Subject: Re: Publishing Decklists Date: Sat, 27 Jun 1998 15:12:19 -0700 From: "Neil Shah" To: Just my two cents worth on the debate: This is relatively short and to the point. I would argue in favor of posting decklists for a few reasons. First a little history to give you my perspective. I started playing during Unlimited, and have been a competitive player/addict ever since. As a scrub, I built all the fun decks that never had a prayer of winning. I didn't understand mechanics, mana curve, and only a few combos. I just played cards and colors I thought were "neat." Cards that other players valued I laughed at and traded or threw away. Case in point: at a tourney in NYC in 1995, a few kids were arguing over who would get to trade a Shivan Dragon I had up on the block. I got sick of it, and just tore up the card and let the pieces fall to the ground before their bewildered eyes. It wasn't "fun" the way people cared about this colored cardboard, they were missing the point; because of that, they probably weren't having nearly as much fun as I was. If we take that as an analogy, yes, many people (mostly kids, from what I've seen) copy decks from the Dojo and play them. So what? Big deal. They're not having fun, and they don't get the distinction of being innovators in a game that is driven by innovation. The first time I saw a ProsBloom deck was when it obliterated me in the finals of a local tourney. I was impressed. After game 2, which I lost as well, I congratulated my opponent. The conversation, with spectators around, went something like this: Me: Nice playing, I haven't seen that before. How did you come up with the combos? Him: I saw it on the Internet. I just built it from there. Me: Oh. Needless to say, no one was impressed. More people came up to me and asked me why the hell I was using Force of Nature in a tourney deck, and I was able to explain how the system I developed let me get him out quickly and kick my opponent's ass with him (except for the final round). Afterwards, a bunch of us sat outside and talked about combos and decks we were working on. The winner? He stood clutching his gift certificate waiting for his Mom to pick him up. Alone. The moral of the story: the decklists to more good than harm. They may inspire a few new ideas, which is the best thing that could happen. They get conversations going. The two decks I've posted on the Dojo have gotten me e-mails from all over the world, and I still carry conversations with those people about decks we're working on, how we can overcome Perish, and why Capsize is one of the best cards ever made. Let the scrubs be scrubs. We know who the real players are. Neil Shah clearblue@worldnet.att.net