Dear Abby: To MTGO or not to MTGO

[MMogg]

Ok, so I don't usually ask for advice around here, but I think there must be some people out there with experience in these situations.

Basically, I am contemplating selling some of my collection to fund beginning a new collection on MTGO and I wonder if it's something anyone would either recommend or not. A couple points of background:


Life in the next couple years will involve a big move back to an unknown place (basically want to get out of China and look for work, but I don't know where I will end up or if there will even be a Legacy scene wherever that work takes me).
I have already started selling off large chunks of junk so that I don't need to carry so many cards with me when I leave.
I have been converting my collection to Chinese only, but I still have a lot unconverted.
I don't want to sell a) Chinese cards I've collected or b) staples that don't have Chinese prints (i.e. duals, LED, FoW, etc.).


So, I was thinking of selling a bunch of other staples and cards that I currently have in English to begin building an online collection. Stuff like Mox Diamonds, Onslaught fetches, City of Traitors, Explorations, Wastelands, etc. The alternative would be to continue to pour my resources into cardboard only and abandon MTGO. I heard it is difficult/stupid to try to maintain two collections, but I'm just not sold on the whole long-term (20-30 years) viability of MTGO. Other CCGs have stopped being produced, but the fanbase continues and people still play... with MTGO, there is no such life after death. So, I'm as confused as a pubescent girl aroused by my own budding breasts. Help?

[DalkonCledwin]

weird analogies towards the end aside. I have found that maintaining both a paper and online collection, while costly, is not completely IMPOSSIBLE. It is a bit more expensive than just playing in one of the two mediums, but it is not the most expensive way to practice a collectible hobby.

Anyways, if you find yourself in an environment where your favorite format does not have a local community playing it, then I highly recommend continuing to play Magic Online as it is the easiest way to play Magic the Gathering in such a setting. On the other hand if you have invested such heavy sums into a paper collection, you can always start a grass roots movement in your new environment to see if you can't get people to play Legacy or what have you along with you. Even possibly becoming a Tournament Organizer or Judge yourself if that proves helpful to your cause.

[dahcmai]

I'll start off by saying I'm a strictly paper playing person. I tried MTGO once and decided not to go with that route due to the trouble of keeping up two separate collections. I have a great store nearby with Standard FNM and Legacy so it wasn't a real hard choice.

I do see some appeal of MTGO though due to the fact you can play at any time of the night. Feel like doing a Visions Mirage, Dissension draft? You can do that there at 5:00 in the morning and actually find it. People that are up all night to trade cards when you see some new thing you want to try out is very appealing also.

I think that you should consider where you plan to move before anything and see if it's preferable to play at this new location or if they even have tournaments at all. Legacy may be popular, but they don't hold tournaments to play in just every where. That's the biggest concern you should have. MTGO might be the only option in that case.

As for the viability of it lasting 20-30 years, well do you really expect to play this game into your 50's? I don't and I'm almost 40. I love this game and it beats the crap out of doing what most people my age do. Go to a bar, Golf, sink into WOW, etc... I don't think I'd worry too much about it lasting that long anyway. The game is solid and despite the eventual lack of design space that will happen someday, I doubt it's anytime soon. MTGO will be pretty solid for a long time due to it's ability to provide a gaming spot for people who live in the middle of no where land.

I prefer cardboard since it's more personable and you actually meet these people instead of playing randoms all the time. Though I am sure there's ways to keep track of people online, it's not as personal. I like going to the local store instead of clicking away. That's just me.

I think in the end MTGO has the upper hand due to the ability to move and always have your spot to play. Luckily, I noticed the prices between cardboard and digital versions eventually even out despite the odd order MTGO sets came out. Some stuff is actually cheaper there since there's no shipping or fees involved to get them. You'd probably make the transition well if you decide to go that route.

[MMogg]

Thanks for t he feedback guys.

@DC: Yeah, I used to be a TO, but that's not so much fun actually. I spent all my time organizing and little time playing.

@chad: Yeah, I see myself playing this game in a retirement home some day. I think old age is changing and I don't think 50 is that old and I'm certainly gonna be gamin till I die. Anyway, you make a good case for it [MTGO] more than against it. =)

[majikal]

confused as a pubescent girl aroused by my own budding breasts.
http://local-static0.forum-files.fobby.net/forum_attachments/0012/6665/chris_hansen_large.jpg


In all seriousness though, MTGO sucks. The round timer sucks, the shuffler sucks, the interface sucks. It all sucks. You can easily lose by misclicking. If your internet connection goes down on your end you are out however many tickets you spent. You will never get to redeem your cards, meaning if they end support for MTGO you're S.O.L. Also, prices for staples on MTGO have risen to the point where they are equal to or more expensive than their real-life counterparts.

