The 5 Worst Mistakes In Magic: The Gathering This Year (2020)

[@TolarianCommunityCollege]

Every year my 'Worst Of' video outperforms my 'Best Of' video by 2-3x. Last year's pair are sitting at 300k views to 100k views as we speak. Let's make this the year where people don't ignore the good. Check out my 'Best of Magic The Gathering in 2020' video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpTThqtvqZuHd7s

[@jariel2568]

Prof, I'm thirteen and I've loved magic since I was 7 but like you mentioned it is almost impossible for me and my friends to get cards anymore

[@Eramiserasmus]

Watched the Best of, now I need my last dose of poison for the year.

[@CryptoSC]

As much as I'd love to think about positive things relating to MTG, doing so after what has happened with the game I once loved and had been playing since 2004 in this year alone, which ended up pushing me to selling almost all of my cards, would just make me all the more frustrated I would love nothing more than for WOTC to turn it around and make MTG into a game worth sinking into all the passion and energy that the community has always shown

[@dougcarey2233]

Never go the notification about your best of 2020 video. Going to check it out now.

[@mumbles2840]

it’s sad to Have to see the R&D people come up with lies from their backside to cover up for A cooperate who doesn’t care about anything but money, seeing their love for the game drain because they had to come up with walking dead cards and somehow somehow put it into a magic plane. Ruining the story and the lore they’ve been crafting for and planning for years quick dollar for corporate. The last product I remember on game nights having malissa onboard for was the brawl pre cons where she seemed happy with them. Not ever since. Something is going to break soon and it’s looking like the game is going to break a lot faster along with the player base rather than the company. The sad part is I don’t even think when it happens they’ll try to salvage it, just double down and milk the money dry.

[@karlgrylls2406]

"It drives away customers, it diminishes access, it dwindles enthusiasm" You nailed it Prof as always

[@karlgrylls2406]

thanks for the heart Prof. I want to add something: Today some cards that i ordered were in the mail. I was happy about them and the bulk ones, the ones that the sellers add to your order to protect the important card, well, i didn't need them and so i throw them away. But then, i decided to tear them apart, because i wanted to see the blue layer inside them because i just wanted to see it again since ~15 years. I was shocked and not surprised at all at the same time as i discovered that the blue layer - once a protection against illegal copies - no longer exists. I don't know when it got removed, but it proofes my feeling that the cards are getting thinner and thinner over the years while the price rised with Eldraine. A hidden increase in price is never good and i see this game on it's way down. In my opinion the upper echelon has to change, getting away from the high price premium thought. "Premium" because at least some of the green commander collections - right out of the factory - had scratches on them, lol! And something i wanted to say since a few weeks: Thank you Prof for your videos and your speeches about the game and the products of Hasbro/WotC. I once heard a saying: "Don't fuck the system. Make it pregnant". And i hope you will be very succesful in doing so :)

[@Crovax]

"It drives away customers" are we sure about that? i mean, they boast the sales because they do have costumers...i agree in the sentiment, its hard to talk about customers when they used to boast about players. but we keep buying. we are costumers, and good ones.

[@karlgrylls2406]

@@Crovax the formulation "drives away" indicates that it is an ongoing process, it takes place right now, but will be taking even more place in the near future. For right now there might be enough people left being financial idiots, but with a shrinking playerbase the demand for such products will shrink. Without players wanting the premium products no dealer/retailer wants them either. WotC will notice then, that there profit is shrinking. And then, only then, not earlier, will they think about themself and their business policy. Sadly, like all humans do

[@Volkbrecht]

@@Crovax Pretty much this. The problem with customer outrage is that we the public never get to see how it is balanced with customer satisfaction. Social media is heavily tilted towards negative feedback (plenty of research about that), so the first lesson in community management is: don't listen to the so-called "community", look at your data! As long as sales are looking good, there is no reason to change. Also, Prof. is strictly wrong: the cheap entry into the game is still there. One can still by regular Draft boosters, and the planeswalker decks, which were completely useless in Standard, have been replaced with Commander decks that can actually serve as an entry level experience.

[@NecromancyForKids]

@@Volkbrecht Data is not predictive. It does not tell you what will happen, only tells you trends of what has happened. Companies make games that are copies of other games because "data shows they are popular right now" and sometimes it works out, like Fortnite. Or it fails utterly and entirely, like Battleborn. On the same vein, you might sell a set of cards or a stuffed doll really well due to a trend or novelty, but your next line has already lost most of its fanbase and is only purchased by really diehard people. Thus having abyssmal sales in comparison. Numbers aren't answers, only suggestions.

[@Obscuredinsight]

"Ok I'm swinging with Darth Vader and Rick grimes" "In response to your attack I will flash in Iron man and I will play my harry potter instant avada kedavra" "Oh yeah well then I'm going to counter you're harry potter spell with John wick's silenced pistol..."

[@Kanoog]

Triggered John Wick ability, "If you kill Josh Wick's Dog token he kills your entire board removing all of your permanents from the game."

[@allyourpie4323]

I cast Silo Explosion with its alternate cost,sacrificing Frank Grimes to end the turn. Go.

[@ent2shows963]

I think my soul puked

[@andrewdecker616]

Well that would have worked if my defenses weren't buffed by an eviolite

[@icathiantactician9209]

Well in response I flash in Pickle Rick and his new keyworded ability 'funniest thing I ever seen' to counter your John wick's silenced pistol

[@marshall4439]

Hey Prof, I would actually appreciate a “All the Controversies Wizards is Engulfed in” video. You brought up a lot of things I hadn’t even heard of.

[@rew513]

"Walking dead is magic adjacent" Oh, I forgot about all the wizards and magic spell slinging in season one.

[@totallytrey7819]

I just want my Colt Python Magnum card printed.

[@RappingChipmunk]

Yeah that argument is so dumb. Like the movie Idle hands has zombies and combat, does that mean it is magic adjacent?

[@TrueGamer22887]

Davis McClure by that logic yes

[@Mr_Boss_Smile]

zombies does not equal magic. They are not resurrected zombies through magic.

[@WorldofTomorrowInc]

everything is magic adjacent. they have people who can universe hop so any IP is game. the IP shouldnt even come into the arguement.

[@Shrimp4Gura]

Opening packs with banned cards in them Yugioh: first time?

[@023Kole]

Yugioh has been broken since its release...

[@Dakki_]

@@023Kole and yet more and more people play it.

[@023Kole]

@@Dakki_ i know its kindda weird... As someone who has played yugioh until 2013/2014 what made me quit is constant erattas, rules changes and the cost of course

[@gantzisballs]

Not to be all snobby and gate keeping, but Magic SHOULD be held to a higher standard than Yugioh. Yugioh the card game only exists because in a manga about playing random death games, there happened to be 2 chapters that parodied Magic the Gathering. Seto Kaiba was created by the mangaka to parody the type of Magic tournament spike who only cares about winning and doesn't really enjoy the game or its cards. Yugioh from the beginning has consistently gotten away with a lower quality game under the excuse that "it's for kids". Magic has always had some older players and its claim to fame was being a complex but balanced game created by a math PhD. I've been a Magic player and apologist since 2001, but 2020 was BAD.

