I started playing Magic about 10 years ago. It started off as that thing I did for fun, hanging out at the local store every week, playing games and having a great time. The game quickly became much more to me, as it does for most people. In fact, it became a major part of my life. I got into competitive magic around the time that Ravnica was released. I learned about the Grand Prix and the Pro Tour, I had dreams about making it to the ‘big show’ and sooner than later it became a reality. I made top 16 at a Grand Prix. I can’t even describe the feelings associated with that accomplishment. I had lived the dream; I had made it to the Pro Tour. Later that year, I won my Nationals championships and kept the journey going. Seven Pro Tours, countless Grand Prix and what seems like an entire lifetime later, we’ve come to where we are now. I’m 24, an ‘adult’, going to school and working part time. I still love the game. I play casually, just as much as I ever did back then, because of this pure love for the game. I still do well on the competitive side too, despite my busy schedule. I came in 3rd this year at Nationals and secured myself yet another spot on the Nationals team. I will be making the trip out to California for what is to be the last World Championships ever.
There have been multiple announcements lately regarding Organized Play, some of which I have been alright with and some I have not. I understand that nothing in life ever stays the same and that things must constantly change, but I fear for the worst this time and opinions must be heard. I’m typically not one to say that the sky is falling, but Magic has experienced its greatest growth period these last few years and the changes made don’t seem to mirror that at all.
Changing the Elo rating system to the Planeswalker Points system is not my favourite decision, but I can understand it from the perspective of Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast. Getting people to play more is great for the overall health of the game, from the company’s perspective and for the players as well. It does however, come with side effects. I live in Ottawa, a medium-sized city a few hours north of Toronto. It is the capital of Canada. Our player base is not huge and our events leave much to be desired. Between travel costs to get to larger tournaments and the scale of our local ones, I am confident in saying that it is an impossibility for me to qualify for the Pro Tour on Planeswalker Points simply because we don’t have enough events with high multipliers and because we are lumped in with the United States for ratings-based invites. Do I think this is a flaw in the system? No, I think that it is what it is. It needed to be done for the health of the game. It happened and we as players have to live with it if we want this game to survive.
Removing PT invites from Grand Prix’s and Nationals, however, is something I cannot come to understand or respect. Doubling the amount of events annually is great and I think it reflects the growth that your game is experiencing, but taking away some or most of the incentives for players to play in them seems like a step in the wrong direction. Without the invites, I honestly can’t see myself ever wanting to travel more than a couple hours by car for any one of these events ever again. I can’t speak for everyone when I say this, but I for one don’t play this game for the money. If I wanted to get rich off of something I was good at, I would find something better to do with my time than play Magic. I play this game on the larger scale because it gives me the opportunity to travel and experience places and cultures I have never seen. I’ve met so many friends through this game that I never would have met without it. And that’s a story worth telling. I love the game, plain and simple. Like I said, it’s not about the money, it’s about the experiences and by taking these invites away, you are taking away many of our experiences with the game.
The removal of the Players Club and the old pro points system is the death of a legacy. This club has been around since before I even knew about Magic and is really what got me interested in competitive play to begin with. No sport is truly a sport without its athletes and no company is truly successful without visible spokespeople. Where would basketball be without the Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant? Where would Microsoft or Apple be without Steve Jobs or Bill Gates? People need something personable in anything they buy into, something relatable. It’s just a fact of life. By eliminating the Players Club, you are killing the dream of thousands of players worldwide to be a ‘Pro’ or play on the same stage as the greats. With nothing to aspire to, Magic will be reduced to the same level as every other card game that has come and gone since Magic’s inception. Magic won’t survive.
I’m not going to sit here writing this article and pretend like these decisions were all made by you. I don’t think you would want this to become of your game. Hasbro has made it clear that they want Professional Magic to change. Financial reports and company sales all indicate that Magic is at an all-time high and is Hasbro’s best selling product. The game is in a growth period never before seen from any collectible card game and should be nourished so that these trends continue. The Players Club and the Pro Tour, in my opinion, are your best tools for Magic’s expansion and future and should not be eliminated without extremely careful consideration.
As for my future with the game, like I said, I love this game and I don’t want to give it up. However, I have no desire to travel to any events after the World Championships in two weeks and I expect these feelings and opinions to be shared by many. I still plan on playing in PTQs when they are within driving distance. But for the first time since the Planeswalker Points announcement, I would rather find something else to do than play at my local store. I’m afraid to hold onto my collection, since prices in the market are largely affected by large events. With that said I’m not interested in investing any more money into the game in the near future. I hope that this is not the beginning of the end for Magic, but I am certainly not the only one who feels this way about the future. Please find a way to fix this game before it’s not too late.
Sincerely,
Dan
Dan Lanthier was the Canadian National Champion for 2008. Once a level 4 Pro Players Club member for 2 years, he’s attended many high level events including top 50 performances on the Pro Tour a top 32 and a top 16 finish on the Grand Prix level.