Hello Magic Community! I am a Magic player, name "Will O'Reagan" on the Planeswalker Points page. I have about 1870 Planeswalker Points right now, and I'm somewhere in the top 100 for this Magic playing season. It's a coveted hotspot for Magic playing, because that top 100 means I may be qualifying for Hawaii, a tournament with a prize pool of almost a 1/4 of a million dollars. But this situation is not without controversy. I haven't won any tournaments. I haven't top 8'd any PTQ's, or made any Grand Prix day 2's. So my being in this spot is probably a shock to many people. It's a shock to me. How did this happen? Can it continue to happen? Will it happen again? Let me recount how this has all come about, starting when I came back to Magic to have fun and meet new people.
9-2-2011 Magic is about having fun.
After taking five years off of the Magic scene, for lack of good games I suppose or just boredom, I rejoined the scene September 2nd of this year when I entered a M12 Draft at the local card shop. I had cracked a few boosters, and I knew a few cards. (Pacifism, I've heard of that one!) To the disappointment of my opponents, I knew how to play and was not a noob. I went 2-1, and I was very happy. I knew what my DCI rating was, and had no intention of handing over my 1750 rating that I had when I quit Magic. Yes, my rating would go down, for I had no hopes of being on the pro tour. I had no hopes of going to a PTQ even, as I just wanted to meet people and if I met pros or pro tour hopefuls, that would be awesome because I would have someone to root for. I was a fan, playing the game, and milking it for all it's worth. And yes, Chandra's Outrage is awesome because it does 2 to the guy's face, and my Griffin Rider is a freaking beatstick.
9-4-2011 0-1 drop, I am not an idiot
I walk into a standard tournament. My DCI rating is 1800 for constructed, and I haven't played in 5 years. My opponent crushes my "Vampires Event Deck" and I happily fill out the drop slip, and go home. If they want my rating, they will have to earn it.
9-7-2011 So DCI is in the can? I can haz losses on record?
This is mind blowing to me. I hear the news that the DCI/ELO rating system is finally in the can. This system was a plague since a few years after its inception. It was totally unfair, and not fun. Now I can be exactly who I am at these tournaments, and I don't have to drop, or cram the nastiest cards I can find into my deck. I can lose matches, smile easily in defeat and not have to feel bad that I can only go +2 in a match, where my opponent gets +14 for a victory because he somehow has a record less than 1600. I discuss the new system at length with the shop owner, and it sounds totally awesome. Those of you who did not have the chance of qualifying on rating and having a 1900-2000 rating dangling in front of you for years, might not understand, but this change is really good.
9-18-2011 4-2, and a Phyrexian Obliterater for my card pool, thank you!
I'm back, same local tournament, but I've packed my Vampire Event Deck with as many nasties as I can find. 4X Skinrenderer and 2X Phyrexian Obliterator. Goal: Not goin out like a bitch this time. I 4-1'd the swiss, and made top 4. Apparently rogue decks do win, because I beat out a mirror, a Caw Blade, and a RDW. I only dropped a match to Mono-White control, which seemed far out of my reach. I easily lost in top 4 to a Birthing Pod deck that just couldn't seem to stop shooting out stuff. And yes, that is a 7 mana critter that kills all my guys and makes his Blade Splicers into really unfair cards. I win 4 packs, and inside I find another Phyrexian Obliterator. Winning.
9-24-2011 I'm going for Planeswalker Points!
It's the Innistrad Pre-Release and Release weekends. I go for a combined 9 wins, 6 losses and 1 draw. I'm talking about Planeswalker Points to every opponent I see, and happily spouting congratulations and salutations. I have zero hope of going to any PTQ's. I am just happy to be doing the scene and playing the game. I go home each day and watch my lifetime total climb up slowly. It's at 3000 points or so, and I'm graduating to a Sorcerer, which I think is pretty freaking cool. Planeswalker Points are still a joke to me. Not because they are easily abused, as I can hardly see how that is possible (even now), but because they are so fun to get. Good times are being had by all, and it's a great discussion to have at tournaments when your opponent is confused as to why you are congratulation them on going 1-3.
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