[@Shrimp4Gura]

@@gantzisballs i was poking fun at konami reprinting bamned cards, that most of the time are worth pennies and taking up high rarity slots

[@jergin4596]

"The Walking Dead is MTG adjacent because of zombies and combat" is such a dumb excuse lol. That argument could be made to include pretty much any IP.

[@DoubleBeast]

Can't wait to play Azorius Super Saiyan Blue Goku Tribal next year!!

[@hoowhdis7191]

"The US military is MTG adjacent because they wear funny clothes and go bang krrsh bang"

[@laurencebrown3822]

"You see, Clarke's third law states any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, so that's why we're happy to announce our newest set, Star Trek Commander Legends!"

[@asteria9963]

It shows that some of the people at wotc either don't know what they're talking about, or that they have absolutely no problem being dishonest in an attempt to sell their products.

[@TheComicBookJoker]

> That argument could be made to include pretty much any IP. I think that’s the point.

[@elsesome2707]

"Disdain and scorn for their customers base" 100% agreed. The live stream was WotC indirectly and directly insulting their customers and declaring their willingness to destroy any shed of good will or their own moral character in the name of short term profit. I'm yet to regain any of the confidence and trust I had lost for Magic the Gathering and WotC as a company after that live stream.

[@almoghh123]

Word.

[@jerodast]

To quote another company's totally brilliant customer relations press conference, "you all have phones don't you?" Just replace "phones" with "Netflix".

[@arkifane]

Nothing gets under my skin more than companies talking down to their consumer base. Don't tell me I don't understand the product. Don't tell me everything is fine just because it made a ton of money. I dislike the walking dead cards, and I 100% know why I dislike them without WotC trying to twist reality.

[@the-engneer]

I still can't believe they pulled that BS! They look like proxies, and have ridiculous mechanics

[@jry0511]

Reminds me of Blizzard's defense of their Diablo mobile game: "Don't you guys have smartphones?!"

[@the-engneer]

@@jry0511 "Is this some kind of early April fools joke?"

[@chucheeness7817]

@@jry0511 I can't remember on what Q&A it was but I remember the Blizzard saying to a question about inclusion of an old server in WoW "You think you want it, but you don't"

[@SpiceWeazel]

I agree. Game designers need to remember that the player is ALWAYS right about what is fun. If your player base isn’t enjoying your product, it’s a bad product, no matter how brilliant you personally think it was. The purpose of a game is to be fun for the player.

[@grrrama]

“2020 is the year WOTC started cashing in their chips.” Such an outstanding metaphor for what is happening with the management of the game.

[@marcoottina654]

does "chips" == "curled cards like Pringles"?

[@Phenest76]

I like how the WoTC staff member who mentions how the Walking Dead is “magic adjacent” is in a room of sealed sneakers. Shows that his focus is on collection for value is greater than functional use. HE AIN’T WEARING ALL THOSE SHOES!!!

[@Obversechaos]

Look, I... I mean HE needs MORE sneakers. So buy the Naruto-Star Wars crossover precon secret lair promo limited x-series master edition! Ok!

[@claireholiday905]

It's more relevant than you think. The dude got the idea for Secret Lairs from limited edition sneaker drops.

[@SilentDeath9414]

Lol Magic Adjacent, just with no you know magic. They do have zombies tho!!

[@starduststriker8792]

@@SilentDeath9414 dont forget the fact that humans are also in magic the gathering

[@mr.phobia5847]

Nothing wrong with being a sneaker collector. No better or worse than little pieces of cardboard.

[@zztzgza]

Wotc has truly become a AAA games development company, with all the predatory practices, bugs, glitches, crashes, controversies, and day 1 patch promises rolled into a physical table top card game.

[@eligabeivan]

Honestly - you'd think they'd learn from EA, Activision, blizzard... this is what's bound to happen when shareholders dictate a company's actions

[@squee147]

@@eligabeivan shareholders don't care about the company's health beyond next quarter. The idea that their interest should be be the guiding star has become one of the most poisonous ideas in business. Great companies have collapsed under the lack of concern for the future.

[@ryanjones_rheios]

It has me worried about D&D too, tbh. The D&D - MTG crossovers seems cynical enough that I already question it. As does the "race => species" rename and the idea that species shouldn't have downsides so much as differing upsides. It all has this air of the manipulative to me. But the warning signs were already there. The new Tasha's book, and really even stuff like the Hexblade and Beastmaster versions, are all pretty obvious examples of trying to patch design problems or maintain public opinion. I don't know about D&D print issues, but that may be because of the tenuous increase in pdfs (w/o a cost reduction, similar to how games have made that switch. Though WoTC is equally uncomfortable with the idea of their being pirated, I'm not surprised they don't have more protections around it yet.)

[@_somerandomguyontheinternet_]

YAY CAPITALISM!!!

[@ryanjones_rheios]

@@_somerandomguyontheinternet_ This isn't a failure of capitalism though. Capitalism just means a person can own capital, but doesn't dictate the short-sighted pig-stupid way they use it. This is a failure of education and self-control if anything. People wanting all their money right away, up front, with slash and burn tactics. Anyone with a brain knows you just end up dying or losing your crops in a flood that way.

[@Caliban_80]

WoTC: We hear your concerns. That's why we are introducing Secret Lair "Queen's Gambit". The show is magic adjacent because chess is also a game that can be played.

[@baguetten8004]

Nah my man. Sasha Grey edition next year. There are both male and females in the game

[@Fealuinix]

WoTC: We hear your concerns. That's why we are introducing Secret Lair "The Handmaid's Tale", because oppressive control is Magic adjacent.

[@renzuki5830]

Ironically enough it's probably still better than putting spacegodzilla in.

[@baguetten8004]

@@renzuki5830 totally forgot about that shit

[@andresguzman5216]

I actually think you guys are missing the point. The different IP is fine by me. I would totally buy "queen's gambit" and "Star wars" skinned cards. The problems were others, such as the lack of silver borders

[@Shannon_Vlogs]

I actually stopped playing after they removed JumpStart. I was bored with standard and I loved JumpStart. When they removed it- I got bored and stopped playing. Edited to add: Omg. I just got to the part at 4:20 where you say you stopped playing after JumpStart left too! Good to hear I am not alone!

[@TheAverageGuyTAG]

@@JacobSmith-rh2sr What am I thinking of right now?

[@TheAverageGuyTAG]

@@JacobSmith-rh2sr So you can't read minds, then. Guess you were wrong about the other thing, then.

[@moowaidat6089]

I stopped playing when the walking dead showed its cards and that they were mechanically unique in a premium product of reprints... That's not the wizards I know, and they are dead to me

[@j.moonstorm3158]

Same, I haven't played in months now, but I did start a new play through in Dark Souls 3, next time I have spare cash I'll probably buy a few singles for a modern archenemy deck I want to play against my friends, but that's the sum of my plans to play mtg in the future

[@Kattywagon29]

I stopped playing after Zendikar Rising was released. I had hoped the rotation and influx of new cards would revitalize the format, but instead it was just terrible. I played Jumpstart a few times and it was fun, but I'm back to just playing Commander now. I don't need standard. I was only playing arena to pass the time between going to my LGS to play commander w/friends. Covid put an end to that and with arena being so annoying, there was literally no reason for me to keep playing.

