It's a way to play mTG online, and paid mTG tournaments are certainly gambling, so how is it not gambling to play MTGO?
Paid MtG tournaments are not considered a form of gambling - MtG is not classified as a game of chance, and the prizes are fixed amounts that don't vary with the "buy-in" of the people entering the event.
Paid MtG tournaments are not considered a form of gambling - MtG is not classified as a game of chance, and the prizes are fixed amounts that don't vary with the "buy-in" of the people entering the event.
The important point is that it is a game of Skill, not that the prizes don't vary by "buy in."
Granted... either definition could be used to classify poker as not gambling too.
EDIT: Oh, also... many MTG tournaments of variable size have variable prizing too. ... I think...
The ones on MTGO don't. It still comes back to the same thing, MTGO was never designed for anyone but WotC to be able to profit from it. Those who have an expectation of profiting or paying very little, are by far the minority, and ergo can't simultaneously expect WotC to cater to them.
The ones on MTGO don't. It still comes back to the same thing, MTGO was never designed for anyone but WotC to be able to profit from it. Those who have an expectation of profiting or paying very little, are by far the minority, and ergo can't simultaneously expect WotC to cater to them.
So true... if "we" were, 4322s would be 5322s by now.
(I don't honestly expect to pay that little as I am not quite that good, but I do tend to get somewhere in the neighborhood of 15-20+ drafts out of paying for 10 ish)
The ones on MTGO don't. It still comes back to the same thing, MTGO was never designed for anyone but WotC to be able to profit from it. Those who have an expectation of profiting or paying very little, are by far the minority, and ergo can't simultaneously expect WotC to cater to them.
I agree with what you're saying, but it is almost irrelevant to some of the larger issues being discussed here.
A summary of the scenario:
1) Phantom Sealed v1.0 debuted at 8 Tix with Swiss Draft-style payout. It was a complete failure (near zero launches per day) and quickly abandoned, in favor of...
2) Phantom Sealed v2.0 which costs 4 Tix. In exchange for the low cost, it has the worst %EV of any event that doesn't crack packs, aside from Cube. It is reasonably successful, with 50-200 events launching per day.
3) After seeing the success of Cube drafting, they decide to mirror that pay & prize structure onto Phantom Sealed v3.0... despite the same price with unambiguously better prize payout having already failed.
Even regarding any potential to go infinite, etc., they're replacing a system that people liked and replacing it with something worse than one that already failed miserably. THAT'S why people are upset. The new scheme is ****. The entire success of Phantom sealed, as demonstrated in the jump from v1.0 to v2.0, is that the price needs to be low enough occupy its own price range for people to be willing to tolerate the low %EV. At 8.0 Tix, you may as well be playing Swiss drafts... but most won't, because they're trying NOT to spend large sums of money.
All this is the fault of 4322 and cube players. WOTC sees that players are simply stupid and will pay any cost they ask. If I would have to pay for magic online, I would simply stop, because of the company's greed and disregard towards players.
Even regarding any potential to go infinite, etc., they're replacing a system that people liked and replacing it with something worse than one that already failed miserably. THAT'S why people are upset. The new scheme is ****. The entire success of Phantom sealed, as demonstrated in the jump from v1.0 to v2.0, is that the price needs to be low enough occupy its own price range for people to be willing to tolerate the low %EV. At 8.0 Tix, you may as well be playing Swiss drafts... but most won't, because they're trying NOT to spend large sums of money.
In other words, for the mediocre player such as you or I who will win almost nothing prize-wise, $4 is an ok price, $8 is too much. And this argument is entirely fair. But there is a silver lining here that we're mostly missing. If you are not alone in your dislike, then these queues won't fire much, and WotC won't make much money off them. The last time that happened (Phantom v1.0), they changed it around to something better. It's highly likely they'll do so again here if its really as unpopular as everyone here is predicting.
Personally, I think that unifying the system with cube is actually an ok idea. It gives me something to do with my leftover cube tix once the cube season is done. But they need to realize that just because a Cube draft, or MMA draft is worth 8 tickets just for the experience, doesn't mean M14 sealed will be. The higher price for other phantom formats was justified by said formats generally being more fun to play. For a lower-demand format, they should lower the price accordingly, just like you would with any other lower demand product.
