Today WotC announced that Worlds will be held on Arena instead of in paper for the first time. www.magic.gg/news/find-your-champion-at-magic-world-championship-xxvi.

Steamed Hams? At this time of year? At this time of day? In this part of the country? Localized entirely within Dies to Removal?

Wow, the Professor’s hair grew back quick

“That isn’t smoke! That’s steam!” -> sounds like wizards r&d after all the bannings

"This is purely hypothetical" -Martin Luther, nailing his 95 theses to the door

steamed hams except it's the professor

The part about WotC trying to squeeze the most money out of the paper market before setting it on fire really aged well.

"WotC might decide to forget draft in masters sets and just print cards." *Secret Lair comes out*

Interesting how Brian easily foresaw Wizards printing singles with new art that are direct to market. Quite quickly too.

Confirmed. Professor is a green mage, since that hair went through some Rampant Growth.

"A fetchland box" how did he know

Well, considering that I refuse to play Arena at all, since for me MTG is an excuse to socialize, if hypothetically WotC stopped supporting paper Magic, let's say i'd hypothetically stop supporting WotC.

Every Major change to Magic wotc had enacted over the last 4 years has harmed local game stores BY DESIGN. Very clearly by design.

That intro was astounding

It’s simple really. I’d stop playing magic.

Magic is a social game. Moving it to a digital internet experience removes that aspect of it. If my only two options are digital magic or no magic, I'll find a new hobby. I'm going to play paper commander whether or not wizards supports it, and if it gets to the point that I can no longer acquire new cards due to high cost or lack of supply, I'll play with what I have until I get bored and quit the game.

It costs wizards pennies on the dollar to print 300 dollar collectors packs, if one really thinks they're gonna stop printing money they're not in touch with the reality of their business model.

Profs hair grows quite fast

Wow, 10 months have passed and this hypothetical scenario got eerily accurate.

My LGS is closing down at the end of the month. Pour one out.

"Arena might've been the biggest disaster for Magic the Gathering" Yup. Hard yup.

I do love those, "sizzling hot plays by Reid Duke!"

Now I want a format named clammander.

That intro was absolutely phenomenal.

I'm here from your latest zendikar opening and accidentally opened this video twice without knowing and had an echo for the opening 3 minutes that was already comical but quite uniquely trippy. I've been a longtime lurker but always enjoyed your videos and incredible content. It makes being a magic player after 10/1/20 a little easier. Thanks for all you do and I hope you're able to find joy and peace in cardboard pastimes soon.

"The Mythic Championship" I died...

"Throne of Eldraine Deluxe Edition, Arena codes for card styles and sleeves included!" The $500 price tag of this product was not to see how much money Wizards could milk out of paper magic, more to see how many "whales" can be convinced to play and spend money on Arena after being given the 'free' arena codes to get them started. They don't include the physical card with the card style from the codes so when you boot up Arena for the first time you have to spend more money just to see and experience the codes you've previously paid for. Thank you for coming to my tinfoil TED talk.

Paper is literally THE reason I play magic. My friends were video game obsessed, and I stopped wanting to hang out because they didn't even want to interact as humans anymore. MTG changed that by introducing a fun and strategically complicated game that actually involves social interaction. Online magic is part of the problem for me The interface has significantly worse game feel, and theres no way around that, because manipulating cardboard is part of the gameplay experience. But mostly, I have a million video games to play, most of them far more accessible than mtga, some of them on par in terms of strategy to paper mtg. In the video game market, mtg has a really hard uphill battle against them. In the tabletop world, mtg completely dominates almost every other game. Every time I'm playing a physical card game I think "I could be playing magic and having more fun", but none of that exists at all for video games. Video games may be a broader market, but its a pond with much bigger fish and much more fickle food. IMO, favoring the digital path is a mistake for their brand in the long term. Easy come easy go, hard to come hard to go. Paper magic is more stalwart, asset diversification is a good idea. Personally, I would never transition to mtga, it loses out to other digital card experiences for me. Hearthstone has a much less tryhard atmosphere, and actually incorporates humor and sounds fun and good, mtga just sounds "badass". But frankly, socializing in online games is a negative experience, so if I'm not going to be playing in-person, I'll be playing a single player game that is able to have a more refined experience, like slay the spire. Not to mention I have very high expectations for hours of enjoyable playtime per dollar for video games, because I'm so spoiled by the market today. I'm comfortable spending around 1$ for every 10 hours of gameplay on my computer, because that's what I'm used to. I'm quite sure that's not the market wizards wants to capitalize on. While out with my friends I'm far more likely to impulse buy a pack, because of the social experience involved. As a social experience, drafting paper magic far exceeds most other activities in cost per enjoyment time. As a video game, mtg falls far short of most other activities in cost per enjoyment time Yeah, that big explosive burst of popularity in turn depletes the worlds source of curiosity for the game, because it loses obscurity, chains of discovery can't propagate through small communities as well if everyone has already heard the name, they're far more likely to write it off. Now if their game can't carry them until those curiosity reserves refuel, they could lose control of their fire With regards to local game stores, its the same sentiment you should keep in mind for your own body: use it or lose it

You know this video, is more alive than ever. prof warned us.

