slacks or anything. Something like requiring belts with pants, no obscene shirts, no obviously ill-fitting clothes/exposed ass/midriff would be a good start. Smell is an issue but I think a rule about this needs to be enforced only in extreme cases and should also apply to heavy cologne/perfume. These rules should apply to GPs and Pro Tours. Other tournaments can be at the TO's discretion.

All of this falls under sportsmanlike conduct and respect for the game, and I'm honestly surprised that it hasn't been done already.

Providing feedback by Ikoma_Aze at Fri, 03/14/2014 - 20:11
Ikoma_Aze's picture
5

Firstly great article as always.

Secondly just wanted to share... I provided some feedback a few days ago, through the link on the article about the MOCS & PTQs. As always I tried to make my feedback email not be a rant.

Today I had a nice surprise... an email from Worth saying "I wanted to write to you to thank you for sending your feedback. Especially as delivered in a constructive, actionable manner."

He also arranged for my account to get a free draft set of boosters as a thank you!

I'm sharing this as it's on topic to your opinion section on giving feedback. Not to brag (well, maybe a little!) but to encourage others to definitely provide feedback on what WotC is doing right and wrong, but to make sure it's written in a constructive way.

Do it because your feedback should be in that form to be easier to read. Or do it because it's much more likely to lead to the result you want. Or heck, do it because you might get free stuff!! :-)

:) by one million words at Fri, 03/14/2014 - 21:53
one million words's picture

:)

Well done! I think the by Paul Leicht at Fri, 03/14/2014 - 22:54
Paul Leicht's picture

Well done! I think the guys/gals at WOTC have lots of stress inducing stuff on their plate and when they can point to something that helps them they feel the need to reward the person doing so.

This sounds great. Now I'm by Kumagoro42 at Fri, 03/14/2014 - 22:58
Kumagoro42's picture

This sounds great.
Now I'm curious to read that feedback, though. Do you have a copy of it and mind to share?

Feedback by Ikoma_Aze at Mon, 03/17/2014 - 06:50
Ikoma_Aze's picture

I don't have a copy but the content was mainly about their method of communications. (I never have enough points to play MOCS nor the time to play PTQs, so these specific changes don't affect me.)

My feedback was about any such announcements being easy to find (I suggested that the "mothership" site and MTGO.com would be the first places a player would check). I think spreading the word through Twitter should be encouraged but nothing (and especially nothing new) should solely be posted on Twitter.

In other feedback I suggested that any announcement should state a date for the next update rather than leave things hanging.

Also any suspension of events should also include a note that the prize structure/pricing would not be changed if/when the relevant events do return.

Personally, I think the points in the previous two paragraphs do a lot to help alleviate players' uncertainties and curb criticism that Wizards will take this opportunity to reduce EV in future.

So as you see, nothing ground-breaking... in fact a lot of these points have previously been raised in this very series!

(FWIW this latest announcement was a lot better than similar ones in the past.)

Concerning the butt-crack by Alphi at Sun, 03/16/2014 - 09:57
Alphi's picture

Concerning the butt-crack gate:

I have no problems with the guy taking the picture getting banned, those are the rules. However, 2 points: 1/ it hardly feels as if he was going after anyone in particular, no faces are shown. If he was making a statement about how bad form it is to have so many cracks showing in one event, I certainly agree with him. Which brings me to 2/ how in the world can the DCI pretend for one second they ban this guy to promote a safe environment, when quite obviously not a single judge bothered to tell these guys to pull up their pants? For me, it certainly has nothing to do with people being fat, nor with bullying. It simply bad form, and quite disgusting.

Concerning the MOCS announcement:

I have written my own email, to basically tell them to please stop working on getting high-level competition on MODO. I feel all the resources should be put into the client and the server. there is basically no point in having additional bell and whistles when the basic architecture is so poor. Obviously, I have put the forms.

On a side note, I have recently started playing Ascension on my iPad and Hearthstone on my Mac. Before I go on, I know Magic is several orders of magnitude more complex then these games. But how my god! In under 1 minute, I can be slinging against opponents online. Shiny hasn't even logged me in by that time. Not only that, but everything is so responsive, looks so good, feels so right... It is becoming obvious to me that Shiny, ironically, is old and creaky. I have no idea if this state of affairs is ever going to change, it has basically been like this since I started playing on MODO. What I do know is that I have barely opened MODO in the past month, and have spent a lot of time playing something else. Magic might be the better game, but I feel I'm losing the will to put up with crappy software just so I can get frustrated when I get kicked out of a DE... :(

I'm not sure if you've used by xger at Sun, 03/16/2014 - 10:59
xger's picture

I'm not sure if you've used shiny recently, but its performance has vastly increased. I'm currently out I of town and because I didn't have any deck files on my laptop I am using shiny. Not only is it working great on this computer (it has hung once, for about 5 seconds, the 4 days I've been using it) but the process of uploading the 30 or so decks I wanted was very quick and seamless.

