I've played under Revised, 4th, 5th and 6th edition rules. The 6th edition rules are no less arcane than 5th, and no easier to learn. Eliminating Interrupts and Mana Sources may have streamlined card design, but it actually complicates the game. i think it was a lot ewasier for knowledgeable people (good judges) to determine the legality of a play under 5th edition rules, due to the defined windows of response and irrevoacable steps (i.e. creature damage). The only real problem I had with the rules was the "check for player death at end of phase".
With 6th edition rules, you can respond to anything, making for very convoluted stacks. This makes it hard to be a casual "nice" player, because timing is even more crucial now. You can really screw people on timing more easily if you hold them to what they declare, rather than helping them understand the sequence of events if they do X, Y, or Z. When I play for prizes or draft, it is a real quandry: even at 8k, I paid my $5 for the tournament and spent a lot of money (or time writing for StarCityCCG) to get these cards. Do I let a lesser player take back a poor play due to there misunderstanding of the rules? More importantly, do I let a decent player who is a jerk go back and do it again?
In summation, 5th was much more concrete, and therefore intricate, posing a higher barrier to entry. 6th is much easier to learn, but harder to master, because the timing framework doesn't support absolutes like 5th did.
Erik
