Magic - the Cheatering

[Bryant Cook]

If you want to look at cheats, you really have to go much further back, to players such as Mike Long - Long was an incredible player of the game...who also tricked his opponents. A lot. Some of this makes for epic stories, such as the Jedi Mind Bloom, but a lot of it reduces the goodwill that players have towards the game.

I'd like to point out that saying while searching your deck with Natural Order, "I'm going to go get Craterhoof and win" isn't cheating, even if it's not in your deck (both copies in hand) or saying "Grab Tendrils" even though there isn't once in your main deck. You're not announcing the spell, if your opponent concedes that's on them. From my understanding this is what happened with the Pros Bloom situation and Mike Long.

[Bed Decks Palyer]

Actually that Mike Long Story was a bit different, I've heard/read some different versions, but this doesn't matter, it wasn't cheat. However, the card glued to the bottom of his chair...

[H]

In the finals of Pro Tour Paris 1997, Long was playing Mark Justice. In one game, Long, piloting his Prosperous Bloom combo deck, faced a situation where he would lose unless he could win on his current turn. In order to get his combo to go off, he needed to discard his sole copy of Drain Life, the only card in his deck capable of dealing damage and thus killing his opponent. After doing so, he promptly lost that game, as he had no way to win. However, what Long hoped to achieve here was to convince his opponent that he had more than one copy of Drain Life in his deck, and that he was simply unable to draw it. In game five, Mark Justice cast Coercion and saw Long's sole copy of Drain Life. However, due to Long's crafty play in game one, Justice believed that Long had more than one copy of Drain Life, and operating under these false pretenses, Justice had Long discard a different card, allowing Long to win the game. Long ended up winning the game after drawing his entire deck and showing Justice that he only had one Drain Life.[8]

At the 1998 U.S. Nationals, Long was caught with a key card, Cadaverous Bloom, on his chair during a game.[9] The head judge, Charlie Catino, issued a match loss to Long, who went on to finish second in the tournament.

During a crucial round of Pro Tour Los Angeles in 2000, Long was given a warning for improperly shuffling his deck.[10] Long made a comment to his opponent, Darwin Kastle, designed to keep Kastle from shuffling Long's deck before starting the match. Distracted by Long's banter, Kastle only cut Long's deck, despite intending to shuffle because there were rumors before the round that Long's shuffling was suspicious.[10] Many players, including Rob Dougherty, a former Magic judge who attended that event as a player, accused Long of deliberately cheating by not randomizing his deck to keep copies of the card Howling Wolf evenly distributed. Dougherty wrote an article laying out his case against Long. Dougherty contended that Long's pregame actions were not shuffling but instead pretending to shuffle while stacking his deck. The judging staff, Dougherty asserts, was not familiar enough with catching cheaters to understand what Long was doing.[11]

During the US Nationals Draft Challenge held at United States Nationals in 2000, Long was disqualified without prize and given a one-month suspension for presenting a deck that was not sufficiently randomized.[12][13]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Long

I don't see him doing anything wrong at all in the first quote. The rest, well, yeah, that's cheating.

[Lemnear]

I'd like to point out that saying while searching your deck with Natural Order, "I'm going to go get Craterhoof and win" isn't cheating, even if it's not in your deck (both copies in hand) or saying "Grab Tendrils" even though there isn't once in your main deck. You're not announcing the spell, if your opponent concedes that's on them. From my understanding this is what happened with the Pros Bloom situation and Mike Long.

This was pretty much the situation as he tricked his opponent into thinking ja had a Drain Life left in his deck and the opponent conceded.

There is a bit of a difference between Jedi mind tricks and blatant cheating like we had examples before. If you drop a Pithing Needle on Goblin Vandal/LED/Lightning Rift and your opponent thinks the cards are disabled it's different from drawing extra cards or manipulating your opponents deck.

[H]

This was pretty much the situation as he tricked his opponent into thinking ja had a Drain Life left in his deck and the opponent conceded.

