Subject: Re: Ahhhhhh The Chumly Race
Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 15:30:02 -0400
From: Dave Lin <davelin@mail.his.com>
Newsgroups: rec.games.trading-cards.magic.strategy

After reading the original post and the subsequent responses, I have to
agree with the majority of people who say you know what, it's only a game.

Sure we've all lost to people and to decks that we "should've" beat, but
that's the nature of the game.  In fact that's the nature of most games,
most if not all professional sports.  The best team in any given sport
doesn't always beat the weaker team even though they "should."  Things
happen, bad luck comes and goes around, and anything and everything does
happen.  But that's part of the excitement of games and sports, that
anything can happen.  How much fun would it be if the best team always
won?  If you could NEVER beat a superior opponent that "should" always
beat you, wouldn't that be distressing.  I guess I'm saying that in Magic,
as in most sports and games, there are no definites.

But you're right about one thing, the superior player and deck should for
the most part win.  Not all the time, but the majority of time.  Has the
Dojo leveled the playing field a significant amount by allowing players to
copy and pick up a quality deck?  Probably.  However to the point where
flipping a coin has just as good a chance of predicting the winner as
player's skill and who has been invested the most time playing and
practicing, that is not good.  You don't want a situation where the same
people always win, you also don't want a situation where everyone,
regardless of skill and experience,  has the exact same chance
of winning.  In fact I would say this case is worst than the first.

However is this the case in Magic?  I don't think so.  I've not been
keeping up with the tourney scene, but I would garner to say that it is
the best Magic players that are winning the major tourneys.  Maybe they
weren't the best there, but they were still one of the creme of the crop.

And this works the other way too.  Even though you may have lost against
an inferior opponent, I'm sure you have been able to beat an opponent or
win a game you just wasn't "supposed" to.  And even though you lost
against this particular opponent, I'm sure before and after you were able
to beat opponents you should've.  Random anomalties happen even though we
don't like them when they run against us.  But they do run in our favor as
well and in the long run, the best man does indeed win.

Dave
davelin@his.com