Inspired by a raging Facebook debate about the merits and pitfalls of charging entry fees for Friday Night Magic (FNM), I’ve decided to write my opinions in a more cohesive manner. I think there are a lot more factors than just the dollar value of an entry fee that make people for or against a small nominal fee to enjoy the game they love at their local gaming store (LGS).
IT’S NOT CONCEIT, IT’S EXPERIENCE
First a little bit about me so you know where I’m coming from: I’m no “droolie”. I have a lot of cards (in fact, I just picked up my 2nd Library of Alexandria today… score!), and I’m more than capable of winning a local FNM, and do so frequently. I’m not normally willing to travel so don’t compete in as many “real competitive” tournaments as I’d like to, but even at the medium level tournaments like Game Day I placed 3-4th at Worlds Away and 2nd at LA Mood in an environment when people brought their “A” game. I guess what I’m saying is that I’m a decent player with the full card pool available, so I’m not writing this from the point of view of someone who’s just starting out and only has an event deck in their arsenal. I’ve been playing Magic for 17 years, hell, I’d BETTER be at least “OK” by this point!
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SIDEBAR: Damn, did anyone else know about the band “Imaginary Dragons”? They are REALLY good! I can’t believe I just discovered them today due to (of all things) one of those annoying vevo advertisements while trying to listen to Blondie: “I Touch Myself” on YouTube (don’t judge me! Lol) Give them a listen to, you won’t be disappointed!
Here’s a good one to start at: “Radioactive”.
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DOES OUR LGS DEFINE US?
Back on topic. I’ve played at most of the stores in London (Worlds Away, LA Mood, Imperial Hobbies, Freshers) but I still need to make it to “The Game Chamber” (One day Tim! One day!) which is the store that started this entire kerfuffle by daring to ask the question: “Would you pay to play at an FNM”?
There are pros and cons both ways, and to be honest I’m fairly impartial. I play at Imperial Hobbies on Friday because it’s clean (not saying the other stores aren’t!), the players are friendly, and it’s closest in proximity to my bar of choice: Ale House (1/2 price apps after 8pm and $12 pitchers of Keiths… hard to beat that deal!).
Now back in the day I can’t say that I didn’t have a problem with certain individuals who would cause undue drama. Rule sharking at FNMs, arguing with each other and generally causing a negative vibe for those who just wanted to sling some cardboard and reminisce the good old days when they were trading dual lands for Sorceress Queens. I feel that those people in question have “grown” a lot in the past few years and that the stereotypes that many associate with them don’t necessarily apply anymore. Regardless of past “sins”, certain stores have also developed stereotypes; whether it’s that their full of sharks, full of newbies, full of rules lawyers, whatever. People associate certain stores with a certain level or tier of gaming already, and would having an entry fee really change any of that? I personally believe that store loyalty is a huge factor and that if a store suddenly decided to charge $5, I doubt it would greatly affect their player base. As one poster pointed out we’re paying hundreds of dollars for a deck… what’s another $5 to play it and support your LGS? Maybe that can be considered a callous attitude, but it’s realistic. This isn’t a cheap hobby. We’re not playing tiddly-winks or jax where all you need is a bouncy ball and a few pieces of plastic here… this is the big times where you’re paying $4 a pop for 15 random cards. I’d go so far as to say that it’s the minority who CAN afford to play magic but CAN’T afford to pay a token nominal fee to actually play somewhere.
So could it be that it isn’t so much an entry fee that they may have a problem with, but what it may cause?
COMPETITION = A BAG OF DICKS?
Lately my only negative magic experiences have been when there is a prize on the line. Even I can be a bit of a jerk when I really want to win, and I doubt that there’s anyone out there who’s so saintly they can say they haven’t been at least a little “vocal” about a loss, or said something akin to “no takebacks” or “sorry, you forgot” when they’re fighting for first place and a prize… even if that prize is just a crappy FNM foil card. Now if you’ve got 20 people who’ve each paid $5 into a pool and you’re looking at first place getting $50 credit, 2nd earning $20, 3rd – 4th getting $10 each and the last $10 spent on door prizes that competitive nature is sure to show up more often, and be compounded. This “fun game” you started off intending to play has suddenly become a stressful event where REL level 0 gets thrown out the window and you’re playing in your own little mini pro-tour every Friday. Those who are adverse to conflict will naturally gravitate to a less competitive (read: less hostile) environment, perhaps abandoning the game altogether because “it’s just not worth getting into fights over”. Again this may be a minority, but people are people, and it takes all of us to form a community.