According to the wiki, which cites this Star City article this this is really what happened:

Myth #4 – Mike Long exiled his only Drain Life to Cadaverous Bloom then won
When rumblings of this article began to surface I made this claim to a few people and it drew a number of reactions ranging from disbelief to agreement.

Here's the background story for those not in the know. One of Mark Rosewater's favorite stories about the much-ballyhooed Mike Long is from Pro Tour Paris 1997. Long was playing the breakout combo deck of the tournament Prosbloom. It used Cadaverous Bloom and Squandered Resources along with Nature's Balance and Prosperity to generate a ton of mana then cast Drain Life for lethal damage in one big turn. Long's big secret is that while most other players were packing two or three copies of Drain Life he went the minimalist route and only played a single copy. Back then the players didn't swap decklists in the Top 8; the secret was still Mike's to use in his favor.

The story goes that in game two of the finals of the tournament against Mark Justice Mike was comboing out and figuring out his options. Eventually he figured out that he needed to pitch his only Drain Life to have enough mana to start up his combo. The problem of course was that by doing that he voided his only way to victory. Still Long ever the master of mind tricks fearlessly exiled his Drain Life and then revealed two copies of Prosperity and prompted Justice to concede when Long had no way to win.

The story was all well and good and still holds quite nicely as a testament to Long's ability and character. The only problem? With the advent of YouTube the videos of the match were eventually posted online – and the bluff was nowhere to be found!

In game one Long does exile his Drain Life while going off but ends up fizzling and loses.

In game two Long does begin to go off and shows Justice double Prosperity prompting his concession but he clearly never exiles his only Drain Life.

Game three is not available online but we know Justice won that one because the match goes to game five and Long wins games four and five.

Game four and five start with Mike comboing out and the Drain Life can clearly be seen while doing so. To confuse things even further Mike makes a big theatric show in game five of going off in such a manner that he draws his whole deck and shows Justice that he only has one Drain Life.

What is going on here!?

Pundits like Paulo Vitor and Richard Feldman have relentlessly argued that the bluff clearly did not happen and was just a stretch of the truth by Rosewater. Others who want the bluff to be real point to the mysterious display at the end of game five and claim something must be missing from the video somewhere.

I was firmly in the PV and Feldman camp and was planning to put it into the public eye that this never happened. And it's true: the myth as described never happened. Better yet along the way Patrick Chapin heard about my claim and gave me a phone call to fill me in on the truth of the situation and settle things once and for all.

This hasn't been written anywhere else. Are you ready for the true mastery that Long ran?

Long sideboarded out his Drain Life!


Yes you read that right. In game three he sideboarded out his only win condition. Not only did he bluff Justice with his Drain Life but he was planning to do so the entire time!

Unbelievable.

Granted Long ended up losing that game – but the play itself was amazing. Long boarded his Drain back in for game four because his back was against the wall but in game three it wasn't even in his deck.

And that's just the first part.

In game five Justice cast Coercion on Long and saw the Drain Life in his hand. If Justice just took the Drain Life Long would instantly lose. However since Long carefully set up the bluff in game one Justice took another card and Long was able to pull out the win.

Let's walk through the masterful setup here.

In game one while fizzling Long exiled his only Drain Life and made that fact clear to Justice. At this point Justice no doubt believed Long had multiple copies in his deck.

In game two Long took his fine time made plenty of annoying banter to make it seem even longer then revealed double Prosperity to prompt Justice to concede.

In game three Long sideboarded out his Drain Life based on the fact that Justice was so willing to concede in the second game but it ultimately didn't end up mattering.

In game four Long boarded the Drain Life back in.

Then in game five the reason why Long made a show out of revealing he only had one Drain Life was to show Justice how he mind-tricked him in the first game which caused a ripple effect in the subsequent games. By carefully maintaining the illusion that there were two in his deck by not being able to draw it Long knew he could change Justice's play.

So while the actual story isn't true Long still pulled off a pretty crazy bluff. Love him or hate him you have to admit that Long pulled off one of the most daring mind tricks to ever grace the Pro Tour tables.