[@Dylfunkle]

This has aged uncomfortably well, it's like the corporate vampires saw it and said "hold my beer".

[@GranMaese]

Wizards of the COST.

[@four-en-tee]

You say that, but at least there's decently cheap formats like Oathbreaker and Pauper in MTG for broke ass, full-time college students like me who do online school from home. I don't even know how I'm going to get into Yugioh, that shit makes MTG card prices look dirt cheap.

[@JacksonJilesVanMarteen]

Omg this is the most perfect comment to explain what I feel about magic I remember a time when you could be a broke ass kid with a hard time makin friends and magic was a way around all that to find enjoyment in life and now look what they have done with it it’s a shame a real damn shame

[@the7A7dude]

@@four-en-tee yeah until all the rich try hard rum it for you, and everyone

[@splnter648]

Nice one

[@elainehelmont4647]

@@four-en-tee Well it's because of the formats really,a simple new format would solve the problem,maybe not just commons like in pauper mtg(bc polymerization is uncommin and too many decks use fusions) but maybe banning rare and ultra rare would suffice?

[@Turntwobounceland]

"Reading the card DOESN'T explain tbe card."

[@yoav.kats6328]

Do just errata the walking dead to silver borded

[@Wolfsspinne]

The old saying has been erratad as you can look up in rule no 802.5

[@bwahchannel9746]

*laughs in every errata change* just wait till the reprint, then that quote won't apply for those.

[@Ragnaracc]

@@Wolfsspinne that rule is on combat

[@spooplegeist]

Even on cards without errata, I can’t follow what the hell they’re supposed to do anymore. Every card is a wall of text lately.

[@JimPea]

20:20 This point about criticism rooting for WotC to succeed rather than fail is really important. Back when WotC announced the ridiculous two wildcards for one Historic card plan, the community couldn't have been clearer in its criticism, WotC changed direction, and now Historic is not just a popular format but one that is actively supported through special releases and inclusion in pro-level events. WotC is now very happy with Historic, it's a success, and we never even got a thank you for so passionately discouraging them from their shortsighted and foolish plans.

[@Dalamr]

right you are.

[@ShatterPalm]

Fully agreed. i'm genuinely stunned by the sheer avarice on display this year, and not just from Hasbro and WotC. Seems like every damn corporation in America has gotten greedier during this shitstorm.

[@Gevaudan1471]

WotC has become the money-hungry megacorp your Hippie grandparents warned you about.

[@chrisiver8506]

And yet you probably still buy from them

[@chrisiver8506]

@@clutchbleach2057 If they see profits slipping they'll change their ways. The business is so full proof though they must feel like they're invincible. Imagine creating cardboard sheets for pennies each and then cutting them into rectangles and selling them to millions of loyal customers, so loyal there's a massive secondary market based around your game. And Magic Arena of course is a thing.

[@laurencebrown3822]

When you have a elected leader who is known primarily for being a entrepreneur/business owner instead of being a politician, and who's actions are in line with being a business owner, that ethos of earning profits in any manner first becomes the norm, and encourages others to be more straightforward in their greed to make money first over engaging with people who don't agree with you in an attempt to win them over.

[@DAsrada]

@@laurencebrown3822 small wonder everyone got greedier, when the President may well have been the anthropomorphic personification of greed, excess and cruelty.

[@the-engneer]

He really hit home with the "When you buy a pack with a banned card you essentially bought a dead card", because I was all happy to pull certain cards on multiple occasions just for the ban hammer to smash my joy. I even pulled Oko from a $5 booster literally the day before he got banned, and I felt that card deserves to be banned, but I still felt a little bummed

[@Inspirawesome]

This is the first time in over 20 years that I've considered quitting Magic. I have no excitement for new products anymore, and I hate that my optimism has been replaced with cynicism.

[@Nightwishmaster]

I quit about 4-5 months ago. Used to spend hours every single day playing the game and consuming content and had for YEARS but WotC has just absolutely ruined this game for me. I so hope there's a chance it can be fixed and I can love it again but I'm not optimistic. They're becoming just as greedy as Hasbro.

[@linusemil9503]

While I agree that I no longer feel any excitement over new produts it's still too early to quit Magic for me. Commander with friends is still an awesome experience and every set brings a new playable card or two for my commander decks. I stopped drafting though since the regular packs are just...regular.

[@cyberdragonzekrom6790]

Try out Pokemon. I recently quit Yugioh for having similar problems as MTG - though much, much worse. - Pokemon is BY FAR the cheapest game of the 3, with Tier 1, non-"budget" decks costing about $100-$150. - Decks stay competitive for a good 9 months or longer. Some cards stay competitive from the moment they're printed until they rotate, and even when cards do rotate, it's rare that your entire strategy dies. - Cards are very rarely banned in Standard. Right now, there are only 2. - Almost every card you want to play (outside of evolution decks) has one or more premium versions - reverse holos, full arts, shinies, rainbow rares, or gold secret rares. Even basic energies.

[@shibbidydoowop]

PsSsst - buy old songles 😎 Play premod / old school - it is thee way.

[@Crimzinn]

If Mark Heggen could just leave WotC and take with him his obsession of drop culture marketing, that'd be greeaaatttt.

[@gaiden81]

Totally read that in the voice of Bill Lumbergh from Office Space. Was that intended on your part?

[@Crimzinn]

@@gaiden81 oh yes :D

[@GamerdevilPro]

Seeing that dude just makes me furious at this point, he's constantly producing shit takes.

[@Robotoken-299]

Don't ask questions just consume product and get excited for next products.

[@gaiusjuliuspleaser]

Jay Baumann is the philosopher we need in these dark days.

[@NecromancyForKids]

@Kel'Thuzad They aren't the same people. Believe it or not, there can be different kinds of people in the same community.

[@jeffm2222]

I’m here to ramp out and chew bubblegum, and I’m all out of bubblegum.

[@jagehtso]

It honestly feels like my favorite pizza joint has been taken over by a huge chain and with it went everything that made it my favorite in favor of profit margins. Magic is still my absolute favorite game, but the company that calls itself Wizards of the Coast these days no longer makes it. As crass as it may sound, in a way I'm thankful for Covid making it way easier to quit. Because this year has been the year where I have finally reached the limit of my patience and tolerance for the incredibly scummy tactics Wizards has been moving towards these past years. It still hurts to quit. I love Magic. But my love for the game is also what made me quit it.

[@Stardustpunk24]

It's not crass at all. I totally understand you. In a year where everyone who wasn't a billionaire, politician, celebrity, or corporate chain, was screwed over in every way, and we all needed to be able to SAVE money. Wizards kept pushing out stuff and pushing people to buy each thing. They should have been SUPPORTING their community, not screwing us over.

[@JimboSlice0]

Very well said. Oko was the last straw for me, I just quit in January. I did break down and play a few vintage cubes but that's it this year. Every set looks worse than the last

[@bloodtypexneg]

I know I am late to this video... but I have binging your content while working (I work in IT support, and have plenty of time to listen to videos while working). I have recently gotten back into MTG after stopping in 2009 due to tragic life events. I am enjoying the Commander format... but the game doesn't feel the same. I miss MTG of pre 2010... and you hit the nail on the head with this video. Thank you for continuing to provide excellent and informative content... Also, per your recommendation, rocking Ultra Guard Boulders for my commander decks :)

[@niiro6692]

This year has literally killed my interest in mtg, the direction it's going is not one I want to see it go down, I usually really enjoy commander and even standard but the constant bans, the sets with cards I'm hyped for being in "Premium" sets I'm basically told I'm too poor to have made me simply sell off most of what I have and move on to other games.