I would also appreciate it if there was a "swiss/single elim" split like there was with cube. The single elim option gave me a way to theoretically turn my "fake" cube tix into real packs. Having something similar with sealed would only make sense. As is though, I'll probably still use these queues a couple of times just to burn through my excess cube tix. They will still be the cheapest way to practice sealed, after all.
All this is the fault of 4322 and cube players. WOTC sees that players are simply stupid and will pay any cost they ask. If I would have to pay for magic online, I would simply stop, because of the company's greed and disregard towards players.
There are many players for whom the small differences in EV we're talking about are insignificant. That doesn't make them stupid. Being willing to pay for entertainment doesn't make you stupid.
I]
I would also appreciate it if there was a "swiss/single elim" split like there was with cube. The single elim option gave me a way to theoretically turn my "fake" cube tix into real packs. Having something similar with sealed would only make sense. As is though, I'll probably still use these queues a couple of times just to burn through my excess cube tix. They will still be the cheapest way to practice sealed, after all.
The lack of such a way is probably on purpose.
Unlike cube, these queues are not intended for high-level players. If you're winning so much that you're getting more cube tix than you're burning, that's a sign that you should be moving up to more competitive events.
Incidentally, getting the sharks out of these queues improves the experience for the players the queues are intended for. It's more fun to play opponents close to your skill level.
I cannot say it matters much to me. If I win the fake sealed in the old way I can sell the packs and play another fake sealed. Under the new system if I win my fake sealed I can get some fake tickets and then do another fake sealed.
I understand you can do more with packs than fake tickets but honestly I sell the packs almost immediately so that I can play some more. In the end it is not something worth nerd raging over. I for one enjoy the more relaxed feeling I get from a sealed environment where I do not have to worry about winning that much.
I cannot say it matters much to me. If I win the fake sealed in the old way I can sell the packs and play another fake sealed. Under the new system if I win my fake sealed I can get some fake tickets and then do another fake sealed.
I understand you can do more with packs than fake tickets but honestly I sell the packs almost immediately so that I can play some more. In the end it is not something worth nerd raging over. I for one enjoy the more relaxed feeling I get from a sealed environment where I do not have to worry about winning that much.
The fake tickets give you a discount, but no matter how many Fake Tickets you have, you have to pay 2 real tickets.
There are many players for whom the small differences in EV we're talking about are insignificant. That doesn't make them stupid. Being willing to pay for entertainment doesn't make you stupid.
"Please pay for the admission here and join a queue. There is no difference, except in this one you get less prizes. You indeed chose this one? Thanks. I guess we can maybe offer a queue later where you can get even less prizes."
Although paying 2 tickets and some cube tickets to try and improve your sealed play is the cheapest method to actually do so. A LOT of people were doing it for that reason anyway. I mean where else can you practice sealed for so cheap, online or offline. Basically we are talking about paying 2 bucks for the sealed event, not that bad. I know it is strictly worse than what existed before, but I think this whole thing is a bit overblown. Of course it is a move toward profit. WotC is in the business of making money, not giving it away.
Although paying 2 tickets and some cube tickets to try and improve your sealed play is the cheapest method to actually do so. A LOT of people were doing it for that reason anyway. I mean where else can you practice sealed for so cheap, online or offline. Basically we are talking about paying 2 bucks for the sealed event, not that bad. I know it is strictly worse than what existed before, but I think this whole thing is a bit overblown. Of course it is a move toward profit. WotC is in the business of making money, not giving it away.
I mean, it's not that big of a deal. Some players care a lot about financial elements of the game, others just want to have fun. I don't think it really matters that much in the long run. The game is a lot of fun but realistically it doesn't support itself forever. Even if you can go infinite in magic online, you'll still have to pay for travel for GPs, you're still going to have to pay for gas to get to PTQs. Even pros with level benefits still have to shell out something of their pocket to attend events. Magic, while fun, isn't a profession.
I mean, it's not that big of a deal. Some players care a lot about financial elements of the game, others just want to have fun. I don't think it really matters that much in the long run. The game is a lot of fun but realistically it doesn't support itself forever. Even if you can go infinite in magic online, you'll still have to pay for travel for GPs, you're still going to have to pay for gas to get to PTQs. Even pros with level benefits still have to shell out something of their pocket to attend events. Magic, while fun, isn't a profession.
