Subject: Re: Stop printing decklists
Date: Thu, 25 Jun 1998 17:06:39 +0100
From: Kim Eikefet <kim.eikefet@ba.no>
To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com

Hi all,

I read Dorian Anders' article where he asks Frank Kusumoto and the Dojo not
to print complete decklists. He writes: "Magic should be a game to
stimulate creative thought and problem solving skills", and argues that it
is bad that people just copy a Dojo deck, play it and win without thinking
about deckbuilding at all.

My opinion is that there are two aspects of the game Magic: the Gathering.
First, you have the deckbuilders, those who can see the hidden combos and
figure out which cards fit nicely together in a well-tuned deck. Then you
have the the players, who play the deck and win. These two can be the same,
but not necessarily.

It is a well-known fact that some players are better deck-constructors than
others, just as it is a fact that some are better facing an opponent than
facing his pile of cards to build a deck. If no decklists were posted on
the Dojo, people would be more or less forced into being both, with the
exeption of those with contacts. Some people would still have good
deck-constructors within their reach, and decks would still be passed from
person to person. The only difference would be that those who have no team
or those who live outside the main areas where Magic is played, will be
much worse off. Their source of information will be cut off, while others
still enjoy it. This may create new classes in Magic; those with contacts
and those without, and the new players will definitely suffer the most. It
may be even more difficult to recruit new players to the game, as they are
generally the worst deckbuilders.

Of course, there will always be players that copy decks and win without
doing much playtesting because of sheer luck. But honestly, I think that in
order to do well in a big tournament, you have to know your deck, and that
means taking time to play the deck, get to know it, and make the changes
you feel is necessary. I have copied many decks, but always made my own
personal changes before playing it in a tourney. Most people do have
personal preferences they add to the decks they copy. You can say that they
basically copies a deck archetype, and develop them the way they want.

This is creativity. This actually thinking, even though you don't create
the deck yourself. Nowadays, it takes something special to create a whole
new deck concept. It is difficult, and most people cannot do it. By
allowing people to read whole decklists of successful decks, they gain
information on not only how the deck is, but also on why the deck is good
and on how to create a strong deck. From this, they may start getting their
own ideas, and I have no doubts that there will be many a strong
deckbuilder in the future that learnt a lot from just reading decklists and
reports from the Dojo. Because it is still better to win using a deck you
created yourself. It is just not always possible.

Kim Eikefet
Norway