FAQ for New Members

[Nightmare]

New User FAQ for The Source (www.mtgthesource.com) by Adam Barnello (Mr. Nightmare) {Credit to TMD for the FAQ idea}

Q. What is Legacy?
A. Legacy is one of the two Eternal formats, sometimes referred to as Type 1.5. It was initially created as an addendum to Vintage (Type 1) which used both the Type 1 banned and restricted lists as its banned list. During this time, The Source was a small community of players, mostly in the Syracuse, NY and Northern Virginia areas, who were keen to develop it into a serious format. In September 2004, the Duelists Convocation International (DCI) separated the lists after years of urging from the Type 1 community. After an initial upsurge of frustration from The Source, the community settled down and developed most of the tier 1 decks you see today. Since the splitting of the lists, there has been a small but significant push from Wizards and the DCI to make Legacy a competitive format on a larger level, most easily seen through the Legacy Grand Prix tournaments in the US and Europe that occur roughly once every year and a half. These events have been largely successful, and are expected to continue as long as attendance continues to be excellent.

Q. Why should I play Legacy?
A. Legacy is one of only two formats which do not rotate. In Standard or Extended, you may play one deck today, and tomorrow the deck could be unviable or even unplayable. With Legacy, you don’t have the same level of concern. Along with this, cards used in staple decks in Legacy hold their value much longer and better than those made popular in Standard or Extended. Since the format doesn’t rotate, there is less chance of cards falling out of favor and their price to drop considerably. Players who have been in the game for a long time frequently look to Legacy as a place where their old cards are still playable, and don’t need to keep up with as much of the new sets continually released.

Wizards has designed Legacy to be a format with a relatively low entry-cost. Barring Dual Lands (now easier to get around due to the Ravnica block Duals) and a few cards such as Force of Will, Berserk, etc. the cost of playing and maintaining a Legacy collection is much less than playing the Standard format or Limited. While there may be a higher startup cost, once you have the cards, you don’t need to worry about constantly getting more. Its much more economical to wait for the good cards in a new set to present themselves and settle in price, than to buy boxes to get the Standard staples of the month. On the other side of this, it is also a much cheaper format to play than Vintage, even with the rise in popularity of ten proxy tournaments.

Q. What is The Source?
A. The Source is an online community of members who play the Legacy format. It has the most Legacy content of any major Magic: the Gathering site, and its members are some of the most prominent and proficient Legacy players out there. It is a site for the development and refinement of Legacy decks, as well as a community of people with common interests. It is a great place to post your deck and get critique from people who have a high level of knowledge and experience in the format.

Q. Ok, I have a deck I want to post. Where should I post it?
A. Chances are, your deck is fairly undeveloped. For this reason, you should post it in the New and Developmental Forum. This area is for decks which have not been tuned, and a great place to get input on new deck ideas.

Q. I put my deck there, and everyone said its bad. What the heck?
A. Don’t be discouraged. Take some time to test out the new ideas the other members have presented, and see how they may improve the deck. If you decide your way was better, you are encouraged to come back with results and show them why they were wrong. One thing to make sure you don’t do, on the other hand, is to insist that your ideas are correct without any kind of testing or results to back them up. Even if an idea seems like it's great on paper, it doesn't always pan out that way in real life.

Q. OK, I want to test some of these ideas. Unfortunately (my area isn’t big on Legacy/I don’t know anyone to test with/I’ve outgrown my other testing partners/etc.). What can I do?
A. Fear not, the wonders of the internet have fixed the problem. Go to www.magicworkstation.com and follow their guide to download and install Workstation (MWS). Once you have it installed, get familiar with the gameplay on it, and when you feel you are ready, log on and test with people. Be wary, MWS has a wide range of players, whos skill and knowledge is just as varied. Messaging members on The Source and asking for testing help is a good way to go about it as well.

Q. what hppns if I want 2 tpye liek this?
A. One thing that is not tolerated on The Source is poor typing and grammar. A few members are from countries outside the U.S., and English is not their primary language. This is accepted. However, typing like you are on Instant Messenger or being lazy with grammar and spelling is unacceptable. Please be aware of the forum rules.

Q. Some people on this site are real jerks. Did you know that?
A. Yes. Unfortunately, the Mod/Adept team can’t sway the entire board to be the fine, respectable citizens that they themselves are. They do try. If you have any complaints about specific users, feel free to Private Message a Moderator, and they will handle it. On your end of things, if you make a concentrated effort to post well thought-out, intelligent, relevant posts (aside from the Mish-Mash Forum, of course), it will go a long way toward receiving the kind of feedback you are looking for.

Q. Who are the Moderators?/Why are some people's names different colors?
A. There are 4 types of members on The Source and special members:

Member - This is you. Names are in dark blue text. You can post in any of the forums, but only Adepts and above can start threads in the Legacy Metagame Forum.

• Slay - A special member. Do not ask stupid questions.
• Radley - A member with restricted smiley privileges

Adept - These are people who have been promoted by the Mod staff for their performance, contributions, and/or knowledge of the format. Names in Light Blue (Teal).
Moderator - Names in Purple text. Jander78, T is for Tool, Braves54321, frogboy, Nihil Credo and hi-val are the Mods.
Administrator - Names in Red text. Godzilla, Peter_Rotten, Di, Nightmare and Bardo are the Admins.