That was basically my point. I see this as getting completely overblown, when it really isn't that bad. One can also look at the fact that this is a way to garner cube tickets for the next actual Cube event. I know a lot of ppl complained that they couldn't get cube tickets from anything other than cube events. Well, now there is a chance to do so.
So I can play a fake phantom sealed and then depending on how good I do I can play the cube. That actually sounds pretty sweet to me. As long as winning a fake sealed means I can draft the cube once I can feel pretty good then. If they give me fewer cube tickets for winning then what it takes to get into the cube then I'm going to be one sad panda.
So I can play a fake phantom sealed and then depending on how good I do I can play the cube. That actually sounds pretty sweet to me. As long as winning a fake sealed means I can draft the cube once I can feel pretty good then. If they give me fewer cube tickets for winning then what it takes to get into the cube then I'm going to be one sad panda.
But it always requires actual tickets to enter. Phantom Tickets are, in larger number, a coupon. You get enough Phantom Tickets to maximize the coupon, but no matter how good you are, you still have to pay 2 tickets in addition to whatever you've won.
People treating it as if it regularly costs $2 are thinking of the absolute best case scenario, which requires a match win of over 70% or something. On average, after some initial investment, it is closer to $4.0, the current cost, just without prize support.
There really are some good things about this system, namely that you can use them between Cube, standard sets, and hopefully older phantom events (i.e. bring back regular Ravnica for a week Phantom only). However, over doubling the cost of the current system, and replacing the lowest %EV event with something worse, at a price point they already know doesn't work for standard sets, is crazy.
There's actually a lot they can do. Switch the pay system to something like this:
5 Tix
-or-
1 Tix + Booster
-or-
Some Number of Phantom Tix.
Current sets give the old payout system. When packs are near 4.0, it is slightly in Wizards favor relative to the current mechanics. At 3.0, it is almost exactly break even, but still likely in Wizards favor. Less than that, and players are at an advantage.
Older sets, rather than giving packs and changing the supply, give the new Phantom Tix, which are the currency used for current events, cube events, and returning sets, and they don't have to worry about changing the value of older cards.
yay, they changed the system again, after an outcry [i suppose] from the community. the originally linked page in the first post has been updated:
===
On August 21, Phantom AVR Sealed, Phantom M14 Sealed, and Phantom RTR Block Sealed will all have an entry fee of 6 Event Tickets OR 10 Phantom Points.
Phantom Points will be awarded from these events as well:
i win 2 matches for about half my events, and 1 match for half my events; and i rarely win all three or lose all three.
by my calculations, in the old system, i pay an average of 2.5-2.75 tix per event, and in the new system, i only pay an average of 2.14 tix.
additionally, since you get phantom points for winning only one match (or even no matches!), there is incentive for everyone to play all three matches, which is great. it was always disappointing to lose the first two matches in the old system, to then not play the third match because your opponent dropped (since in the old system, losing the first two matches made no hope for a prize, even if you won the final match).
so this seems like a good change! i will try to enjoy it before the force to the new client makes it impossible for me to run mtgo!
calculations:
old system:
entry: 4 tix
3 match win: 3 packs = 7.5 to 9 tix (@ 2.5 - 3 tix per pack)
2 match win: 1 pack = 2.5 to 3 tix
1 match win: 0 tix
0 match win: 0 tix
i tend to win 2 matches for half my events, and win 1 match for half my events. therefore, i get 2.5-3 tix for half my events. so, my average winnings is 1.25-1.5 tix per event, making my average cost about 2.75 to 2.5 tix per event.
new system:
entry: 6 tix OR 10 phantom points
3 match win: 16 phantom points
2 match win: 8 phantom points
1 match win: 4 phantom points
0 match win: 2 phantom points
for about half my events, i win 2 matches, and for half my events, i only win 1 match. that's an average of 6 phantom points won per event. to get a free event, i need to get 10 phantom points, and each event yield an average of 6 phantom points, so it would take 10/6= 1 2/3 events to get enough phantom points to get a free event. so, 1 2/3 (or 10/6) events costs 10/6 * 6 = 10 tix, which will net 1 2/3 + 1 = 2 2/3 (or 14/3) events. so, 14/3 events costs 10 tix, or 10 tix / 14/3 events = 2.14 tix per event, which isn't bad.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
----------------------------
Goblins have poor impulse control. Don't click this link!!
some of my favourite flavour text:
Wayward Soul "no home no heart no hope"
—Stronghold graffito
Raging Goblin He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.