And that's the truth of the Mike Long situation.

[JDK]

you don't get that with winning you can aquire Sponsors like MTG Madness/Channel Fireball/etc., get payed writer positions and people/websites buying your articles, etc. all adding up with your won money at the tournaments itself. You can look at SCGs Homepage to see the connection between being a top grinder/Sponsoring/Articles.

If you look up everybody's darling Alex B.'s results, you can find 54(!) Top 16 placings at tournaments like SCG Opens/Invitationals/PT Qualifier/etc. since 2010 and that despite of his 1,5 year ban in Dec. 2011.

Jared Boettcher has 21 Top 16 finishes since 2013 in SCG Opens/Invitationals/GPs/PTs/PTQs

Take these numbers (timespan, finishes, tournaments held by SCG over a year, number of PTQs held over a year in the US, money gained) and think about them. I'm not believing in the fairy tale of "just very talented players" looking at those surreal results.

So how much "salary" is this per month? You do realize these articles don't pay the rent unless you are one of the really few people on top of the game. For everyone else it's pocket money.

21 (18, Invitationals don't count as two) Top16 finishes in about two years? 54 (actually, it's 47 top16s - you counted higher finishes and both formats in the invitational) in ~3 years? They probably played over a/a few hundred events in this timespan. Is that what you refer to with "We're not talking about "doing well" and being among the top 20% of most tournaments you enter in your favorite format. It's about being always in the T16 in any event those players enter no matter the format. That stuff leaves a fishy taste on my tongue"?

Is/was Bertoncini "a pro" "making a living" out of his "career"? Does Boettcher live off his winnings?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro_Tou...aking_a_living

You don't have to: You just have to hit Platinum for the Year - that gets you $12,000 for attending the PTs, $1,000 for going to the WMC, $500 for going to any WMCQ, and $250 for just attending a GP. Those are just for turning up and playing, even if you scrub out 0-6 after your byes. And don't forget that, at that level, Wizards also pays for your hotel and airfare.

It's not easy, but I can definitely see the possibility of being a Pro Magic player.

That's IF you actually attend each PT (3k per PT). It's also far away from "making a living" out of MTG, unless you live in a country so poor you could be the next movie star in a remake of "City of God". Let alone from just playing the game. You'd still have to be able to play at an extremely high level (aka "staying on the train"). Anyway, you'd have to be one of the top ~30 players to actually reach that level.

Also, nobody talks about how "pros" (for the lack of a better term) will also sometimes just 3-3 Drop a GP. It happens. Maybe they even make mistakes. But I really feel it's something people just like to ignore.

This is what I have been trying to make clear with my posts.

[TheAardvark]

About Jared Boettcher...
Was it confirmed that he was cheating? did he get a ban like bertoncheatty?

The DCI has investigated and cleared Boettcher.

[clavio]

The DCI has investigated and cleared Boettcher.

Source?

[TheAardvark]

Source?

Boettcher himself via Twitter.

https://twitter.com/illethia/status/525672402840453121


EDIT: It's possible that he is lying, but I can't imagine the DCI would take such a lie kindly, so I believe his statement that they cleared him.

[Lemnear]

So how much "salary" is this per month? You do realize these articles don't pay the rent unless you are one of the really few people on top of the game. For everyone else it's pocket money.

21 (18, Invitationals don't count as two) Top16 finishes in about two years? 54 (actually, it's 47 top16s - you counted higher finishes and both formats in the invitational) in ~3 years? They probably played over a/a few hundred events in this timespan.

Is/was Bertoncini "a pro" "making a living" out of his "career"? Does Boettcher live off his winnings?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro_Tou...aking_a_living

You think it's possible to play "a few hundred" 100+ players events in those timepans? I doubt there are nearly enough held over the year. Linking to the pro Tour payouts and a section to "Making a living off playing the pro Tour" is pointless, as I stated before that MTGs structure isn't designed to make a living of tournament payouts alone, but of those adding up with Sponsoring, payed writer positions, marketing for a website, etc. and I know what Carsten and Julian get/got for their articles on SCG. If I sum everything up, I can see people survive by only playing MTG.

