Quote Originally Posted by Cartesian View Post
I usually enjoy Patricks rants, but what a load of baloney that was. His main arguments are 1) that it is OK that people can't play Legacy because they can still play "Magic" so there is really no problem, and 2) people who complain about the RL are mostly people who can't afford the cards are their current price. Both are completely wrong, and he just repeats them over and over. Much respect lost.
1)

He said people can't play sanctioned tournament Legacy. I play in a weekly legacy tournament that allows all proxies. We have the same fun as people playing in sanctioned events. I bring a real deck, some others do as well, and a few go the proxy route. There are many ways to enjoy Magic, from Pro Tours to kitchen tables. The formats are varied and interesting, supported and unsupported (Old School). I actually created a format, designed to eliminate all luck other than 1 coin flip. It was fun. Is it that egregious that there are a handful of useful cards in an ancient format that won't ever be printed again? I don't think so.

2)

Patrick almost certainly has more exposure to peoples opinions about the reserved list than you do. Given his high profile in the community, I'm willing to believe that he is being candid. There is no reasonable way of doing a fact finding mission, admitting that your opinion on the reserved list is highly related to your personal financial situation isn't palatable. If Wizards lifted the restricted list and said each card can be purchased directly from them for 500 dollars per card, would that appease the masses? Suppose Wizards offers to take 450 of the dollars and donate them, in Wizards name, to a charity of your choosing. When I assert this proposed solution of 500 dollar cards available on demand, people gloss over it. Occasionally, people make a few snide remarks regarding the specific cards that have a current price above my made up mark of 500, which is not a clever response.

In my opinion, the primary issue is the cost of dual lands and Power. People don't want to pay the cost for those things, but they want to play Legacy/Vintage. I haven't found an example of someone who dislikes the reserved list and likes the 500 dollar cards on demand solution, which I feel is a good litmus test. From what I have seen, people want inexpensive duals. Inexpensive is usually some cost they personally can afford, but it varies quite a bit based on their situation.