MTG Salvation

While I'm already well aware of the fact that Local Game Stores (LGSs) are no longer able to host events due to the pandemic, I feel as though they're essential in terms of being able to help promote and advertise Paper Magic and other Paper Trading Card Games / Collectible Card Games to the masses. The underlying problem that I've noticed is that the majority of MTG's competition outside of eSports in regards to Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon TCG, Cardfight!! Vanguard, Weiss Schwarz, Force of Will TCG, Final Fantasy TCG, etc. is that they're all competitive based as they don't have access to real casual formats on par with EDH / Commander in MTG. As long as Organized Play remains suspended due to the pandemic the more players are going to want a viable alternative to support their Local Game Stores in their time of need and I feel as though casual formats would be a good way to gain the kind of traction that these stores desperately need.

Yu-Gi-Oh! I think would be mathematically impossible to create a casual format for that doesn't break the game as easily where as I tried to come up with one for Pokémon TCG with a few design hurdles making it difficult to function the way I hoped it would. Cardfight!! Vanguard isn't particularly built for 3+ player pods though Bushiroad has done some experimental formats in the past to help remedy this problem with not much success I'm afraid. Casual Events could be something that Local Game Stores might look into though I mostly see it facing the same problems that currently make it difficult to fire FNM, Standard, Modern, and Pioneer tournaments. I just think that the communities within Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokémon TCG really need to step up their game and prove that they can help popularize their own casual formats in the same vein that the MTG community did with EDH / Commander through social media on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.