Why you cant ever see a game to completion

[JediKnightSky]

So I have no doubt that a lot around here, like myself, see most of their games end within the first 5 turns.

But why do those games just end in a scoop and walk rather than a true victory?

Well for many of the same reasons they would if you tried playing like that at a friends table rather than at a tournament.

You see there are many ways to play MTG, but at its core are 2 distinct modes. Tourney Play and casual play.

And they must never mix.

When I, and I suspect most others who have ever done any type of serious tourney play, are prepping for said tourney, we only play certain decks, built to do terrible things very quickly, and adapt to basically every possible situation. We only play with those we know who are tourney peers, not our casual friends, and we are often sitting there with a phone recording our game, and a notebook to put down random thoughts about changes or strategies or new unforeseen combos with cards we had not seen before.

When I am playing with my casual friends at a kitchen table game I am not using those same kinds of decks. In fact I self govern and self challenge and mainly use for fun thematic decks I create based on my best understanding of the fictional setting of MTG trying to create decks filled with creature cards of known friends and family, or making sure the equipment card for a given item is in a deck with its proper owner. Silly things like that.

And I do that same stuff on MTG Arena, in fact I am basically only in casual mode here, because the idea of a tournament with what are basically virtual proxy cards, not the real deals, feels so scummy and scammy to me.

My suspicion is that without some kind of way to self categorize our play style as casual or tournament, when these two styles meet, one or the other is just going to scoop and walk.

Because if I am trying to play tourney level decks I dont want to encounter someone with a deck that needs 10 turns to even have a half decent board set up. And likewise if I am playing a silly slow deck I dont need to be crossing paths with a deck built to take a trophy.

[BeastofValhalla]

i feel this

there is stuff i see in this that if someone was playing that level of deck in a POD in a store for example they would be asked to user another deck or leave because its just not fun when you're trying to play casually
If you want to play a competitive style like CEDH thats absolutely fine but i think it needs to be separated in Arena

[JediKnightSky]

Thanks, I was really trying to express something without sounding like I was on the attack. Even when we can play THOSE DECKS here, which frankly is far too easy when we can go burn off some wild cards on any rare cards we want, we really should know better than to do so.

Anyone can go on YT and find some silly 2 card infinite combo, come here and get those 2 cards and shove them in a 5 color brawl deck under one of the many 5 color commanders we have to choose from now days.

This is not the same game we old timers started on where even having a few truly rare and valued cards might make us the problem deck for everyone else at our local hobby shop.

Here every time I see certain combos I am like, yep someone just watched such and such video for the first time and just had to run here and try it. It might be almost adorable if it was not so trite.

[BeastofValhalla]

Originally posted by JediKnightSky:

Thanks, I was really trying to express something without sounding like I was on the attack. Even when we can play THOSE DECKS here, which frankly is far too easy when we can go burn off some wild cards on any rare cards we want, we really should know better than to do so.

Anyone can go on YT and find some silly 2 card infinite combo, come here and get those 2 cards and shove them in a 5 color brawl deck under one of the many 5 color commanders we have to choose from now days.

This is not the same game we old timers started on where even having a few truly rare and valued cards might make us the problem deck for everyone else at our local hobby shop.

Here every time I see certain combos I am like, yep someone just watched such and such video for the first time and just had to run here and try it. It might be almost adorable if it was not so trite.

Yep im seeing more Jodahs and Atraxa decks alot these days, and all i have is a combo that will just essentially mill myself out for ♥♥♥♥♥ and giggles not some infinite mana infinite health loop that i see often.

Id be interested in seeing lobbies split between Casual and competitive as occasionally someone messing around with a deck will have something pretty strong but thats fine not the same carbon copies of each other especially when they seem to have 4 plays by turn 2 so you know they have been conceding until they get the perfect combo of cards to play