The new system is really really good. You need a 71% win percentage to go infinite. You pay for 1/6th of sealeds by having a win percentage of 61% (which is equivalent to paying 1 tix/sealed). A player hitting 50% pays for 1/3 of sealeds. That's quite nice, and it means an average player is spending 2 tix/sealed.
if you want to know the math:
w is your win percentage.
odds you go 3-0: w^3
odds you go 2-1: 3*(1-w)*w^2
odds you go 1-2: 3*(1-w)^2*w
odds you go 0-3: (1-w)^3
multiply the odds by the number of points to get your average number of points:
16*w^3+8*3*(1-w)*w^2+4*3*(1-w)^2*w+2*(1-w)^3
When that equals 10, you go infinite. If that equals n, where n is less than 10, you need to buy in once every 10/(10-n) drafts.
YES! This is exactly what I was hoping would happen from my *****ing!
This has all of the benefits of the previous proposal:
- They can bring back old sets without having to worry about introduction of boosters into the system.
- Pack independent, so people can do whatever they want regardless of the pack value (M14 sells for 3.45, AVR sells for 2.25, DGM sells for 1.7 or something). Now, they're all equal... ish.
The downside is that it will be more expensive for middle of the road people I suspect. You need to plunk down at least $12 to get the engine going (unless you 3-0 your first event), and $6 is a bit larger than the $4 buy-in that can't be offset until you hit the critical level.
Discussing the mode (i.e. saying "I go 2-1 most of the time") isn't the best analysis, IMO, as blowouts can set you back considerably. and force you to re-pay.
2 2/3 = 8/3, not 14/3, so 3.75 tix per event.
However, this doesn't take into account the number of tix won during the "free" event. After the first "free" event you're actually paying 2.4 tix per event with those win stats.
The whole thing works out as a bell curve around approximately 1.8 tix per event.
It's interesting how this compares at different win %s for different sets, with regards to EV as a % of the initial fee.
When a booster is 4.0 Tix like AVR was earlier this year, a 3-0 victory would be like 30 Phantom Tickets under the new system When it is 2.2 like it is now, a 3-0 victory would be the equivalent of the 16 Tix it actually is. When it is 1.7 or 1.8 like DGM is, it gets complicated.
The real benefits of this change are the better consolation prizes for 0-3 and 1-2 records, the increased chance to actually play three rounds, the portability between sets, and the independence on pack price. Very high-skilled players take a hit, regardless of which set, in the new system.
Old goes infinite if you win > 62% of your matches.
New goes infinite if you win > 71% of your matches.
If packs are 3.5 tickets (like M14) then old is better than new if you win > 52% of your matches.
If packs are 3.8 tickets (like RTR) then old is better than new if you win > 48% of your matches.
If packs are 2.5 tickets (like AVR) then old is better than new if you win > 77% of your matches.
So for more skilled players the new system is significantly worse. That's probably intentional as they probably want newer or less skilled players to play phantom sealed.
Old goes infinite if you win > 62% of your matches.
New goes infinite if you win > 71% of your matches.
If packs are 3.5 tickets (like M14) then old is better than new if you win > 52% of your matches.
If packs are 3.8 tickets (like RTR) then old is better than new if you win > 48% of your matches.
If packs are 2.5 tickets (like AVR) then old is better than new if you win > 77% of your matches.
So for more skilled players the new system is significantly worse. That's probably intentional as they probably want newer or less skilled players to play phantom sealed.
I'm just hoping for phantom drafts...
That's a bit off.
RtR paid mostly in DGM packs, which are below 1.8 tickets (4 of the 6 packs were DGM). That is a huge difference, like factor of 2x+.
Bots charge 2.5 for AVR, but you can really only reliably sell them for 2.25. The new system is way better for that set, AND it encourages people to play it, so it may launch more than once a day.
M14 was the only reasonable P. Sealed right now. New system changes that and puts the other two on equal footing. M14 is worse off while packs float so high, but is nearly equal for people that float between 1-2 and 2-1 records, and M14 is such a ****tarded set that I can't imagine somebody having a ridiculous 75% win-rate in Sealed on any significant timescale.
