>>14741155I agree that it's the environment that has done something to pollute the intent of FNM. But I really can't blame people for being the way they are.
People go online and see pros winning money playing the best of the best cards. Who knows how many man-hours are wasted analyzing and writing a million articles praising certain cards over the uselessness of others. There is always more talk about how most cards suck than how they could be fun. And people want to be like the pros because the pros are the best.
And unlike most other forms of competition there's no significant barrier to entry. A man with shit skills will more likely win with the best deck than the best player with a shit deck. Compare this to Tony Hawk who could probably rock a grocery cart better than you can skate with the top of the line deck. So now it's easy to be the best - you can buy the tools that give you an edge over those who cannot and some people have no problem winning no matter the means.
There's a bad side to casual play as well. Because people don't follow serious play basic skills are not enforced and hearsay takes precedence. Rules are not learned properly, card evaluation skills are in the gutter, people can't draft for shit, and building efficient decks is a rarity.
