I love Magic. I hope it grows stronger and lives forever...but I'm worried about the future of Magic and here's why....      Face facts, money makes the world go round, unfortunately, this is quickly happening too fast in the world of Magic. Case in point, look at how many new sets have come out in the last two years. Fourth Edition, Ice Age, Chronicles, Homelands, Alliances, and Mirage. Visions will show up the end of January, and quickly be followed by 5th edition in the spring. That's seven sets in two years (not counting 5th edition). I have no problem with WOTC making a buck, but it is taking it's toll on the player. Pretty soon, the hand that feeds WOTC will disappear. To explain further...      A box is not cheap. The average is between 70-80 bucks (depending upon where you buy) and that's before tax. Let's figure that out, 7 sets times 75 bucks (close enough), that's 575 bucks before tax. I don't know about you, but that's a lot for anybody.      Ahhh, but I can hear it now, "That's not a lot for two years worth of Magic". Think so, let's take it a step further. Out of all those sets (excluding 5th edition and Visions), 4th edition and chronicles are reprints, that's 503 reprints. Let's also say on the average, that Ice Age, Homelands, Alliances, and Mirage have 4-5 reprints. That's about 523 reprints. hmmm What's wrong with this picture? Am I being taken to the cleaners or what? Yea, I know, some real good cards came out of those sets. But is it worth it?      In a way, I'm not sure it is and here's why. What is the purpose of reprints? Yea, Yea, I know, It gives players a chance to get cards they missed the first time around, and, by the way, have raised a great deal in price since then. But in the end, wouldn't it be better to come out with a WHOLE set WITHOUT reprints? I think it would. For example, in Mirage are reprints of Incinerate, Drain Life, Dark Ritual...Why? These are common cards that didn't deserve to be reprinted. I can't even figure out why they were reprinted to begin with. Instead of those three, I would have come out with three new cards. Why do I mention this? It gets back to money. If I'm going to pay 70-80 bucks for a box, then I want new cards, not reprints.      What's worse is how fast the price of cards go up. Look at Mirage and see how fast the prices have increased. I think it is safe to say that if the price of a box (average again) is 75 bucks, it is also safe to say that the average player spends an additional 25-30 bucks on cards they want to go along with the set they just bought. Unless of course they bought them when they were cheaper. Altogether, that's around 100 bucks for a box. While this is a great compliment to WOTC for bringing out products, it makes it very hard for the players who want to have a great deck.      Also, you have to hope that WOTC/DCI don't ban the card you just paid money for. I have a few idea's on how to keep the power of Magic going: 1) From here on out, the term "set" means 'stand alone' or 'expansion' and doesn’t include any more reprints. 2) Don't bring out a new set out within eight months of the release of a previous set. 3) Let the players get involved more. Let the next set be created ONLY by the players. If WOTC accepts a card recommendation from a player, the player gives up all rights on the card, but he receives his card autographed by the artist who draws it. The player receives nothing else. 4) If you must make reprints of cards, (Oh God, not a 6th edition) how about making one's the players want. Throw a few dual lands in there. How about an Ali from Cairo or a Timewalk. I can understand if moxes are never reprinted, but what's wrong with reprinting some of the other rare cards? In the end players are faced with the following problems: 1) When is the next set coming out? 2) Is it worth the money? 3) What cards would go with the set? 4) How many additional cards will I have to buy? 5) How much will everything cost? 6) When is the next set coming out?      There are no easy answers to the above questions. But, more sooner than later, it will be WOTC asking those questions, not the players. Right now, WOTC and the players are living large. But, money is a strange thing. It changes the way people think and act. If WOTC keeps flooding the market with products (no matter how good the product is, and trust me, it has been pretty good) it will hurt both sides. When that happens, somebody loses. Guess who that is......................... Follow-up to Last Month's Commentary -- Banned / Restricted List Thanks to everyone for telling me how you feel. All the comments were great and well thought out. The card that caused the most commotion was Balance. The players felt that it should be restricted, but not banned. As a whole, about 95% of the mail thought that banning those cards were silly, and an over-reaction on the part of DCI. Thanks again for e-mailing me. If you have the courage to challenge the views in any of my articles, I can be reached at: n***s@r***p.com       That's My View And I'm.......       DA’ SARGE       Email: n***s@r***p.com

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