I wouldn't really say "significantly worse", as that is focusing way too much on the 2-1 and 3-0 prizes, when 1-2s and 0-3s can offset things considerably. For AVR players, the new system is almost unambiguously better. For DGM, it is mostly equivalent or even leaning "better" for below average players. Only for M14, with packs as overpriced as they are right now, is the new system mostly worse... and even not that for people that actually want to play three rounds consistently, or frequently go 1-2 more than a purely insignificant amount of the time.
Paid MtG tournaments are not considered a form of gambling - MtG is not classified as a game of chance, and the prizes are fixed amounts that don't vary with the "buy-in" of the people entering the event.
The important point is that it is a game of Skill, not that the prizes don't vary by "buy in."
Granted... either definition could be used to classify poker as not gambling too.
EDIT: Oh, also... many MTG tournaments of variable size have variable prizing too. ... I think...
So true... if "we" were, 4322s would be 5322s by now.
(I don't honestly expect to pay that little as I am not quite that good, but I do tend to get somewhere in the neighborhood of 15-20+ drafts out of paying for 10 ish)
I agree with what you're saying, but it is almost irrelevant to some of the larger issues being discussed here.
A summary of the scenario:
1) Phantom Sealed v1.0 debuted at 8 Tix with Swiss Draft-style payout. It was a complete failure (near zero launches per day) and quickly abandoned, in favor of...
2) Phantom Sealed v2.0 which costs 4 Tix. In exchange for the low cost, it has the worst %EV of any event that doesn't crack packs, aside from Cube. It is reasonably successful, with 50-200 events launching per day.
3) After seeing the success of Cube drafting, they decide to mirror that pay & prize structure onto Phantom Sealed v3.0... despite the same price with unambiguously better prize payout having already failed.
Even regarding any potential to go infinite, etc., they're replacing a system that people liked and replacing it with something worse than one that already failed miserably. THAT'S why people are upset. The new scheme is ****. The entire success of Phantom sealed, as demonstrated in the jump from v1.0 to v2.0, is that the price needs to be low enough occupy its own price range for people to be willing to tolerate the low %EV. At 8.0 Tix, you may as well be playing Swiss drafts... but most won't, because they're trying NOT to spend large sums of money.
In other words, for the mediocre player such as you or I who will win almost nothing prize-wise, $4 is an ok price, $8 is too much. And this argument is entirely fair. But there is a silver lining here that we're mostly missing. If you are not alone in your dislike, then these queues won't fire much, and WotC won't make much money off them. The last time that happened (Phantom v1.0), they changed it around to something better. It's highly likely they'll do so again here if its really as unpopular as everyone here is predicting.
Personally, I think that unifying the system with cube is actually an ok idea. It gives me something to do with my leftover cube tix once the cube season is done. But they need to realize that just because a Cube draft, or MMA draft is worth 8 tickets just for the experience, doesn't mean M14 sealed will be. The higher price for other phantom formats was justified by said formats generally being more fun to play. For a lower-demand format, they should lower the price accordingly, just like you would with any other lower demand product.
I would also appreciate it if there was a "swiss/single elim" split like there was with cube. The single elim option gave me a way to theoretically turn my "fake" cube tix into real packs. Having something similar with sealed would only make sense. As is though, I'll probably still use these queues a couple of times just to burn through my excess cube tix. They will still be the cheapest way to practice sealed, after all.
There are many players for whom the small differences in EV we're talking about are insignificant. That doesn't make them stupid. Being willing to pay for entertainment doesn't make you stupid.
The lack of such a way is probably on purpose.
Unlike cube, these queues are not intended for high-level players. If you're winning so much that you're getting more cube tix than you're burning, that's a sign that you should be moving up to more competitive events.
Incidentally, getting the sharks out of these queues improves the experience for the players the queues are intended for. It's more fun to play opponents close to your skill level.
Practice for Khans of Tarkir Limited:
Draft: (#1) (#2) (#3) (#4) (#5)
I understand you can do more with packs than fake tickets but honestly I sell the packs almost immediately so that I can play some more. In the end it is not something worth nerd raging over. I for one enjoy the more relaxed feeling I get from a sealed environment where I do not have to worry about winning that much.