[@Vrsds]

it is something i was afraid of this 2-3 years with mtg. At least at Yugioh the problems are there since the beginning but now WoftC made MTG take a total free fall. Worse is that that has started to affect Commander (which was created by the playerbase) even more and especially now that WoftC started to create more commander products creating the fear that commander might end up like standard. Also in the case of walking dead they could easily do the different artwork like in the Godzilla case. Worse i actually liked the effect of negan and would like to build a deck around him but since i live in Greece it's almost impossible and even if i found a way the cost is so big that it would be better to spend that money for a whole different deck that can actually be more competitive. Even from a collectors standpoint if they can't get them because they leave to far even if they like them that method becomes unfair. And all they had to say where half baked lazy excuses for the reason of the product avoiding it's main problem and then make a second video saying that actually we will do something like that in the future again even more times treating the player base and especially those players that are in the game for more than a decade or even more. In conclusion with their response and attitude it seams that things will get even worse from now on to the point where the yugioh will actually be the one with the higher quality in almost every way.

[@TreasureTrain]

My favorite memory in magic over the last 5 years was opening a cryptic command at prerelease for amonkhet. I wish wotc would make collecting fun again. As opposed to, "how many extra hours do I need to work this week to afford the cool cards" now

[@ikejohnson5494]

“It’s very magic adjacent. It has zombies and it has combat” Oh yes. The two only things that matter for consistency in worldbuilding. Are there zombies and is there combat. Those are the only considerations. Not like you need to ask if there’s, you know... magic or something. Or the 5 color philosophies. Those don’t matter. It’s just, are there zombies and combat.

[@Zetimenvec]

I'm wiating for them to drop the zombies justification and go straight for "well its fiction there's combat..."

[@davidlundquist1979]

Yep. By that logic, the Fast & Furious movies are "very Magic adjacent" as well. "They have vehicles and combat, what more do you little whiners want?!"

[@b0lkan]

Hearing him say that was mind-boggling. He must have an uncle working at Hasbro.

[@trowawayacc]

And cars, and guns, and rapists.

[@seanc9520]

Adjacent? Weird I don't remember a "Lord of the Undead" boss in walking dead. Or spells? counters? A darn lighting bolt? Did we watch the same show?

[@theherosdownfall7428]

Never more have I watched a video and thought “man I wish he was wrong”

[@Vrsds]

Yes and as a yugioh fan (started playing commander 3 years now) i never thought that someone could possible make worse decisions than konami :(.

[@icantth1nkofab3tt3rname6]

I’m not a MTG player, but the professor does such an amazing job on his videos I happily watch them with only a base level understanding of the game

[@donschellenberg6625]

Excellent Video, Professor! Completely On Point! And I completely agree with you! Unfortunately, it's all about sales, profit, and an enlarging bottom line with Absolutely No Consideration or Concern for the Customer. It's sad and I feel, like you, that 2020 was only the beginning.

[@ethanmca320]

It is so sad and ridiculous that whenever I open a foil, especially of cards that I actually want, my reaction is “Oh great, I wish I’d gotten this non-foil, it’s just going to curl in a week”

[@quinnquitars]

I’ve found that if you immediately put ur pack fresh foils into a binder they don’t really curl. After that ur free to play with them. But ur totally right

[@colesimms6430]

Then flatten it back out? What's the problem here? This is nothing new that's what happens to foil cards.

[@Nightwishmaster]

@@colesimms6430 It didn't use to though, which is exactly the problem. How long have you been playing? If you go look at some 90s foils you will see that not only do they look absolutely fantastic, the quality is much better. That's the whole problem, as the years have gone by the quality has dropped more and more.

[@colesimms6430]

@@Nightwishmaster I've been playing since 1999. Back then they didn't foil the art. It was just the card frame, thats the reason they didn't curl back then.

[@Nightwishmaster]

​@@colesimms6430 That's a fair point but even old modern framed foils hold up much better than current ones, and even Masterpiece and From the Vault printings look much better and don't curl up the same way. WotC's quality control has taken a major nose dive in recent years, we SHOULD be holding them to better standards, not that they give a fuck about their customers any more but still.

[@A_G_H_A_N_I_M]

I think the most egregious offense is that victory lap VOD. It seemed that during the chaos that was the announcement of TWD Secret Lair that WotC was quick to pull back and say "Hey players, we hear you. We won't do exclusive cards like this again. We're sorry." but in hindsight it's just rhetoric spin to please the player base since they went on after the sale closed to pat themselves on the back and say it was such a good sale and they're so pleased that people liked it. This disconnect between the company and the player base as a whole is the driving force behind confidence in the product and the game as a whole to slip. If players wanted a "gatcha-style" pay-to-win game, we would all be playing mobile games. We play Magic to have fun and not to invest in a portfolio or flex our wallets against each other. I don't think WotC really sees that still to this day.

[@ralphpetagna3778]

Magic started being a collectible that could be considered an investment the day they announced the Reserved List. It just took players a long time to adjust and respond to that. Now, they're just completely and unabashedly up front about it. But we've gotten hints of this from various WotC employees - notably MaRo with his constant talk of "reprint equity" - for a long time, so this pivot just solidifies their commitment to making Magic a collectible instead of a game.

[@matthewyoho5422]

"It seemed that during the chaos that was the announcement of TWD Secret Lair that WotC was quick to pull back and say "Hey players, we hear you. We won't do exclusive cards like this again. We're sorry." Um... what? WotC *never* even seemingly apologized for making those after the overwhelmingly negative reaction they received when we learned they would be mechanically unique cards, or even slightly intimated that they wouldn't do it again - they doubled down and suggested that we'd be getting LOTS more of just that sort of thing. What they were quick to do was to try and assure us that they "could" (not would, or that they had any plans even remotely in the works to do so, but "could") just make a "real Magic version" of the TWD cards further down the road if those turned out to be popular commanders or "must have" cards in a competitive format, and errata those new cards to be "the same cards" for game purposes.

[@A_G_H_A_N_I_M]

@@matthewyoho5422 they definitely did acknowledge the backlash and apologized for it and stated they would consider not doing it going forward and then the vod came out.

[@GambitsEnd]

These ridiculous products getting record-setting sales is the reason why WotC keeps pushing the envelop by releasing more of them. Clearly, the disconnect is with the vocal minority that is people like us and the silent majority that keeps incentivizing WotC to keep doing this. It won't get better unless they see a dramatic drop in sales that forces them to pull back. Until then, they'll keep squeezing that stone for blood.

[@Volkbrecht]

Maybe there is no disconnect. Maybe that kind of product is indeed very popular with a big part of customer base. Maybe that victory lap was made to give haters something to re-adjust their view of the world. I'm not asking that anyone forget their reasons for not liking the product. But maybe, just maybe, those reasons are not all that interesting to a big number of players? Maybe even to a silent majority of them? One should always entertain the possibility of being wrong.

