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The Sentry™
Card# MTU-017
While his stats aren’t much bigger than those of the average 7-drop, Sentry’s “Pay ATK” power can drastically hinder an opponent’s attacking options in the late game.
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I’m tired of all of the hate. Magic players this, Magic players that. Magic players are haters, Magic players have no consideration, Magic players are rules lawyers, Magic players don’t deserve PC invitations, Magic players aren’t dedicated to Vs. System, Magic players should stick to playing Magic. Here’s some inside information: There are no Magic players on the Vs. System Pro Circuit. There are only Vs. System players!
In my mind, there is no distinction between one TCG player and another. I will welcome anyone who has a passion for games and wants to be a part of our community. I heard horror stories involving many of the Magic players who were invited to the Gen Con Indy Pro Circuit event, and every Magic player that I met was polite, friendly, and wanted to play. They were serious, dedicated players, and there wasn’t a single rules lawyer or cutthroat among those I encountered. It’s time to put this Magic thing to the side(board) and embrace the Vs. System community as a whole, no matter the ingredients. The Magic players put in as much effort as everyone else, if not more. After the tournament, they were still drafting while everyone else had scampered off—even Brian Kibler, who, at that point, could have been in his hotel room admiring his massive first place trophy. Kai Budde mentioned to some of the Metagame staff that he was actually happy that he hadn’t done well and that someone finally beat him. He also noted that some of the moves his opponents made really impressed him. This kind of humbleness coming from a repeat Magic Pro Tour champion is refreshing.
Magic players aside, the Pro Circuit and the other major tournaments during Gen Con Indy went off without a hitch, and problems were few and far between. I talked to hundreds of people, dozens of pro players among them, and I barely heard a negative comment about other players, judges, or the UDE staff. Oh, I heard criticism, but it was almost completely constructive. Nobody was badmouthing, insulting, or ripping into anyone else. This is what seems to separate the Vs. System community from all others. I had a brief chat with Alex Charsky on Sunday afternoon, and three people interrupted us to thank him for a great weekend of judging. There was a steady stream of people saying the same thing to Jeff Donais while I was chatting with him. Honestly, I think the players were a little shocked. The atmosphere on the Circuit was so positive that it was all that many players could talk about. A lot of Magic players were marveling at the huge difference in atmosphere between the Pro Circuit and the Pro Tour.
I realize that I may sound like a broken record here, but it’s hard for me to explain how it feels to be a part of a gaming community that is as friendly and as tight as this one is becoming. Let me share a story with you to show how it affected me. On Saturday, in the $10K Championship, I was playing a friendly game with an opponent, and he wanted to pull a step back as I was announcing an attack. It wouldn’t make a huge difference in the game, and he mentioned it early enough that nothing had changed in the interim. However, I was in a bit of a rut, having just missed Day 2 of the PC after a 3-4 record, and having made a brutal error earlier in the $10K, which was probably going to cost me any chance I had at making the Top 8.
 So what did I do? Believe it or not, I said no. Even though we had been playing amiably, and I had nearly taken something back myself, my mood and attitude betrayed me and betrayed the principles I push so often in these articles. He was shocked. He was going to go ahead and do it anyway. I was about to call a judge on him when it hit me that I was acting like an absolute jerk, and that everything that I stand for and preach was being contradicted in my actions. I was betraying my community. I told him to forget everything I said, that I was being a total jerk, and that I was truly very sorry for my behavior. After this, the atmosphere, which had been heated and tense during this mishap, was suddenly clear and friendly again. We were once again having fun, and I hope that my opponent didn’t take it personally, as it was entirely my fault.
There are two points to this story. The first point is that we are all human and make mistakes, but it is up to us to own up to these mistakes and make amends for them. The second point is that only in a community as strong as the Vs. System community could we come across a situation where this kind of incident could occur and yet resolve so positively. My opponent deserves kudos for being so understanding, quick to accept my apology, and willing to move on. I think that this is the best aspect of the Vs. System community—we understand that TCG players are as human as everyone else. Nearly all the players are forthcoming with their own weaknesses and accepting of weaknesses in others.
 The staff at the Pro Circuit was equally accepting. In fact, the UDE staff impressed me more than I expected. They always had time for me, no matter what they were doing or how often I pestered them. They had time for everyone else who approached them and answered just about every question that they were allowed to. They were polite and friendly, no matter how harried or frenzied they were. Jeff Donais sat down with me four times on Sunday, even though he had a million things to do and I was chatting and ranting incessantly. Omeed Dariani took time out to respond to every question I had throughout the weekend and really listened to what I had to say, as did Alex Charsky when Omeed sent me his way. Danny Mandel, Mike Hummel, and Dave Humpherys were spotted chatting with the players all weekend long and always had smiles on their faces.
There is always a tumble-down effect. When there is a company this dedicated, open, and friendly to its fans and players, that attitude will always be reflected in the community. They lead by example, and we all take up the reins and make sure that we act in the same way. Don’t get me wrong, not everyone is perfect, and there are exceptions to this rule. I did hear of a few competitors who were less than pleasant, creating a lot of hassle and irritation, and I’m sure there were others as well. However, in a field of hundreds of players, to hear only a few scattered stories is a really solid average. This attitude and atmosphere is what makes a community flourish, and it shows that we truly are a community.
A huge thanks to everyone who took part in the inaugural Pro Circuit weekend, and a huge thanks to the Upper Deck staff who put it on and the rest of the Metagame crew who kept us up-to-date. I’m really proud of everyone. Thank you for making my weekend so special.
Next column: Back on schedule with the second part of the Guide to Alternate Formats.
I’m still looking for questions and concerns from the community—if there’s anything you’d like answered or addressed, please send me an email at kergillian@hotmail.com. |
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