POLL DISCUSSION: Do You Play Magic Online?

[Streetz]

I am curious to know how many of you actually play Magic Online. In asking this question, I am referring to the online version of the game hosted by Wizards of the Coast.

The results of this poll may change my outlook on posting less or more Magic Online related content.

This thread is reserved for discussed the topic of this poll.

[Tekkactus]

MWS yes, MTGO no. Why pay for something I can get free?

[shadow_walker]

Currently I only play is Magic Apprentice.

[fatguy_poolshark]

No i dont however i might begin playing it since its relatively cheap if you buy singles of what you want.

[Oblivion]

MWS yes, MTGO no. The upkeep is too high (a lot of US and UK products are like that here - conversion rate). Like what Tekk said.....

[Zhou_tai]

i play MWS and MTGO but have not really played in a while.

[Michael_Zeora]

no MTGO, can't see myself shelling out the real life money for some bits of data that can be loss if the server goes down hard enough...

can't play MWS either (no Linux client, and it nasty buggy in Wine)

Apprentice (can, but I haven't testing a game yet...)

[Ryuzaki]

MWS FTW.

I also use Magic Table every now and again, the drafting on mws makes cjs want to cry....then go drink some rum and forget about magic...like most of cjs' days...

Um I play Scion usually on MWS, and SK, a few others.

Good times, I don't buy magic cards anymore, but events I MAY go to...depends...

[Cashew]

To all of you who don't pay to play online. Do you print out your cards and play them for free or do pay for packs. Cause you could honestly do the same thing, and why aren't you?

If you're concerned about magic online crumbling you need not be. When Future Sight came out I know a broker that bought ~4000 packs. that's $3.99 x 4000 = $16,000. He did the same thing for almost every set that has come out since Odessey came out. There's at least 40 others that do the same thing. I know at least two brokers that have collections online worth in excess of ~$100,000 - that's not know of people, that's I talk to semi-weekly. There's more stores online than in NYC or LA with far better collections and better prices. I can't think of a single place in the real world where I can step foot into a 100 person 24 hour a day auction room run by the players (although the best action is seen between 6pm EST - 2am EST)

And why post-OTJ cards online much cheaper than in real life (for the most part)? Compare Loxodon Heiarch $3-4 offline $1 online. Compare the Rav playset I just finished for $60 per set online - which I've now done a couple times if that gives you a hint of how I've padded my wallet collecting online cards, converting to real, then selling the real for far more.

Cards are cheaper because there's a larger community buying more cards. Tons of people have playsets of everything because it's more affordable, and people keep buying cards/packs. Older cards (for online that means IPA, OTJ)are more expensive because the community is growing and those cards are in fewer supply, meaning instead of losing people who play online we've grown and grown and grown. Right now at 6am in the morning EST - hardly peak hours: ~350 people are playing casual non-event games, 252 to be exact are playing in tournament/drafts for prizes, and 56 are playing prize driven league games. That's 6am. That's at least 300 who payed $1-4 to play against others in a league or draft or event - at 6am - on top of the $12-20 for the packs. Meaning MTGO just made $3000 at 6am, that's some pretty good turnaround, since if it keeps those numbers up froma Random Thursday at 6am alone, we're making somewhere in the $90,0000 range monthly in a single window of events off-peak hours.

Version 3 is literally hitting soon, it's not everything we wanted, but the beta has given most a little bit of hope that the programming is getting better. You can hate on online and question its validity all you want, but in the end, it'll probably only end when the paper version does, because it costs more money to print a card, but a virtual card is produced by a little programming and a steady server - which if done right is far cheaper.

[Amadeus]

I don't currently, for the same reasons that most people list - not wanting to pay money for virtual cards. But, realizing that the cards are actually cheaper and it's not really an equal comparison, and that the player community is large, I may do so in the future. Undecided...

[Tynion]

If I had time and money, I most certainly would, simply because I don't have to leave the comfort of my home chair to play in a tournament.

[Streetz]

Cashew - do I smell a follow-up article?

[Michael_Zeora]

Cashew - my playgroup is to the point of only building to play and for fun, so the playset, yes a bit more expensive, but it's not like we can go and convert all our decks (and I have about 10 decks while my friends each have about 10 for the most part with exception of my friend who owns and actively plays all 40 of his decks) to MTGO cards, which if they gave the option and a Linux client I would do it.

and right now we do playtesting with black marker on white paper before going to by anything so we have a "final for now." version of a deck list.

[FrycHiKn]

Nooo!!! (MWS yes!)


*smack a random guy*
*leaves*

[Zack_Wilder]

MWS vs. MTGO. It's like choosing stickshift or automatic. I (am going to) drive stickshift, and I use MWS. It's free. The choice is clear for me.