I've been solely using Shiny by Alphi at Sun, 03/16/2014 - 15:35
Alphi's picture

I've been solely using Shiny for about 2 years now. I have been lucky and it has been working averagely well since the beginning, but the loading times are just killing it. It takes me sometimes more than 5 minutes just to get in. On one hand, I live in Central Asia, and my connection is not really good. On the other, I can play Assassin's Creed multiplayer without a hitch on US servers, so you'd think it'd be good enough for MODO...

As for your post below, I don't think they should be scraping Shiny. I strongly believe, however, that they really, REALLY need to buckle up and put a lot more work into it. But then, I freely admit I have become highly disenchanted with the whole process.

That's not the point. by one million words at Sun, 03/16/2014 - 12:45
one million words's picture

Whether exposed butt cracks are offensive or not is completely irrelevant. If this guy was concerned with that, he could have just leaned over and whispered to the player "dude, pull up your pants, your butt-crack is showing." Posting photos of the players, without their permission, to the Internet is something completely different. That's humiliating. And you don't get to go around humiliating people without consequences. It may not technically be illegal, but it is immoral, obnoxious, stupid, childish and repulsive. If you deliberately humiliate people in my house, I will ask you to leave. If you are obnoxious at a store, the store will ask you to leave. If you do something like this at work, odds are you will shortly be unemployed.

And as a judge, if I notice a problem with someone's wardrobe, I may well mention it - but I will do so in a way that does not draw anyone else's attention to the the problem. And, at a 4,300 player GP, judges may have other things to keep them busy.

You are quite right, taking by Alphi at Sun, 03/16/2014 - 15:38
Alphi's picture

You are quite right, taking and posting those pictures was clearly wrong, and the ban rightly deserved. Still, I was personally shocked at how many different pics the guy found to take. And I assume he did not actually manage to take EVERY single instance of a showing crack. Was it a lot considering it was a 4000+ Grand Prix? I don't know. I still feel Wizards could do much better to improve the image of the game.

One thing I wanted to add to by xger at Sun, 03/16/2014 - 11:00
xger's picture

One thing I wanted to add to the constructive email section is that telling WotC to scrap shiny is not productive. It is very clearly not going to happen, and just saying that isn't constructive.

I guess I find it hard to by IYankemDDS at Sun, 03/16/2014 - 13:58
IYankemDDS's picture

I guess I find it hard to believe that people who show up to events like this don't know how they are presenting themselves. If I ask them to pull up their pants, I figure they will take it as an insult. Just kind of awkward all the way around.

I'm really glad the crackgate by JXClaytor at Sun, 03/16/2014 - 15:45
JXClaytor's picture

I'm really glad the crackgate discussion has not devolved into reddit style buffonary.

My two cents on crackgate: I by smack8001 at Mon, 03/17/2014 - 10:42
smack8001's picture

My two cents on crackgate:

I think the outrage would have been a lot clearer if he had been taking pictures of exposed parts of female anatomy, instead of male anatomy (although that's legal in Mass. apparently).

2. My girlfriend was only telling me one month ago that she won't play MTG because when she first tried it in the 1990s, it was a played by a room fully of "smelly fat boys whose parents should have hosed them down before allowing them to go out in public." Now our community has grown up into fat smelly men whose parents don't hose them down, and if you want to avoid "promoting the fat, sloppy gamer stereotype" as you put it pete, then the process starts with the fat, sloppy gamers. It's been 20 years now and nothing has changed. Our culture, our community, needs to change, and it has to start with us and from within. Posting our embarrassing moments to Imgur should be a wake-up call, and the only thing that should shock us is that it doesn't happen more often.

3. A DCI dress code and hygiene code sounds like a reasonable and appropriate suggestion to take away from this experience.

I strongly agree with Point 2 by RexDart at Mon, 03/17/2014 - 13:22
RexDart's picture

I strongly agree with Point 2 in this post. The appearance of some MTG players is a huge turnoff to people joining the game. Fantasy game enthusiasts are just sort of used to this, and it's been that way since everybody's first D&D group back in the 1980's, but mainstream people take one look at a room full of paper Magic players and say "hey look, more fat slovenly nerds, why would I want to involve myself in that?" I was fat for most of my life, and one thing you have to realize is that no matter how funny or smart or interesting you are, being fat -- particularly if you dress poorly -- will prevent a lot of people from ever seeing your virtues. You do not get to change that reality, you have to accept it and do your best to change yourself.