In short, fuck MTGO.

[dschalter]

http://local-static0.forum-files.fobby.net/forum_attachments/0012/6665/chris_hansen_large.jpg


In all seriousness though, MTGO sucks. The round timer sucks, the shuffler sucks, the interface sucks. It all sucks. You can easily lose by misclicking. If your internet connection goes down on your end you are out however many tickets you spent. You will never get to redeem your cards, meaning if they end support for MTGO you're S.O.L. Also, prices for staples on MTGO have risen to the point where they are equal to or more expensive than their real-life counterparts.

In short, fuck MTGO.

-The round timer is fine. A chess clock>>>>what exists in paper magic, as there's no longer a real advantage to be gained from stalling/slow play.
-The shuffler is fine. The only "problem" with it is that it may actually be more random than RL shuffling and thus will give you different hands from you expect.
-Yes, the interface is godawful.
-If your internet goes out... you rejoin when it comes back up. If you don't have a terrible connection, you will be fine.
-The redeeming point is mostly true, though not for more recent sets.
-As for staples, most cards are a lot cheaper, though there are some legacy staples that are silly expensive.

[MMogg]

-The round timer is fine. A chess clock>>>>what exists in paper magic, as there's no longer a real advantage to be gained from stalling/slow play.
-The shuffler is fine. The only "problem" with it is that it may actually be more random than RL shuffling and thus will give you different hands from you expect.
-Yes, the interface is godawful.
-If your internet goes out... you rejoin when it comes back up. If you don't have a terrible connection, you will be fine.
-The redeeming point is mostly true, though not for more recent sets.
-As for staples, most cards are a lot cheaper, though there are some legacy staples that are silly expensive.

Yeah, I tend to agree with most of what is said above. Also, no need to call a judge, no need to shuffle the other player's deck, no need to pay attention to whether or not he/she is cheating, no need to keep track of life, no need to wonder if I or my opponent played a land this turn, no need to sleeve up a deck, no need to make proxies for 13 decks because my Wastelands are in deck #14, etc. etc. That are a lot of valid reasons to play. Them dropping support is my biggest worry, but it's been, what, nearly a decade or so, so hopefully it will continue.

As for prices, they have actually dropped a bit recently. Force of Will peaked at something like $125 (iirc... was checking daily at one point) and now it's down to a stable $80. Beyond that, some cards are cheaper, and there are enough cheaper cards to either balance it out or make it cheaper. Oddly enough, my MTGO budget Aluren deck packs 4 $150 paper valued Imperial Recruiters.

My main concerns were a) long-term sustainable development (and indeed, supporting it and not pulling the plug) of MTGO and b) the viability of sustaining two collections.

P.S.: I had wondered if that last line of text was going to get a response. That was more to see if people were actually paying attention. lol

[majikal]

-The round timer is fine. A chess clock>>>>what exists in paper magic, as there's no longer a real advantage to be gained from stalling/slow play.
It might be okay for Legacy, since it can be quite fast. However, I have, on numerous occasions, lost the match during the attack step that would have otherwise won for me during UW Control mirrors in Zen block, and I could see this also being the case during Countertop/Stax/Landstill/Lands (whenever they get all their cards) mirrors. I hate the round timer with a burning passion.


The shuffler is fine. The only "problem" with it is that it may actually be more random than RL shuffling and thus will give you different hands from you expect.
This is precisely why it sucks. It is fundamentally different from playing with real cards, and I hate it. I suppose this point is purely subjective, though.



-If your internet goes out... you rejoin when it comes back up. If you don't have a terrible connection, you will be fine.

I meant something more along the lines of a power outage or a hardware failure. Or even a service outage. Brief spasms are normal and are often resolved within a few minutes, but if there is a storm somewhere in your service area, or construction, or some idiot vandalizes the lines/runs their car into a service pole, you can get sudden outages that last for hours, and since it's not server-side you won't get a refund. I just hate that my match results hinge so closely on technology that I personally have no control over.

This is why I will always opt for real cards over digital objects.