The fake tickets give you a discount, but no matter how many Fake Tickets you have, you have to pay 2 real tickets.
Aaah ok that is bad then. If you could go infinite then that would have been fine but as it is this is really bad.
"Please pay for the admission here and join a queue. There is no difference, except in this one you get less prizes. You indeed chose this one? Thanks. I guess we can maybe offer a queue later where you can get even less prizes."
New to Commander? Read the Above article.
I mean, it's not that big of a deal. Some players care a lot about financial elements of the game, others just want to have fun. I don't think it really matters that much in the long run. The game is a lot of fun but realistically it doesn't support itself forever. Even if you can go infinite in magic online, you'll still have to pay for travel for GPs, you're still going to have to pay for gas to get to PTQs. Even pros with level benefits still have to shell out something of their pocket to attend events. Magic, while fun, isn't a profession.
*DCI Rules Advisor*
That was basically my point. I see this as getting completely overblown, when it really isn't that bad. One can also look at the fact that this is a way to garner cube tickets for the next actual Cube event. I know a lot of ppl complained that they couldn't get cube tickets from anything other than cube events. Well, now there is a chance to do so.
New to Commander? Read the Above article.
But it always requires actual tickets to enter. Phantom Tickets are, in larger number, a coupon. You get enough Phantom Tickets to maximize the coupon, but no matter how good you are, you still have to pay 2 tickets in addition to whatever you've won.
People treating it as if it regularly costs $2 are thinking of the absolute best case scenario, which requires a match win of over 70% or something. On average, after some initial investment, it is closer to $4.0, the current cost, just without prize support.
There really are some good things about this system, namely that you can use them between Cube, standard sets, and hopefully older phantom events (i.e. bring back regular Ravnica for a week Phantom only). However, over doubling the cost of the current system, and replacing the lowest %EV event with something worse, at a price point they already know doesn't work for standard sets, is crazy.
There's actually a lot they can do. Switch the pay system to something like this:
5 Tix
-or-
1 Tix + Booster
-or-
Some Number of Phantom Tix.
Current sets give the old payout system. When packs are near 4.0, it is slightly in Wizards favor relative to the current mechanics. At 3.0, it is almost exactly break even, but still likely in Wizards favor. Less than that, and players are at an advantage.
Older sets, rather than giving packs and changing the supply, give the new Phantom Tix, which are the currency used for current events, cube events, and returning sets, and they don't have to worry about changing the value of older cards.
...but I do have that kind of win rate in M14 swiss... D: D: D: #NoLifeMagicNerd
But you're right, basing perceptions on a best-case scenario isn't too bright.
===
On August 21, Phantom AVR Sealed, Phantom M14 Sealed, and Phantom RTR Block Sealed will all have an entry fee of 6 Event Tickets OR 10 Phantom Points.
Phantom Points will be awarded from these events as well:
Match
Wins Prizes QPs
3 16 Phantom Points 1
2 8 Phantom Points 0
1 4 Phantom Points 0
0 2 Phantom Points 0
===
i win 2 matches for about half my events, and 1 match for half my events; and i rarely win all three or lose all three.
by my calculations, in the old system, i pay an average of 2.5-2.75 tix per event, and in the new system, i only pay an average of 2.14 tix.
additionally, since you get phantom points for winning only one match (or even no matches!), there is incentive for everyone to play all three matches, which is great. it was always disappointing to lose the first two matches in the old system, to then not play the third match because your opponent dropped (since in the old system, losing the first two matches made no hope for a prize, even if you won the final match).
so this seems like a good change! i will try to enjoy it before the force to the new client makes it impossible for me to run mtgo!
calculations:
old system:
entry: 4 tix
3 match win: 3 packs = 7.5 to 9 tix (@ 2.5 - 3 tix per pack)
2 match win: 1 pack = 2.5 to 3 tix
1 match win: 0 tix
0 match win: 0 tix
i tend to win 2 matches for half my events, and win 1 match for half my events. therefore, i get 2.5-3 tix for half my events. so, my average winnings is 1.25-1.5 tix per event, making my average cost about 2.75 to 2.5 tix per event.
new system:
entry: 6 tix OR 10 phantom points
3 match win: 16 phantom points
2 match win: 8 phantom points
1 match win: 4 phantom points
0 match win: 2 phantom points
for about half my events, i win 2 matches, and for half my events, i only win 1 match. that's an average of 6 phantom points won per event. to get a free event, i need to get 10 phantom points, and each event yield an average of 6 phantom points, so it would take 10/6= 1 2/3 events to get enough phantom points to get a free event. so, 1 2/3 (or 10/6) events costs 10/6 * 6 = 10 tix, which will net 1 2/3 + 1 = 2 2/3 (or 14/3) events. so, 14/3 events costs 10 tix, or 10 tix / 14/3 events = 2.14 tix per event, which isn't bad.
