C  O  M  M  E  N  T  A  R  Y

by Erin Feeney "Good Lord, you're uncreative" A Follow-up on Deck Copying Let me first say that I am very happy to announce that for the last article I wrote, more letters were sent to me than all of my other articles combined. Now it's time to address some of the questions raised by the letters that I did receive.   The Vast Majority (about 80%) These people wrote to me in praise of my article (chest puffs out), and they agreed with several of the points raised. For example, people tended to agree that it is sad that so many people chose to copy a deck idea. They also said that I write like I'm whining (chest shrinks back in). A strong number of people who wrote said that while for fun play, one shouldn't play a deck that is a copy. The most common example was Counterpost. One person wrote to me that in his playing area, nearly everybody plays Counterpost. And in another part of the country, people are playing Winter Orb decks. So, what does this mean, when 80% of the people who wrote me said that there should be more original decks, while in tournaments, 80% of the people play unoriginal decks? Well, it could mean a number of things. Maybe the copy-boys and copy-girls of the world are too busy looking for the next deck to copy that they don't have time to write? Or perhaps they are illiterate and can't send me mail? Who knows?   A few people (19%) These people disagreed with me. They presented their arguments in a clear, concise manner as to why ignorant copiers should be able to play their decks in tourneys. "It's okay to play them if you want to," they whine. "A beginner may need to copy a deck to compete!", they say. Is this true? Can a beginner have no chance whatsoever unless he/she copies a deck card for card? Well, not only is this untrue, but it sets the beginner in for a bad habit. They may feel that the only way they can win is to play copied decks. This is not right. A beginner needs to have bad decks when they start. It is good to just lump some cards together and play. From that, the player slowly learns a critical Magic skill: Trimming deck fat. Now, as I have said before, I have no problem whatsoever with people getting strategies or advice from other Magic players. What I do object to, is someone building a deck with the specific goal of copying that person's deck. This is just lazy thinking.   Assorted Morons (1%) These are the people who write me up and say in a fairly vulgar and grammatically incorrect manner that I suck and it's good to copy decks. They probably never play Magic anyway, because they are inept socially. Note: Due to the responses to the last article, I have been considering posting a section on my column devoted to wacky decks. Please send any in if you have any, as it will show that people can make a good deck without copying the heck out of someone. Keep those letters coming!       Erin Feeney       u***d@i***i.com   All commentaries are the opinions of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of Beyond Dominia [ Back to August 1997 Table of Contents ] [ Back to Beyond Dominia ] Magic: the Gathering is a Registered Trademark of Wizards of the Coast