The air is abuzz with the sound of debate. Suddenly, a long-isolated island feels the touch of soldiers coming all the way from Europe, and the natives tremble as they wonder what this sudden flood of attention will bring.
But there are some who do not want the attention of the big world. And I for one cannot agree with them.
See, Gis Hoogendjik has been petitioning Wizards for a sanctioned multiplayer format. That’s right; we’re talking Pro Tour qualifiers with six-man free-for-all tables. And at last count, at least thirty people have written articles either for or against the format, and I’m here to tell you why everyone who thinks it’s a bad idea is wrong, wrong, wrong.
We need a Pro Tour: Multiplayer.
Why?
More Attention From Wizards.
The danger on the horizon is that Wizards is going to break something. I’ve written about the increasing power of multiplayer cards before, but the whole goal is to have Wizards start designing cards for several opponents. What if you had a card with an effect that triggered when a player died? Or something that amped with more people who were at the table?
Yeah, you want that.
More Attention From Pros.
There have been those who are afraid that the pros swarming into our format will ruin it. “Netdecks! Netdecks!” they cry, afraid that the big mean ol’ pros will break multiplayer down into two or three best decks.
Wake up, people!
The truth is that multiplayer is a big format. Duels are narrow places, but with eight players there will always be options. Multiplayer simply isn’t big enough to break open with a single deck. You’ll have room to swim in between the other people, never fear!
More Attention From People.
We all know what Friday Night Magic did to Standard; it broke it wide open. Suddenly, thousands of people were playing a format that was widely dismissed by the world at large. And overnight, you could find a pick-up game of Standard on the ground at almost every place with a table.
Now, Wizards has promised that they’re working on some kind of online Magic game, but that’s years off (and God knows whether it’ll ever arrive). Until then, don’t be selfish! Think of the other players, stuck in Minnesota or Arizona, who are looking for other games but can’t find enough people!
Multiplayer Magic will bind us. It will bring us together. So. Play.
If you agree, support Gis by writing to him in his article last week; you could send them to Wizards directly, but he’ll bundle them into one huge petition and get it to the right people. SO don’t be afraid of the future; let it go, walk into the stars proudly.
Do it now.