From my own experience, I believe shame can be a powerful force for change. But the community could also do things to be positive when people make improvements to their weight, health and appearance, and that sort of thing creates a feedback loop that encourages more improvement. But that is hard to change, because for decades the fantasy gaming community has been where people who are "different" in some way go to have a "safe" place where they aren't judged. I get that people need that, but people also need to be encouraged to better themselves.

But the problem is bigger in perception than in reality. In my personal experience, the "fat slob gamer" stereotype begins to fade away the higher you go in competitive events. At a recent SCG Open I attended in St Louis, through 7 rounds of Legacy play I never once played against anybody I would describe that way. I played against mature, working professionals, including another attorney. Of course, that's more likely with Legacy. But even in Standard events, if you stroll about the top tables a few rounds into the tournament, the best players are usually appropriately dressed and are not any fatter than the population at large.

I wish that WotC would realize that the public perception of their player base is costing them money, and that it really does make the game repellent to mainstream folks. They don't do enough to discourage this perception, and they should be putting good-looking thin professionals all over their website event coverage to fight the perception.

Ah, hygiene. I went to a by Bazaar of Baghdad at Mon, 03/17/2014 - 12:25
Bazaar of Baghdad's picture

Ah, hygiene. I went to a paper tournament once. Once.

I used to play Halo for a by blandestk at Mon, 03/17/2014 - 23:12
blandestk's picture

I used to play Halo for a living and after that I worked for a company that held Halo tournaments on a national level. This article has two really interesting intersections from that portion of my life that I feel are worth mentioning.

Halo 1 was the best, most skill-intensive of the series and probably the greatest FPS ever created (certainly the one with the most skill-testing elements). But Halo 1 was created in 2001 and didn't include an online option for team play. People created applications to get around that problem - essentially creating giant LANS online - but the lag was so terrible that it was essentially unplayable off-host. To play anything close to a fair match, a bunch of people had to be in the same place at the same time in order to connect to a LAN. These tournaments were large and awesome.

Then xbox live came around, Halo 2 (and a bunch of other games) arrived, and suddenly you could play team games from your home with relatively little impediment to the fairness of the game. But to the competitive Halo crowd, neither Halo 2, nor 3, nor Reach, nor 4 compared to the first game. For a decade now, people have clamored to see Halo 1 playable online. The developers claim the game would have to be radically redesigned to include netcoding, which would alter the fabric of the game itself. I always marveled at the fact that we could put a dude on the moon in 1969, but we can't write netcode for Halo 1 in 2014. But I digress. The Halo community always had a joke about remaking Halo 1 with netcode and precisely zero flashiness. The point would be to make a game of Halo 1's precision and skill sets, without the bells and whistles, which would make it as close to latency-free as possible. The conventional thinking in the industry is that no one would buy a game as "dumbed-down" as that when it comes to aesthetics. I think that's bunk, but it brings me to my first point.

1. I always hear about the MTGO client looking terrible and looking like a program from the 90s. My first response is always "And?" The new client has upped the "appearance" in some ways. Hearthstone looks great. It all looks great. Might we all be willing to play a nuts and bolts game that plays flawlessly and looks like 1997? I obviously have inside knowledge of the beta client's coding. I, for one, however, would be willing to play the game with no issues and have it look like a buttcrack than worry about it crashing, while still seeing how "shiny" the whole thing is.

2. The Halo (and other games) tournaments brought in a bunch of nerdy kids from all over the country with no social awareness, packing them 10 deep into a hotel room for half a week. The kids never showered. They played games 24/7, barely stopping for food or bathroom. Cramming thousands of people into a room with a bunch of electronics, elbow to elbow, makes for a disgusting, sweaty mess. People started to avoid the tournaments because of this situation.

What did the company do about it? They pumped in a ton of air conditioning to the tourneys at cost to them, they made public announcements to shower, and they generally encouraged good hygiene, health, and environment. Things got better. The COMPANY did this.

Nothing will change with Magic until Wizards takes some sort of action. Perhaps they never will. Perhaps bad PR is what it will take to do something. Should the guy have posted those photos? I wouldn't post them. Should he be banned? Sure, if that's their standard. Should they do something about the overall problem? I would vote yes!

Ill say this: I agree that by Paul Leicht at Tue, 03/18/2014 - 02:33
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Ill say this: I agree that WOTC should be more proactive about their players being a little healthier and hygenic. Maybe go so far as to have a room in a nearby hotel that players could use if they really needed a shower. Little care packages of hotel sized soap, toothpaste, etc? Well it's a nice idea anyway.

Also, I am not interested in playing on a Buttcrack interface. :p I'd be down for an ascii based "GUI" if the engine was smooth and the UI worked in the players' interests. (IE: Optionalize all those things that are now mandatory that players hate.)

According to the weekly by IYankemDDS at Tue, 03/18/2014 - 16:32
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According to the weekly update, Replays will return after the downtime this week.