P
Purple_jester
Guest
I am not referring to specific rare cards in decks, per se. I am talking about the necessity of the rarity concept.
Does the game of Magic require there to be rare, uncommon and common cards? Does it need rarity at all? Will players suffer if all cards had the same rarity (common)? Let's first ignore the fact that this is a money-making scheme. We all know that the Magic-playing population needs to buy more packs to get 4 of a rare card. What I am asking is whether or not the game would suffer if there were no rare cards.
Think about it. All cards are restricted to 4 per deck, unless banned or restricted. Rarity does not apply there, so why should it logically apply to packs. We all wish we had 4 Ports or Masticores or Morphlings. Wouldn't we players all be happier if we could play with the cards we want without having to spend so much?
Heck, this is why computerized versions like Apprentice are so popular. They allow us to play with the decks we want, no compromises, no extreme cash expenditure. I myself would love to try playing a Tinker deck someday, just to see how much fun it actually is. I can't do that for real because over 1/3 of the cards are rares.
Rares wouldn't be so bad if they were all useful, but they're not. R&D follows the same rules for rares as they do for commons and uncommons: 10% very useful, 15% moderately useful, 25% somewhat useful, and 50% crap. I am not the only Magic player who has said, "This card never deserved to be rare." "WOTC makes it a habit to print crappy rares." "Good god, not another Wintermoon Mesa!"
Would you mind so much if someone had 4 Ports, when it was relatively simple to get 4 Ports of your own? Wouldn't it be nice if a Port could be had for only a dollar or so? And wouldn't it be nice if players could sort out pricing not by rarity, but entirely by demand? Regular trading cards do that. Why not CCG's?
Of course, upon reflection, it can be argued that rares are indeed necessary. The pursuit of the unattainable is what drives man (and woman ). The pursuit of the ideal deck and the rares it needs may be what's keeping the majority of non-wealthy Magic players interested in the game. Would this be true in your case? There are some who believe that Magic would quickly become a dull game if you could have any card you wanted.
These are just some of my thoughts. Any opinions?
Does the game of Magic require there to be rare, uncommon and common cards? Does it need rarity at all? Will players suffer if all cards had the same rarity (common)? Let's first ignore the fact that this is a money-making scheme. We all know that the Magic-playing population needs to buy more packs to get 4 of a rare card. What I am asking is whether or not the game would suffer if there were no rare cards.
Think about it. All cards are restricted to 4 per deck, unless banned or restricted. Rarity does not apply there, so why should it logically apply to packs. We all wish we had 4 Ports or Masticores or Morphlings. Wouldn't we players all be happier if we could play with the cards we want without having to spend so much?
Heck, this is why computerized versions like Apprentice are so popular. They allow us to play with the decks we want, no compromises, no extreme cash expenditure. I myself would love to try playing a Tinker deck someday, just to see how much fun it actually is. I can't do that for real because over 1/3 of the cards are rares.
Rares wouldn't be so bad if they were all useful, but they're not. R&D follows the same rules for rares as they do for commons and uncommons: 10% very useful, 15% moderately useful, 25% somewhat useful, and 50% crap. I am not the only Magic player who has said, "This card never deserved to be rare." "WOTC makes it a habit to print crappy rares." "Good god, not another Wintermoon Mesa!"
Would you mind so much if someone had 4 Ports, when it was relatively simple to get 4 Ports of your own? Wouldn't it be nice if a Port could be had for only a dollar or so? And wouldn't it be nice if players could sort out pricing not by rarity, but entirely by demand? Regular trading cards do that. Why not CCG's?
Of course, upon reflection, it can be argued that rares are indeed necessary. The pursuit of the unattainable is what drives man (and woman ). The pursuit of the ideal deck and the rares it needs may be what's keeping the majority of non-wealthy Magic players interested in the game. Would this be true in your case? There are some who believe that Magic would quickly become a dull game if you could have any card you wanted.
These are just some of my thoughts. Any opinions?