Subject: Wheee! Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1998 18:17:20 -0500 From: "Kelly, Kent" To: fkusumot@ix.netcom.com MTG: Community Issues ELIMINATE CARD RARITIES Hi everyone, Time for something volatile. Here's the way to make Magic an intellectual sport embraced by everyone... make the game affordable, by getting rid of card rarities. Yep, that's right. Card distribution would still be random, but every card, from Forest to Stroke of Genius, would be of C1 rarity. If Wizards is so convinced that "every card is worth the same - 18 cents" (a view they've apparently shamelessly retreated from, read the recent articles on their upcoming price guide), then what's the problem? Eliminate the speculators, the "haves vs. the have-nots" (DON'T tell me this is a non-issue - how much money does it take to build an Academy deck?), give everyone the same tools and stand back and watch what happens. What happens? The game dies, because Wizards pulls out. People buy fewer cards. There are more people playing (it's totally affordable for ONCE in its lifetime), but the total volume is down because no one needs to buy cases anymore to stay competitive on the Pro Tour. Trading becomes an exceedingly minor, casual sideshow, and the focus is on the play and the deck construction. Richard Garfield's ideal: Everyone playing the same game with the same potential for victory, with enough money in their pockets to actually travel a bit if they need to for their tourneys... but Wizards would never do this, even though it would not destroy the collectible aspect of the game. Why? Because their primary concern is not making Magic a classic intellectual sport. Their primary concern is making money. Imagine how mortified they'd be if you could complete your Urza's Saga set by buying just one box of boosters and trading! When I started (Alpha, August 1993), peoples jaws dropped if you spent more than $50 on the game. People played, and were competitive, who owned nothing more than a tuned-and-traded starter deck. Try doing that these days... 90% of those old-timers have quit in disgust. (That's not a random number I whipped out - there was a group of 30 of us, 3 are still playing, myself included, and I'm getting out as we speak.) Have fun trying to get those Cursed Scrolls or Mox Pearls at your next gaming convention. And when you have the time, try out a little role-playing or board gaming and find out what "fun" really is. Food for thought, KDK