Articles

Melbourne Magic: is there a problem here?

Melbourne Magic has proven to be very strong during 2001. At the National Championships, there were four Victorians in the top including 1st and 2nd place to Rob Nadebaum and Andrew Gordon respectively. Richard Johnston took home 1st prize at the recent GP in Brisbane. Clearly something is working here in Melbourne. However, I believe that there is a problem developing in the Melbourne Magic scene that needs to be addressed.

I believe that there has grown an unacceptable level of arrogance amongst a clique of players who consider themselves to be superior to "the rest" of the Magic community in Melbourne. I think that this problem has developed over the past 12 months with the successes of many members of this clique. This has grown into a potentially damaging problem. Allow me to share my experience of last weekend, when I set out to play some Magic games and particularly do some testing with a deck I've been tuning and intend to play at States.

On Saturday morning, I drove to a game store that runs Friday Night Magic tournaments. I asked if they were taking names for the draft tournament and discovered that all 8 places had been booked in advance on Wednesday. If I were interested in playing on the weekend I'd need to check in during the week next time. Disappointed, I played a few games for half an hour or so and then left. Fair enough, if that's how the store chooses to run it's events then that is their business, but I don't intend to come back and try and play in a tournament there again. Seemingly, unless you are part of the "in" crowd at this store then you don't belong. That was the overwhelming impression I left with.

I drove home, had some lunch and then drove to a different game store that also runs Friday Night Magic tournaments. I was able to sit down and playtest my deck for the duration of the afternoon and share deck ideas with other players. On Sunday I returned to the same game store and participated in the FNM draft tournament. After the draft, I went to get some food with 3 other players and we did some card trading and swapped ideas about States.

At the end of the weekend, I couldn't help comparing the stark contrast between groups of players I found at each store. It would be fair to say that none of the players at the first store were lacking extensive Magic experience. At second store perhaps 50% of the players had only been playing Magic for less than 12 months, but the other 50% of players were no less experienced than those at the first store. But other than just experience, there was an enormous difference in attitudes that left a sour feeling in the back of my throat.

The clique that frequently visits the first store are no more or less dedicated to playing Magic than myself and many of the other players who I met at the second store. Individually, members of the clique are friendly and very approachable players. But together as a whole they present themselves as arrogant and superior which is both undesirable and off-putting.

The way forward for Melbourne Magic is not to operate on two player levels, those "in the fold" and the so-called "scrubs" who aren't good enough to make the fold. Every single one of the players who currently find themselves "in the clique" started out building decks that could still be improved and with drafting skills that were underdeveloped. It is only through talking and playing with other players and gaining from their experiences that their Magic skills increased.

To be fair, I understand that there is a time and a place for teams of players who test their "secret tech" before a large tournament to contain information amongst a small team group. While at an idealistic level I disagree that this is necessary, I understand the cause and effect that brings this situation. But I fail to see that this sort of clique is required when it comes to something like FNM drafting.

In the long term no good can come from the segregation of Melbourne Magic players into two camps -- which currently are distinguished by those who wear identical T-shirts at tournaments and those who don't. I think a good number of Magic players in Melbourne need to take a step back for a moment and check what is really happening to the Magic playing community in Melbourne overall.

When was the last time you took the time to give some friendly advice about drafting technique or deck building to another player? Do they have to wear the same coloured T-shirt as you do before they are worthy of talking to?

Jason Whitby
jason.whitby@dascem.com.au