To Mr. dontbiteitholmes,

It would appear as though our parallel discourse has landed us at odds with regards to the nature of Magic: the Gathering. This is unfortunate, and I must take responsibility for my language and tone in crafting this impasse. It was not my intention to cast you as any adversary in this, and for that I apologize. I reflect now that the source of this discussion stems from the two of us looking upon the same object and perceiving two different things. Permit me to say, that through your eyes, Magic is a collectable card game. This is fine. As is that I can say, through my eyes I see a collectable card game. We must both recognize that these differing viewpoints are equally valid and correct.

My history to this game has always been as a game, to play and be played. Single cards cost money, some more than others, and this was all fine with me. Some cards were better than others, so why should their value to me and others not follow? But the inevitability was that they were all pieces of a whole, and that eventually a game would be played. Because if not then why bother with the whole system? Without a game at the end, these cards were no different than baseball cards, something that has never held interest in me.

Which of course is not to say that baseball cards are worthless, nor that those who do collect things like coins and dolls and lunchboxes aren't without reason in their doings. Of this group is how you appear to be identifying yourself, and again, this is fine. There is no game to be played with antique coins, and yet they have value. I cannot pretend to properly understand why, and must admit I find some of the standards a bit silly. And yet in writing this, I must reflect on the circumstances to what a collector must think as they watch person after person take highly valuable collector's items and subject them to irreversible wear and tear for no other reason that to play a children's game.

To avoid an otherwise dichotomous relationship, we must let our two differing views on this exist without belittling the others stake in the whole enterprise. It could come to pass that Magic goes the way of many other nameless CCGs it itself spawned, the cards themselves worth only their value to you, the collectors. Without a single game ever played again, a 9.5 Alpha Black Lotus will still incite some bids at auction. It has been shown that this could exist in many forms, through baseball cards and matchbox cars and any number of collectables. Likewise, a world could exist where no single card sells for more that $2.50, and yet games are plenty and thorough. Certainly games exist where the monetary value of the game pieces themselves hold no bearing upon the game itself, this could become no different.

Without otherwise holy intervention from Our Lord, Richard Garfield, Ph.D., hallowed by thy name, it is up to us, his children, to settle this dispute ourselves. To avoid an otherwise Pyrrhic victory for either party we need to find a way to abstain caustic statements and poor debate. I invite you to join me in this attempt.