Goblins have poor impulse control. Don't click this link!!
some of my favourite flavour text:
Wayward Soul
"no home no heart no hope"
—Stronghold graffito
Raging Goblin
He raged at the world, at his family, at his life. But mostly he just raged.
if you want to know the math:
w is your win percentage.
odds you go 3-0: w^3
odds you go 2-1: 3*(1-w)*w^2
odds you go 1-2: 3*(1-w)^2*w
odds you go 0-3: (1-w)^3
multiply the odds by the number of points to get your average number of points:
16*w^3+8*3*(1-w)*w^2+4*3*(1-w)^2*w+2*(1-w)^3
When that equals 10, you go infinite. If that equals n, where n is less than 10, you need to buy in once every 10/(10-n) drafts.
This has all of the benefits of the previous proposal:
- They can bring back old sets without having to worry about introduction of boosters into the system.
- Pack independent, so people can do whatever they want regardless of the pack value (M14 sells for 3.45, AVR sells for 2.25, DGM sells for 1.7 or something). Now, they're all equal... ish.
The downside is that it will be more expensive for middle of the road people I suspect. You need to plunk down at least $12 to get the engine going (unless you 3-0 your first event), and $6 is a bit larger than the $4 buy-in that can't be offset until you hit the critical level.
Discussing the mode (i.e. saying "I go 2-1 most of the time") isn't the best analysis, IMO, as blowouts can set you back considerably. and force you to re-pay.
It's interesting how this compares at different win %s for different sets, with regards to EV as a % of the initial fee.
When a booster is 4.0 Tix like AVR was earlier this year, a 3-0 victory would be like 30 Phantom Tickets under the new system When it is 2.2 like it is now, a 3-0 victory would be the equivalent of the 16 Tix it actually is. When it is 1.7 or 1.8 like DGM is, it gets complicated.
The real benefits of this change are the better consolation prizes for 0-3 and 1-2 records, the increased chance to actually play three rounds, the portability between sets, and the independence on pack price. Very high-skilled players take a hit, regardless of which set, in the new system.
Old goes infinite if you win > 62% of your matches.
New goes infinite if you win > 71% of your matches.
If packs are 3.5 tickets (like M14) then old is better than new if you win > 52% of your matches.
If packs are 3.8 tickets (like RTR) then old is better than new if you win > 48% of your matches.
If packs are 2.5 tickets (like AVR) then old is better than new if you win > 77% of your matches.
So for more skilled players the new system is significantly worse. That's probably intentional as they probably want newer or less skilled players to play phantom sealed.
I'm just hoping for phantom drafts...
That's a bit off.
RtR paid mostly in DGM packs, which are below 1.8 tickets (4 of the 6 packs were DGM). That is a huge difference, like factor of 2x+.
Bots charge 2.5 for AVR, but you can really only reliably sell them for 2.25. The new system is way better for that set, AND it encourages people to play it, so it may launch more than once a day.
M14 was the only reasonable P. Sealed right now. New system changes that and puts the other two on equal footing. M14 is worse off while packs float so high, but is nearly equal for people that float between 1-2 and 2-1 records, and M14 is such a ****tarded set that I can't imagine somebody having a ridiculous 75% win-rate in Sealed on any significant timescale.
I wouldn't really say "significantly worse", as that is focusing way too much on the 2-1 and 3-0 prizes, when 1-2s and 0-3s can offset things considerably. For AVR players, the new system is almost unambiguously better. For DGM, it is mostly equivalent or even leaning "better" for below average players. Only for M14, with packs as overpriced as they are right now, is the new system mostly worse... and even not that for people that actually want to play three rounds consistently, or frequently go 1-2 more than a purely insignificant amount of the time.