Gerry Thompson war einer der 24 Spieler weltweit, die für Magic World Championship 2018 qualifiziert waren und bleibt dem Turnier aus Protest gegen WotC fern, siehe Twitter.
Sein Ziel ist dabei Missstände im Zustand der professionellen Magic Szene aufzuzeigen.
Er verzichtet damit u.a. auf die durchschnittlich $12.500 Preisgeld, die pro Teilnehmer ausgeschüttet werden.
Seine ausführliche Erklärung findet sich hier: https://www.reddit.c...gic_player_and/
Die wichtigsten Punkte:
- Wizards of the Coast (WotC) does not pay professional players a living wage. This, in and of itself, is not a requirement. However, if the goal is to sell the dream of playing on the Pro Tour, there should be something in place to make that worth achieving. Between qualifying becoming more and more difficult, especially with the goal posts continually changing, and the lack of reward at the top, the message currently being sent is “don’t waste your time.”
- Wizards does not promote its players well. “Oh, Worlds is this weekend? I had no idea.” How many people can name all 24 players qualified for this year’s World Championship? How many could name 15? If you can’t, don’t worry, you’re not alone.
- WotC’s communication is notoriously poor. The new cycle pro system is confusing, even for those who created it. The best resources for what your pro status is, how long it lasts, and how many pro points people have is a series of fan made spreadsheets.
- There are not enough Pro Tour invites to satiate the player base. As Magic grows, the top should grow to reflect that somewhat. Getting onto the Pro Tour is already difficult, but nearly impossible for those not located in North America. Additionally, a “first or dead last” system like PTQs creates very few people who feel like they accomplished something. It’s a system designed to create losers.
- Coverage is still abysmal. Over the years, WotC has received countless feedback, and all we have to show for it is an advantage bar. Worlds is using a pair of dead formats (Kaladesh Standard and Dominaria draft) and was barely advertised. Why would anyone watch this? If it was a timing constraint to have the event on the weekend before the prerelease, you can use Modern.
- With people like Alex Bertoncini and Jared Boettcher still playing Magic, it doesn’t send a strong enough message to those who would consider cheating. I am not comfortable with thieves being allowed inside tournament halls.
Die Reaktionen aus der restlichen Pro Szene sind dabei bisher überwältigend positiv, u.a. auch von anderen Teilnehmern der World Championships.
Eine Stellungnahme von WotC gibt es dazu afaik noch nicht.