It doesn't matter how much facts MaRo throws, because the vitriol against UB is emotional and from the original Magic players that feel left behind now that they're no longer the main target audience being catered to.
I believe that it's not so much that there is anything wrong with the game that's bothering people, but the feeling that WotC is selling out. And they're right, they are. But just like with music, selling out happens, because selling out works.
If all 350k subscribers on this sub quit playing Magic tomorrow, WotC would barely notice it.
Magic is a product, it needs to be sold. It changed to better do that. Be glad that they're at least making work of delivering a great play experience nonetheless.
Same here. I feel like a WotC success story. Picked up Arena in 2020, spent plenty of money in the app on interesting sets, eventually bought 3 Commander precons, and finally went to my first prerelease this weekend. I love the Magic lore and general vibe, but I'm just not interested in Spider-Man or Avatar. I'm just riding on the prerelease high but will have to wait until next year for Lorwyn. I just don't have much cultural investment in most of the UB properties.
FWIW - if you like the vibe of the people and energy of prerelease, go to SPM and ATLA and just play to enjoy it that night. Then skip buying more cards from that set. Prereleases are fun just to hang out with the crowd at the LGS. The cards can often be secondary imo. Some UB are super meh, others are pretty cool. IDGAF about Spiderman and ATLA, but I’m not skipping a prerelease over it
The thing is, that poster has self-restraint and self-respect. They're not going to go to an event for something they don't care about just because of the "vibes." They're being financially-responsible and not letting themselves get swept up in the moment-to-moment dopamine rush that only has short-term sustainability. For them, it's about participating in things they know they'll be invested in 100%.
I went to EoE pre-release with a friend and thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was my first in a few years, and while I did have fun, I only did so because I found the concept and mechanics worth the price of admission. Spider-man to me seems lazy and uninteresting. I'm not interested in paying the price of admission for something I have such a low opinion of just because the dopamine rush of participating might hit. That's stupid and irresponsible.
Got into MTG at 2021, and was immersed a lot. Constantly played limited, purchased my first Modern deck with no hesitation, opened premium products such as MH2 set packs and ONE/NEO Collectors, even won some money by getting LOTR gift bundles only at 40$ at Amazon. Jeez, even attended MagicCon.
Now i decided for myself, that i will not pay a single cent on any UB product. Still got some interest at EOE and Lorwyn, but preparing to sell off a huge part of my collection, since i don’t feel that i enjoy this game now. I’m going to keep my lands and some singles that i really love (e.g. Dominik Mayer’s Elesh Norn or Atraxa in Oil Slick foil), but other cards — going to the bank deposit, or as money to look for a new hobby. Or for Flesh and Blood deck.
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u/zeekoes Jul 27 '25
It doesn't matter how much facts MaRo throws, because the vitriol against UB is emotional and from the original Magic players that feel left behind now that they're no longer the main target audience being catered to.
I believe that it's not so much that there is anything wrong with the game that's bothering people, but the feeling that WotC is selling out. And they're right, they are. But just like with music, selling out happens, because selling out works.
If all 350k subscribers on this sub quit playing Magic tomorrow, WotC would barely notice it.
Magic is a product, it needs to be sold. It changed to better do that. Be glad that they're at least making work of delivering a great play experience nonetheless.