I wrote about what it has felt like to be a competitive magic player for the past ~5-6 years

Sep 30, 2025 · 12:17 AM UTC

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It's disappointing people always take criticism of recent Magic as "I hate that you're having fun." when really its "I'm disappointed that I'm not having fun." Yes, we don't like Magic as it is, but we don't hate other people for liking it. We just want what we had back...
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Honestly a perfect synopsis
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I feel like this is a failure on your part to really conceptualize the experiences of others. When you get a set that delivers what others enjoy but isn't for you, you reduce it to "slop" b/c it allows you to avoid really accepting that different people can like different things.
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The actual failure is that you view slop as a generic insult and not a definition under which things could or could not be categorized as.
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I get your point, but reading this back in your head, does this not come off as gatekeeping and condescending? "We don't want THOSE people in our community!" "Anything that's not what we like is worthless garbage."
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I never said they shouldn't play. I said it sucks that everything I used to love about the restaurant has been sacrificed to appease that demographic.
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this is a really nice metaphor
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Thank you. I enjoyed reading your articles on Hareruya back in the day (if you still write and I've missed it I apologize)
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You can call me a slop eating pig, because I have enjoyed a lot of things wotc has been doing. I would put Tarkir and FF above almost all earlier year limited offerings. Arena direct has been a straight up gift for competitive limited players, (especially with career/family.)
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Actually I'm right there with you. I loved both those limited formats, and limited is the main way I play magic now because it has done a better job of retaining what I like about competitive play.
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I think it's fine to say it's slop and you don't want it, but like, the answer is just go to a different restaurant and that's it, it sucks to lose your fav restaurant but that's life. Hopefully they go back to normal food, and when you see good food on the menu buy it.
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I largely agree, and it's what I've been trending towards. Both my collection and time investment are very minimal these days.
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if you replace slop with fast food its actually just a perfect metaphor. people are only mad cos theyre the ones everything is now being tailored too.
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Popularity is good. They should want Magic to be more popular, as should we. Where I believe the issue is is that this is a short term windfall. It’s bringing in money now, but are the people you’re bringing in going to stick around? And are they worth the cost of pissing off your most loyal fans?
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This reads like “What I like is golden because I am so smart” and “What appeals to the masses is garbage and those people are lemmings”
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You got the piggies squealing with this.
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I'd add one further point: your favorite restaurant is also located on a street with five other restaurants that serve nothing but various flavors of slop
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These comments make me wonder if maybe a little gatekeeping is a good thing... Seriously, a guy is pouring his heart out over why the game is losing it's appeal for him, and all you can think of is "how does this affect me????" Respectfully, 🖕
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*guy blowing up balloon*: im just gonna keep going. more air is better for this balloon. yep
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"you can just go to another restaurant" 1. i don't want another restaurant 2. i have stopped coming to this restaurant for a year already and yet the slop has continued. i am merely an acceptable loss to the restaurant :/
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I've never been more embarrassed to be part of a group than I have been of competitive magic players At least when WH40k had whiny, entitled gatekeepers they were mostly grifters and got called out. Magic has "respected community members" stomping their feet like children
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The most bizarre part is for people like me. Commander is my favorite constructed format. But turning EVERY product into a Commander product didn’t just hurt Limited, Standard, Modern, etc. It also badly hurt COMMANDER. 10y ago I was playing 5-6 times a week. Last year? 3 games.
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What's funny is, I think commander is less fun now that it's being specifically designed for. I always thought the most fun part of commander was getting to use cards that are bad in normal play. But now the format feels like off brand singleton legacy.
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Anybody who disagrees is delusional And anybody who gets offended at the pig/slop comparison needs to grow up and realize that if it sounds offensive, it’s because it is and needs to be
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Started playing when the scene was still alive 2010, but playing comp magic for 6 years in the modern era is a choice for sure. Fab welcome you btw.
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So much “I am a pig and I eat slop,” in the replies. And I guess a third response you forgot to add of, “Maybe pigs just want to be pigs, and this mindset is very inconsiderate to all of them!”
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It sucks, the game is just so much worse than it was even a few years ago, largely because it feels so much less skill dependent to win, and with every card printed being some garbage commander or a flashy I win button, it's not gonna get better... hey tho Yugioh's doin' alright
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The enshittification of everything continues. Dilute the product, overextend the brand, charge more.
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