Dies to Removal: Tolarian Winds Edition xD In all seriousness, a great discussion. Thanks for editing and uploading this one, Professor!

I laughed when Vince referred to clueless executives associating Magic with rabbits out of top hats because of how often KZfaq shows us ads for Penn & Teller during these videos.

"and eventually they'll realize how far they can get" And here we are seeing non-magic IP on black bordered cards. Ah! prof, and vince; I think you're actual psychics.

That would be a horrid choice for wizards. They would definitely lose me as a consumer and I would continue with my commander deck as is

they cut paper support---> i stop playing magic, easy

Never let the meme die! I hope next week we really get a Clammander Cube video.

I'm thinking professor tapped into some prodigious powers of prognostication.

That pleasant fellow makes some good points. Does anyone know if he has a KZfaq channel?

My theory is Commander will be the future of paper magic

This is the most terrifying prospect I can think of, please no, WOTC

I'm from Southampton, I can confirm that we call it Clam-mander.

I would have appreciated if one of the "hypotheticals" from the beginning of this video had migrated up to the video's title. Excellent opening sketch though.

This episode is hilarious. I’m so glad you plugged it in your Secret Lair video.

So weird you release this today. I just stayed up until 3am this morning writing a 5 year plan for one of my classes.

I think the answer is what marketing majors have known for years in that "there is no perfect pasta sauce" By which I mean there is no perfect product you can get everyone on board with and having multiple successful products is always better than trying to make one product that "fits all". The famous research someone did on pasta sauce proves this and how people who like chunky wont like spicy and people who like spicy wont like pesto. Companies salivate over the order of the "perfect product everyone will buy" so they can produce only one thing but it's a myth. Just look at Shigeru Miyamoto trying for years to get 2D Mario fans to like 3D Mario to only make 3D Mario fans upset because the games he was trying to make everyone happy with only ended up being bland and mediocre and devoid of what makes 3D Mario what it is. And than Super Mario Odyssey came along and proved him wrong entirely and made him look like a gigantic hack who was out of touch with his audience. Same concept applies to Magic. There are people who will never go digital even if it's the only choice. Especially when you consider the big reason people love tabletop games is real life social interaction which online video games can not replicate. People who grew up on online games during the Xbox/Xbox 360 era have started to realize that online gaming can't perfectly replicate the feeling of going to a friend's house and playing games together and that's why there's been a huge surge in tabletop games over the past several years because young adults are no longer blinded by technology. Online games are great but they can't perfectly recreate real life human interaction plus you have to deal with genuinely awful people as well.

Coming back to this in the wake of the current Secret Lair controversy is enlightening.

Magic goes to Arena, and then there are two bad standard sets in a row...

I went through the playlist in hope to find THIS video on this topic. THANK YOU VERY MUCH

Leave it to the Prof and Vince to brighten my day. Love the both of you!

Took me an embarrassing amount of time to realize the opening was Steamed Hams.

>cheaply and easily produced masters sets >mystery booster oh.

Honestly thanks for these podcasts my favourite thing about your channel. Even very scary ones like these for some reason leave me with more hope. I think the reason is that the fact that people can talk about these issues shows tjat there is a chance for magic the gathering

I don't care that I'm over a year late for this. One of the best gags on the best episode of the Simpsons, great take on it here. You guys are the best.

watching this after they announced double masters vip edition is scary

At least in the video game space politicians are pushing to make loot boxes gambling. A pack on MTGA is just a repackaged loot box.

At 16:31, you pretty much hit nail in the head, though the reality was even worse than that. My FLGS owner told that he was allowed to order only 3 boxes max.

Paper magic going away confirmed. Was a good run, Take care everybody.

"Australia is the Southern Hemisphere version of America." ; x ;

I mean, c'mon. The Reid Duke joke was superior.

I thought your intros couldn't get better and then you hit us with this!

"The Mythic Championship" Always gets me

Puts on tin foil cap: ....what are you going to play when the power goes out... ☕️

This is less of a hypothetical and more of a step by step of whats happening as of today, as if WOTC watched this and said "this is great! He spelled it out for us, let's just do this." And now we have AMC premium cards.