[@FSTL0613]

Top 5 this year can be summed up with : "Going from a game that cares first about its players to a game that cares first about its shareholders"

[@kalansteel]

All entertainment company seems to have taken this shift in recent years... 😑

[@kronozord8346]

Thats every company in the planet.

[@dougswanson4553]

F

[@typoholic]

These types of videos can’t be fun to make but they are certainly necessary. Customers need to hold WotC to task for issues that are plaguing the game and its brand. I appreciate Prof. sticking his neck out to discuss these issues.

[@Suavek69]

2020 - year when 3 people in my commander group started to play with proxy-only decks. Me included

[@christopherb501]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jHKvmKBnptCYfKc

[@Suavek69]

@@christopherb501 I've seen it. We will be totally playtesting those decks until we get bored with them xD

[@rikrob5172]

I think people should give wizards the finger and only play with proxy cards. There is literally no difference besides quality.

[@coolcow5193]

What card was banned in vintage

[@coolcow5193]

Nvm it's lurrus

[@donjohnson1335]

2020 was the year that got me to stop spending money on Magic.

[@don8535]

I quit buying new products for sure

[@luisguilherme45]

I've an Ikoria Commander deck and lots of singles at my LGS.

[@don8535]

@@luisguilherme45 nothing will change until we boycott Hasbro

[@paingenerator8338]

Same here, I only buy reserved list and out of print sealed now.

[@elliottengstrand5988]

Me as well. Can't support this company policy any more. I understand they want to make money because they're a business but they're so far away from paying attention to their player base any more that I don't want them to think for even a second that I support them and I'm spending all my money in the secondary market which they're actively trying to squash.

[@ej3ae]

Such an excellent point about the removal of jumpstart from magic arena. I haven't been back on arena since.

[@happybrain2674]

the prof: "buy singles!" me atm: "print cards!"

[@brugalter94]

Me atm: selling out of this shitshow.

[@ghuruzilla]

me atm: "proxy cards!"

[@mr.mammuthusafricanavus8299]

I think these new MTG ''designers'' don't understand how to make a card interesting and NOT overpowered let alone R&D test the cards!

[@benjamincarter6095]

Print NEW cards

[@MaliciousTachyons]

Bruh, proxy EVERYTHING.

[@MrSchmuseKuh]

I wish every hobby could have a member of their community like you are to Magic. A true supporter of the game. Happy i discovered Magic again to see this and your contribution to it!

[@cadesnyder4126]

“For the financially well-off- or, perhaps the financially foolish” Wow Prof really taking shots at me like that huh

[@dougswanson4553]

Awesome shade.

[@GabagoolGang]

if the show fits, pay 2 colorless mana to equip

[@barbaros99]

"I want to see a corporation not use profit as a measuring stick for success." Yeah, good luck with that, Prof.

[@foxdragoon84]

Should've said "short-term" profit. A lot of these tactics are self-cannibalizing and hurt the long-term trust in a company. Growth, growth, growth over steadiness and reliability.

[@ichiel1898]

it should be its biggest priority, but not the sole criterium everything else needs to be sacrificed for

[@WalkerJonas]

Well thats basically the entire nonprofit sector though.

[@Stroggoii]

Sustainable growth used to be the goal, now it's just "we're beholden to our stockholders" no matter what and look where that lead Toys R' Us, an $11B hole in the american economy because loan sharks wanted to cut some loses on unrelated investments. The sooner the socioeconomically dissatisfied stop barking at the "hurr durr capitalism bad" three and we altogether focus on the real reason behind companies being forced into self-cannibalizing, unwanted mergers and identity loss for daring to go IPO. The sooner we can go back to market success being the company reaching it's 75th year anniversary with a growing workforce and satisfied consumers, not paying for a bankster who doesn't know what the fuck they're invested in their fourth luxury yacht this quarter.

[@jzoobs]

@@Stroggoii if the real problem isn't "hurr durr capitalism bad", why don't you tell us what is?

[@roboGansta]

Honestly Hasbro has single handedly caused my entire play group to collectively quit

[@chrisgould101]

Nice man

[@Scantronimus466]

The only good part of SLWD is that it showed clearly which content creators are on the side of the players and which ones are just mouthpieces for WotC.

[@kittenclanclan]

"Pffff, okay, what are they *this* year? Did the YT algorithm eat the 'best things' recommendation for me AGAIN this year?? How many... years... have I been watching this channel? Three, already? This channel got me back into MTG almost on its own after years, and it finally got me really, truly into it for the first time. Huh." Thank you, Prof. Don't ever go away. Years ago, I couldn't imagine ever getting back into this community thanks to how bigoted and crusty it felt, and now I feel I'd only ever leave it if I saw you go. You, who let me see there's so much fun to be had with this game and that there are great players out there who are part of why it's so great. Keep being critical and keep being you

[@goodtaste2185]

I'm a Magic player since 2012 who has been on and off the game for years now. I'm back on the upswing and found your channel so I've been watching through your backlog. You could come off harsh to some people but it is very clear you have a passion for this game and this hobby. You want it to stay what it should be; a fun and creative trading card game. I don't want to see this hobby become another pimped-out husk of itself either. Great work on the video. I'm glad someone is willing to disagree with their decisions.

[@zedalvea841]

If I wanted to be a collector, I would collect stamps, not magic cards. I am in it for the game.

[@Cinomod6066]

Pretty much. I play magic I collect Pokémon cards because they look better imo and the card quality is leagues better than the crap wizards puts out sadly.

[@FamousCoozie]

@@Cinomod6066 I've recently started collecting Pokemon cards because of those exact same reasons. The quality is SO MUCH better.

[@ralphpetagna3778]

The market for stamps is dead, sadly. ;) If I was interested in the Pokemon TCG as a game, I would have switched as soon as they started putting digital product redemption codes in the product. That is, by far, one of the smartest ideas for a TCG committed to making a good game for the players, not the corporate coffers.

[@GambitsEnd]

@@ralphpetagna3778 It can be both. Digital pack codes in their physical boosters encourages cross-collection among players who normally wouldn't. A physical player may see the code and try out the digital version and may occasionally buy a digital pack if they like it. Meanwhile, digital players figure they may occasionally want a physical pack and will still get a digital product for their effort. In either case, it promotes one player type interacting with the other, which is good for business and for players. WotC is just too damn greedy to bother.

[@ralphpetagna3778]

@@GambitsEnd That was exactly my point.

[@TheLanach]

When I heard about the Walking Dead cards and controversy - after not having played the game for quite a while - my immediate thought was of the Godzilla cards. Had they just placed a in-MtG universe name beneath the name of the character in the art, implying the possible reprint of those mechanics, they would have spared themselves most of the backlash.

[@GambitsEnd]

Pretty much. All they needed to do was make those alternative art versions and they'd be fine. Instead, they succumbed to greed by wanting to get people to buy mechanically new cards from a popular franchise.... that are somehow also tournament legal.

