Having a Come-To-WoW Intervention

Yeah I know. This is supposed to be part two from yesterday but I completely get off the topic of decks and my preparation for Continentals and instead whine and complain about Magic, WoW, UDE and the Vs System game. So we are going to move that to another day. Since I accomplished my goal of qualifying for Worlds, I will try to incorporate part two into some sort of tournament report this week.

I am glad Dustin got qualified and my 9th place finish inspired me to keep going and actually make some effort figuring this game out. The thirty-one person Regionals also helped me decide that this game might finally be catching on. My problem with playing a UDE game not YuGiOh has always been UDE’s inability to advertise and grow a player base for a product that hasn’t already been established. I mean you don’t have to do anything for YuGiOh. There is the cartoon and the video games and all the toys. So they basically can do the bare minimum with regards to OP and know that kids will always flock to the game. Not to say that they only do the bare minimum but my point is they basically can just not screw up and they will be fine. But if Vs has taught us anything, it’s not always a strong IP that will sell a game if the game isn’t marketed to mindless dumb kids. You need some idea of how to make the game appealing to people that are already committed to games like Magic. I guess I need some assurance that if I invest time and money into the game I will not end up with a $5 collection (you know, like my foil play sets of everything up to the X-men set in Vs) two years from now when UDE decides that the game isn’t profitable anymore.

But honestly, I think this game is here to stay. The OP program is actually pretty nice. The payouts at Nationals and Worlds are pretty awesome. And most of all, you can play the game without having to have a degree in game design. The only stumbling block I see it having is the fact that Magic players are dumb sheep and they will not make the jump to WoW simply because they have too much time and money invested in it. Ask any Magic player this question, “If Magic and WoW came out at the same time and you could only play one, which would it be?” Seven out of ten of them would say WoW without hesitation. Why? Well, they are basically the same game but one has a better resource system and gives the active player more control over strategic decisions while attacking. The beauty of WoW is that while you may get completely blown out by a better player or a terrible match-up, you will never ever say the following words to anyone.

“I lost because I didn’t draw any land.”

And before you counter with, “But Dave isn’t ‘I lost because I didn’t draw quests’ the same thing,” I say to you, NO IT IS NOT. I understand that you might think you lost because of no quests, but really it was because you made poor decisions on what to row to stay in the game long enough to draw into quests and more cards.

Having more control over where your dudes go (Provoke in Magic if you need a reference) is what truly makes WoW better than Magic. The fundamental difference in each game’s attack step is this. Magic is a game of deciding when to turn your guys sideways. WoW is a game of deciding how to do that. You have the ability to dictate the flow of combat as an active player because when your guys attack you do not give your opponent control over what happens next. Obviously if they have protectors this statement is sort of misleading but if you planned your attacks out you will have cleared the way to your opponent. You are always in control. That is what playing WoW is like.

Why go though all this when I am sure it has been covered time and time again? Well, we as players cannot hope to capture new players from outside the already established crowd of game players. WoW isn’t so amazing that it is going to make new people not playing card games start it up. And we certainly are not going to convert any significant amount of online players to the game. I know there are a few that are playing but for the most part hiding out at home in your boxer shorts, eating Cheetos and killing stuff with a click of the mouse (or keyboard bindings for those advanced few of you) is a lot less effort than actually taking a bath and leaving the house for a few hours of entertainment at the local card store. So we are left with converting Magic and YuGiOh players to the game. Your stupid friends (only stupid because they haven’t jumped ship) need an intervention. They need to sell all their Magic cards and start playing WoW. Right now.

I am going to help you with this Come-To-WoW intervention plan. I call it that because I laugh when my wife comes home from a hard day at work and she says something like, “that crazy lady needs to come-to-Jesus or something. She was horrible.” Here is an actual CTW intervention that happened about a month ago. I will change the names to protect the innocent. Use it when you are trying to convince your friends that this is the right plan for them.

Old bald guy: I don’t know why you don’t play WoW. I can’t remember a time when I got beat by a scrub like Mozart like that. I saw your hand. You would have crushed him if you would have drawn a third land.

Worst article writer ever: I am so sick of it. That guy is a tard. It embarrasses me that I lost that game. I have looked at WoW cards but honestly, I just have too much invested in Magic to give it up. Besides, no one plays around here but you and that guy that can’t do math and you are kind of creepy.

