Subject: The Dojo! Date: Mon, 11 May 1998 13:48:04 -0400 From: "Heaven, Zachary" To: "'fkusumot@ix.netcom.com'" Hey Frank, Dude. What's happened to The Dojo? I've been an active reader for over a year (I think) and with all the crap going on lately, it just seems to be more like a spawning pool for rumor mongers and argumentative zealots. I hate this, I hate that, this has got to change. Don't you feel kind of fruity posting nothing but 1,000 messages a day about how so and so cheated me and how he should be banned for life, rather than actual strategical musings? Unless there is some Magic: Strategy Mafia already in existence that I am not aware of that would never consider using The Dojo. No wonder the state of "Magic" is in such chaos! People are too busy bitching and moaning about etiquette and morals rather than playing and having fun. You know the last time I read a serious tournament report that didn't include something slanderous or juvenile? About three months. Yeah, it's been that long. I mean, I hate to be blunt here, but I was an avid, every day fan of the Dojo. Now, I find myself browsing for some resemblance of strategy only to turn up disappointed, finding only various commentaries, points of observation, and complaints about everything involving Magic. "Can't we all just get along?"... I'll expand my letter further by giving an example: ---Old Post --- Here's where it happened... Here's my deck... Here's why I chose these cards... Here's how the deck works... Round 1... Round 2... etc. Quarterfinals... Semifinals... The winner/winners... The decks they used... What I would do differently... ---Recent Post --- I used this deck... off The Dojo modified like this... Round 1... Round 2 : Team-mate so and so... Round 3 : Some scrub... During this round at the table next to me this dude draws 2 cards off an Impulse... My opponent plays a spell without tapping his mana and... He knocks over his dice... My cousin from Montana tells me that his sister in California saw this guy cheat once, so I know he's doing something... I lose so I call a judge... Round 4... At this point I'm 2-2 because some scrubs with Dojo decks... I got a bad pairing... I drop out and win a booster draft taking some kids money... Props to... Slops: Mike Long for cheating... Anyway, it's all the same. When was there a formula released for a tournament report that states that you must include a certain number of references to cheating or immature behavior, slanderous remarks, and a comment that the Dojo is ruining professional Magic? To top it all off, you have the "Magic Crusaders!" and their opinions ripping on all portions of Magic, down to why certain colors suck, to why being a judge sucks, and even how the state of Magic is all in chaos and that DCI needs to get a clue (no offense intended to any particular persons). You ever notice it's usually the same people that reply to messages like that? All I have to say is get a life. Go out and get jobs, finish your degree, get married and have kids... do something other than religiously devote yourself to trying to fix something that you can't... here's reality people: The world sucks, and it always will, and there's nothing you can do about it. Perhaps we need to get every "Pro Tour" player and Magic playing adolescent teenage male out into an open arena and let everyone have a soap box, so that everyone will just get it out, grow up, and get over it... And no kicking someone's soap box out from under them, because that might lead to physical injury. Peace out, -Zach