[@ClutchSituation]

Philosophically, I'm completely with you. Realistically, as long as people keep buying these stupid products, they will still make them. No amount of community "pressure" is going to make a difference to a company that values profits above all else. This has long been the tale in gaming. Players of the game are eager to contribute their voices, but the thought of not buying a game is a completely foreign concept to them. Wizards if the Coast knows this. And as long as fans ALLOW Wizards of the Coast to manipulate them, by spending money, there is no reason why anything will change. The most significant vote the community has is with their wallet. And there is a huge segment of this fan base that would buy a box full of human feces if WotC put their logo on it and called it Magic.

[@shawnjavery]

It's about the game being in a position to grow long term. Its surprisingly easy for a card game to die, even a big one will go out if its unable to maintain a player base, which means getting new people to come in as older ones naturally fall out. As for something as big as MtG there's probably going to be a course correction before it falls apart completely, just because how big it is. Assuming this is a bad practice long term that is, the amount of new and retained players will tell that long term.

[@tbzergfortheswarm5993]

I love u dude! So many people do not get how overpricing a product works and thinks it's okay to do so. It's not for many resons and i love that u get that and show it in sich a good way! Keep it up prof! 😎😍

[@CHEFPKR]

Walking dead secret lair was lazy. They could have easily adapted TWD universe into magic without a straight rip.

[@knickknack4338]

There was an interview with Maro around the time of original Theros where he talked about how sets like Innistrad and Theros were a success because they touched on the popular tropes of those genres while still being uniquely Magic worlds. Guess they've removed that approach from their design philosophy and are fine to just copy/paste other IP's into the game now.

[@joseluki]

It would have been as simple as to have TWD cards to be skins of proper MTG cards like the Godzilla skins from Ikoria.

[@snakeman830]

@@joseluki Rick easily could have been a skin for Odric (any version)

[@DraconisMarchVII]

They had a Walking Dead plane already. It's called Innistrad.

[@TheComicBookJoker]

@@joseluki Exactly this. Don’t like the skin but want the card abilities? Play one of the normal versions of the card. Honestly, it wouldn’t have been half as bad if the Rick card hadn’t been part of it. Negan was mechanically *interesting* but not really *good*, and the rest were just not at all good. And then Rick was spoiled. And Rick is a good card with many potential homes. Had they all just been the same play quality as a Planeswalker deck planeswalker, we probably wouldn’t be having this discussion, because no one but the collectors and whales they claimed to be targeting would have cared. But Rick happened. Fuck Rick.

[@ericjames2719]

"hire more people, pay everyone gads and gads of money." Please. Prof, this video is the kinda advocacy I love seeing from you.

[@arturol.m.7245]

Never have I been so eager to feel disappointed!

[@thisisthelukas]

I'm infuriated at the shoddy and inconsistent foiling in the last two years. I used to like collecting foils, but in addition to print quality and curling being a menace, foils often come already damaged/scratched.

[@roguenoob]

I'm watching the videos for 2020 and 2021 in preparation of the 2022 one. I can't wait for the 3 hours special Prof will have to release for this year

[@icarus212001]

I started playing MTG in 2015 and stopped in 2017. I loved those two years of play. I was a fresh, new player and exactly the type of person WotC was trying to wrangle in. And I stopped playing because I saw the writing on the wall. WotC wasnt listening to fans, and they were doing everything in their power to alienate the people who most supported them. Even worse is this nonsense about them claiming not to pay attention to the secondary market. Konami? THEY dont. Konami, for as flawed and moronic as that company is, always reprint the most requested cards. They rerelease and sell them like normal cards. Not this garbage about charging 30$ for 5 cards

[@waltercardcollector]

That is a great comparison. I think Wizards' "we don't care about the secondary market" statement made a lot more sense back before Masters sets were a thing and the only booster sets were Standard-legal sets, because it gave the idea that they would only reprint cards if they wanted them to be in Standard and for no other reason. But now that Masters sets are a thing, it's an outdated standpoint.

[@shiroimarcio]

The thing the most make me shocked, they make the sets like one year before the launch, and hey TESTED companions, Oko and etc. JLK tested jeweled lotus and told them it's a bad card, that shouldn't be printed..... 0 F*cks given... Why they even test if they're printing broken cards to sell packs and ban they later if (when) they cause problems?

[@ralphpetagna3778]

Do we all remember when we had all those Standard bannings a few years back, WotC announced the "Play Design" team, that was supposed to consist of top-level Magic players who would test sets out and reduce the need for bannings? I remember this well, because the power level of Standard, and the constant need for bannings, drove me from the format. I was hopeful they would fix it. Instead, it's only getting *worse*. How has the entire Play Design team not been fired?

[@wafflesonfire9716]

@@ralphpetagna3778 I don’t really think the Play Design team should be fired because I don’t believe it’s their fault these cards are getting through. Most likely the play design team is telling WOTC that these cards are busted and shouldn’t be printed but all WOTC hears is “ANOTHER CHASE CARD” that they can bring money in off of.

[@ralphpetagna3778]

@@wafflesonfire9716 then isn't employing them a complete waste of money? Remember that Hasbro demands the corporate coffers be filled even more by Magic! The Play Design team, then, is just a drag on profits!

[@squee147]

@@ralphpetagna3778 not if it gives players hope standard will be better and keeps them buying cards. Play design is pr

[@ralphpetagna3778]

@@squee147 How has that worked out with all the bannings the last two years?

[@werbearjack]

Honorable mention is all Arena gets. I think this more than anything shows how massively WotC screwed up this game. It's continued demise is so unimportant it doesn't even make the list. Whoever runs Arena hates its players and wants them to have as little fun as possible - and I don't know why they want the game to fail so badly... As long as "Daily Wins 0/15" is the main goal they present to you you know Arena is not worth playing as this "quest" goes completely counter everything MtG stands for. They either don't understand what Magic is or if they understand it they deliberately go against all that just to make the game worse for players - for whatever reason hoping no one will ever start the game again.

[@NoName-yd9fi]

It was not meant to be good. Honesty is out of the table, accept it and move on.

[@xAnonymousss]

mtg arena is so horrible, try out pokemon online trading card instead. first off you can use unlimited codes unlike arena...the game is a TCG there too, so you cna trade with others to get what you want and codes online are really REALLY cheap. arena on the other hand....yeah lmao

[@RiseInAfterlife]

I am kinda happy that a simple shop update somehow completely broke my MTGA client (infinite asset error checks on startup) and I finally moved away and uninstalled it.

[@Nerethilsan]

I was so happy to hear you left Magic :Arena! I did so too and always felt I was alone in that battlefield

[@Leafbinder]

I feel that with Hasbro in charge of this game dont expect any good changes to happen until they decided to sell it off to a more reasonable company.

[@luccacamillo]

"Walking Dead has paralells with Magic because it features zombies and combat", LOL. If these are the standards, you can point parallels to pretty much anything! The biggest fear fans had about the Secret Lair is that it opened a precedent for Magic to become a new Top Trumps. They not only completely ignored the main concerns, but also downplayed the level of overall backlash and rubbed in our faces that it made them a lot of money anyway. That's not just bad PR, it's kind of a douchebag move.

[@neomegaryumk2971]

I had a very similar thought when he said that. Minecraft has zombies, skeletons, using the land for resources, some different settings/worlds, etc. Guess they gotta make a Minecraft Secret Lair now.