It’s also been expressed that people feel that they’d just be “giving away” their entry fee to the better players, the ones who consistently win every week. They think “I have no chance of winning, so why bother”? The counter point to that seems to be that experienced players “teach” the beginners by beating them down week after week. Sure, you can learn some interesting card interactions and obscure rules when you’re facing a “local pro”, but oftentimes it comes down to them playing a Rubblebelt Raiders ($1) and the “pro” playing a Huntmaster of the Fells ($30). Them playing a Terramorphic Expanse ($0) and the “pro” playing a shockland ($10+).
I honestly feel that the above statement is a fallacy.
HAVING GOOD CARDS DOESN’T MAKE YOU A GOOD PLAYER
You can most certainly buy yourself every card in that SCG open winning decklist and still go 0-X. There is a reason why some players not only win a lot of FNMs, but also seem to consistently win at sealed and drafts where all the cards are random, not just a big pile of mythics and gold.
· Experience and knowing how to play.
· Understanding the mana curve.
· The nature of control / midrange / aggro decks.
· Holding cards and bluffing.
· Taking damage instead of blocking.
· Not overcommitting into boardwipe.
· Making 2-for-1’s.
· Planning for the environment and metagame.
· Knowing the rules.
This is just the tip of the iceberg that is the knowledge that better players have to impart on the newer ones.
Now if those newer players never get the chance to play against the better ones, how are they to learn? Is it worth paying that $5 in order to lose so that in the long term you win because you learn to play better? Is it better to pay, play, lose, and learn… or simply to continue making the same mistakes over and over because of an inbred playgroup that doesn’t understand that saving a Searing Spear for killing a creature when your opponent goes to recast that Rancor would be a better play than letting the Rancor resolve and spearing it after?
I think we can all agree that it’s beneficial to play against better players so that you DO get to learn about all of the above.
WHY DO WE DO WHAT WE DO?
In the end you have to ask yourself: “Why do I play magic”?
Am I playing just to have some fun with a few friends and test out weird and wacky decks, or am I in it to win it? Do I take pleasure from seeing my pet deck go 1-X, or do I leave disgusted unless I put up a minimum X-1 record?
Different people have different reasons for playing. Personally, I like to win with decks that people haven’t seen before, but that doesn’t mean I’m not packing them full of Restoration Angels and Thragtusks. I take a great amount of pride in knowing that the Jund list I posted months ago is almost identical to the ones that people are now starting to say is the most “consistent”! THAT is worth more to me than winning, and I continue to move on to other new decks because I enjoy the challenge. Others may just play the “best deck” all season. Others may just love Pack Rat and want to jam it into everything they build. Heck, my buddy Dobbs is working on a Biovisionary deck and I’m sure he doesn’t expect to X-0 every tournament with it!
Now would Dobbs pay $5 and still use said Biovisionary deck? Not likely. That’s when he’d break out his Grull blitz deck and smash face.
THE LGS EVOLUTION EXPERIMENT
I would love to see a well-established store try and break the status quo and run an FNM while charging $5, because here’s how I think that would work:
1) That store would LOSE a few players who feel that they have no chance of winning.
2) That store would LOSE a few players who don’t want to spend the $5.
3) That store would GAIN a few players who feel they could win and want a better prize.
4) That store would GAIN a few players who don’t play right now because it’s a “waste of time”.
5) That store would draw the more competitive players.
So they’d lose a few, gain a few, and become the “competitive” store.
I feel there’s opportunity here! In fact, I think it would actually get MORE people playing magic! It makes sense and here’s why:
The players who leave that store would still play, but somewhere else. BUT there would be the influx of players who’ve always existed, but didn’t want to bother playing 5 hrs of magic for minimal reward. So you’re actually getting MORE people out to play, they’re just spread out!
Could this be a win-win situation for our little community? Could a store take the reins and become the “training ground” for competitive players, while those who just want to have fun still get to do so?
… It really gives you something to think about, doesn’t it?
GREAT RISK, GREAT REWARD?
Now do I think that every store is suited to run with this tournament model? Obviously not. But do I think there are a few stores here in London that could pull it off? I sure do. And what’s the harm in experimenting? It’s not like you couldn’t just switch back in the unlikely event that attendance drops to zero. We’re all so connected via social media these days it wouldn’t be hard to take a month and test it out… you may have some “unexpected results”!
This can of worms has been opened on a public forum and the 91 replies (and counting) show a divided community. The gauntlets been thrown. 10 paces have been counted. Someone’s been slapped in the face with a flaccid leather glove.
The balls in your court store owners, the future is yet unwritten…
Me? I just want my cheap wings and beer and the company of my crew. :P
Cheers,
Carl Szalich
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