I absolutely agree with you. I believe that Deck Optimization should be based on Sound Reasoning and Rigorous Testing, as well as an understanding of the math the governs a deck's tendencies (I find Hypergeometric Probability to be very helpful). To clarify, the point about "winning" was mentioned because of the following train of thought:
- Putrid Imp was stated to be "trash" (kindly see some of the previous comments).
- Phantasmagorian was stated to be "better" than Putrid Imp.
- To help progress the discussion, a head-to-head comparison of the two cards was provided, considering all the points that have been noted at that point.
- It was stated that all of the successful Dredge decks after the banning of Mental Misstep used Putrid Imp, and none of those decks used Phantasmagorian.
- I suggested that, because none of the arguments are conclusive, it would be hasty to say at this point that "Putrid Imp is trash" and "Phantasmagorian is better".
- Because none of the points presented seem to have been conclusive for either side of the argument, I conceded that, at the end of the day, we are all entitled to voice-out our opinion and discuss our arguments. The only unquestionable way to prove our arguments, though, is to WIN - amidst all the excuses one can think of to brush-off its importance (may it be luck, circumstance, personal philosophy, etc.), WINNING will show that our efforts to improve were wisely considered, and it is the reason for why we are all Optimizing our decks. If others would prefer Theory-Crafting and Philosophizing over Winning, then I'll respect that too.
I understand that all this is done in an effort to improve the Dredge Archetype, and I'm all for that. This is exactly why I keep suggesting that we should base our statements on SOUND ARGUMENTS and SOLID RESULTS (including testing), because baseless statements would only impede the progress of a discussion. I personally would like to explore the "
Phantasmagorian Route" more, which is why I keep revisiting this idea. Unfortunately, it has been difficult for Final Fortune to keep an open mind and become as unbiased as possible, and this keeps him from understanding that I would like to help with his argument by refining the reasoning behind it - I'm not saying that the results will be favorable for
Phantasmagorian after the refinement, but I'm sure that it'll be much more defensible.
Unfortunately, this is what we all have to go through as part of a forum/community. As my friend once told me regarding these forums,
"you'll have to sift through the stones to find the gems". I'm trying my best to sift-out as many "stones" as possible.
Again, I appreciate that he's trying to think outside the box, and I'm all for that. We have to make sure, though, that we don't "throw stones into the box" while we're outside of it. I personally have been criticized for my opinion regarding certain topics (e.g. not playing DR in the main deck), and I've taken these critics seriously, even if these comments were not constructively stated. At the end of the day, though, I took the results of my testing/brainstorming, considered all the criticism thrown my way, and went on to see if I could prove one or the other by competing - and, again, WINNING showed that my considerations were headed towards the right direction.
Moving forward, I expect to continue improving on what I've learned so far. Things will certainly change, as we will always have room for improvement. What matters, though, is that we base our improvements on sound arguments and solid results.
Kind Regards,
jares