[@luccacamillo]

@@neomegaryumk2971 Yeah, and with mechanically unique cards of course.

[@worldkat1393]

Secret lair: Community, you know it had that zombie episode once and someone shot a gun so combat. Give me Pierce Hawthorne.....

[@BigMoai]

This is a certified hood classic

[@DopeyDragonz]

2020 has been the absolute nadir of my interest in Magic, and I've been playing for nearly 20 years. I'm honestly not interested in spending my money on the game much anymore and if it weren't for the fact that I find Kaldheim aesthetically interesting enough to check out spoilers (I'm a big Norse fan), I'd be disengaged from the game entirely.

[@Phe0nix1986]

Watched both best & worst. Liked both. Commented in both. Enjoyed both. Great content Prof. I hope 2021 is a better year.

[@cronchable]

Great video, as always. Agree with most of what you said, and I hope you and other magic content creators continue to voice their concerns loudly and openly! For me personally your channel has just become sort of a safe haven, you amplify the voices of other content creators and us in the community and we know that you at least are listening, since WotC will not. You're the rock that splits the wave of lost hope in WotC, the rock that refuses to sell out and take excuses. Thanks for being our rock, prof.

[@knickknack4338]

Re: Removal of Jumpstart from Arena. Like several great things Wotc have done with Magic and then abandoned, removing Jumpstart from Arena is like capturing lightning in a bottle, and then removing the cork.

[@tatz717]

Maybe they figured that it wasn't fair to provide digital access to a product that they can't provide in physical form either.

[@fastydave]

A month was more than long enough for jumpstart. It became very repetitive very quickly.

[@joncardenas3203]

The mistakes this year are going to make top 10 mistakes of the game history. Thats how bad this year was.

[@zacharyklewin3603]

wotc 2021: hold my beer

[@ruaridhusher4373]

Optimistic outlook ya got there

[@nicolasneumeier7690]

My favorite part was where he said: "No standard bans"

[@nomukun1138]

Yeah, I wish he had said that more.

[@asaffin1]

I actually would very much enjoy a video of you covering all the controversies as well. I probably have not even heard of all of them and I like being aware of that sort of thing, so having them all collected in a single video and discussed in your trademark even-handed style would be great.

[@felixvenne-deshaies2926]

you bring value to this community's life. thanks for this year of content and dedication. health and safety to you and yours

[@hacksignify]

I feel like this man just dropped a disstrack on wizards

[@Turn2Ugin]

He's the best at that

[@bobbobberson9103]

You're completely right about that pivot in magic. Its what caused me to walk away from the game and stop playing. I just could no longer justify supporting a company that keeps showing that they don't actually care about their players

[@benjaminbreedlove5658]

I just miss the excitement of pulling foil cards in my normal draft boosters. Sometimes pulling a foil rare is worth less than the normal rare because of collectors boosters. I can’t afford collectors packs, so it saddens me that I don’t get to look forward to those foil rare or mythic pulls anymore.

[@jaytf310]

His Bitterblossom art on the wall looks crooked and it's driving me nuts.

[@TheGregoryodd]

Love the Death’s Gate hardcovers in the background! Now I want to visit Haplo and Zifnab again. Thanks as always for the great content, good sir!

[@henriqueloureiro3932]

One of the biggest mistakes for me was the huge power creep of those last collections

[@SmugLookingBarrel]

I agree with you, but I wouldn't say that was specifically a mistake of 2020. I think that started in at least 2019, probably back to 2018 with War of the Spark, and is just a continuing trend.

[@darkblastal1744]

FUCK Oko ! excuse my french

[@henriqueloureiro3932]

@@SmugLookingBarrel that for sure, but this year it looks like it has peaked

[@lucario467]

@@henriqueloureiro3932 Has HOPEFULLY peaked. For all we know we get even more pushed BS in Kaldheim and beyond.

[@GambitsEnd]

@@SmugLookingBarrel Power creep exists in every set and in every sustained game and franchise ever. It's just been excessively bad lately since WotC stopped caring about any semblance of balance or game design and decided to just cash in as fast and hard as possible. See how much blood they can squeeze from the stone.

[@YEIYO1]

i just started to play and tought the defective bended cars were only mine, i bought 4 bundles, starter kit, deck builder toolkit, planeswalker decks, ALL BEND!, too bad cause im really enjoying the game, but with this i wont buy any more things, atleast until they fix it, that or baning all those walking dead cars, those were not bend what an irony.

[@keenanevans7888]

The card bending is just foils. Which kinda double sucks, because they are supposed to be pretty premium ones, but you can't even play with them because the quality is so bad

[@BindingOfMe]

@@keenanevans7888 The card bending is absolutely not a foil only problem. I bought a Throne of Eldraine box just before christmas anf every card in the damn box was curled, just the other way around how foils normally curl. You can still play with them since the curling isn't as bad as the foils but just comparing it to some of my old cards, like foil Savage Lands from Shards of Alara had absolutely 0 bend or curl to it and it had been sitting a random box without a sleeve who knows how many years. The quality of the cards overall has dropped in a significant and noticable way if you've been playing for a while.

[@ralphengland8559]

@@keenanevans7888 I finally bought a pack of Commander Legends, the next day EVERY card in the pack was warped. The Foil moreso than the rest, but it was every card. They're terrible, feeling like cheap counterfeits.

[@noahwolff5455]

Just got a card that should of been $15...it has an error in the art where the machine messed up (like an ink bubble). Worthless now. Doesn't sound like much but if that happens a few times it adds up.

[@termi6523]

great idea! if you still want more cards i recommend buying lots off of ebay from private sellers and caards printed before 2018 because those are mostly ine in quality and they dont bring profit to wizards but instead the community!

[@ericfranklin1802]

Couldn’t agree more with this list. Seems WotC have been more than ok tarnishing the soul of the game if it makes them a quick buck these days and unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be enough players who care about that to really put a stop to that behaviour.

[@YumYumGoodGood]

Professor, I’ve never commented on your videos before but I’ve watched and enjoyed many. I feel compelled to compliment how intelligent and articulate your arguments are (in this video, and of course in others) and I found that your examples and conclusions really resonated with me. I hold hope that Magic development will someday return to a focus on player experience; as opposed to the current obsession with profit. I also hope that this comment finds you well, you perform such a service to the Magic community that you deserve to feel great about making quality, relevant content. Thank you!

[@aaronvincent816]

"my hope is to have 2021 be the year that Magic becomes about the game again" that is a statement that even 10 years ago I could already tell was coming, unfortunately

[@andy3818]

Hey prof would you do a video or post walking us through the books on your shelf? I actually picked up Sword of Shannara because I saw it behind you in a video and would love to know what else is back there!

[@angelom9685]

The streams are unwatchable without being angry about the BS they spill.

[@SiymPai]

Thanks for this video! It is much needed for everyone to see where this game is heading. Been playing since 2001. . . I absolutely despise these collector packs! All product vis booster packs just feels bad now. I've enjoyed not buying anything this year due to it. I've bought a few singles but that's it now. . . Ughhh those collector packs are a downfall!

[@nickskulan6037]

Here, here Prof! I'm glad you give a best and worst perspective. I hope Wizards can build on those positives and learn from (and acknowledge) the negatives.