Old bald guy: Well, you can sell your cards to Donnie and buy all the cards for a really good WoW deck and actually have a shot at playing at Nationals or even Worlds. The game is still young.

Worst article writer ever: I don’t know man. I really think I will be on the Pro Tour soon. I’d hate to miss my shot.

Old bald guy: Really? You have been playing Magic for what, four to five years? How many times have you played at Magic Nationals or the Pro Tour. In fact, how many of these guys playing tonight in FNM that say the same thing have ever been close. Look at Eli (oops forgot to change his name). He has been playing for like ten years and has spent so much money on Magic and the best he can say is he made day two at some random Grand Prix. At some point you guys have to stop trying to “live the dream” and try something new.

Worst article writer ever: I see what you are saying I guess. But does that mean that WoW is easier than Magic. Because I am not looking for a YuGiOh game here.

Old bald guy: Nope, it’s basically the same thing but without mana screw. I am just saying that there are not a lot of people playing so you could get in now and really start winning some good stuff. Besides, they have this really cool honor rating thing that gets you a Nationals invite simply by playing in a tournament once a week. It beats the hell out of stupid foil cards once every few months.

Worst article writer ever: You mean even if I didn’t do so hot, I could play at Nationals simply by playing in local tournaments?

Old bald guy: Yes Worst article writer ever, I am saying that exactly.

Worst article writer ever: So I am clear. No mana screw. It’s the same game basically as Magic. I can go to Nationals even if I am not that good.

Old bald guy: That’s about it. OH WAIT! There are $1200 cards you can open too!

Worst article writer ever: Really? That is awesome. But is that a rare that I need for my deck? Am I going to have to drop five grand on a competitive deck?

Old bald guy: Oh God no. It’s a loot card. You can sell it to those losers that play the online game 40-50 hours a week and then buy cards you need to play with. I have seen decks that do really well that are only about $100. There are only a handful of cards that are really expensive because people buy boxes for the loot and just dump the rest on eBay.

Worst article writer ever: Dude, that sounds so cool. DONNIE!!! Want to buy some Magic cards….

It’s really that easy. Look, in life we have to make decisions that have a grand impact on us. This is one of those times when you have to choose not to do something just because everyone else is. Look at Mac owners. They are a lot like the WoW players we have now. They got fed up with all the problems PCs have and they took a leap of faith and made a change. And now they are happier for it. Mac owners are much happier than PC owners. They are better looking (the Mac guy from that commercial is dating some hot hollywodd chic right now) and they smell better. WoW players are the same way. Tell your friends that they are on the threshold of something great here. They can continue wasting their time with an inferior game who’s only redeeming qualities are that there are millions of players to duel with and it’s a game that has a built in “I Win” feature that has nothing to do at all with skill but more just random dumb luck. It boggles my mind to hear someone say, “I play Magic because sometimes my opponent gets mana screwed and I win.”

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Seriously, one of the reasons WOTC will not change the resource system in Magic is because they know that a large portion of their player base play the game simply because they will win with no effort at all simply because their opponent didn’t draw any land. Why is this even appealing? Who cares if you win because your opponent got screwed? Don’t you want to win because you are awesome? I know I do.

Go forth and convert one Magic player this week to WoW. If all thirty of you do this and then next week that new group of players do the same, we will have like 1500 new players in a year. If everyone did this once a week, Magic would be dead in six months and we would all have Spectral Tiger Mounts and life would be good.

Don’t let other people do your work. Take some ownership here. This game will thrive because you made the effort to help your friends help you.

Wow, I didn't know you were in the Nashville area. At least I'm pretty sure you are, or else this article is very creepy. I think you forgot to change a couple of names in that article. I'm not sure who you are, though.

Every time I go into the store I get a similar rap (although I've been out of Magic for a while) from Dave and Donnie and I finally broke down and decided to give WoW a try. This article really hit home for me, lol.

Yeah, Dave and Donnie are big fans of WoW and are trying to do everything they can to grow the game in the area. Glad to hear you have started playing WoW. What do you think about it so far?

Glad to see you writing again, I look forward to hearing how Continentals went for you, keep up the good work.

-Alex

Hey man. It is great to see you writing again. I hope this WoW gig works out for you. I have really enjoyed the game myself. Maybe we will run into each other at a DMF or something.