Will Starcitygames Premium hurt Vintage's popularity?

Will restricting access to Vintage's best representatives hurt Type 1?

  • Yes, I belive this will hurt the format

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No, I do not believe this will affect the format

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Maybe, too early to tell and or not enough information

    Votes: 2 100.0%

  • Total voters
    2
R

Reverend Love

Guest
Since it's inception of fee based content, most of Starcitygames prominent Vintage authors have had their articles deemed Premium. With fewer people having access to Vintage's catalyst for growth, will we see a cooling of the format's popularity?
 
I

Istanbul

Guest
No, Vintage will remain as popular/unpopular as ever.

StarCityGames, however, will begin to crumble.
 

Ferret

Moderator
Staff member
Huh? I didn't know that a website could impact a format like vintage. Sure, I could see them impacting standard (a lot!) and of course casual play, but something like Vintage? Please.

As Isty put it, I don't think their changes will change the format, but I can't see any good coming out of SCG changing to a pay site. That's just greed and I don't think they can hold onto enough users (with money) to justify that...

-Ferret

"the '.org' means non-profit!"
 
R

Reverend Love

Guest
I'm talking about competitive Type 1 play. I honestly think Vintage owes a lot of it's current success to the constant pimping it's received from SCG. The tourney side of Type 1 transformed from a stagnate, boring format. To a constantly changing metagame arguably seeing the most innovation out of all formats (the huge card-pool certainly helps).
 
N

Notepad

Guest
Yeah, SCG was "the best" place for Vintage strategy. Along with being free and quirky/entertaining, they were the only ones who seriously gave any attention to Vintage. Hell, they even gave it a shot of juice in the arm with those Power Nine Proxy tournaments. Awesome idea. Basically, as far as writing and promos go, they have vintage cornered.

It will still go on. Just, for now, SCG controls the hype machine around it...
 

Spiderman

Administrator
Staff member
Beats me. I don't follow Vintage too closely, so I'll take you guys word for it. All I remember is rakso's column there and I think the people from his forums migrated there when his site went down.
 
N

Notepad

Guest
Speaking of Rasko, he finally came back. He explained his disappearance, but I still blame it on alien abduction.

Yes, Rasko was stolen by illegal aliens...
 

Spiderman

Administrator
Staff member
Is his article premium? I thought someone said it was because of his law duties or something...
 
N

Notepad

Guest
Yeah he's like editor of his country's legal newsletter or some crazy talk stuff like that. He seemed to say he put out the final issue, or something. That's how I read his new article, anyway.

And no, his article ain't premium. Fortunately. I'd never pay for SCG crap. Why would I pay for them when I ain't gonna pay for BB's stuff. Man, premium content is just stupid!
 

Oversoul

The Tentacled One
I don't think it will affect competitive Vintage too much. It will do something, but most of the real innovation isn't in the articles on SCG, but in playgroups and such. Even as far as internet strategy goes, The Mana Drain forums are probably a much better resource than the articles SCG has to offer.
 
N

Notepad

Guest
Exactly, Oversoul. SCG does control the hype machine, but the format will live on well enough as it always has.

It will *never* be taken seriously by WotC, though.
 
N

Nightstalkers

Guest
I don't even go to starcitygames's website... So why should I care at all? I know a good majority of the T1 populace I talk to don't really care 'bout that site. Try going to someplace like the CPA or just talk to other players is mainly our stance.


LONG LIVE TYPE 1 (I hate saying "vintage")
 
N

Notepad

Guest
I hear the Mana Drain is the place to go for Vintage stuff. I mean, SCG has the whole hype thing going, especially with the proxy tourneys, but they have yet to prove they're a groundbreaking force in Vintage tech.

Besides, Legacy is such a better format than Vintage. I mean, Raisin...
 

Oversoul

The Tentacled One
Well, SCG has slowly developed a monopoly on the good articles for Vintage (or Type I if you prefer) strategy. But most good stuff that turns up there was already a forum thread on TMD, from what I've seen. Besides, as long as tourney reports are free, the most useful strategy articles will be available. I don't know what their policy is on what is premium, but really, strategy articles are overrated. Analysis of the results is often more informative.

Heh, and Legacy (or Type 1.5 or Raisin if you prefer) is a great format.
 
N

Notepad

Guest
Yes, theory and strategy are fine, but in the end, its the cheesecake that mattered.

Remember, Hitler said Ravager would suck. Would you pay to listen to Hitler NOW?
 
O

orgg

Guest
I know this'll impact the average player's drafting ability even further...

How terrible that is.
 
M

Mr_Pestilence

Guest
I don't think SCG has that much effect on T1, either way. I give SCG props for popularizing the whole proxy tourney thing, but the only thing hurting T1 is the lack of availability of cards. And by charging OUTRAGEOUS PRICES, SCG is definitely not helping.

Why doesn't WotC add T1 stuff to the online side? This seems like a perfect compromise between not reprinting the cards people actually want, and giving players the chance to play with them. To get players to sign up, they could even give each player a set of virtual P9.
 

Ferret

Moderator
Staff member
Mr_Pestilence said:
I don't think SCG has that much effect on T1, either way. I give SCG props for popularizing the whole proxy tourney thing, but the only thing hurting T1 is the lack of availability of cards. And by charging OUTRAGEOUS PRICES, SCG is definitely not helping.

Why doesn't WotC add T1 stuff to the online side? This seems like a perfect compromise between not reprinting the cards people actually want, and giving players the chance to play with them. To get players to sign up, they could even give each player a set of virtual P9.
That's what I was thinking. It would be kind of cool if they openned up their online store to include every set printed (I know the game could handle it), just don't have the redemption policy for it.

Wait. I just realised that this could be bad. I thought that it was bad enough that people were trading as much as 15 tickets for some cards. Imagine how much a Lotus would go for...

-Ferret

"And people WOULD pay for those..."
 

Spiderman

Administrator
Staff member
I thought at the time of MTGO's release that they weren't using cards from older sets because of individual card rules and programming considerations, but I also thought one of them was Clone and it got reprinted. So I'm not sure now why they don't start doing older sets online...
 

Ferret

Moderator
Staff member
Last year when they were upgrading to 2.0 a lot of folks got a "retro" card for free. Also, you can actually look up cards in the game from sets prior to Invasion. So, it seems to me like they CAN do it...now the question is will they?

-Ferret

"I wouldn't bet on it..."
 
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