[@phymatotrichumrootrot2401]

Thank you for both the "best" and "worst" of MTG 2020 reviews. Your love of the game is evident, and I hope WotC understands. Thank you for giving a voice to the community.

[@jessicaf7236]

Should add the fact that many of wotc actions are further hurting lgs's business. Not only have mom and pop stores had to close events for covid, they've been shorted on products while amazon, walmart, and target get their shelves stocked.

[@GambitsEnd]

Not to mention that a focus on highly expensive, limited "collectors" products are almost exclusively sold directly via WotC website or exclusive big-box brand stores. And that every year there is a further decrease in community support from WotC. Plus other things that continue to hurt hobby shops.

[@DylanCEdh]

I can’t play MtG arena cause it messes big time with my epilepsy. After hearing about how the whole thing is from this and my friend, I’m kind of glad.

[@ashenwuss1651]

Sorry to hear about the medical conditions. Stay safe and have fun!

[@don8535]

Sorry to hear about your medical condition chief, but I have to mention the irony that Arena has been so poorly executed that you're glad for it in this instance 🤦🤦 good job Hasbro

[@spooplegeist]

Is it because of all the animations? Because the sheer amount of stuff happening on screen when I play makes me anxious.

[@DylanCEdh]

@@spooplegeist 100% Even on the lowest brightness it does no good

[@joeferreti9442]

I have problems with the animations and presentation on MTGA, too. It deeply frustrates me for some reason.

[@MilkshakeSkunkette]

one of the few magic content creators to call wizards out on this shit; honestly, remember when Maro announced they felt having contention exclusive cards were a mistake? and they wouldn't be doing that again? ...only for the walking dead to just show up and go; "....so that was a lie."

[@donb7519]

i love game knights but when jimmy and josh said in their response to twd sl that they werent influenced by wotc at all my eyes rolled so hard since they have slowly stopped criticizing wotc

[@MilkshakeSkunkette]

@@donb7519 yeah i also love game knights- but i couldnt help but think; "Suuuuuurely you could make a case to say, there considered silver boarder until reprints hit a real set"...? :/

[@donb7519]

@@MilkshakeSkunkette not to mention i was already upset with jimmy cause mulan 2020 had just released and they made jeremy hambly sound like a bogeyman

[@hollow3951]

Fantastic video prof! The only part that I was surprised you didn't include was Wizards removing the DCI program.

[@MrRuff-cc3lg]

You are 💯% correct, Professor! Bans are EXACTLY why I stopped playing Standard. I was spending several hundred dollars per deck while playing standard and getting frustrated only to see a key card banned. I even stopped following content creators who cheered the bans.

[@brug1313]

Also like how wotc knows their quality sucks, hence the “no nonsense” named non-foil secret lair bundle

[@joeferreti9442]

Let's all spend less than half of what we spend in 2020 for MTG in 2021 to send a message.

[@SDZ675]

The cards don't make Magic. It's the community that makes up Magic, and that got nuked from orbit in 2020.

[@Nightwishmaster]

I miss Magic so much. For YEARS I spent hours basically every single day playing, consuming content like articles, videos, etc and about 4 months or so ago I quit. I walked away entirely, I still have a ton of cards and shit around my house but I just don't even care enough to do anything with them, I'm hoping that by some miracle enough people at WotC will stand up for those of us that have dedicated years of our lives to this game. Instead they're more than happy to say fuck you to people like me that have supported them for years and spent an ungodly stupid amount of money on their game. Every so often I check back in to see if things seem to be getting any better or if there's at least some glimmers of hope but every time I look it seems to be getting darker and darker. I still haven't been able to replace the hole in my life that not playing, and consuming every bit of content or information I can suck up and I know that probably sounds stupid but with this pandemic I don't really have much else that I can focus on aside from football season (which is almost over and my team got knocked out of the playoffs anyways).

[@Arcanadragon]

@@Nightwishmaster Aww I'm so sorry to hear that. I think I understand a little bit of the void you feel. I loved to delve deeply for hours and hours into the storyline and illustrations of Magic: the Gathering, constantly studying every flavor text and picture. I loved the dark, gritty, and disturbingly detailed stories with their tragedies and heroics, triumphs and failures, and utterly unique and compelling energy. I feel that Wizards has lost a lot of soul compared to what they had back in the day. It was the burning passion of Wizards' artists, story writers, and designers that drew me into the game, and now the passion is dwindling.

[@Anthropomorph0]

I appreciate the work you do for our hobby. I feel you are harsh but fair and as i most often agree with your perspective you make me feel represented. Thank you.

[@PeterSolerom]

I no longer play MTG but I enjoy watching your videos and listening to you professor. thank you, greetings from Mexico.

[@randyrhoads4737]

God... *smh*... I'm at the companions part of this video so far, and I must say, prof, you have an amazing argument for all of this. But your description of companions REALLY hit me. How you said you have to look up the rules online to find out how to play the cards... Simply READING the card itself is not enough... You have really opened my mind further to see that MTG is a broken fucking game. I mostly play arena now, so I guess I sort of didn't see it the same way as most paper (especially newer players) see it. It's truly incredible how greedy Wizards has seemed to have become very recently. I've never really been a big fan of secret lairs if they are to be legal cards, as they are VERY limited. Gosh.. soo many things to talk about here. Love the content!

[@VanderOZ]

That thumbnail is solid gold.

[@brewcrew7550]

I have to admit, I actually liked Companion. However, at the same time I understood why it had to be changed. Can that be possible? Liking it but knowing it was not good for the game? Can two thing be true at once? It was nice to have a change like that for a little while. But I too was getting a little sick of the companion mechanic after a few weeks because every deck had to have one to be competitive. And that is where the fundamental flaw was in the mechanic.

[@davidlundquist1979]

I saw a good analogy in the spring that pointed out, "If Commander only had ten commanders to choose from, it would be pretty miserable too." If they had produced more companions with each subsequent set, it would have improved things. It also would have permanently made the game more like Commander, so I'm happier it shook out this way, but it definitely would have made companions more tolerable. Unless everyone just kept playing Lurrus.

[@brewcrew7550]

@@davidlundquist1979 yes, this is a good point. And if companions would have made the game like commander, then just play commander, right? I think your point is spot on.

[@brewcrew7550]

@@davidlundquist1979 on another thought, if you did expand the card pool perhaps it could be it's own format with the original rules. So it would be like a 60 card commander and everyone would be forced to use a companion in the format so no one is at a disadvantage. Might be interesting.

[@rastrisfrustreslosgomez544]

I both like the mechanic and don't think it was bad for the game. We got 1 broken companion in lurrus, 2 good ones (zirda and yorion), 1 decent obosh and the other 6 were paperweight. The whole mechanic paid for lurrus sins

[@nathanielb5659]

so glad card print quality got better, the STA lightning bolt a friend got me for my birthday we both thought might be a fake because the quality was so awful including the rare hologram at the bottom being off of the placement, highly damaged and the surface texture was completely wrong. i still can’t believe how bad it was, so bad we thought it was a fake is impressive

[@robertboyd1206]

Way to go Prof. Absolutely not a click bait video but rather a constructive criticism from a place of passion for the game! Thank you for speaking for us!