[JDK]

You contradict yourself. On the one hand you say "only playing mtg" and on the other hand you talk about "sponsorships/writing/whatnot". Make your mind up.

[Lemnear]

You contradict yourself. On the one hand you say "only playing mtg" and on the other hand you talk about "sponsorships/writing/whatnot". Make your mind up.

I said, you have to perform outstanding to make a living. I did NOT say that the price money alone is enough unless you T16 most of the SCG Opens/PT/PTQ/GP you enter. I'm not interrested in nitpicking on phrasing even if I doubt I ever said "only playing mtg"

[Koby]

If I sum everything up, I can see people survive by only playing MTG.

I think it may have been an omission, but I think you meant to say "can't". The amount of effort put into practicing, traveling, and other revenue generating activities (like writing, videos, etc) are on par with a full time job. The payoff, however, usually isn't worth it compared to other traditional jobs/careers.

Magic is a hobby and a lifestyle; but it is not a career.*

* Unless you're Mark Rosewater.

[Lemnear]

I think it may have been an omission, but I think you meant to say "can't". The amount of effort put into practicing, traveling, and other revenue generating activities (like writing, videos, etc) are on par with a full time job. The payoff, however, usually isn't worth it compared to other traditional jobs/careers.

Magic is a hobby and a lifestyle; but it is not a career.*

* Unless you're Mark Rosewater.

Looks like I phrased it indeed that way or missed a "not" to express what I had in mind, but it's clearly not ment in terms of "picking up a deck, go to a tournament, win money, go home, repeat". I should have phrased it in the likes of "make enough money by dedicating your time for MTG".

[JDK]

I think it may have been an omission, but I think you meant to say "can't". The amount of effort put into practicing, traveling, and other revenue generating activities (like writing, videos, etc) are on par with a full time job. The payoff, however, usually isn't worth it compared to other traditional jobs/careers.

Magic is a hobby and a lifestyle; but it is not a career.*

* Unless you're Mark Rosewater.

Exactly.

[Quizzlemanizzle]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC7Qd0w1Q6w

Here is the Sam Black cheat.

It happens in game 3. He tracked summoning sickness before. In the end he goes off with Elves but he obviously knows he does not have lethal on board which is why he tries his hardest to keep going but he fizzled and he knew it. Then he tricks himself to winning the game by asking his probably "in aw" puzzled opponent if his summoning sick visionary could attack (which he could not and Sam obviously knew!) and wins.

funny how that was never investigated or anything even the commentators seemed aware

[cdr]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lC7Qd0w1Q6w

Here is the Sam Black cheat.

It happens in game 3. He tracked summoning sickness before. In the end he goes off with Elves but he obviously knows he does not have lethal on board which is why he tries his hardest to keep going but he fizzled and he knew it. Then he tricks himself to winning the game by asking his probably "in aw" puzzled opponent if his summoning sick visionary could attack (which he could not and Sam obviously knew!) and wins.

funny how that was never investigated or anything even the commentators seemed aware

He was investigated and cleared IIRC.

[iamajellydonut]

He also posted an article here...

http://www.starcitygames.com/article/28248_Scandal.html

[Quizzlemanizzle]

He also posted an article here...

http://www.starcitygames.com/article/28248_Scandal.html

didn't know that he tried to explain himself. Still think he was aware and tricked his opponent there. He tried way too hard to reach lethal without the Visionary to not know that it was summoning sick.

I guess its possible that he was stressed out that he completely forgot about the summoning sickness when only focused on making Craterhoof as big as he could, but I seriously doubt that, he is too good and experienced for that to happen.

It might not be a cheat by definition but definitely foul play, exploiting stupidity of your opponent.

[Lemnear]

The Raging Quirion ... erm ... Elvish Visionary! XD