How are you guys still playing this game?

[LethalLegendK]

Genuinely curious. Because every game, you die on the second turn because the opponent locks you out hard as heck. And if you go first, your opponent can just OTK you through a billion extenders.

and when you win, it doesnt even feel like you've earned it. People quit on the 1st card you play or they quit once you've negated them so hard they cant do anything in the following turns.

This CANT BE HEALTHY for a card game!

I ask again, how are you all still playing this card game?

[¿¡Kloey!?²]

Because despite not playing meta I can still have a good time. Despite not playing meta I often have a fair shot at winning turn 2 or onwards. Despite not playing meta I continue to try and play different decks with differing play styles and aesthetics that intrigue me that I enjoy using. That despite all the issues and flaws this game obviously has I dust off my losses and try to learn from them and genuinely enjoy the game as it is.

[76561199543893354]

Ranked is indeed basically unpayable but solo mode is still fun and once in a blue moon, there is an event where you get to play instead of watching a solitaire session.

[Papa Shekels]

It's not too hard to tell that the question is a veiled method of venting, so I hope you don't mind if I just skip past the formalities into addressing the actual message. Without trying to sound rude, if everybody going first puts up unbreakable boards and everybody going second breaks any board, that either sounds like a massive exaggeration or a you problem. I see this so often but can never understand how people can rationalize saying it: you can't just talk about your opponents like some unstoppable MMO raid bosses when they are other players using the exact same card pool and playing by the exact same rules as you.

If you are getting consistently beaten no matter what you do, you should examine why that is and learn from what your opponents do instead of blaming some nonexistent boogeyman. The kinds of games you describe only happen when the two decks are severely mismatched in power level, or if one person draws significantly worse than the other. And no, this doesn't mean you're not allowed to play unless you use the best deck of the format. It's obviously easiest to win when you use the best deck, but every format has dozens of options that are still playable with enough knowledge of the format and matchups.

Yes, you can get sacked when you did everything correctly. Yes, you can have people surrender as soon as their plays get stopped. Yes, the competitive nature of the game doesn't leave much room for playground decks unless you organize something with a friend. And yes, it can all get frustrating when everything goes poorly at once. But it is fully within your power to change how often any of that should happen, and how often you can expect to have interesting games. And those are far better than anything offered by the other TCGs on the market

[Merilirem]

Because I know how to play the game so I actually understand it enough to not experience the confused state you describe.

What you are talking about is only true for people who have yet to understand the game properly. Once you understand what is happening you can build your decks around that understanding and play through all those seemingly impossible games. Its super fun too. You can also just hang out in gold and plat if you wanna chill against decks that aren't as complicated.

If you know how to play you can enjoy the game. If you don't understand how the game works you will be overwhelmed.

[76561199378662608]

The game is "easy" and enjoyable once you get the hang of everything.

[Unknown Samurai]

Basically what Gredora said.

But in all seriousness, if you're looking to have fun an enjoyable duels, I recommend just sitting in platinum 5, because that's the lowest rank you can reasonably hit with a pet deck, there's a 50% chance you'll have a genuine duel against someone just playing for fun. Or, alternatively, Master 1 is another place to face pet deck, however most players there will quit after 1 interruption.

Speaking of turn 2 stuff, here's my player ID 558-431-876 if you want some going second replays. I always pick second cause it's the most consistent way to play, otherwise you'll turn into one of those 'gamers' who whine about Konami sniping their coin flips and making them lose/de-rank.

The thing that keeps me playing though is the friends I play with from time to time. I want to learn and try new decks against them. Recently I just started playing sky strikers, lot of fun, big shift from E-HEROs though.

[Bedrohte Tierart]

At first I started for nostalgia reasons. I quickly noticed how unfair and overpowered some decks were and thought that was pretty ♥♥♥♥, but.
I now leave duels as soon as the cards come out
"Sarcophagus of the King"
"Sea serpent"
or this combination that constantly draws cards from the deck until you are empty comes.
I don't know if the players feel like they are good players, but these people are no more valuable than bots that play the same thing over and over again.
Concentrate on the lower leagues, where people put the decks together themselves and really interesting duels come out, that's what I discovered for myself!

[Dombrovschi]

Originally posted by LethalLegendK:

Genuinely curious. Because every game, you die on the second turn because the opponent locks you out hard as heck. And if you go first, your opponent can just OTK you through a billion extenders.

and when you win, it doesnt even feel like you've earned it. People quit on the 1st card you play or they quit once you've negated them so hard they cant do anything in the following turns.

This CANT BE HEALTHY for a card game!

I ask again, how are you all still playing this card game?

we are messed up in the head and really need to touch grass is the answer

[Rameol]

We are packs junkies. We do not play because we like the game. We play to get gems, and spend them on packs to scratch an itch only gamblers know.

[cybercybercybercyber4]

if you play path of exile now, youll be hyped for path of exile 2 when it gets released.

seems like a completely random comment, but there are more similarities than differences despite being entirely different genres.

[FrancescoSas]

Because the game is fun on even ground?

[76561199543893354]

It being fun at times is probably the most frustrating thing though. If it was 100% ♥♥♥♥, it'd be so easy to quit and forget but then sometimes you get in a real duel with back and forth when both actually play a deck instead of FOTM broken cards package and it's so stupidly enjoyable.

[Moon Goon]

The game is still fun, just try not to play rank matches, since its necessary to have any negates or well established board. I usually play against AI and the events for earning rewards, also, since its available on my switch, I play it there as well before bed. Also, the game is okay, just small amount of players... need some mental health check. Sadly.

[Soji]

Maybe you don't feel like its fun to win, but other people do. I really hope at this point in your life you can understand people can find different things enjoyable than you do? Also I've had people quit after turn 1 island in magic multiple times before, people who play card games in F2P clients tend to not really be in it for the love of the game and instead trying to complete their skinnerbox mechanics in the form of dailies.

To offer a direct answer, its because its fun. I don't really feel the need to abide by some chivalric code that for some reason everyone in the online space of card games feels the need to. I'm here to do play my hyper consistent decks and put up broken end boards because that's what's fun to me. I expect people to do the same or not, idrc.

[76561199543893354]

Originally posted by Soji:

Maybe you don't feel like its fun to win, but other people do. I really hope at this point in your life you can understand people can find different things enjoyable than you do? Also I've had people quit after turn 1 island in magic multiple times before, people who play card games in F2P clients tend to not really be in it for the love of the game and instead trying to complete their skinnerbox mechanics in the form of dailies.

To offer a direct answer, its because its fun. I don't really feel the need to abide by some chivalric code that for some reason everyone in the online space of card games feels the need to. I'm here to do play my hyper consistent decks and put up broken end boards because that's what's fun to me. I expect people to do the same or not, idrc.

Could you elaborate on what you enjoy about it? I sorta-kinda get it vs meta decks, when it's funny to let them eat their own medicine but cucking the other player out of playing the game usually feels as miserable as being on the receiving end of it.