Field Disparity and Cheating the System
This post is attempting to highlight two major flaws in the online gaming community. While I see there is a small (or maybe large?) group that may be defensive because they are part, I think the majority of us would agree that these are problems. I anticipate professionals and others with immense time would not be in agreement of the following. Or, they may be in agreement but not going to be a part of the change they are profiting off. I hope some sort of solutions can come.
1 - the concept of the “Arena.” In very few competitions do casual competitors (amateurs) compete against professionals. In Magic, that’s commonly the case. When we think of the game of Magic, one of the most important factors to skill development is time. And while professionals and others devote an immense amount of time to this game, others simply cannot. Yet we put both groups against one-another on a daily basis. This needs to change because it is simply unfair, and pits people with totally different skills levels against one-another.
2 - I am a huge fan of the current set and love playing limited. What continues to give me a bad experience is playing against players that clearly know their stuff in both gameplay and card pools, yet they are walking around in Bronze, Silver, and Gold late in the month. This tells me they are working with multiple accounts. That simply add to an experience that is not fair or fun for others.
Possible solutions:
While I think both problems can in some ways be intertwined, I do feel like Wizards needs to begin exploring solutions. If not, play experience will continue to dwindle for those that cannot put in comparable time.
Severe penalties for creating multiple accounts should be the start. If this happens, they can track specific players. Or, when signing up, there needs to be more personal data shared when creating accounts. I would imagine Wizards can see which credit cards (bank info) are paying for multiple accounts and use that.
I love this game and I cannot get out to LGSs often, so I hope these are things that we as players can begin to notice and voice so that solutions and a better play experience can come about.
-The Common Magic Player (like most of you)