I've been slowly building a tier 1.5, and slipping faster and faster towards tier 999, modern deck, and anxiety hits hard at times keeping me from going out to play paper Magic, but thanks for this video. I am going to keep trying to make it out more often to create those memories in the first place while I have the chance, the money for the modern cards, the prereleases, the booster boxes, the sleeves, the artwork, and the hope that the only non-digital game I was able to lose myself in, in a positive way, will continue to survive. Staying in to play is fine, but not when it kills my mood because I am lonely or it kills off the stores that give me the opportunity to play with people in a game that is as much social as it is technical. Not everyone stinks, and some people can be pretty awesome. I remember a 25 year Magic player helping me out with my deck after the first game of our match at the Ravnica Allegiance prerelease, which I only got the nerve to go to after like 6 years of watching from the sidelines and reading the lore before they killed that too with ebooks and that terrible WotS novel. I read that as a way to stay connected to the game when I was too poor to afford to even buy an intro deck, let alone get into modern. That all changed between GRN and RNA when I finally got a decent job, but then they took away my lore and the opportunity for those who also struggle severely with mental health issues to stay with the story and stay engaged even if they cant afford the cards or the "novels" at the time. Because they will eventually get better, get some semblance of money even if just for a time, and maybe even become your biggest whales one day. So thank you Brian and Vince, as soon as I can find a modern event this week and don't feel fluish, I will be there at one of the local stores.

Great episode, really glad to hear an in depth discussion.

"We don't really have a Prime Minister, just a waffling bag of gas" When was this filmed, was it ALL OF TIME? Politics!

Someone autotune this intro skit.

The was the most genius version of Steamed Hams I’ve ever seen. Great work.

And here we are a year later and wotc has released even more ultra high end collector product, more direct to customer sales, a potential subscription service for secret lairs, less product going to brick and mortar stores, and now they have stopped the pro tour... So sad to see this level of greed and dismantling of what made Magic so great.

30:38 yes you have to watch the Matrix. It's actually really important.

OH GOD! Kenobi mentioning Dash-con at 15:00... I did NOT expect that. (great analogy by the by)

Great chemistry. I enjoy this series; thanks

Your hair grew back so fast it's amazing!

"No mother, it's just the northern lights"

As a die hard fan of the Simpsons, that opening was BRILLIANT! Thank you for making my week!

This was an amazing Thought provoking exercise! Thank you

I'm a simple man. I see Steamed Hams parody, I thumbs up.

If Wizard's does that then I will NEVER play Magic again and I'd be SUPER pissed about it. Magic was born on paper and should never be changed.

I definitely need a Dies To Removal on what movies you both think need to be watched.

Great opening! I love that Simpsons sketch/episode. Great job! Clamander!

5 year plan to cut paper support? Boy if only they'd known how much sooner it would actually happen.

Steamed clammander. sounds like 8crab with extra steps. PleasantKenobi: you know what you must do now. Crab tribal mill in commander!

That intro was a great one. Good job there professor!

I’m disappointed you didn’t say the fire was the latest FIRE Design, missed opportunity, but aside from that, chef’s kiss on that intro, hot damn!

Serious Prof, go watch the Matrix right now. It completely holds up and is absolutely worth it!

please let this be nothing more than a conspiracy theory.

The sketch at the beginning was pure gold.

The Simpson, Professor & MTG in a same video? What a time to be alive!

Best intro skit EVER!!!

Well Paper Magic is too expensive. Also people need friends to play paper mtg or they must reserve a time with other people to play. In Arena you just log and play at anytime you want. You can play decks with 10+ mythics, rare and expensive lands for free. It is hard to attrach people to your game when you see netdecks everywhere and prices of 500 $ for just one single deck.

The answer to the question why they are doing it is the product live cycle. If I follow the professors scenario that would mean that the current paper magic is a a cashcow (as defined in the BCG matrix) that means it is in the later stages of the product life cycle and wizards is getting every cent out of it to invest in the digital card game idea which currently probably is a star in the bcg. That also means they will not invest new money into paper and over time will roll back the support for paper magic since it will reach the end of the desired profite rates.

One of my fave classic skits 🤣🤣🤣Thanks Prof!

Man... those double masters vip boosters fit right into that plan... might be time to sell off my collection and find another hobby

Things that I would think signal wotc's desire to "shut down" paper. * Degradation of Print Quality * Major eratum to cards that are hard to track irl.

Interesting debate, and more interesting how the professor is going all the way on the greed is good persona while kenobi is the voice of reason. delightful episode.

this is probably my favourite opening skit! i laugh every time at "Piping hot commander night!" :D

damn steamed hams is truly a classic

I’d quit playing. It’s a social game too, where I meet friends in real life, not through a computer

Didn't know I was taking an economics class from the prof. loved to hear the take on this episode

"How can we squeeze every drop of money over those five years? what are the most outrageous self destructive thing we can do to paper " 9 months later they release secret drop walking dead.... when I first watched this video months ago I kind of rolled my eyes about this whole discussion, I just came back and watched it and the prof saw all this coming... consider my mind blown

I wouldn't quit MTG, and I would continue playing with old cards and decks with friends. FNM, standard, even physical card support may eventually cease to exist, but I'll still be there with my decks ready to play.